The first episode of freconomics radio goes back to school. We'll hear from academic researchers, the us System is peculiar for astronomical levels of tuition. Typical boy behavior doesn't fit as well with good student behavior. And we'll hear from people who are trying to bust the old college model all we did was borrow from nursing schools, in welding schools and electrical schools.
We think of them as intellectual enclaves and the surest route to a better life. But U.S. colleges also operate like firms, trying to differentiate their products to win market share and prestige points. In the first episode of a special series, we ask what our chaotic system gets right — and wrong. (Part 1 of “Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to School.”)