The Higher Education Bubble

Unbundling the university: - liberal arts - technical education - summer camp - dating market - sports - co-living - salons - hedge fund - 4 year vacation - flirting w/ marxism - coming of age - alumni network - credential - prestige - insurance policy - identity - coming of age

Even as the cost of tuition increased, the value of university went unquestioned. Colleges bundled education and signaling. Students who thrived in boring classes signaled traits to employers, like conscientiousness, intelligence and conformity. Now, due to the proliferation of information on the internet and the rise of affordable and effective al... See more

In fact, you can probably make the case that in the long run, the coronavirus pandemic might help sustain the current paradigm of higher education, rather than destroy it. All it takes is one year of seriously threatening to take away everything that makes college great for us to be reminded why it’s so hard to opt out. Yes, some schools will go un... See more

Students pay colleges enormous sums of money because they want to grow into better and more knowledgeable thinkers—because they want to, before entering the workforce and adult life, spend four critical years sharpening their most important tool: their brain. And they’re not getting what they were promised. Normally, when brands in an industry stop

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