Acceptance A Novel [Paperback]

Acceptanceis a satire of America's overachievers, a novel set over one year in the college application process, when students and parents surrender their evenings, their weekends, and their sanity to the race for admission. Maya, Taylor, and AP Harry (so named for all the advanced placement courses under his belt) are high school students in a Washington, D.C. suburb called Verona, each gunning for admission to the most prestigious colleges. Olivia is an overworked admissions officer, under siege from applications and every kind of desperate appeal. The application process threatens to overrun all of their lives, andAcceptancefollows each character's struggle for their sanity against the relentless pressure of competition.

Susan Collis the author of the novelskarlmarx.com: A Love StoryandRockville Pike. She lives in Washington, D.C., and she and her husband are the parents of three college-aged children.

Discussion Questions

1. Grace is the first parent we meet inAcceptance. How does her household compare to the others in her neighborhood? Is Harry at a disadvantage by having been raised by a single parent?

2. Not all of Verona's students are as academically driven as Harry. What separates the overachievers from the underachievers? Do either of these categories describe your experience in school?

3. What are the similarities between Harry's and Taylor's obsessions? As harry becomes fixated on admission to Harvard and Taylor compulsively hoards mail, what insecurities are they soothing? What quirky obsessions would you admit to having?

4. How does Maya cope in the shadow of her high-achieving siblings? Why do her parents despise academic mediocrity? Can you picture Maya thriving as a college athlete?

5. How have attitudes toward college admission changed since you were in high school? How did your school compare to Verona? What did your parents tell you about higher educatl3U