On the launch date of his new book, college admissions expert Jeffrey Selingo chose to speak to an audience he knew would be intrigued by his latest book: students and parents from HSMSE. 

Selingo is most known for his 2020 book Who Gets In and Why, which explains the inner workings of college admissions. He introduced the long-awaited sequel, Dream School: Finding the College That’s Right for You, at a special event on the City College campus on September 9 hosted by HSMSE. While Who Gets In and Why discusses the admissions side, Dream School focuses on the application and college search aspect. Thanks to the HSMSE PTA, students and parents from our school were able to attend the interview for free and stay afterward for a book signing. Selingo filled the beautiful Great Hall, located right across the street from Baskerville Hall, with more than 500 guests, educating parents, students, and teachers alike on the college admissions process. 

During the hour-long conversation with HSMSE parent Maile Carpenter, he offered lots of helpful advice, emphasizing the importance of finding a school that’s right for each individual person and not getting drowned in the stress, chaos, and competition of big-name schools. He explained that students are not necessarily more satisfied with their college experience at highly selective schools compared to others. In recent years, students and parents have been given the impression that more prestigious and recognizable universities are “better,” even though this is not the case. Between attending a specialized high school and constant social media updates about where friends are planning to attend college, pressure can easily build up for students at HSMSE. Instead of comparing names, students should compare experiences. Are you interested in STEM subjects or the humanities? A big school or a small school? Do you want to live in a city or rural area? He also added some more unexpected ways for learning about a school, such as dining on or around campus, and even contacting professors to sit in on classes. These things are much more important to know about than a school’s popularity. One of Selingo’s notable analogies was to approach college like a consumer. It is one of the largest purchases a family will ever make. Everyone should think of it as an investment—and consider the return. If you don’t know what you’re buying into, why would you buy it?

The Great Hall was bustling with not just the HSMSE community, but students and parents from other specialized high schools in the city as well—allowing Selingo to offer more specific advice to people who are applying from similar high schools. He noted that students should apply to a balance of schools, not a majority of “reaches,” and that the ideal number of total applications is ten. When everyone applies to the same group of top schools, the number of applicants increases while the number of seats for the incoming class remains the same. Due to constant social media updates about acceptances, students from the same schools are all applying to the same places, which further decreases their chances. Making a balanced list ensures you’ll find schools that are right for you—not just the schools your friends are applying to—and helps make sure that you’ll have more acceptances to consider. In Dream School, Selingo includes a list of “colleges that are both accessible and excellent” in hopes of expanding readers’ search bubbles past the Yales and Harvards of the world. 

Despite the nerve-wracking topic and room full of anxious parents, Selingo’s calm presence on stage and his experienced answers helped to reinforce his message: Enjoy high school while it lasts, and spend time doing what interests you the most. Working hard at what makes you happy is most important. 

Though this is a stressful and confusing process, Selingo helped demystify the uncertainties, and HSMSE is lucky that he spent time here on the release date of his book. For anyone struggling with college applications, in the wise words of Jeffrey Selingo, “Relax. Enjoy the journey. It does work out.”