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Are Stanford Students Just (Really Excellent) Sheep?

stanford.edu

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Re: Are Stanford Students Just (Really Excellent) Sheep?

#141

Post by Drbble »

lhnz wrote: post #46

I am getting quite tired of listening to people argue for or against conformity. You don't become a shepherd by making yourself into a black sheep. And there is nothing wrong with conforming. There is nothing wrong with wearing fashionable status symbols. There is nothing wrong with climbing hierarchies, nothing wrong with pleading for a comfortable life, or listening to what your friends think is cool. There really…

This post, so far down the page, is why HN needs Reddit's feature of collapsing flamewars under highly voted flamebait posts.

Re: Are Stanford Students Just (Really Excellent) Sheep?

#142

Post by Drbble »

schmico wrote: post #67
lhnz wrote: post #46

I am getting quite tired of listening to people argue for or against conformity. You don't become a shepherd by making yourself into a black sheep. And there is nothing wrong with conforming. There is nothing wrong with wearing fashionable status symbols. There is nothing wrong with climbing hierarchies, nothing wrong with pleading for a comfortable life, or listening to what your friends think is cool. There really…

I agree as well, but to a point. Do we really want our most targeted education resources being directed towards conformists? I think these institutions should be (almost) reserved for those who are pursuing leadership and cutting edge thinking.

Why do you think the place for noncomforists is in an institution? Why would they want to attend an institution?

Re: Are Stanford Students Just (Really Excellent) Sheep?

#144

Post by Drbble »

IsaacL wrote: post #4

As a member of generation Y, I think the original "Organisation Kid" article really got what is wrong with my generation. We're not lazy, entitled, or afraid of competition, despite hundreds of articles by gen X/boomers claiming the opposite. We compete and work hard but never ask what it's all for .

Gen Y are you. The Gen Z millenials are the lazy coddled ones.

Re: Are Stanford Students Just (Really Excellent) Sheep?

#145

Post by Drbble »

blake8086 wrote: post #24
maeon3 wrote: post #7

95% of people are sheep, just look around you. Clothing fashions all change with eachother according to what the others are doing. Church: just tell me What to believe. Bars, drinking toxic liquids and smoking radioactive smoke because it's cool. Resumes which plead for others to make us worthy members of society. It takes a special kind of defiance to say no thank you to What the world expects you to be.

I am always amused at this mentality. Have you ever noticed how Reddit is full of people who all think everyone else are sheep? Everyone is unique if you only count the things that make them different, and people are pretty similar if you look for things that make them alike.

I love how you wrote "Reddit" because you had to hold the party line that HN is more sophisticated than Reddit.

Re: Are Stanford Students Just (Really Excellent) Sheep?

#146

Post by Drbble »

sliverstorm wrote: post #37
spindritf wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nonconforming is not the same as anticonforming. And the fact that you observe and analyse trends doesn't mean you're a slave to them.

the fact that you observe and analyse trends, doesn't mean you're a slave to them Even if you are making the opposite choice, if your every decision is predicated on the trends, I'd still call you a slave to them.

"To manipulate children, you simply say 'no'. " --The Fantasticks

Re: Are Stanford Students Just (Really Excellent) Sheep?

#147

Post by Drbble »

treenyc wrote: post #100
MartinCron wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If colleges get rid of grades, however will Peter Thiel know which hedge fund analysts to hire?

well, business school like wharton prohibits employers to ask about their graduate's grade anyway.

That's likely because they promote an image that all their students are perfect. It's also possible, but doubtful, thatthey believe class grades are personal development tools, not external qualifications.

Re: Are Stanford Students Just (Really Excellent) Sheep?

#148

Post by dlo »

Drbble wrote: post #136
dlo wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A criticism that has sometimes been levelled at Stanford is that once you are admitted you can coast your way to graduation. This is an odd criticism. While I was at Stanford, the school administrators were extremely concerned with a ubiquitous problem on campus called "Stanford Duck Syndrome": looking serene and peaceful above the surface, but underneath the water, paddling as hard as possible to keep from sinking…

That's called X Duck Syndrome at every school X :-)

Out of curiosity, I typed "duck syndrome" into Google. The only relevant links on the first page pertain to "duck syndrome" at Stanford. Maybe the term is beginning to catch on elsewhere?

Re: Are Stanford Students Just (Really Excellent) Sheep?

#149

Post by Drbble »

treenyc wrote: post #99
callil wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hello fellow waldorf student in the wild! Remember that most waldorf schools in the country DO grade in highschool. However it is process that allows for more feedback and conversation about your performance.

Brought up in China. I was NOT fortunate enough to have being a waldorf student myself. But my various experiences in life have lead me to meet many graduates and teacher of waldorf school. So far all of them I meet a incredibly intelligent and very nice to around.

Because Waldorf is great, or because children from rich families that pay for private school tend to be intelligent?

Re: Are Stanford Students Just (Really Excellent) Sheep?

#150

Post by jiggy2011 »

gavanwoolery wrote: post #104
jcnnghm wrote: post #53

I went to school, then dropped out, and then went back. I finished my BS last week with a 4.0 GPA. I dropped out because I wasn't learning anything, and it was an incredibly time consuming grind that wasn't any fun. I dropped out to start a company, and probably learned more every few weeks doing that, than it would be possible to learn in years of classes. There isn't a guide and every problem requires actual though…

My question: how does a piece of paper that thousands of others hold distinguish you? It doesn't. Take those four years and $120k-$240k you would spend on an "education" and get a real education - build a company. Building a legit company (successful or not) is worth 1000 times what that piece of paper is. Your mind will be tempered in the fires of reality. As I've said many times, a degree is just your ticket to bei…

How many financial institutions are going to lend $120-140k to an 18 year old for any purpose other than going to college?

It's also worth bearing in mind that spending 3-4 years focused on learning stuff like math,econ and CS rigorously can help your abilities to build a business later.

You might be able to setup your web dev shop at 18 and make a nice living for a few years making CRUD apps or whatever but once the market starts to demand something else then you are likely to get stuck if you haven't put some study into higher level principles.

Besides there is nothing stopping you from running a simple business at the same time as going to college. Myself and a few others on my CS course used to build websites and fix PCs during the holidays and made more money for about half the hours as the people working at the supermarkets and pubs.

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