4 ms·

>Why are some American colleges (entrance into which is the aim of taking the SAT in the first place) excellent, and others not? Why the acceptance of such disp

>Why are some American colleges (entrance into which is the aim of taking the SAT in the first place) excellent, and others not? Why the acceptance of such disparities in educational quality? Some people, such as Bryan Caplan, believe that college is mostly about signaling.[0] The idea is that most of the value college provides for individual students is to indicate to society that the student can jump through all the hoops necessary. It's much less about what the student actually learns in college. Essentially, college is mostly about being a filter - to weed out those that can't make it. This line of thinking would also explain college acceptance tests - they are the same type of filter, but applied before college. It's there to keep the college prestigious, so that more people will try getting into it, which will allow them to only pick the best of the best. I think there's a lot of merit to the signaling idea, because a lot of what you learn in college doesn't have much practical value for the vast majority of students. College entrance tests are just one part of this whole process. [0] https://blog.press.princeton.edu/2018/01/23/bryan-caplan-on-the-case-against-education/ https://blog.press.princeton.edu/2018/01/23/bryan-caplan-on-...

Chathamization 7y ago
The Harvard Extension School is a good example of this. The school wants to make money by offering classes to more students, but doesn't want people to call them "Harvard students" because it would diminish the exclusivity in their branding (the same exclusivity that attracts people to the extension school).
madengr 7y ago
I majored in EE, and can say it was only the non-STEM courses that were worthless. There is no way I’d gain the same amount of knowledge without attending college.
- Mirioron 7y ago
  Sure, but a large number of majors consist of non-STEM courses. I don't think that non-STEM courses don't teach you useful things either, but I think that most people don't have a use for what those courses teach. (Some people do have use for those skills though.)
imtringued 7y ago
It definitively is about signalling but that doesn't mean you don't learn anything in college.
- Mirioron 7y ago
  Of course you learn things in college. The point is that what we're doing as a society with college is inefficient. We require a certificate from job-seekers that says that they've gone through college. But college teaches a lot of people a lot of skills and knowledge that will not be useful for a large portion of the students. Essentially, our society requires a prospective employee to demonstrate capability in things that are not necessary for their job or even rest of their life.

Chathamization 7y ago

The Harvard Extension School is a good example of this. The school wants to make money by offering classes to more students, but doesn't want people to call them "Harvard students" because it would diminish the exclusivity in their branding (the same exclusivity that attracts people to the extension school).

madengr 7y ago

I majored in EE, and can say it was only the non-STEM courses that were worthless. There is no way I’d gain the same amount of knowledge without attending college.

Mirioron 7y ago
Sure, but a large number of majors consist of non-STEM courses. I don't think that non-STEM courses don't teach you useful things either, but I think that most people don't have a use for what those courses teach. (Some people do have use for those skills though.)

imtringued 7y ago

It definitively is about signalling but that doesn't mean you don't learn anything in college.

Mirioron 7y ago
Of course you learn things in college. The point is that what we're doing as a society with college is inefficient. We require a certificate from job-seekers that says that they've gone through college. But college teaches a lot of people a lot of skills and knowledge that will not be useful for a large portion of the students. Essentially, our society requires a prospective employee to demonstrate capability in things that are not necessary for their job or even rest of their life.