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TL;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
by lgessler 10y ago
TL;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 no real repercussions
4. constraints you, via social pressure, to a narrow set of "prestigious" career paths, among which you might not find the one that is truly right for you
5. shelters you from failure and encourages the idea that it is unacceptable, leaving you less likely to take on risk which might be necessary for growth and fulfillment
6. "is profoundly anti-intellectual", because students are encouraged more to acquire power and all that is necessary for it than cultivation of one's intellect, which requires such slothful indulgences as sitting in solitude, journaling, or even making time to have a relationship with a close friend
TL;DR for the TL;DR: elite schools' "real purpose is to reproduce the class system", instead of to grow their students' minds.
I'll add that when I read Deresiewicz's article in the New Republic and then went to his talk on my undergrad institution's campus, his tone was markedly more bitter than it is here in 2008. I suppose the situation has not improved in his eyes.
- JoeAltmaier 10y agoHm. I went to Stanford. Famous for diverse, risk-taking non-mediocre graduates. I guess its the exception that proves the rule?
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- dlo 10y agoI 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-professor-i-was-pushed-out-after-reporting-sexual-harassment 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.
- gragas 10y agoI'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.
- nickonline 10y ago'just'?
- gragas 10y agoHow is it not "just" ending up at Facebook or Google when you could've BS'd your way through high school, gone to a mediocre state school, and landed a new-grad position at one of those companies? Stanford or X State University, suddenly all of those years mean nothing and new graduates of both schools come to the same starting blocks, only this time at a massive software company where tens of thousands of others follow suit. Sounds like a let down to me.
- nickonline 10y agoArguably it doesn't matter whether you went to Stanford or your state university, the institution where you graduated matters little in the professional world once you have that first gig.
- pvg 10y agoStanford is a great school but how do you figure those criteria are something Stanford is famous for?
- cylinder 10y agoThrowing away big chunks of your company for VC cash before you've done a lick of work is risk taking?
- da02 10y agoWhat are some examples of "risk-taking"? (I don't think I've know anyone who could be described as risk-takers.)
- laichzeit0 10y agoThat's a great list of positive benefits. Is there a corresponding list of negatives?
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- IslaDeEncanta 10y agoPeople like you are why the communists are going to win.
- eitally 10y agoI find this list (and the article in general) hilarious. Prefacing this with the disclaimer that the entire premise depends on how you define "elite", there are plenty of well-grounded, socially competent, altruistic young people attending elite universities, who go on to perform all sorts of contributive work. I find it odd that such an accomplished person would think it's ok to author a public piece about what seem to obviously be their own shortcomings. Yes, perhaps some groups within some universities do contain individuals with certain proclivities that lead to cause certain behaviors that lead to certain outcomes, but not all!