Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life

In Chapter 2, Deresiewicz mentions the groundbreaking tenure of Kingman Brewster as president of Yale University. Review and discuss his presidency. What changes did he make that were so groundbreaking? How did they affect the curriculum at Yale and the makeup of its student body? Did they also influence higher education in general? If so, in what ways?

Choose a non-American country and research the requirements for admissions to its top universities. How are they the same and how are they different from those in the United States? Which system do you think is better and why?

Research author Amy Chua and read all or part of her controversial book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Do you agree with the author’s harsh assessment of her parenting methods? Is it an all-or-nothing choice or do you find value with some of her ideas and/or methods?

The author briefly reviews the history of public colleges and universities over the last 40 years, when state governments drastically cut funding their funding. Why did this happen? What were the origins—a change in policy/philosophy or an economic crisis? Why has the funding continued to remain so low? Use your own state as an example as you answer some of these questions.

Why does the author state that people educated in the liberal arts are necessary for a democracy? Can democracy not exist in a country full of technocrats? Would there be something lacking if the body politic were composed only of well-educated people trained in applied or vocational fields (such as “nursing, education, business, and even law and medicine”—as he lists on page 149)?

How likely do you think it is that the changes Deresiewicz advocates at the end of Chapter 12 will take place? In your opinion, what would need to occur or what conditions would be required for them to happen? Which of the changes would have the greatest effect?

In 2019, there was a series of high-profile cases involving celebrities and other wealthy people, regarding bribery for admissions to elite universities. Explain what happened and analyze it in terms of the ideas found in this book. Does it reinforce Deresiewicz’s arguments? If so, how?

When asked by a student about how to choose between Harvard, Stanford, and Yale, Deresiewicz replied, “…do you think you look better in crimson, cardinal, or royal blue? That’s about the only difference I can see between those places” (191). Examine those schools’ websites (or those of any other three Ivy League schools) and see if the author is right. How do they market themselves? What are their similarities or differences? Which school would you choose and why?