A thread through the archive
Essays tagged “college admissions”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Scott examines why young people feel economically hopeless despite economists saying things are fine, testing various explanations like housing costs and wages, and concluding the truth involves both real factors (harder competition, expensive cities, recent mortgage spikes) and media-driven negativity.
Scott Alexander explores various explanations for why top students attend the best colleges, including optimistic views about maximizing potential and cynical views about signaling and 'privilege laundering'.
Scott Alexander reviews recent developments in prediction markets, including Google's internal market and Metaculus' 'fortified essays', while discussing challenges and applications in various fields.
Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to reader comments on his article about increasing competition in college admissions, covering various factors and perspectives on the issue.
Scott Alexander examines the history of increasing competitiveness in college admissions, analyzing causes and questioning whether the focus on elite college admission is justified.
Scott Alexander writes two satirical sequels to GATTACA, critiquing discrimination based on epigenetics and educational background.
A collection of interesting links and brief commentary spanning topics from scientific research to cultural phenomena, including updates on various studies challenging previous beliefs.
Scott Alexander shares a diverse collection of interesting links with brief commentaries, covering topics from education and politics to science and technology.
Scott Alexander discusses the concept of one-sided tradeoffs, using examples from college admissions to life hacks, and suggests ways to find opportunities for 'free' gains in various decisions.