Universities provide a great assortative mating service of the sort that charles murray talks about, because all of you have pretty similar interests. And so you've gotten rid of a bunch of problems of assortative mate. You make connections with other people that may very well later serve you in business or for the rest of your life. Those are good things to do.
In this c750th (!) episode, Duke University's Michael Munger talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about whether the pandemic might create an opportunity for colleges and universities to experiment and innovate. Munger is Professor of Political Science, Economics and Public Policy at Duke. He believes "top" schools can emerge from the current period of uncertainty to thrive in the long run. The path for "second-tier" institutions could be more difficult. They will still face the challenges that existed before the pandemic: competition from online classes and a shrinking pool of new applicants ready to pay high tuition bills.