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They do serve some level of balance against the 'frog of the well' [alt. king of the hill] effect. Smart kids often come away thinking they are the smartest an
by srean 6y ago
They do serve some level of balance against the 'frog of the well' [alt. king of the hill] effect.
Smart kids often come away thinking they are the smartest and that they don't need to learn or understand anything else, thanks to our cheer leaders. This can lead to cognitive and behavioral fallacies, expertise in some narrow field gives themselves the idea that they are smart and qualified in domains outside of the scope of their expertise. Meeting other smart people, exposure to domains outside of one's own scope of expertise tempers that to a degree.
In retrospect the most valuable thing about my college/university experience was meeting people from different backgrounds (financial, social, educational). High school was too homogeneous.
- adamnemecek 6y agoIn what ways was it valuable?
- srean 6y agoI thought that was mentioned in my post. It counteracts the king of the hill effect. Gives a more realistic estimate of domains where one is good at and domains where one is not and would do well to consult others or at least not trust ones judgement too much. One of the pins against bubbles of self-evaluated greatness and edginess.
- KMag 6y agoI knew multiple people who failed out of MIT because they were suddenly forced to focus and work hard for the first time in their lives and didn't adjust quickly enough. Finally learning to work hard is really valuable for those who adjust, though.