New "Dream Schools" from Selingo's new book ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am almost done with the book. Who knew that one can sell a book based on common sense and anecdotes dressed up as representative data? The author’s kids attend the same school as mine. Let’s see if they go to one of his “dream schools”.

lol this sounds like another admissions author who is a college counselor at an exclusive and expensive private school. He says there is no need for private IECs, but his school (where he is the head of college counseking) makes sure that every student is helped to crazy lengths — says so on their website. Such a hypocrite!

Please let us know where his kids end up!

He's not employed by his kids' school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just read the list. Completely random. Save your money. Don't buy.

you can read the book for free at the library. on kindle, it only cost me $15. I just finished it and definitely got more than $15 worth of advice and insight. the list is just in the appendix and it includes a longer commentary on each selected school. but the book is really not about the dream school list alone.

+100.

What's sending me about this thread is all the people commenting on just the list who have not read the actual book. I guess this is what I should have expected because this crowd is not known for context or nuance. I wish he had never included the list in the appendix - it distracts from the broader message. The real value is not in the list but in the insights and tools he provides to help families make informed decisions. People seem to be missing the forest for the trees here.

Agreed!

I like seeing the list because I like seeing examples, although I wish a couple of my hopefuls for my kid weren't on it.

It's sort of like Colleges That Change Lives. The book takes over 300 pages to discuss about forty colleges. It's not just a simple list. There is a lot of insight that helps people think about and evaluate colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am almost done with the book. Who knew that one can sell a book based on common sense and anecdotes dressed up as representative data? The author’s kids attend the same school as mine. Let’s see if they go to one of his “dream schools”.

I’m so curious. What school does his kids attend?

Sorry, I don’t feel comfortable sharing this info.

So willing to take anonymous shots and drag minors into it but not willing to back it up? That tells me a lot about you and the school you chose for your kids.

I am really not sure why wondering whether Selingo’s kids will go to one of the schools for which he is advocating is “dragging minors into it”. By the way, he mentions his kids in the book on numerous occasions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am almost done with the book. Who knew that one can sell a book based on common sense and anecdotes dressed up as representative data? The author’s kids attend the same school as mine. Let’s see if they go to one of his “dream schools”.

I am a brown immigrant. I read his first book and was vastly underwhelmed. But, evidently people do need these common sense musings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am almost done with the book. Who knew that one can sell a book based on common sense and anecdotes dressed up as representative data? The author’s kids attend the same school as mine. Let’s see if they go to one of his “dream schools”.

I’m so curious. What school does his kids attend?

Sorry, I don’t feel comfortable sharing this info.

So willing to take anonymous shots and drag minors into it but not willing to back it up? That tells me a lot about you and the school you chose for your kids.

I am really not sure why wondering whether Selingo’s kids will go to one of the schools for which he is advocating is “dragging minors into it”. By the way, he mentions his kids in the book on numerous occasions.

I don't think if his kids end up at an "elite" school it means he isn't taking his own advice. The advice is basically to consider fit vs. just prestige and to look around at a wider range of schools, to see you can get a great college experience in a lot of places, not that you shouldn't also consider elite schools if those are a good fit for you. I saw some earlier stuff when he was starting the book and the original title was "Plan B", e.g. it was about getting the elite-school-focused crowd to thoughtfully embrace alternatives. Basically, the same advice that often comes up on DCUM to spend time finding safeties you can really like so you have a solid plan B if the admissions and/or finances don't come in the way you want. Maybe his kids won't need a plan B, maybe they will. Regardless, I'm sure he won't be telling them they should just go to the highest ranked school they get into.

The final book and the new title make it a bit more broadly appealing, e.g. even if you aren't an "elite or bust" type the advice holds. And, it doesn't demean the schools he's talking about by suggesting they are only to be considered as back-ups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am almost done with the book. Who knew that one can sell a book based on common sense and anecdotes dressed up as representative data? The author’s kids attend the same school as mine. Let’s see if they go to one of his “dream schools”.

I’m so curious. What school does his kids attend?

Sorry, I don’t feel comfortable sharing this info.

So willing to take anonymous shots and drag minors into it but not willing to back it up? That tells me a lot about you and the school you chose for your kids.

I am really not sure why wondering whether Selingo’s kids will go to one of the schools for which he is advocating is “dragging minors into it”. By the way, he mentions his kids in the book on numerous occasions.

Speculating/gossiping about specific minor children on the internet isn’t a good look for anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am almost done with the book. Who knew that one can sell a book based on common sense and anecdotes dressed up as representative data? The author’s kids attend the same school as mine. Let’s see if they go to one of his “dream schools”.

I am a brown immigrant. I read his first book and was vastly underwhelmed. But, evidently people do need these common sense musings.

Is there anything in the book about being brown or an immigrant?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am almost done with the book. Who knew that one can sell a book based on common sense and anecdotes dressed up as representative data? The author’s kids attend the same school as mine. Let’s see if they go to one of his “dream schools”.

I am a brown immigrant. I read his first book and was vastly underwhelmed. But, evidently people do need these common sense musings.

Is there anything in the book about being brown or an immigrant?

Different poster. Are you related to Jeff? Or are you illiterate? The poster above was just pointed out that even for an outsider, the content of the book is trivial/common sense. How is that hard to understand?

[Anonymous]

A key concern with some colleges on his list (excluding the large OOS flagships) is that they might be facing financial trouble due to the upcoming enrollment decline. Coupled with a drop in international enrollment (caused by strict current visa policies), this could lead to serious financial issues for many of the institutions he highlights at the end of the book.