Stuart proposes two better college ranking systems. The first one involves getting 1000 people to decide on different weighting values for all of the information that goes into a typical ranking like the US News & World Report ranking (graduation rate, teacher:student ratio, etc.) Once everybody choses their weighting, the average weightings would be computed. Stuart thinks that these averages would reflect what is really most important in choosing a college. The second kind of ranking that Stuart proposes is a quiz bowl between professors. Of course, this is just as tongue-in-cheek as the first proposal since neither one is very feasible! Listen as Stuart and Jed discuss their plans for better rankings.

Stuart rails on people whose life goal is to buy a home in the Hamptons. As usual, Jed plays the devil's advocate. Along the way, they try to answer the question, "Should someone who can afford it send their child to a top-100 university, or are there reasons for encouraging one's child to attend a cheaper school?" Listen as the conversation between Jed and Stuart gets pretty energetic on these topics!

Stuart rails on people whose life goal is to buy a home in the Hamptons. As usual, Jed plays the devil's advocate. Along the way, they try to answer the question, "Should someone who can afford it send their child to a top-100 university, or are there reasons for encouraging one's child to attend a cheaper school?" Listen as the conversation between Jed and Stuart gets pretty energetic on these topics!

Stuart is back! And he thinks US News rankings aren't worth a hoot. Jed tries to play the Devil's advocate, but in the end, they both conclude that no one should pick one school over another school based on any college ranking scheme, except if it is just a quick-and-easy substitute for another metric. One example is how the US News college ranking is a decent substitute for figuring out how much schools have in their endowments. Choosing a school with a bigger endowment is always better, according to Stuart, since it means the school with the bigger endowment will last longer than schools with really small endowments. Listen as Stuart and Jed pull no punches on college rankings!

Stuart is back! And he thinks US News rankings aren't worth a hoot. Jed tries to play the Devil's advocate, but in the end, they both conclude that no one should pick one school over another school based on any college ranking scheme, except if it is just a quick-and-easy substitute for another metric. One example is how the US News college ranking is a decent substitute for figuring out how much schools have in their endowments. Choosing a school with a bigger endowment is always better, according to Stuart, since it means the school with the bigger endowment will last longer than schools with really small endowments. Listen as Stuart and Jed pull no punches on college rankings!

With Stuart away for one more week, Jed interviews Washington Monthly Editor-in-Chief and former Bill Clinton speechwriter, Paul Glastris. Glastris, a one-time US News and World Report employee, developed a new ranking system at the Washington Monthly that is nearly the antithesis of what US News says. But should we throw out the US News rankings altogether? Listen as Glastris give us his expert opinion.

While Stuart is away, Jed takes the opportunity to interview his old friend and former university president, Mike Nietzel. Mike talks about a book he just finished by author and economics professor Phillip Levine (A Problem of Fit). Mike gives his own thoughts about whether the government should pay for people to go to college (yes, they should double Pell grant payouts, but no, they shouldn't forgive student loans in a way that disproportionally benefits more wealthy graduates). Listen in to a man who has seen many aspects of higher education!

Stuart and Jed discuss time management. Stuart suggests that most students know that academics require a portion of their time (on average, 15 hours) but don't realize that self-discovery also takes time. Social interactions take time, too, but many students naturally take time to socialize. Yet Stuart encourages students to do their socializing in a more mindful, purposeful way.