Jeffrey Selingo, author of Who Gets In and Why and Dream School, asks families to change the central question of the college search. Instead of "How can I get into this college?" he suggests asking how well a college fits the student, and he encourages families to look far beyond the top of any ranking.
Who is Jeffrey Selingo?
Selingo has written about higher education for more than two decades. Who Gets In and Why was named one of the New York Times' 100 notable books of 2020, and Dream School focuses on finding a college that is right for a particular student. He speaks often at high schools to parents and students. As a college journalism student, he interned at U.S. News & World Report, the publisher of the best-known college rankings.
Five ideas from Selingo for families
1. Change the question
In his talks, Selingo shifts the focus from getting in to fitting the student. The better question is what a college would be like for this student, given how they learn and what they want.
2. Use rankings as a starting point, then look beyond the top
Selingo doesn't dismiss rankings. He suggests looking at them, then deliberately researching colleges outside the top 50 or top 100, and going beyond the statistics to see what each school actually offers. He also notes that the difference between schools ranked, say, 40th and 60th is smaller than many families assume.
3. Outcomes are spread widely
Graduates from colleges all along the selectivity range go on to strong careers. In one talk, Selingo put it simply: "Outcomes are not limited to the top of the rankings."
4. Think about the environment
He encourages families to think about what kind of setting suits their student: large or small, urban or rural, structured or flexible. These are the everyday conditions that shape whether a student thrives.
5. Use the federal tools
Selingo points families to each college's net price calculator, which every college is required to offer, and to the federal College Scorecard for graduates' earnings. Both give a clearer picture than reputation alone.
A worry he names: the "panicking class"
In a Harvard EdCast conversation, Selingo describes families who narrow their search to a handful of elite schools despite thousands of options. Focusing on so few colleges can turn a long, hopeful search into an anxious one.
How this connects to belonging
Selingo's question about fit has a deeper layer. Researcher Brené Brown distinguishes fitting in (changing yourself to be accepted) from belonging (being accepted as you are). A college chosen because it suits the student is far more likely to be a place they belong. Read more about fitting in versus belonging.
How to apply his advice
- Write down what the student needs: size, setting, structure, how they learn best.
- Look at any ranking only after that, and include colleges well beyond the top 100.
- Run each college's net price calculator early.
- Compare graduates' outcomes on College Scorecard.
- Visit or read about colleges with one question in mind: could this student be themselves here?
FAQ
What is Jeffrey Selingo's main advice for the college search? Focus on how well a college fits the student rather than on how hard it is to get into, and look beyond the top of the rankings.
Does Jeffrey Selingo think college rankings are useless? No. He suggests using them as a starting point, then researching many colleges outside the top 50 or 100.
What books has Jeffrey Selingo written? His books include Who Gets In and Why and Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You.
Start with who the student is
Lens follows a similar path: it begins with who a student is, through seven short assessments drawn from published research in psychology, and then helps them explore colleges using federal data, including College Scorecard, and the colleges' own words. Start with Lens →
Related
- College rankings vs. belonging: what the experts say
- How to use college rankings
- College search tools compared
Sources
- Holton-Arms School, "Rethinking college admissions"
- Pingry School, Jeff Selingo on the college search
- North Shore Country Day School, Five tips from Jeffrey Selingo
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, EdCast: the pressure to chase prestige
- Ithaca College, An inside look at college admissions
- Publishers Weekly, Dream School