Barbara Sams, Partner

We are fully in the throes of finalizing applications with seniors; we are also beginning to think about building college lists with our juniors. And for students just beginning the college search, I have one piece of advice: don’t start with the colleges. Start with you.

Before building a list based on football teams, sweatshirts, rankings, or the schools everyone in your community seems to know, ask a better question: What will make me successful in college?

Do you thrive when professors know your name? Do you want big-time school spirit? Collaborative classmates? A city at your doorstep or hiking trails outside your dorm? Do you learn best by doing, researching, debating or creating? And what kind of community will challenge you while still feeling like a place you belong?

Once you begin answering those questions, then start looking for colleges.

And please, look beyond your backyard.

There are thousands of colleges and universities across the United States, and some of your best matches may be schools you have never heard of. In Dream School: Finding the College That’s Right for You, higher education expert Jeff Selingo encourages families to move beyond the “Top 25 or bust” mentality and consider lesser-known colleges offering strong outcomes, meaningful experiences and, importantly, a sense of belonging.

Colleges That Change Lives makes a similar case. Inspired by Loren Pope’s groundbreaking book, CTCL champions a student-centered search focused less on rankings and more on finding colleges where students can develop a love of learning and build successful, fulfilling lives.

But why stop at the U.S. border?

More than 95,000 American students are pursuing full degrees at universities outside the United States, according to the Institute of International Education. And the possibilities are far broader than many families realize. Research examining English-taught programs worldwide identified approximately 183,000 bachelor’s and master’s programs taught in English. Outside the U.S., UK, Canada and Australia, the number of English-taught programs grew 48% between 2019 and 2024.

Imagine studying international relations in London, business in Amsterdam, engineering in Toronto or liberal arts at a university in Ireland. Countries well beyond the US borders offer excellent universities, many with degree programs entirely in English. Some undergraduate degrees abroad can also be completed in three years rather than four (imagine the savings).

Even if you don’t want to spend your entire college years abroad, plan on taking advantage of the many study abroad programs colleges offer now. College can open the door to a much bigger world. Nearly 300,000 U.S. students studied abroad for academic credit in 2023–24, according to the Institute of International Education, with destinations ranging from Italy and Spain to Japan and South Korea.

So, students, make your map bigger. Go to college fairs. Open emails from unfamiliar schools. Explore colleges several states away and maybe even an ocean away. Search by what you want to experience, not simply by a name you recognize.

Your “dream school” may not be the one you’ve been dreaming about since middle school.

It may be the one you haven’t discovered yet.

Oh, the places you’ll go, once you’re willing to look.

*Thank you Dr. Suess