Dream School
Finding the College That's Right for You
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- $299.00
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- $299.00
Descripción editorial
New York Times Bestseller!
From the bestselling author of Who Gets In and Why, a must-have playbook for families coping with a more stressful era of startling low admission rates and sky-high prices—one that widens the aperture beyond the Top 25 schools and connects students, parents, and counselors with quality, affordable choices.
Attending college has long been a rite of passage for millions of teens and a bedrock of the American dream. But that well-worn path has lately taken a wrong turn, denying admission even to super-achievers and putting intolerable stress on family finances. Now, in Dream School Jeffrey Selingo shifts the spotlight from how colleges pick students to how students can better pick colleges.
With test-optional policies and grade inflation leveling the playing field for applicants, getting into prestigious schools has become a kind of lottery. “Plan A” may work out, but increasingly it isn’t—so Selingo urges families to ditch the “Top 25 or bust” mindset and look beyond the usual suspects. Hidden-gem schools with incredible value and rich opportunities are waiting to be discovered. Backed by unparalleled research—and an eye-opening survey of more than 3,000 parents—Dream School reveals what really matters in a college: strong job prospects after graduation, hands-on learning experiences, and a sense of belonging. To help students find their perfect match, Selingo highlights 75 accessible and affordable colleges that will satisfy those priorities.
Organized into three easy-to-digest sections, Dream School explains why elite college degrees turn out to matter less than you think, why many parents and students are choosing value over prestige, and how to make sure the degree really pays off. In these pages, Selingo’s engaging style and expert insights turn what is often an unnavigable maze into a clear roadmap.
Destined to become the ultimate guide for families crossing the perilous college admissions landscape, Dream School isn’t just a book—it’s a lifeline for those who can find themselves trapped in an overwhelming process.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
College applicants should stop obsessing over brand-name institutions and search for a school that can help them determine "who want to become" and develop the "mindset, relationships, and skills" to get there, according to this insightful guide. Drawing from interviews with students, parents, admissions officers, and experts, education writer Selingo (Who Gets in and Why) debunks the myth that one's undergrad institution determines professional success (the list of Fortune 500 CEOs has alums from plenty of lesser-known schools, as well as Ivies) or postgrad pay. Pushing back on the idea that college is just a stepping stone to a high-powered career, he also highlights the value of school in developing one's identity in broader ways, including via extracurriculars like intramural sports teams. As acceptance rates dwindle at big-name schools, applicants should take care to apply to "Plan B" colleges that get ignored in favor of Ivies, suggests Selingo, who notes that more obscure colleges can boast smaller classes, more individualized attention from professors, or simply the chance for students to be "big fish in a small pond." Selingo intersperses his actionable advice with anecdotes from college students and parents, and he effectively exposes how the American " ‘elite college or bust' mentality" damages students, the education system, and the professional world. The result is an essential complement to Frank Bruni's Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be.
