There's a time and a place for everything. It used to be called college.

Table of Contents

The Big Test.
Testing, Testing.
Legalized Cheating On the Big Test.
What Happens When You Don’t Test For Academics.
What Happens Without Academic Standards.
Another Academic Standard Perhaps.
RIP Columbia Core Curriculum and Also Social Theory.
College Tuition and Costs.
Negotiation.
Skipping College.
Respect Their Authoritah.
Men Skipping College.
Stanford Still Hates Fun.
Value of College.
Employment Prospects After College.
Fixing College.
Do Not Donate To A College.
Not Doing The Math.

The Big Test

I am continuing to come around to the high-stakes-in-person-exam (or series of such exams) as the only practical solution to AI, also it was probably mostly the right answer already.

Sean T: It's [...]

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Outline:

(00:16) The Big Test

(01:31) Testing, Testing

(03:44) Legalized Cheating On the Big Test

(06:12) What Happens When You Don't Test For Academics

(07:21) What Happens Without Academic Standards

(09:05) Another Academic Standard Perhaps

(11:07) RIP Columbia Core Curriculum and Also Social Theory

(14:15) College Tuition and Costs

(19:37) Negotiation

(20:45) Skipping College

(23:19) Respect Their Authoritah

(24:25) Men Skipping College

(28:05) Stanford Still Hates Fun

(30:35) Value of College

(31:10) Employment Prospects After College

(35:05) Fixing College

(36:17) Do Not Donate To A College

(38:43) Not Doing The Math

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First published:
August 5th, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/WzN3PFpyBaMeXqeRz/childhood-and-education-13-college

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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Images from the article:

Poll showing college attendance responses with 26,600 total votes.

Physics problem about calculating charge on pith balls using Coulomb's force.

News article screenshot showing text about disability accommodations and extra time testing, featuring a controversial quote about parents and time accommodations.

Data table showing academic fields with salary and percentage statistics for various degrees.

Table showing employment statistics and wages for various college majors.

The table includes data on unemployment rates, underemployment rates, median wages (early and mid-career), and graduate degree percentages for different academic majors like Accounting, Engineering, Biology, and others.

Graph showing University of Pennsylvania's cost breakdown by family income level. Shows tuition, housing, and family contribution variations based on income brackets and financial aid eligibility.

Three line graphs showing decreasing college costs after adjusting for inflation and grants, 2006-2024.

This image effectively communicates that while published (blue line) costs appear to rise for tuition, housing, and total attendance, the net costs (black line) after accounting for financial aid and inflation have actually decreased over the past decade at public four-year institutions for in-state students.

Academic reading list showing required texts and authors for Spring semester. Contains works about rights, democracy, and American perspectives.

Table showing academic fields' data including salaries and percentages for various disciplines.

This appears to be a partial dataset with information about different academic fields like Physics, Pharmacy, Performing Arts, and others, displaying statistics such as percentages and salary ranges.

Dark gray X symbol or close button icon.

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“Childhood and Education #13: College” by Zvi

LessWrong (30+ Karma)