Why Elite College Admissions Are Biased Toward the Superrich

Why Elite College Admissions Are Biased Toward the Superrich

Less than 1 percent of college students attend Ivy League colleges and equally selective schools, like Stanford and Duke. But these schools have an outsize influence on American life. Practically every Supreme Court justice of the last 40 years, 25 percent of the U.S. Senate, and one in eight Fortune 500 CEOs went to these schools. A new study on their admissions programs finds that they are heavily biased toward children from rich families. For applicants with the same SAT score, kids from families in the top 0.1 percent were more than twice as likely to get in compared to the average student. A coauthor on that paper, Harvard economist David Deming, talks to Derek about what his landmark study tells us about college, fairness, and the American Dream. If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: David Deming Producer: Devon Manze Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(348)

Why Money Doesn't Buy Happiness in America

Why Money Doesn't Buy Happiness in America

America is rich—richer than ever. Yet Americans are more anxious, lonelier, and less satisfied than people in many poorer nations. The 2025 World Happiness Report ranked the U.S. 24th in life satisfac...

7 Okt 202548min

Is AI Really About to Solve Human Disease?

Is AI Really About to Solve Human Disease?

I’ve had the privilege of talking to many brilliant people about artificial intelligence. And when you ask them to imagine the most beneficial consequences of this technology, they almost always give ...

3 Okt 202553min

How America Became a Nation of "Free Speech Hypocrites"

How America Became a Nation of "Free Speech Hypocrites"

The past few weeks have marked a low point for free speech principles in America. The head of the FCC openly threatened ABC for the language of a comedian. The president told a reporter that networks ...

30 Sep 202552min

What’s the Matter With America’s Food?

What’s the Matter With America’s Food?

In the past few weeks, we’ve done several episodes on obesity, GLP-1 drugs, and nutrition science. What we haven’t talked about as much is the politics of food. And today’s guests say: If you really ...

26 Sep 202552min

This Is How the AI Bubble Could Burst

This Is How the AI Bubble Could Burst

This year, American tech companies will spend $300 billion to $400 billion on artificial intelligence, which is in nominal dollars more than any group of companies have ever spent to do anything. Nota...

23 Sep 202559min

The Jimmy Kimmel Saga and America's Free-Speech Crisis

The Jimmy Kimmel Saga and America's Free-Speech Crisis

Matt Belloni, the host of the Town podcast and the author of Puck’s 'What I’m Hearing' newsletter, joins the show to talk about Jimmy Kimmel's punishment, what happened behind the scenes at ABC and Di...

19 Sep 202540min

If GLP-1 Drugs Are Good for Everything, Should We All Be on Them?

If GLP-1 Drugs Are Good for Everything, Should We All Be on Them?

To read more of Derek's reporting on GLP-1 drugs, you can subscribe to his Substack here. GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound don't just help with Type 2 diabetes and weight loss. They seem to curb...

16 Sep 202554min

Charlie Kirk's Killing and America's Age of "Salad-Bar Extremism"

Charlie Kirk's Killing and America's Age of "Salad-Bar Extremism"

In the past few years, we have witnessed a frightening spiral of political violence. We’ve seen the killing of Charlie Kirk; the killing of Brian Thompson, the health insurance executive; the assassin...

12 Sep 202552min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden-usa
aftenpodden
stopp-verden
forklart
i-retten
popradet
det-store-bildet
fotballpodden-2
nokon-ma-ga
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-gukild-johaug
bt-dokumentar-2
aftenbla-bla
hanna-de-heldige
rss-ness
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-dannet-uten-piano
e24-podden