Manifold

Meritocracy, SAT Scores, and Laundering Prestige at Elite Universities — #43

Sep 7, 2023

This podcast discusses meritocracy and university admissions, focusing on topics such as the predictive power of SAT scores, college learning outcomes, and the four paths to elite college admission. It also explores the concept of laundering prestige at elite universities and the impact of non-academic factors on student success. The podcast raises questions about the composition of elite universities and the decline of meritocracy in the admissions process.

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Quick takeaways

SAT scores are a key factor in university admissions and can predict future success at elite firms or prestigious graduate schools.

College education does not significantly improve critical thinking or generalist skills, according to the college learning assessment.

Deep dives

Meritocracy and University Admissions

The podcast episode discusses the topic of meritocracy and university admissions. The speaker presents data-driven insights about what is happening in universities today. The first set of figures show the performance metrics of students at the University of California based on high school GPA and SAT score. The data demonstrates that SAT scores are an important factor in considering the academic strength of applicants, independent of ethnicity or socio-economic status. The second set of figures examines the long-term outcomes of academically gifted students. Those scoring high on the SAT, showing they achieved significant milestones and accomplishments throughout their lives. The third set of figures reveals the predictive power of SAT scores and high school GPA in determining success after college, such as working at elite firms or attending prestigious graduate schools. The fourth set of figures focuses on the value of the college learning assessment (CLA) , which measures general cognitive abilities and skills relevant to the modern workplace. The results suggest that college education does not significantly improve critical thinking or generalist skills. Finally, the speaker discusses the model of elite universities and the different categories of students admitted based on academic merit, wealth, interesting factors, and diversity. The podcast concludes with a discussion on how these findings challenge preconceived notions about meritocracy and university admissions in the United States.

Introduction

3min

The Importance of SAT Scores in College Admissions

9min

Predictive Power of SAT Scores and Academic Ratings in College Admissions

13min

Estimating the Benefits of Attending an Elite University

2min

The Lack of Improvement in College Students' Skills

12min

Misconceptions about the Impact of College Education on Capabilities

2min

Understanding College Admissions at Elite Universities

14min

The Changing Landscape of College Admissions and Caltech's Shift

5min

Steve discusses 10 key graphs related to meritocracy and university admissions. Predictive power of SATs and other factors in elite admissions decisions. College learning outcomes - what do students learn? The four paths to elite college admission. Laundering prestige at the Ivies.

Slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1n-nwoeKe_DcA5tJxTwqTeZBEY7nObxkujKLxVfAzRAY/edit?usp=sharing

CLA and College Learning outcomes:

https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2015/01/measuring-college-learning-outcomes.html

Harvard Veritas: Interview with a recent graduate

https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2022/08/harvard-veritas-interview-with-recent.html

Defining Merit - Human Capital and Harvard University:

https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2009/11/defining-merit.html

Chapter markers:

0:00 Introduction

1:28 University of California system report and the use of SAT scores admissions

8:04 Longitudinal study on gifted students and SAT scores (SMPY)

12:53 Unprecedented data on earnings outcomes and SAT scores

15:43 How SAT scores and university pedigree influence opportunities at elite firms

17:35 Non-academic factors fail to predict student success

20:49 Predicted earnings

24:24 Measured benefit of Ivy Plus attendance

28:25 CLA: 13 university study on college learning outcomes

32:34 Does college education improve generalist skills and critical thinking?

42:15 The composition of elite universities: 4 paths to admission

48:12 What happened to meritocracy?

51:48 Hard versus Soft career tracks

54:43 Cognitive elite at Ivies vs state flagship universities

57:11 What happened to Caltech?

Music used with permission from Blade Runner Blues Livestream improvisation by State Azure.

Steve Hsu is Professor of Theoretical Physics and of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation at MSU and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Science at the University of Oregon. Hsu is a startup founder (SuperFocus.ai, SafeWeb, Genomic Prediction, Othram) and advisor to venture capital and other investment firms. He was educated at Caltech and Berkeley, was a Harvard Junior Fellow, and has held faculty positions at Yale, the University of Oregon, and MSU.

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