How Parents and Students Are Deciding Which College to Choose in an Ever-Changing Landscape
How are students rethinking college?
Note: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
We are in the middle of that fraught period when high school students are finding out what colleges they’ve been accepted to, with about 60 percent of them going through this process right now. But not all of them will find the right fit. Jeff Selingo, who writes about higher education and has a new book “Dream School: Finding the College That’s Right for You,” joins William Brangham for more.
View the transcript of the story.
Warm-Up Questions
- Who is Jeff Selingo, and what is his background?
- How do many parents and students choose colleges, according to Selingo?
- What does Selingo suggest parents and students do to help choose from available colleges and universities?
- Why does Selingo say that high school should be a period of "exploration"?
- How does Selingo see the college landscape changing based on factors like AI, political pressure and other developments?
Essential Questions
- Did this segment give you a new perspective on where you might want to apply to or attend college? If so, how?
- Do you think college is more important for preparing for a career or for building knowledge and critical thinking skills? Why so?
- Media literacy: Why do you think this segment ignores post-high school options like community colleges and apprenticeship programs?
What Students Can Do
Start by writing down three things you took away from this segment about making a choice about what to do after high school. Then, write out a short list of your own priorities for what you want to do and where you want to be. Do you think your priorities have changed at all since viewing the segment?
Next, watch this segment on AI and the way it is transforming the job market. Discuss — does this segment also impact your priorities? If so, how?
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Republished with permission from PBS News Hour Classroom.
PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of News Hour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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