5 ms·

hi everyone, this is the author --- wow, i totally didn't expect a random rant of mine to be posted on hacker news :) after monitoring comments for a few hours

hi everyone, this is the author --- wow, i totally didn't expect a random rant of mine to be posted on hacker news :) after monitoring comments for a few hours, i finally had to sign up for an account. First off, I should mention the context of my article: I wrote that (admittedly not so well-written) article from personal observations I made of technical people in various fields working in various jobs at various companies (I don't want to name drop any further, heh). It was just my personal observation that given two people in the same exact job position WITH EQUAL INTELLIGENCE/SKILLS/EXPERIENCE/ETC., the one who went to a lesser-known university was usually more vocal about announcing his/her skills and, in a way, disparaging of people from so-called name-brand schools. Sorry I didn't intend to make any sorts of value judgments as to how university reputation correlates with intelligence, likelihood of success, etc. Now I'm gonna have some fun responding to other people's comments :)

alexgartrell 17y ago
Without passing any judgement whatsoever, I'm going to leave this link here :) http://www.stanford.edu/~pgbovine/advantages-of-name-brand-school.htm http://www.stanford.edu/~pgbovine/advantages-of-name-brand-s...
- pgbovine 17y ago
  ha thanks for the free advertising :) so, just to preempt any ad hominem attacks, here is what this article is NOT trying to say: 1.) people who did not go to 'name-brand' universities are somehow less intelligent or less deserving of professional success 2.) people who did go to 'name-brand' universities are somehow super awesome 3.) people who went to 'name-brand' universities are somehow more deserving of the advantages that are bestowed on them I'm just trying to tell a collection of stories i've heard from friends and learned through my own experiences. I hope that I don't come off as being too judgmental :)
  - alexgartrell 17y ago
    They figure that it's tough enough to get into and graduate from MIT, so even a mediocre MIT student might do the job as well as an exceptional student at a normal (lesser-known) university.
- elblanco 17y ago
  The subtle irony of this is lost on so many. I wish I could upvote this more than once.
- elblanco 17y ago
  Ugh, finally managed to read most of the article at the link. I would have preferred putting my hand in my garbage disposal. It's an absolutely accurate portrayal of what's wrong in the world with respect to the reputation that top-tier schools have and the practices of top-tier corporations. Mr. Guo, in a few areas of self-reflection attempts to strike a reasonable tone in the parts that don't sound like a brochure for these name branded schools. But then we get to the section titled, "Take-home messages if you went to a normal, lesser-known university" (actually the title, I'm not making it up) and it's a fast ride downhill from there. This kind of trite, patronizing, condescension is hard to find out in the public arena. This honest externalization from an elite is only confirmation of all the worst fears of what these folks are really thinking about you. The joy of it is not that Mr. Guo rails against the practices he so accurately describes but that he shrugs his shoulders, utters "just accept your station in life state-school", and ends his piece with a section so unbelievably arrogant, so paternal...we get this little pat on the head "be realistic state-school, you could always open some rinky-dink business in some small town that's never heard of Google". Here, I'll not paraphrase anymore, I'll just quote: "If you are like the vast majority of people who didn't attend a name-brand university, then I want to stress the importance of perspective. Realize that the deck is stacked against you...To try to buck the system will likely result in disappointment and dejection." "Another aspect of perspective is the importance of realism. It's healthy to have dreams, but you must at the same time have a realistic career plan." "Being realistic doesn't mean being complacent, though. For instance, starting a small local business is a great outlet for those who are aspiring entrepreneurs. If you are the town expert on Topic X, then you can form a small business without fear that some Ivy League brat will infringe on your local market." Are you kidding me with this "why even try, you'll just end up disappointed" rubbish?
  - pgbovine 17y ago
    thanks for the comments ... you have a good point regarding some of the passages, i'll take them down soon or try to re-work them. i'm glad that you understood the main purpose of that article, which is to highlight what i've observed about top-tier schools and the hiring practices of certain big corporations. however, i really don't mean to sound like i'm an advertising brochure for those schools, because i'm definitely not. again, i'm just trying to share the experiences i've heard from my friends (who went to all different types of schools) with regards to their job hunting process. in part, i'm trying to express some of the frustrations that people have relayed to me because they were definitely worthy of certain positions but got passed up due to their lack of so-called name-brand credentials. but i see that i've done a bad job at doing that, since i drew such negative criticism due to my tone ;) please email me personally if you'd like to give me more feedback on how i could emphasize the more objective points of that article without sounding condescending. thanks.

