In the new college admissions book “Dream School,” families are urged to ditch the “Top 25 or bust” mindset and look at hidden-gem colleges with value and rich opportunities like Berry College.
To help students find their perfect match, the book by bestselling author and higher education journalist Jeff Selingo, highlights 75 accessible and affordable colleges across the country with strong job prospects after graduation, hands-on learning experiences and a sense of belonging. Berry is one of three Georgia colleges in the book which include Spelman College and Georgia Southern University.
Selingo has written about colleges and universities for more than 25 years and is a New York Times bestselling author of four books. His latest, “Dream School: Finding the College That’s Right for You” (September 2025), draws on more than two years of research and a survey of some 3,000 parents to give families permission to think more broadly about what signals a “good” college and then the tools to discover their dream school.
He writes that Berry College has redefined the term ‘student worker’ through its LifeWorks program, which places applicants in one of 180 departments to learn practical job skills while earning a paycheck. In that vein, the author notes “Berry College outshines its peers on the National Survey of Student Engagement.”
Publishers Weekly calls the book, “insightful… actionable advice… Selingo effectively exposes how the American ‘“elite college or bust” mentality’ damages students, the education system and the professional world.”
A regular contributor to The Atlantic, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, Selingo is a special advisor to the president and professor of practice at Arizona State University.
