The Journey - by Greg Kaplan (Paperback)

About the Book

"Rooted in humorous stories distilled with bits of sagely honest advice, The Journey goes beyond the well-chronicled college admissions madness and cuts to the core of parental angst with concrete suggestions for preparing children for a competitive and rapidly changing world. Young people face an increasing medley of challenges as they pursue higher education. Amid skyrocketing tuition costs, 43 million U.S. adults hold a whopping $1.78 trillion in student loan debt. College admission is significantly more competitive than it was just a few years ago, and today's students compete with international talent for education and career opportunities. As a result, 40% of Gen Z adults live at home and have gained a "failure to launch" reputation. Many lack the skills and perspective they need to become fulfilled adults because their educational journey did not prepare them to be thoughtful, authentic, or strategic in developing and achieving their goals. Enter The Journey. Written for both parents and students, this guide is comprised of advice and personal anecdotes drawn from college admissions counselor Greg Kaplan's work. Kaplan offers sobering statistics about the lacking capabilities of the next generation and prescribes stories of parenting strategies that succeed in raising independent children to achieve their long-term goals. Emphasizing the foundational tenets of a successful adult life-grit, leadership, and passion-Kaplan approaches the college admissions process with the intent of instilling transferable skills that will carry students well into adulthood. He asks students: What do you want to get out of your college career and work career? How can you make the most of the college journey to jumpstart your journey into the real world? He asks parents: Are you preparing your children to attain a life of health, happiness, and financial independence? This book is designed to support today's youth in identifying their passions and developing the grit and leadership skills they will need to make the most of future opportunities. The Journey calls on parents to both act and refrain from acting to help their children develop into capable and independent adults and calls upon students to take control of their own futures through easy to implement steps"--

Book Synopsis

Rooted in humorous stories distilled with bits of sagely honest advice, The Journey goes beyond the well-chronicled college admissions madness and cuts to the core of parental angst with concrete suggestions for preparing children for a competitive and rapidly changing world.

Young people face an increasing medley of challenges as they pursue higher education--rising tuition costs, daunting prospective student debt, and a talented and competitive applicant pool. After a decade of preparing students for the ever more difficult admissions process, college counselor Greg Kaplan wishes parents would stop thinking, "What should I do to get my kid into a good college?" and instead ask: "How can I best prepare my child for what comes next?" Having practiced law and worked in investment banking early in his career before pivoting to working with students, parents, and educators, Kaplan knows what the world--and its population of college admissions officers--is looking for in today's youth and tomorrow's leaders: Grit. Leadership. Passion.

Emphasizing these fundamental tenets of successful adulthood, The Journey paints a realistic picture of the lack of preparedness among today's youth. Using stories of parents and students who have struggled and succeeded, Kaplan pushes students to consider: What do you want to get out of your college and work career? How can you jumpstart your journey into the real world? He asks parents: Are you preparing your children to attain a life of health, happiness, and financial independence?

Rooted in humorous stories sprinkled with bits of brutally honest advice, The Journey goes beyond the well-chronicled college admissions madness and cuts to the core of parental angst. This is the definitive guide in preparing children for a competitive and rapidly changing world.

Review Quotes

"Informative, comprehensive, exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Journey: How to Prepare Kids for a Competitive and Changing World" by Greg Kaplan is an invaluable and inspiring read from start to finish. "The Journey" must be considered essential reading for the parents of children with college and/or university in mind. Candid and 'real world' practical, "The Journey" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and community library Parenting/Education collections."

--Midwest Book Review

"I have been shocked by how intensely competitive and unhealthy the college admissions process has become, akin to the stress of applying to medical school. Through 20 years of training medical students, residents and rheumatology fellows, the recipe for success distills down to loving what you do and working hard. Being a firm believer in wanting my kids to be the best version of themselves and follow their passion, I tried to stay clear from the college counselor frenzy. It wasn't until halfway through my daughter's junior year that I met Greg Kaplan, and finally found someone who was like-minded. Greg's book is truly a gem, urging a much-needed realignment of how we and society define success. All parents and students should read this book as they embark on the process. It will help them focus on curating a growth mindset while focusing on building grit, cultivating passion, and becoming a leader. In my opinion, these are the most important gifts we can give to our children that will prove invaluable throughout their life."

--Sheetal B. Desai, MD MSEd, clinical professor and Chief of Rheumatology, University of California, Irvine

"Wow, The Journey really hits the nail on the head! Realistic, filled with honesty and firsthand experience dealing with college counseling for both student and parent. Eye-opening and truthful about what college admission officers are looking for in a high school senior applying to college in today's world with true grit, passion, and leadership. As someone who works with stressed-out high school seniors and their overly anxious parents, I especially appreciate the ideas discussed in this book that are informative, insightful, hopeful, and valuable concepts that hit home. A must-read for college-bound students and their parents in this overly very competitive college and career world!"

--Mary Russell, college and career counselor for Newport Mesa Unified School District

"The Journey helps parents find the right balance between support and independence as their children apply to college and explore future career paths. The book provides excellent advice not only for the college application process but for the broader context of life."

--Barbara Hewitt, Executive Director, Career Services at the University of Pennsylvania

"Greg Kaplan's The Journey reframes and reimagines the stressful college application process into a powerful journey of self-discovery, authenticity, and leadership development."

--Matthew Breitfelder, Partner and Global Head of Human Capital, Apollo Global Management