49. Does Where You Go To College Matter?

Many families embark on the college search process with a magical "dream school" in mind. But what if the dream doesn't match the reality? Amy and Mike invited college consultant Lynn O'Shaughnessy to answer the burning question of whether where you go to school matters.  What are five things you will learn in this episode? What makes a school a "dream college" to most students? What the relationship is between college selectivity and student outcomes.? What do college rankings actually measure? What factors really determine success at and after college? What critical step should you take at the beginning of the college search? MEET OUR GUEST Lynn O'Shaughnessy, a nationally recognized college expert, is a higher-ed journalist, author, educator and speaker. Lynn's No. 1 goal is helping parents with teenagers cut the cost of college. Lynn shares college advice on her blog at TheCollegeSolution.com, which attracts more than a million visitors a year. She also offers a popular online course, The College Cost Lab, on her website for college consultants, school counselors and parents with teenagers. Lynn is also the author of The College Solution: A Guide for Looking for the Right School at the Right Price, which is an Amazon bestseller. Lynn's higher-ed commentary has been featured in such national media outlets as The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, Los Angeles Times and Money Magazine. For six years, she was the higher-ed columnist for CBS MoneyWatch. Prior to focusing exclusively on college issues, Lynn was a veteran financial journalist/author and a former Los Angeles Times reporter. Find Lynn at http://www.thecollegesolution.com/ or [email protected]. LINKS Saying No to a Dream College Gallup Alumni Survey: Measuring College and University Outcomes ETC College to Career Planning System ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.