{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsmartsocialpodcast.com%2Fepisodes%2F272-L5v_rUY9","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"A Conversation about Higher Education and Finding Purpose with Parent Compass and Guest, Bill Deresiewicz","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/43b83926-54ac-4743-ab89-b7b4aea04d25/a2953b4e-855b-49d2-8992-6ab88022488e/smart-social-podcast-josh-ochs.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"<iframe src=\"https://player.simplecast.com/9cccbdc4-586c-4ffd-b6d8-c60ff60b80d9\" height=\"200\" width=\"100%\" title=\"A Conversation about Higher Education and Finding Purpose with Parent Compass and Guest, Bill Deresiewicz\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"></iframe>","height":200,"description":"In this episode of The Parent Compass on SmartSocial, Cindy Muchnick and Jenn Curtis interview Bill Deresiewicz, New York Times Best-Selling Author of Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life, about the challenges students are facing on elite college campuses. The author chronicles conversations, statistics, and anecdotes from his boots-on-the-ground experience as a former Yale professor and Columbia instructor; he shares his observations of his own students and others he interviewed at dozens of other college campuses around the country.  Bill discusses the theme of pursuing purpose and why liberal arts majors are relevant. The episode also explores “overbearing parents” and why many college students are unable to think for themselves and are depleted, exhausted, and unenthused about learning for learning’s sake."}