How to Balance Fit, Cost, and Prestige when Choosing Your School as a HS Senior or HS Junior - Exclusive Webinar w/ Jeff Selingo on April 22 @ 7pm ET

College Search & Lists
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- Are you a (parent of) HS Junior working on your college list?

- Are you a (parent of) HS Senior considering several college offers and deciding what school to pick?

- How do you balance fit and prestige and cost when choosing your school? Which is more important?

We are excited to welcome back reputed author and college admissions expert Jeff Selingo for an exclusive webinar on Tuesday, April 22nd in which he’ll answer your questions about how to pick the best school for you.

REGISTER NOW!

About Jeff Selingo

@Jeff_Selingo has written about higher education for more than two decades and is a New York Times bestselling author of three books. His latest book, Who Gets In & Why: A Year Inside College Admissions, took him inside the admissions offices at three colleges and revealed a new way to think about where to get the most merit aid as you apply to schools. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic. Jeff is a special advisor to the president and professor of practice at Arizona State University, co-hosts the podcast, Future U. and writes a twice-monthly newsletter, Next.

About Jeff’s book

Dream School: Finding the College That’s Right for You (September 2025) is a must-have playbook for families coping with a more stressful era of startling low admission rates and sky-high prices—one that widens the aperture beyond the Top 25 schools and connects students, parents, and counselors with quality, affordable choices.

Backed by unparalleled research—and an eye-opening survey of 3,500 parents—Dream School reveals what really matters in a college: strong job prospects after graduation, hands-on learning experiences, and a sense of belonging. Selingo highlights 75 accessible and affordable colleges that will satisfy those priorities.

Selingo Dream School PNG

Subscribe to Jeff’s twice-monthly newsletter on what’s next for higher ed here.

You can submit questions for the webinar NOW by hitting the reply button below. Jeff will answer them during the live webinar.

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Wouldn’t prestige and cost be parts of “fit”, if they are considerations for the student and parent(s)?

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@ucbalumnus, that’s an excellent question. We can ask @Jeff_Selingo during the webinar how he defines “fit” and if prestige and cost are considered under that definition.

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Over the last five years, students are submitting ever increasing numbers of applications. I’m sure this is a knock on effect of uncertainty from the pandemic.

How do parents and students come up with a manageable number of schools to apply to, without spending insane amounts of money and writing umpteen supplemental essays?

Going forward, how do high schools, parents, and students work better to manage expectations about what colleges are realistic for students?

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  • What does undergraduate prestige add to a student’s college experience?

  • For individuals who receive a degree from a prestigious institution, when and how is it more “useful/beneficial” than a degree from a less prestigious institution?

  • Are there bands/ranges of prestigious schools? If so, how would you define them, and how does that influence your recommendations on finding the right balance between prestige, fit, and cost?

(For instance, perhaps bands might be something like Ivy+ colleges, colleges with acceptance rates below 20% even if the majority of Americans outside of the northeast haven’t heard of them, colleges with acceptance rates below 50%, colleges that most people have heard of (often because of sports), colleges that are particularly good for particular fields, etc)?

  • For families that do not qualify for need-based aid, what kind of cost-benefit analysis would you recommend if a family is only willing to pay for colleges that are “worth it” in their opinion?

  • What impact (beyond cost) do large named merit scholarships with special opportunities have in weighing the value of a college offer?

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@Jeff_Selingo, thank you for your last book, it helped us tremendously!

Given the anticipated “cliff” in applications in 2025-26 admissions cycle, are current HS seniors who are considering taking a gap year better off re-applying as a Frosh, or as a transfer student (taking a CC classes)?

Sadly our current HS senior is having to postpone college due to a severe athletic injury. He can’t defer the college acceptances he has, and will have to apply to a brand new set of colleges for the 25-26 cycle, bc his current choices (remote college town) are no longer suitable given the medical needs…
We’d welcome your thoughts on whether re-applying as a Freshman or as a transfer student in 2025-26 admissions cycle might provide a better shot at getting into more selective colleges?
Thank you

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This is a thread collecting questions for @Jeff_Selingo. He will respond during the live webinar TODAY at 7pm ET. Thanks for understanding!

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How would you advise the parents of a HS senior with a range of options, who is leaning toward the “seller” of the bunch for it’s very nearby, college town location and career opportunities, but that gave no aid, and that we as parents feel, of the schools he was accepted to, will be the most intense, competitive and least supportive? We are concerned that in addition to the financial stretch on the family, the added “cost” will be an overcrowded, stressful, and impersonal college experience overall. His top other options are mid-range selective, somewhat “buyer” schools with very strong programs in his major, offered him great merit/aid, appear more interested in him and their students’ experience and support, but are out of state. When all is said and done will it be worth it to pay almost 2-3x the cost to send him to the more selective school?

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JOIN NOW our webinar w/ @Jeff_Selingo! Make sure you get your questions answered!

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Will the recording be shared with people who registered? Some of us missed the ET part after 7pm and missed a good chunk of the webinar… :face_with_peeking_eye:

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Yes, we plan to share the recording in the upcoming days. :slight_smile:

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Hi. I registered the webinar but missed it. When I tried to login, the password emailed to me didn’t work and still doesn’t work. Is there anyway I can see it now?

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What was Jeff’s answer? I’m curious.

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For everyone who missed yesterday’s webinar with @Jeff_Selingo, you can watch the recording here: WEBINAR RECORDING: Hear from Jeff Selingo "How to Balance Fit, Cost, and Prestige when Choosing Your School as a HS Senior or HS Junior"

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