1. The Johnstone piece indicates that there is a fourth force that determines the economic achievement of higher education organizations, “the ratchet”. They define “the ratchet” as the competitive race for prestige between colleges. Is this a direct result of colleges wanting to “be like Harvard,” or is it a product of American ideals/society? Is there any way of decreasing the amount of prestige to focus instead on the proper education of students?

2. It seems that the rising cost of higher education is also due to expensive research. Should the United States higher education system try to focus on advancing academics and education before research to combat these rising costs, or should research expenses just be capped or limited? Is it even possible to cap or limit research costs, when every college is trying to outdo one another?

3. The Johnstone article also addresses the cost of tuition at colleges usually leading students to the same outcome. Even though this may be true with regards to a degree, Johnstone fails to mention that more prestigious colleges usually have more opportunities available (through affiliated organizations and businesses) for their students to succeed after graduation. Do you believe that it is possible to grant all colleges the same types of opportunities? Do you believe it is the college’s job to have those opportunities available, or should it be the students who work to network and create their web of opportunity?

4. To add on to question 3, the Jaschik article highlights that paying more for college does not necessarily increase productivity outcomes. Is paying more for higher education solely for the name of the college and the possible network connections, or are there other benefits to attending more expensive universities and institutions?

5. The Moody article states that college cost and tuition is rising a lot faster than national inflation rates. If this does not stop or slow down, many students of poorer socioeconomic status may never get to attend college. Should more faith and credit be given to online courses and degrees due to their relatively cheap cost? Online degrees would allow a great variety of people of all socioeconomic backgrounds to experience educational opportunities without the rising cost of maintaining a university campus, research lab, library, or other paid services.