If it weren't for the 1% (smartest not wealthiest) we'd still be living in caves, we'd have no cure for disease, we'd have no internet (or Hacker News!). I, for one, am extremely thankful for elite/ivy educations and for what these institutions and their graduates have made possible for the rest of humanity. If the only price we pay is that they don't know how to talk to dumb people, that's a price I feel is worth paying.
The Disadvantages of an Elite Education (2008)
61–70 of 228 posts
Re: The Disadvantages of an Elite Education (2008)
#62TL;DR: Going to an elite school 1. denies you the opportunity to empathize with anyone beyond a narrow spectrum of socioeconomics and culture 2. anoints you with a sense of self-worth and entitlement that is, if earned at all, only founded on a narrow set of skills: analytic ability and hard work 3. admits you into the class of seductive "entitled mediocrity", which allows you to fail spectacularly with essentially n…
Hm. I went to Stanford. Famous for diverse, risk-taking non-mediocre graduates. I guess its the exception that proves the rule?
I went to Stanford, and I disagree. Sure, there are exceptions, but most fellow alumni I know are very boring.
For example, many live in San Francisco, work for Facebook or Google, and do little of note besides the following:
- have an "interesting" hobby - work out at the gym - hang out with friends at the bar or club - work on their career - start a "start-up" - travel - ... other very self-serving pursuits
Most recently, I am very disappointed in my fellow alumni for not standing up for this professor:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/19/ex-stanford-...
And actually, I am seeing to it that alumni and current students do something about this. Enough is enough.
Re: The Disadvantages of an Elite Education (2008)
#63If it weren't for the 1% (smartest not wealthiest) we'd still be living in caves, we'd have no cure for disease, we'd have no internet (or Hacker News!). I, for one, am extremely thankful for elite/ivy educations and for what these institutions and their graduates have made possible for the rest of humanity. If the only price we pay is that they don't know how to talk to dumb people, that's a price I feel is worth pa…
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Re: The Disadvantages of an Elite Education (2008)
#64The remarks here on HN dissing this article piqued my curiosity, so I began to read the article. It's been a long ..year...and I am super tired, so I am not going to manage to actually read the whole thing. But, I was one of the top three students of my graduating high school class and I turned down a National Merit Scholarship to one of the top two universities of my home state. I think I made the right call and I t…
The remarks here on HN dissing this article piqued my curiosity
The other day I read a comment observing that commenters here have an almost Pavlovian response that compels them to disagree with the article. That seems right to me. A while ago I wrote this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12300542, which touches on similar themes.
Re: The Disadvantages of an Elite Education (2008)
#65It's funny. When I first read this article it must have left a strong impression for me to have recalled it now, in the wake of the election. I see someone else felt similarly.
I also remember a HN comment on it saying the blame for writer's inability to communicate across the class divide was more likely a profound lack of social skills. A point of view I'm still not entirely sure I agree or disagree with.
Re: The Disadvantages of an Elite Education (2008)
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hm. I went to Stanford. Famous for diverse, risk-taking non-mediocre graduates. I guess its the exception that proves the rule?
I went to Stanford, and I disagree. Sure, there are exceptions, but most fellow alumni I know are very boring. For example, many live in San Francisco, work for Facebook or Google, and do little of note besides the following: - have an "interesting" hobby - work out at the gym - hang out with friends at the bar or club - work on their career - start a "start-up" - travel - ... other very self-serving pursuits Most re…
I've always wondered what it'd be like to go to Stanford and then just end up at Facebook or Google, alongside many state-school graduates. Would it be a massive let down? Sure, you might have learned more at Stanford than at your peers' state schools, but you are only using as much of your education as your peers are using.
Re: The Disadvantages of an Elite Education (2008)
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hm. I went to Stanford. Famous for diverse, risk-taking non-mediocre graduates. I guess its the exception that proves the rule?
I went to Stanford, and I disagree. Sure, there are exceptions, but most fellow alumni I know are very boring. For example, many live in San Francisco, work for Facebook or Google, and do little of note besides the following: - have an "interesting" hobby - work out at the gym - hang out with friends at the bar or club - work on their career - start a "start-up" - travel - ... other very self-serving pursuits Most re…
What's wrong or boring about any of the things you mentioned? What would you do differently?
Re: The Disadvantages of an Elite Education (2008)
#68TL;DR: Going to an elite school 1. denies you the opportunity to empathize with anyone beyond a narrow spectrum of socioeconomics and culture 2. anoints you with a sense of self-worth and entitlement that is, if earned at all, only founded on a narrow set of skills: analytic ability and hard work 3. admits you into the class of seductive "entitled mediocrity", which allows you to fail spectacularly with essentially n…
Hm. I went to Stanford. Famous for diverse, risk-taking non-mediocre graduates. I guess its the exception that proves the rule?
Stanford is a great school but how do you figure those criteria are something Stanford is famous for?
Re: The Disadvantages of an Elite Education (2008)
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
I went to Stanford, and I disagree. Sure, there are exceptions, but most fellow alumni I know are very boring. For example, many live in San Francisco, work for Facebook or Google, and do little of note besides the following: - have an "interesting" hobby - work out at the gym - hang out with friends at the bar or club - work on their career - start a "start-up" - travel - ... other very self-serving pursuits Most re…
What's wrong or boring about any of the things you mentioned? What would you do differently?
It's a shame to waste an elite education on people who do not serve society.
Re: The Disadvantages of an Elite Education (2008)
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
You are missing: in order to gain access to these institutions, many people apparently have to forgoe those extracurriculars and focus only on their studies.
No, to gain access to these institutions you are basically required to have half a dozen extracurriculars on your resume. They receive applications from so many white straight-A/4.0 students that extracurriculars are the only differentiating factor. Few high schools (in California, at least) would even let you graduate without 50-100 hours of community service. Whether these extracurriculars would expose you to diffe…
"Few high schools (in California, at least) would even let you graduate without 50-100 hours of community service."
I have never heard of community service as a requirement to graduate high school. (No school in my district had this requirement.)
Granted, I understand your overall point. It is becoming increasingly difficult to be accepted by "elite" colleges. In fact, I had applied to nearly 12 colleges that were highly respected in Computer Science and was rejected from all of them.