Jeff Selingo and Frank Bruni - Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You

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: Finding the College That's Right for You," Jeff Selingo (FAN ’20, ’21, ’22) 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. Selingo is a New York Times bestselling author of three books on education and the job market. For more than twenty-five years, his in-depth reporting and storytelling have provided practical insight about the future of higher education and the workforce to university leaders, corporate executives, as well as students and parents. Selingo will be in conversation with prominent New York Times journalist Frank Bruni (FAN ’15), author of "Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be," about the college admissions mania; "The Beauty of Dusk"; and most recently, "The Age of Grievance." He is the Eugene C. Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke University, teaching media-oriented classes in the Sanford School of Public Policy.