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Jack Ma: 'Harvard rejected me 10 times' [video]

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Re: Jack Ma: 'Harvard rejected me 10 times' [video]

#131

Post by arihant »

doczoidberg wrote: post #95
lsc wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>But when you are studying it is the best time to start a company. What? Most people would argue that having knowledge of the field, experience and contacts; the sort of thing you get after working in a field for a while, is going to help more than the slightly increased physical stamina you have as a very young person.

Later you have a family and responsibility for your children. In college you are free and can take risks.

There is good decade between when you graduate and when you expect children.

Starting a business before 20-21 is not really ideal. Yes, some people can do it. But those people have an over the top mental and emotional maturity that nominal case is lacking, and college is a great way to get there.

Are you really suggesting that you see a CEO in a nominal high school graduate? Most of them don't have a slightest clue how to deal with people, let alone negotiate their terms -- knowledge in domain being aside.

Re: Jack Ma: 'Harvard rejected me 10 times' [video]

#132

Post by swframe »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #26

It is an interesting claim. I think Harvard would still reject him, he doesn't seem to fit in with what a "Harvard Man" is. The mistake is thinking that Harvard wants all the successful people in the world to go there, as far as I can tell they don't. Every private University recruits from their "tribe" whether it is 'quirky' at Reed or 'cosmopolitan' at Harvard, while not discriminating on race, religion, Etc they d…

I went to harvard. In freshman orientation, we were told that harvard doesn't "admit" mistakes. But obviously they do; a small percentage of students are mentally ill for example. My freshman roommate was one of them.

Another interesting orientation tip mentioned was that harvard accepts the top 10% of high school students but 90% of them won't be in the top 10% at harvard. The take away is that students need to stop their obsession with ranking and figure out how to be successful anyway.

They are definitely "Harvard Type" students (and not just in terms of wealth) but I think 30% or so of the Harvard students don't fit that stereotype and I don't see why Ma wouldn't have done well. Harvard classes aren't any different from classes at any other good school. I understand the obsession with going to Harvard (it is a fashion statement) but you aren't missing anything. Having Harvard on your resume will move it to the top of the pile but you still need to be impressive and few schools teach that or any of the things that Jack mentioned in the interview.

Re: Jack Ma: 'Harvard rejected me 10 times' [video]

#133

Post by swframe »

contergan wrote: post #53
ChuckMcM wrote: post #26

It is an interesting claim. I think Harvard would still reject him, he doesn't seem to fit in with what a "Harvard Man" is. The mistake is thinking that Harvard wants all the successful people in the world to go there, as far as I can tell they don't. Every private University recruits from their "tribe" whether it is 'quirky' at Reed or 'cosmopolitan' at Harvard, while not discriminating on race, religion, Etc they d…

>while not discriminating on race Affirmative action IS discrimination on race. AFAIK Harvard has been sued because of that not too long ago - I don't know the outcome though.

If you strongly feel that affirmative action is wrong then the best way to end it is to end racial segregation in housing and K-12 education. When colleges see that all kids are getting the same opportunities they will end their programs to correct for that societal flaw. It seems very shortsighted to think that displacing affirmative action students is the best way to improve our society or that not getting into Harvard will take something from you that you deserve or need.

Re: Jack Ma: 'Harvard rejected me 10 times' [video]

#134

Post by swframe »

paulhauggis wrote: post #93
gyc wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Asian-Americans (including Chinese-Americans) have to have better grades and test scores to have the same chance as your average white American to get into an elite university, so I can see why Asian-American parents would think it's necessary for their children to focus so much on improving their test scores.

"Asian-Americans (including Chinese-Americans) have to have better grades and test scores to have the same chance as your average white American " It's because Asian-Americans statistically score much higher than white Americans so the competition is fierce. If you check the "Asian" box when you take the SATs, you actually get points deducted from your overall score. I'm not sure what started it, but the vicious cycl…

As for perfect SAT test scores equating to a right to get into Harvard... It is pretty clear that SAT scores are not always indicative of merit. When I was a Harvard senior I tutored another Harvard senior in high school algebra. She mentioned she got a perfect SAT score because her elite high school had a really good test prep program. There are many stories of people paying others to take the test, or people taking the test and sharing the questions with others, or people spending a lot of money or time to get a good score. In a way, that high score doesn't show that some students are more worthy to get in as much as it shows that affirmative action students need more affirmative action if the cycle of poverty is to be broken.

Re: Jack Ma: 'Harvard rejected me 10 times' [video]

#135

Post by abysmal »

swframe wrote: post #132
ChuckMcM wrote: post #26

It is an interesting claim. I think Harvard would still reject him, he doesn't seem to fit in with what a "Harvard Man" is. The mistake is thinking that Harvard wants all the successful people in the world to go there, as far as I can tell they don't. Every private University recruits from their "tribe" whether it is 'quirky' at Reed or 'cosmopolitan' at Harvard, while not discriminating on race, religion, Etc they d…

I went to harvard. In freshman orientation, we were told that harvard doesn't "admit" mistakes. But obviously they do; a small percentage of students are mentally ill for example. My freshman roommate was one of them. Another interesting orientation tip mentioned was that harvard accepts the top 10% of high school students but 90% of them won't be in the top 10% at harvard. The take away is that students need to stop…

Mentally ill students are "mistakes"?

Clearly someone needs to tell Princeton that accepting John Nash was a mistake

Re: Jack Ma: 'Harvard rejected me 10 times' [video]

#136

Post by dkrich »

plonh wrote: post #124
dkrich wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And Zuckerberg? Jobs? Ellison? Dell? If you think that elite schools wouldn't want one of the world's wealthiest and most powerful entrepreneurs on their list of alumni instead of another lawyer or investment banker even if they knew they were not a "great fit," you put more stock in the principles of admissions committees than I. The reality is pretty simple. The Harvard's and Stanford's of the world put out an enor…

Zuck started his business at Harvard with Harvard cofounders and harvard content and later Harvard employees. Jobs credited Reed classes for inspiring the beauty and font quality that made Mac a standout. They were great fits for their school, they just didn't need he arbtirary 4-year degree. I don't know about the others.

Um that's like saying the founders of Intel were a great fit for Fairchild Semiconductor because they all met there. Just because their schools created an extremely fortuitous environment for meeting cofounders does not mean that that's the reason the schools admitted them, and to suggest such is absurd. Jobs wasn't even enrolled at Reed when he took those classes, as has been well-documented.
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