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fallows@large | Dialogues with James Fallows ..... From: Beau McKay To: James Fallows Date: Tue Oct-1-2002 2:43pm Mr. Fallows, I just read your comments concerning the undergraduate admissions game. I think that while the issues are interesting, the bigger question that should be considered is the efficacy of elite colleges and both their cost and return on investment. When I was in high school in Austin, Texas, the best piece of advice I received was to go to a public school for undergrad and then the best school for graduate school if you choose that route. I followed that route and went to a top public school (UT Austin) for my BA and UPenn for my MGA. I have found that I am the equal of many people who went to elite private schools and that in undergrad we were exposed to many of the same authors and ideas. Just as the business community has debated the efficacy of the MBA (in my opinion a fancy HR tool for corporate America and Wall Street), elites should also evaluate the worth to society of elite educational institutions for undergraduate education. No one talks about it, but we are facing a monumental crisis where education costs will continue to rise past their value. The risk is that stealth public funds will be funneled to elite institutions to fund the conferring of status on elites and their children. As a final question to consider, what is the overall economic efficiency or social value of reducing the cost of education for wealthy students just so an institution can look better on the U.S. News list or in their S&P rating? Sincerely, Beau McKay
What do you think? Join the conversation in Post & Riposte. More on books in Atlantic Unbound and The Atlantic Monthly. More on politics and society in Atlantic Unbound and The Atlantic Monthly. Copyright © 2002 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved. |
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