With the monthly full money extra, I'm Chris Hill.

What makes for a good college?

Academics, environment, athletics, average salary of the graduating class?

There are all kinds of metrics we could point to, but just because an institute of higher

learning is a good college doesn't necessarily mean it's the right fit for someone.

Why am I talking about college?

Well for one thing, it's an investment.

And it's that time of year again when millions of high school seniors are wrestling with

the decision of where to spend the next four years of their lives.

A few years ago at a monthly full investing conference, best selling author Malcolm Gladwell

spoke in front of a live audience and offered a suggestion for how students can make the

choice that works for them.

If you're choosing a college, do you want to go to the best college you can get into?

Everyone says you should.

But there's reams and reams and reams of educational data to suggest actually that's not a good

strategy at all.

With some exceptions, you shouldn't go to the best school you can get into.

You should go to the school where your chances of finishing in the top 30 of your class are

greatest.

The benefits, psychological benefits, the psychological costs of being at the bottom of any class, particularly

if you're in a competitive field like science, math, or engineering are so overwhelming

that it's too risky.

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