Redefining the ‘Dream School’
In this era of uncertainty, many parents view highly-selective colleges as the best bet for their student’s futures. In his new book just out this month, Future U co-host Jeff Selingo challenges that assumption. For this episode, Jeff moves from the host chair to being a guest to share highlights from the book, ‘Dream School.’ He talks about going beyond which college’s name looks most impressive as a bumper sticker on the family car to focusing on the quality of a college’s teaching, whether it really fits the budget, and other factors that are specific to each student. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.
Episode 204 of the Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed podcast, hosted by Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn, titled "Redefining the ‘Dream School’" was published on September 9, 2025 and runs 32 minutes.
September 9, 2025 ·32m · Future U Podcast - The Pulse of Higher Ed
Summary
In this era of uncertainty, many parents view highly-selective colleges as the best bet for their student’s futures. In his new book just out this month, Future U co-host Jeff Selingo challenges that assumption. For this episode, Jeff moves from the host chair to being a guest to share highlights from the book, ‘Dream School.’ He talks about going beyond which college’s name looks most impressive as a bumper sticker on the family car to focusing on the quality of a college’s teaching, whether it really fits the budget, and other factors that are specific to each student. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.
Episode Description
In this era of uncertainty, many parents view highly-selective colleges as the best bet for their student’s futures. In his new book just out this month, Future U co-host Jeff Selingo challenges that assumption. For this episode, Jeff moves from the host chair to being a guest to share highlights from the book, ‘Dream School.’ He talks about going beyond which college’s name looks most impressive as a bumper sticker on the family car to focusing on the quality of a college’s teaching, whether it really fits the budget, and other factors that are specific to each student. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group.
Relevant Links:
Jeff Selingo’s new book, Dream School
Chapters
0:00 - Intro
2:06 - Why write this book?
3:23 - The ‘New Dream School’ List
11:28 - When Mismatched Schools Cause Dropouts
14:26 - Sponsor Break
16:51 - The Importance of Making Trade-offs
18:44 - Understanding What’s Motivating Choice
19:35 - How AI is Impacting Jobs and Causing Uncertainty About College
20:56 - What Should Colleges Do?
23:23 - Giving Families ‘Social Proof’ of a Broader Group of College
25:29 - The Doom Loop of College Finances
27:56 - How Future U Shaped the Book
29:14 - How Jeff Gets the Word Out on His Book
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Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You
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