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What's sad is that all this desperate competition by parents to improve their kid's grades is zero-sum: A noisy but pointless rearrangement of positions on the
by djrobstep 8y ago
What's sad is that all this desperate competition by parents to improve their kid's grades is zero-sum: A noisy but pointless rearrangement of positions on the socio-economic ladder.
One kid getting into Princeton means another misses out.
Very little of it results in actual useful learning or eventual public benefit.
- hn_throwaway_99 8y agoUh, welcome to life? > A noisy but pointless rearrangement of positions on the socio-economic ladder. Not pointless to the people on that ladder.
- esturk 8y agoBut that's how most of society works. Only one elected official is selected. Only one co-worker is promoted. Etc. I don't think society cares who fills the position but said individuals care.
- robertAngst 8y agoAs someone who went to a University you never heard of, I'm the highest paid in my group. I wont forget this in the future for my children. Your skills are more important than the prestige of your school.
- jogjayr 8y ago> Your skills are more important than the prestige of your school. I'd disagree slightly. All of Mark Zuckerberg's college roommates are billionaires or half-billionaires - mostly because they were his roommates. Obviously they brought their own skills to the table but there existed other people in the world at that time with those skills too. These specific people got to be in the rocket ship when it was on the ground, because they were at Harvard. Otherwise, they'd (probably) only have very successful careers, instead of their current wealth and status. I think having a "prestige" school on your resume opens some doors far more easily.
- freehunter 8y agoBillionaires are billionaires. They're an elite group, and by definition most people won't be billionaires. But you can be a millionaire after attending a state university, and for most people being a millionaire is a goal worth achieving. I personally don't think it's worth encouraging people to try to be billionaires. If you do, most of them will end up highly disappointed. It's more worthwhile to encourage people to be the best they can be, the majority of which will fall vastly short of a billion dollars. That's okay.
- djrobstep 8y agoThe exact same phenomenon applies to access to skilled jobs.
- bjourne 8y agoBut it isn't. The question was "X is trying to get into Princeton - an A- isn't going to get her in. What extra credit can she do to make this an A?" Presumably, the extra credit means the student will learn more. Hence, it is not zero-sum. And it actually seem fair to me; the student that works the hardest and scores the highest grades deserves to win the spot.
- jogjayr 8y agoExtra credit = extra work for the teacher. It's not fair.