2 ms·

> If you allowed me 1000s of trials and I could wager on each of them, I'd wager that the SAT scores of those who started were higher than the SAT scores of tho

by neilv 3y ago

> If you allowed me 1000s of trials and I could wager on each of them, I'd wager that the SAT scores of those who started were higher than the SAT scores of those who never started. In that regard, being accepted to and starting college is a positive signal. If theory behind your wagers was correct, and if you're optimizing for SAT scores.

sokoloff 3y ago
Underlying this proposition is that I'm optimizing for* something closer to what IQ (and SAT) measures. * "optimizing for" meaning "I'd prefer a higher score over a lower one, all else equal".
- LtWorf 3y ago
  But IQ is completely useless as a measure. I've met people with really high IQ that were unable to do 1st year university math, and after a number of years dropped out of engineering. And yet their IQ tests were amazing…
  - al_borland 3y ago
    I dropped out of engineering after my first year because of the math. My high school had an experimental math program that was designed for people who wouldn’t need higher level math, which kind of screwed me. I was generally good at math and tests, so I placed into a higher level course than high school prepared me for. Because I did so well on the test, they wouldn’t allow me to take a lower level class. I tried. On the first day the teacher handed me a letter telling me I was departmentally dropped. This didn’t lead me to fully dropping out of school. I pivoted over to CIS, graduated, and worked my way up to a principal software engineer. Did these people you’re talking about totally quit, or did they find a solution to the problem? Employers are going to tend to like those who find alternative solutions. IQ isn’t useless, it’s just not the only measure that matters. Conscientiousness, for example, probably played a role in those who quit or not.

2 ms·

> If you allowed me 1000s of trials and I could wager on each of them, I'd wager that the SAT scores of those who started were higher than the SAT scores of tho

by neilv 3y ago

sokoloff 3y ago
Underlying this proposition is that I'm optimizing for* something closer to what IQ (and SAT) measures. * "optimizing for" meaning "I'd prefer a higher score over a lower one, all else equal".
- LtWorf 3y ago
  But IQ is completely useless as a measure. I've met people with really high IQ that were unable to do 1st year university math, and after a number of years dropped out of engineering. And yet their IQ tests were amazing…
  - al_borland 3y ago
    I dropped out of engineering after my first year because of the math. My high school had an experimental math program that was designed for people who wouldn’t need higher level math, which kind of screwed me. I was generally good at math and tests, so I placed into a higher level course than high school prepared me for. Because I did so well on the test, they wouldn’t allow me to take a lower level class. I tried. On the first day the teacher handed me a letter telling me I was departmentally dropped. This didn’t lead me to fully dropping out of school. I pivoted over to CIS, graduated, and worked my way up to a principal software engineer. Did these people you’re talking about totally quit, or did they find a solution to the problem? Employers are going to tend to like those who find alternative solutions. IQ isn’t useless, it’s just not the only measure that matters. Conscientiousness, for example, probably played a role in those who quit or not.