Freakonomics Radio

Podbit · Freakonomics Radio

680. Can Universities Win Back Our Trust?

Explore episode Jul 3, 2026

Where this was said

Reimagining Dartmouth: Financial Aid, Inclusion, and the Infinite Budget Question

At 52:35 · chapter starts 49:20

An anonymous faculty member submitted the question: with an infinite budget, what would you do? Beilock's three-part answer is revealing: she would make Dartmouth somewhat bigger (more students, more faculty), she would fully resource faculty in areas where Dartmouth leads globally — particularly rural health and polar/ice sheet research — and she would take Dartmouth Dialogues to every high school student in the country. But before arriving at the fantasy, she grounds the conversation in reality: Dartmouth is now free for families earning up to $175,000 a year, need-blind and meeting full demonstrated need. Asked what she would do if building Dartmouth from scratch, she acknowledges its history of excluding women (no female graduates until 1976) and Jewish students, and says she would have built diversity in from the beginning.

Similar podbits

Education
Should a 17-Year-Old Quit Baseball to Start Investing?

Stop Giving Away Your Control · Aug 10, 2026 Education

A baseball-playing junior who learned about compound interest now wants to quit the sport to start working and investing. George says let him decide and own it. Jade says team sports build something a job can't replace — try doing both during off-season first before making the call permanent.

Education
33 Years Old with $69K Debt: Is 11 Years of Med School Worth It?

Stop Giving Away Your Control · Aug 10, 2026 Education

May is 33, carries $69K in combined household debt, and wants to spend 11–13 years training to become a forensic pathologist at $14K/year in tuition. The prerequisite is non-negotiable: zero debt before a single class. Then, with the spouse earning $4,500/month and able to run the household debt-free, cash-flowing medical school is genuinely possible.

Education
The Education System Is Failing Boys

The Surveillance Economy, and How Capitalism Can Fix Poverty · Aug 10, 2026 Education

K-12 schools ask students to sit still, raise their hand, use fine motor skills, and be pleasers — behaviors that describe girls more than boys. Boys are twice as likely to be suspended for the same behavior, and five times as likely if they're Black. The system needs male teachers, national service, and kindergarten starting at 6 for boys.