[MSJ] - Day 19: Learning²

Today was a day packed with learning, econ and otherwise. We talked about game theory for the time as a scheduled lecture, which is funny because the first activity we did in the class, the prisoner's dilemma game (explained in an earlier blog!), is one of the standard examples used for illustrating game theory. Game theory, broadly speaking, is the examination of interactions between rational decision makers using mathematical models. We use game theory to explain human behavior in simplified "games", which means what strategies people use when faced with a certain scenario and why.

One example that I found particularly interesting was a model, or game, based off penalty shootouts in soccer. The idea is that you can simplify the choices of the goalie and the shooter to shooting left or right and diving left or right, respectively. If the shooter shoots right and the goalie dives right, you can assume that the goalie will save the shot and "win", and the shooter will "lose". Same for the left, and if they pick different sides, then the goalie won't save the shot and the shooter will "win" and the goalie will "lose". You can represent this visually with a payout matrix.

Because the action that would allow the shooter to win is entirely based off the action of the goalie, and vice a versa, the best strategy for both is to randomly pick which side to shoot or dive. This is different from the prisoner's dilemma, where it is always beneficial for you to snitch on the other person, making it a dominant strategy.

Jenny, Jonathan, and Adam also showed up to the workshop

As the title of this post suggests, though, the learning didn't stop when class ended. I had signed up a few days ago for a admissions presentation where we would learn about the admission process into UChicago from the admission staff. We went through real applications that had been submitted in the past and had to identify their strengths and weaknesses. We spent about an hour going over four different applications.

The main takeaway for me was that transcripts and test scores are not even close to everything. Some of the most important aspects of the applications were how personality came through in the personal statement, and if the "Why Chicago" essay really showed that the student was serious and passionate about wanting to go to UChicago in particular.

This is the kind of knowledge I will bring back with me to the Bay Area and try to fulfill my duty as an ILCer to help and inspire others to give back to the community that sent me here.

Finally, here are some pictures from yesterday shot on Emma's good camera.