Every fall, millions of high school seniors agonize over what to write in their college application essays. In a timely, incisive memoir that blends humor and heartache, Irena Smith takes a stab at answering them as an adult.

Irena is a Russian Jewish immigrant, a PhD in comparative literature, a former Stanford admissions officer, and a private college counselor in Palo Alto, California—a city where everyone has to be good at something and where success often means the name of a prestigious college on the back of a late-model luxury car. But as Irena works with some of the most ambitious, tightly wound students in the world, she struggles to keep her own family from unraveling, and that sharp-edged divide lies at the heart of her memoir.

The Golden Ticket is narrated using a form Irena knows best: college application essay prompts. In her responses, Irena weaves together personal history, sharp social commentary, and the lessons of literature ranging from The Odyssey to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Her memoir asks difficult questions What exactly do parents mean when they say they want the best for their children? What happens when the best of intentions result in unexpected consequences? and envisions a broader, more generous view of what it means to succeed.