How to avoid getting lost reading Scott Alexander and his 1500+ blog posts? This unaffiliated fan website lets you sort and search through the whole codex. Enjoy!

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Jul 11, 2023
acx

Why Match School And Student Rank?

9 min • 1,124 words • 639 comments • 279 likes • podcast
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
Apr 03, 2019
ssc

Classified Thread 7

1 min • 20 words • 241 comments • podcast
Scott Alexander announces a classified thread for advertisements, personals, and success stories, with uncertain frequency. Longer summary
This post announces a recurring classified thread on the blog, inviting readers to post advertisements, personals, and success stories from previous threads. The frequency of the thread is uncertain, described as possibly monthly, bimonthly, or occasional. Shorter summary