<p>What do people think of this proposal: shrink Chicago’s undergraduate enrollment.</p>
<p>This would have several benefits. First, it would then be possible to fill the class with students who really are interested in the “life of the mind”, as opposed to the many tag-alongers who are now in Chicago for its still-strong reputation, but would actually prefer to be pre-med or pre-business in some college more prestigious to the man on the street, more grade-inflated. Second, it would increase the selectivity of the university, which would make it more attractive even to those students interested in the “life of the mind,” who now choose HYPS over Chicago simply because it is easier to defend the choice of a more selective university than the choice of a less selective university. Finally, since Chicago (all private colleges, I hear) lose money for each additional student they enroll, especially if the student is on financial aid, this would preserve the endowment too.</p>
<p>If there is excess capacity, expand the graduate/professional schools.</p>
<p>There is nothing that says a smaller university cannot be first-rate, especially if its mission is specialized. Like Caltech is to MIT, Chicago can be to Harvard.</p>