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I always am bothered by these stories because they seem to imply the person matters more than the school. I had mediocre grades and stats (#2 in class, 1500/16

I always am bothered by these stories because they seem to imply the person matters more than the school. I had mediocre grades and stats (#2 in class, 1500/1600) but I didn’t get into a prestigious school and went to my state school. The fact that I couldn’t even get into a top school appears to bode pretty poorly for my future if this is the criteria!

longhorn_alum 7y ago
> these stories ... seem to imply the person matters more than the school Obvious statement is obvious
karmelapple 7y ago
Which part of my story bothered you, and what criteria? If we're talking whether someone will be generally happy and successful in life regardless of where they attend school, yes, I 100% think a person very much does matter more than any school they may attend. And if we're talking whether someone is more "worthwhile", or will have a better life, if they get accepted into a prestigious school, I don't think that at all. I think some circumstances I had no influence over, including going to high school in a less-populous state that likely had many fewer people even applying to prestigious schools, probably had a big part in me getting accepted. > The fact that I couldn’t even get into a top school appears to bode pretty poorly for my future if this is the criteria! What is the criteria you think would bode poorly for you? If you're a hard worker, spend lots of time to learn your chosen career skills, and spend lots of time becoming a clear and empathetic communicator, I think you can be very successful in your chosen career path, regardless of your GPA or standardized test scores from high school.
dang 7y ago
Could you please stop posting so much on the topics of schools, elites, and elite schools on HN? It's excessive: https://hn.algolia.com/?query=by:akhilcacharya%20school&sort=byDate&dateRange=all&type=comment&storyText=false&prefix=false&page=0 https://hn.algolia.com/?query=by:akhilcacharya%20school&sort... https://hn.algolia.com/?query=by:akhilcacharya%20elite&sort=byDate&dateRange=all&type=comment&storyText=false&prefix=false&page=0 https://hn.algolia.com/?query=by:akhilcacharya%20elite&sort=... I get how strongly you feel, but it goes against the spirit of the site when people keep posting so repetitively about one particular issue that they feel strongly about. HN threads are supposed to be driven by curiosity, which is a quite different motivation.
- akhilcacharya 7y ago
  OK, fair enough, but it lends itself to the topic, which also posted about at a pretty significant rate.

longhorn_alum 7y ago

> these stories ... seem to imply the person matters more than the school Obvious statement is obvious

karmelapple 7y ago

Which part of my story bothered you, and what criteria? If we're talking whether someone will be generally happy and successful in life regardless of where they attend school, yes, I 100% think a person very much does matter more than any school they may attend. And if we're talking whether someone is more "worthwhile", or will have a better life, if they get accepted into a prestigious school, I don't think that at all. I think some circumstances I had no influence over, including going to high school in a less-populous state that likely had many fewer people even applying to prestigious schools, probably had a big part in me getting accepted. > The fact that I couldn’t even get into a top school appears to bode pretty poorly for my future if this is the criteria! What is the criteria you think would bode poorly for you? If you're a hard worker, spend lots of time to learn your chosen career skills, and spend lots of time becoming a clear and empathetic communicator, I think you can be very successful in your chosen career path, regardless of your GPA or standardized test scores from high school.

dang 7y ago

Could you please stop posting so much on the topics of schools, elites, and elite schools on HN? It's excessive: https://hn.algolia.com/?query=by:akhilcacharya%20school&sort=byDate&dateRange=all&type=comment&storyText=false&prefix=false&page=0 https://hn.algolia.com/?query=by:akhilcacharya%20school&sort... https://hn.algolia.com/?query=by:akhilcacharya%20elite&sort=byDate&dateRange=all&type=comment&storyText=false&prefix=false&page=0 https://hn.algolia.com/?query=by:akhilcacharya%20elite&sort=... I get how strongly you feel, but it goes against the spirit of the site when people keep posting so repetitively about one particular issue that they feel strongly about. HN threads are supposed to be driven by curiosity, which is a quite different motivation.

akhilcacharya 7y ago
OK, fair enough, but it lends itself to the topic, which also posted about at a pretty significant rate.