Categories:
Economics of Education
My undergrads think that a Mason win in basketball will lead to skyrocketing applications. Russ Roberts isn’t so sure.
My undergrads think that a Mason win in basketball will lead to skyrocketing applications. Russ Roberts isn’t so sure.
Apr 2 2006
Inside Higher Ed reports, Dickeson’s paper suggests, because accreditation is the primary system responsible for gauging the performance and ensuring the success of higher education in the United States. If the quality of American higher education is slipping, as the commission’s other papers argue, then accredita...
Apr 1 2006
I'm the kind of patient who tries doctors' patience. A memorable check-up from a few years ago (before Robin Hanson convinced me they were a waste of time): Doc: Do you smoke? Me: No. Doc: Do you drink? Me: No. Doc: Not at all? Me: Not at all. Doc: Good! Me: Is it? Isn't there evidence that moderate drin...
Mar 31 2006
My undergrads think that a Mason win in basketball will lead to skyrocketing applications. Russ Roberts isn't so sure.
READER COMMENTS
Johnny
Mar 31 2006 at 4:57pm
Let’s assume that students who select a university on the basis of its sports teams are less intelligent than average. As these students graduate and become alumni, they will clamor for more national tournament wins, and contribute money accordingly. More wins, more low-quality students.
This could put George Mason into a death spiral.
Daniel
Apr 1 2006 at 9:48am
Johnny assumes that everyone who hears about Mason because of the sports victories won’t then go on to look at other merits of the school in deciding whether to apply.
I think that the victories will lead to at least a slight improvement in quality of applicants for this year. Regardless of whether this happens the US News rankings are so dependent on name recognition and perception that there should be an upward spiral in later years, especially if applications increase significantly (leading to Mason having to reject more applicants, moving up in college rankings, attracting those who were on the fence, ad infintum).
Hei Lun Chan
Apr 2 2006 at 12:57am
The happened to UMass Amherst a decade ago. Shortly after their basketball team became respectable, the SAT scores of the incoming classes went up even though the school didn’t do anything to improve on academics.
Zac
Apr 2 2006 at 9:28pm
I think it will do wonders for the school, and certainly my degree. Mostly its a matter of name exposure – forget the fact that it was a basketball team getting to the Final Four (and losing like a bunch of CLOWNS, argh) and just think that now, people all over the country have heard of George Mason. It could go a long way from making the school strictly regional to having more national appeal, or at lest draw more students from non-Virginia, mid-Atlantic states.
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