America's Higher Education Crisis

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The Atlantic

Politics, News, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 12 October 2018

⏱️ 53 minutes

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Summary

A college education has become a key asset towards success in the American economy, but for many Americans, access to higher education—especially at a prestigious university—feels increasingly out of reach. With its capricious admissions and massive debt loads, the system is struggling. So we’re sitting down this week with two members of our Education team—editor Alia Wong and staff writer Adam Harris—to ask the question: is U.S. higher education sustainable? Links - “Harvard Admissions on Trial” (Alia Wong, October 5, 2018) - “America Wakes Up From Its Dream of Free College” (Adam Harris, September 11, 2018) - “George Washington’s Broken Dream of a National University” (Adam Harris, September 21, 2018) - “Lotteries May Be the Fairest Way to Fix Elite-College Admissions” (Alia Wong, August 1, 2018) - “Why the Ivy League Needs to Admit More Students” (Alia Wong, September 28, 2018) - “Here’s How Higher Education Dies” (Adam Harris, June 5, 2018) - “The Era of Affirmative Action May Not Last Much Longer” (Adam Harris, July 3, 2018) - “The College-Graduation Problem All States Have” (Adam Harris, June 16, 2018) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	At the crossroads of artistic insight and intellectual curiosity, we find the edge of reason.
0:07.0	Dive into the heart of artistic inspiration, rooted in Enlightenment thinking, and discover how contemporary creators are holding a mirror up to society to reflect who we are, where we've been, and where we're headed.
0:20.0	Join me, Jeff Chang, at the Edge of Reason, a new limited podcast from Atlantic
0:25.6	Rethink, the branded content studio at the Atlantic, and Howzer and Worth.
0:29.4	Harvard University is about to go to court to defend itself against charges that its admissions process discriminates against Asian American students.
0:38.0	It's the latest salvo in a long-standing battle over affirmative action.
0:42.0	This is a huge fight over a
0:44.4	proportionally tiny number of spaces at America's most prestigious colleges
0:49.2	and universities. Meanwhile, students elsewhere are taking on massive debt for a shot at a degree.
0:55.0	These are symptoms of much bigger problems in the nation's higher education system.
0:59.0	And so we have to ask, is that system sustainable?
1:04.2	If not, what could fix it?
1:06.6	This is The Atlantic.
1:25.0	With me in studio today is a voice that you will recognize that of
1:28.0	Jillian White, senior editor at the Atlantic.
1:30.0	Hello, Jillian.
1:31.0	I can't get rid of me.
1:32.0	It's so great to have you.
1:34.0	As always,
1:35.0	joining us in studio today are two staff writers on the Atlantic,
1:39.0	each of whom covers education.
1:41.0	First, a voice you've heard before a lea wong hello a Leah
	...

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