Scott Alexander explores various explanations for why top students attend the best colleges, including optimistic views about maximizing potential and cynical views about signaling and 'privilege laundering'. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the question of why top students are sent to the best colleges, presenting both optimistic and cynical explanations. He discusses the potential benefits of matching high-performing students with expert teachers, but also considers the signaling theory of education. The post delves into a fascinating hypothesis about elite colleges functioning as 'privilege laundering' machines, mixing meritocratic and privileged students to create a universally recognized signal of merit. Scott examines the potential advantages and drawbacks of this system, concluding that while imperfect, it may be preferable to alternatives that completely disregard merit. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews recent developments in prediction markets, including Google's internal market and Metaculus' 'fortified essays', while discussing challenges and applications in various fields. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses recent developments in prediction markets, including Google's internal prediction market Gleangen, challenges in long-term predictions, conditional markets for policy decisions, and new weight loss drugs. He also covers Metaculus' 'fortified essays' concept, which combines expert analysis with crowd forecasts, and shares recent predictions on topics like COVID-19 hospitalizations and SAT requirements in college admissions. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to reader comments on his article about increasing competition in college admissions, covering various factors and perspectives on the issue. Longer summary

This post highlights comments on Scott Alexander's original article about college admissions. The comments cover various aspects, including factors influencing college selectivity, the impact of college prestige on careers, the role of rankings and admissions rates, the importance of extracurricular activities, the influence of student loans, and comparisons between the US and Canadian university systems. Some commenters offer personal experiences and perspectives on the increasing competitiveness in college admissions and other fields. The post also touches on broader themes of increasing competition in society and possible explanations for this trend. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the history of increasing competitiveness in college admissions, analyzing causes and questioning whether the focus on elite college admission is justified. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the history of college admissions and the increasing competitiveness in recent years. He traces the evolution from a time when top colleges admitted almost anyone qualified to the current highly competitive landscape. The post examines various factors contributing to this change, including increased applications per student, changing demographics, and shifts in evaluation criteria. Scott also investigates whether the intense focus on college admissions is justified, given research suggesting that attending a selective college may not significantly impact most students' long-term outcomes. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander writes two satirical sequels to GATTACA, critiquing discrimination based on epigenetics and educational background. Longer summary

This post is a satirical continuation of the movie GATTACA, imagining two sequels that critique different forms of discrimination. In 'GATTACA II: EPI-GATTACA', the focus is on epigenetics, where people are judged based on their ancestors' life experiences. In 'GATTACA III: EDU-GATTACA', the discrimination is based on which college one attended. Both stories follow a similar structure to the original GATTACA, with the protagonist Vincent trying to overcome societal barriers through deception. The stories end with Vincent's brother Anton helping him and Vincent realizing that he wants to change the discriminatory system, not just escape it. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares a diverse collection of interesting links with brief commentaries, covering topics from education and politics to science and technology. Longer summary

This post is a collection of interesting links and brief commentaries on various topics. Scott Alexander covers a wide range of subjects, including education, politics, technology, history, and science. He discusses SAT coaching effectiveness, college admissions critiques, a new Civilization game, unusual government policies, teacher observations on student behavior changes, and scientific studies on schizophrenia and lithium. The post also includes humorous anecdotes and thought-provoking historical what-ifs. Scott's commentary often adds an insightful or ironic perspective to the linked content. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander discusses the concept of one-sided tradeoffs, using examples from college admissions to life hacks, and suggests ways to find opportunities for 'free' gains in various decisions. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the concept of one-sided tradeoffs using college admissions as a starting point. He explains how most decisions involve tradeoffs between different qualities, but suggests ways to find opportunities for 'free' gains. These include insider trading (having unique knowledge), bias compensation (exploiting others' biases), and comparative advantage (specializing in a specific area). He applies this framework to policy debates, life hacks, and personal decisions, arguing that understanding these concepts can help identify opportunities where one can gain benefits without significant downsides. The post concludes with examples like considering nootropics if one isn't afraid of taking drugs, or buying houses on streets with rude names for a discount. Shorter summary