Trying to figure this out

For questions that ask you to report on numerical statistics, write your answers in narrative form (e.g., "The mean value of the x variable is 10.4") - do not just write the number. For questions that ask you to create a graph, copy and paste the graph that you produced from the Stata output window into the document. When you are finished, upload your answers file to Blackboard by the due date specified on the syllabus. Also note that for this assignment, all categorical variables are in the data as words, not as numbers that are codes for words.

Situation: On October 2, 2017, I received this real email from a writer at a media organization. All references to names have been redacted.

Hi Professor,

My name is [REDACTED], and I'm Senior Editor at [REDACTED] (one of the leading outlets covering the personal finance industry). I'm working on a piece about the best undergraduate schools and I was hoping you might be able to answer a few questions.

Your comments would be used for an article on our consumer education section and, potentially, in a piece for one of the major national news outlets that we contribute to (e.g., The Washington Post, CNBC, Forbes). Here's a link to one of our recent studies, so that you can get a better idea: [REDACTED]

Please find a few questions listed below, and feel free to skip any that you do not feel comfortable answering. Finally, it would be great if you could send a high-resolution picture of yourself to accompany your comments. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks so much in advance!

1. Are Ivy League and other "name brand" schools worth the high sticker price?
2. What type of universities do you think provide the best return on investment?
3. Given that the top 25 universities hold 52% of all endowment wealth, should the government consider taxing endowments of the wealthiest universities?
4. Should college be tuition free? How else can we work to make college more affordable?
5. What tips do you have for a student looking to graduate with minimal debt and great job prospects?

Looking forward to your responses,

[REDACTED]

Keep this email in mind as you answer the following questions.

PART 1 QUESTIONS

1. Item #2 in the email asks, "What type of universities do you think provide the best return on investment?" In this question, the author is first supposing that there are classifications of institutions (i.e., "types" of universities), where each university could get a label for what "type" it is. What is the unit of analysis in this description, and what is the variable?