Harvard’s Fine, But Are the Hidden Ivies a Good Investment?

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Why do we send our children to college? Every case is individual of course. I, like Allison Schrager, am all for the liberal arts, and think their decline is not only bad “for our culture and democracy” but “leaves students less able to manage a changing economy.” The boom in STEM majors I suppose bodes well for the nation in an world where tech is the future. The rise in business majors may not be as beneficial to the republic, or the students themselves, as parents may wish. Matthew Yglesias and Tyler Cowen point out the twin scourges of credentialism and networking. The Bloomberg Opinion editors, perhaps channeling a now-canceled college president, think that four-year college isn’t the only path to success (and anybody looking for a good plumber or electrician these days understands why). One former New York City mayor, who also happens to be my boss, advocates the high-school-to-health-care pipeline.