1067: Higher Education | Skeptical Sunday

61 snips

Oct 20, 2024

Jessica Wynn, a writer and co-host of Skeptical Sunday, delves into the flaws of higher education. She discusses the privilege and inequity entrenched in college admissions, emphasizing how wealth shapes access. The podcast critiques the misleading college rankings and explores the burdensome student loan debt that challenges the ROI of degrees. Wynn also examines the challenges of standardized testing and the rise of diploma mills, advocating for innovative models to create a more accessible and equitable educational system.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Early College Exclusivity

Early American colleges reinforced exclusivity.
They ranked graduates by family status, not merit, for over a century.

INSIGHT

WWII's Impact on Higher Ed

World War II dramatically changed American higher education.
The influx of GIs diversified the student body and faculty.

ANECDOTE

Post-War Academia

Post-war academia was a "wild west" with easy tenure.
Professors were in such high demand that qualifications were lowered.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

On Skeptical Sunday, Jessica Wynn schools us in higher education's flaws — privilege, rankings, debt, and inequity — and examines ways to fix them.

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:

Higher education in the United States has a long history of privilege and exclusivity, with prestigious institutions reinforcing social and economic disparities.
College rankings, such as those by US News & World Report, have a significant influence on the perception of educational quality but often fail to measure the actual academic experience.
The cost of higher education has increased dramatically, outpacing inflation and creating substantial student loan debt, which raises questions about the return on investment (ROI) for many students.
Standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, as well as admissions processes, tend to favor wealthier students, perpetuating inequalities in access to higher education.
There is potential for positive change in higher education through innovative models, technology integration, and alternative credentialing systems. By embracing new approaches to learning and assessment, we can work toward a more accessible, diverse, and effective educational system that better serves students and employers in the 21st century.
Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
Connect with Jessica Wynn and subscribe to her newsletter: Between the Lines!
Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1067

If you love listening to this show as much as we love making it, would you please peruse and reply to our Membership Survey here?

And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals

Sign up for

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.