CHOOSING COLLEGE

A guide for making decisions about post–high
school educational options.

Addressing prospective college students,
parents, and educators, the ambitious reach of this title works against depth
of analysis. After discussing how the book’s “Jobs to Be Done” framework
assesses students’ motivations, college selection is presented as a three-step
process: “Know Thyself,” “Identify Matches,” and “Check and Choose.” Specific needs based on personal characteristics such as race or socio-economic class are overlooked; due to some tone-deaf language and gaps in information, the work fails to address the needs of many young people from marginalized backgrounds. Leaning on
data about lifetime income potential, the authors emphasize where/when rather
than whether to choose college, so this may be of limited use to those pursuing
vocational trades. While suspending concern over cost to find ideal matches
seems out of touch, the authors balance this message with visioning around
individual priorities, clarifying throughout how rankings and perceived status
may not equate with fit. Theoretical in tone, this work may be more useful to
those planning a gap year or coming to higher education after an absence than to
current high school students. The authors conflate the roles of educators and
entrepreneurs, colleges and training platforms, presenting examples of milkshake
sales and IKEA’s “profitable magic.” The “jobs” language frames learners as
customers hiring a college, resulting in a transactional perspective that may
not resonate with college leaders.

Diluted usefulness resulting from a
broad scope. (appendix, about the authors, notes, index) (Nonfiction.
16-adult)