Uncommon Knowledge: Andrew Ferguson — Crazy U

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April 18, 2011 | Recorded on February 28, 2011

Andrew Ferguson — Crazy U

with guest Andrew Ferguson

A speechwriter for President George H. W. Bush, Andrew Ferguson is now a senior editor at the Weekly Standard. The author of Fools’ Names and Land of Lincoln, Ferguson’s most recent book is entitled Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College.

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What does the experience of getting our children into college tell us about the state of higher education today and about ourselves? Recounting his experience in guiding his son through this process, Ferguson discusses the voluminous amount of information available today about colleges and universities (from the U.S. News rankings to the glossy brochures sent out by admission departments) but insists that it remains impossible to get an answer to the one essential question that every parent has, “Is there any learning going on at this school?” (33:46) Video transcript

To go to segments within a video, click the links below:

start video from beginning Andrew Ferguson discusses, with Hoover research fellow Peter Robinson, how he came to write Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course at Getting His Kids into College.
start segment 2 at 7:05 Andrew Ferguson discusses the influence of the US News and World Report’s college rankings.
start segment 3 at 14:01 Andrew Ferguson discusses his colorful college experience.
start segment 4 at 21:00 Andrew Ferguson discusses why it’s important to visit the bathrooms on your kid’s next college visit.
start segment 5 at 26:26 Andrew Ferguson discusses whether the insanity of the higher-education marketplace can ever be stopped.