This blog post is part of AEI’s Best Podcasts of 2021 series. Click here to see other AEI podcast hosts’ favorite episodes of the year.

In my podcast, “An Economist Goes to College,” I seek to
inform aspiring students about how to make strategic decisions about their
higher education. Speaking on topics like how to use data to shop for college
or non-college alternatives, how to utilize the student loan system to your
advantage, and more, I always attempt to cut through the romanticism we often
attach to college decision-making and teach listeners how to make decisions
that are grounded in data and fact.

Here are the top 5 episodes of “An Economist Goes to
College” from 2021:

1. What we get wrong when it comes to paying for college (with Ron Lieber) — Episode #1, April 6

In this episode, I spoke with Ron Lieber, a personal finance columnist for The New York Timesand author of the book, The Price You Pay for College, about the ins and outs of the college decision-making process. We talked about what aspiring students and their families most often get wrong about the system, and what they really can’t afford to misunderstand when it comes to picking and paying for college.

2. Should college be free? (with Ari Rabin-Havt) — Episode #7, June 30

Ari Rabin-Havt,
legislative director and chief policy advisor for Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT),
spoke with me about the merits and drawbacks associated with making college
tuition-free, how to create better market incentives in the higher education
space, and what it takes to have a middle-class life and achieve the American
dream in the 21st century.

3. Why is college so expensive and what can be done about it? (with Jon Meer) — Episode #9, September 22

For this episode, I
sat down with Jon Meer, a professor of economics at Texas A&M University.
Our conversation covered why college tuition keeps rising and what we can do to
change its upward trajectory.

4. Does college teach us to be unhappy? (with Benjamin Storey and Jenna Silber Storey) — Episode #14, December 7

In this episode, I interviewed Ben and Jenna Storey, visiting fellows in Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at AEI and professors of politics and international affairs at Furman University. They are the authors of Why We Are Restless, which discusses how the pursuit of happiness can wind up making us less happy. In this episode, they discussed whether college is really fulfilling its purpose and helping students find direction.

5. We’re too sentimental about college (with Michelle Singletary) — Episode #2, April 20

Michelle Singletary,
a personal finance columnist for The
Washington Post, joined the podcast to talk with me about what parents
should consider before enrolling their children into college, the role of
student debt in financing a degree, and advice for aspiring students and
parents about how they can think critically about paying for college.

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