alexgartrell 17y ago

Without passing any judgement whatsoever, I'm going to leave this link here :) http://www.stanford.edu/~pgbovine/advantages-of-name-brand-school.htm http://www.stanford.edu/~pgbovine/advantages-of-name-brand-s...

pgbovine 17y ago
ha thanks for the free advertising :) so, just to preempt any ad hominem attacks, here is what this article is NOT trying to say: 1.) people who did not go to 'name-brand' universities are somehow less intelligent or less deserving of professional success 2.) people who did go to 'name-brand' universities are somehow super awesome 3.) people who went to 'name-brand' universities are somehow more deserving of the advantages that are bestowed on them I'm just trying to tell a collection of stories i've heard from friends and learned through my own experiences. I hope that I don't come off as being too judgmental :)
- alexgartrell 17y ago
  They figure that it's tough enough to get into and graduate from MIT, so even a mediocre MIT student might do the job as well as an exceptional student at a normal (lesser-known) university.
elblanco 17y ago
The subtle irony of this is lost on so many. I wish I could upvote this more than once.
elblanco 17y ago
Ugh, finally managed to read most of the article at the link. I would have preferred putting my hand in my garbage disposal. It's an absolutely accurate portrayal of what's wrong in the world with respect to the reputation that top-tier schools have and the practices of top-tier corporations. Mr. Guo, in a few areas of self-reflection attempts to strike a reasonable tone in the parts that don't sound like a brochure for these name branded schools. But then we get to the section titled, "Take-home messages if you went to a normal, lesser-known university" (actually the title, I'm not making it up) and it's a fast ride downhill from there. This kind of trite, patronizing, condescension is hard to find out in the public arena. This honest externalization from an elite is only confirmation of all the worst fears of what these folks are really thinking about you. The joy of it is not that Mr. Guo rails against the practices he so accurately describes but that he shrugs his shoulders, utters "just accept your station in life state-school", and ends his piece with a section so unbelievably arrogant, so paternal...we get this little pat on the head "be realistic state-school, you could always open some rinky-dink business in some small town that's never heard of Google". Here, I'll not paraphrase anymore, I'll just quote: "If you are like the vast majority of people who didn't attend a name-brand university, then I want to stress the importance of perspective. Realize that the deck is stacked against you...To try to buck the system will likely result in disappointment and dejection." "Another aspect of perspective is the importance of realism. It's healthy to have dreams, but you must at the same time have a realistic career plan." "Being realistic doesn't mean being complacent, though. For instance, starting a small local business is a great outlet for those who are aspiring entrepreneurs. If you are the town expert on Topic X, then you can form a small business without fear that some Ivy League brat will infringe on your local market." Are you kidding me with this "why even try, you'll just end up disappointed" rubbish?
- pgbovine 17y ago
  thanks for the comments ... you have a good point regarding some of the passages, i'll take them down soon or try to re-work them. i'm glad that you understood the main purpose of that article, which is to highlight what i've observed about top-tier schools and the hiring practices of certain big corporations. however, i really don't mean to sound like i'm an advertising brochure for those schools, because i'm definitely not. again, i'm just trying to share the experiences i've heard from my friends (who went to all different types of schools) with regards to their job hunting process. in part, i'm trying to express some of the frustrations that people have relayed to me because they were definitely worthy of certain positions but got passed up due to their lack of so-called name-brand credentials. but i see that i've done a bad job at doing that, since i drew such negative criticism due to my tone ;) please email me personally if you'd like to give me more feedback on how i could emphasize the more objective points of that article without sounding condescending. thanks.