The wisdom and merits of exploring less visible colleges

I once did a seminar about how to choose colleges, and while trying to make the point that you shouldn't apply to a school just because it's famous, I turned to a student in the audience and asked,

"Would you ask someone to marry you just because she was good looking and rich?"

The kid didn't even break a smile and answered, "Probably." 

I do love a teenager's honesty. 

Maybe Marty O'Connell, Executive Director of Colleges That Change Lives will have better luck with that analogy when teens read her article about the wisdom and merits of selecting less visible colleges.