This so-new-it’s-not-in-bookstores-yet guide to the college application process, Valedictorians at the Gate: Standing Out, Getting In, and Staying Sane While Applying to College (Henry Holt and Company, due out in August 2021), is my current beach read—note the towel backdrop. It’s by Becky Munsterer Sabky, and it’s a highly readable reference that looks at the applying-to-college to-do list through the lens of a former college admissions director.