What Happened After a 16-year-old Chose FAMU Over Harvard

[Depreciating Asset]

Malcolm Gladwell explored this choice in his latest book.

He concluded that it's usually better to be a top student at a 'non-elite' university than an average student at an 'elite' one.

--------

"In another fascinating section — and the entire book is full of eye-brow raising moments, all laid out in deceptively simple, even folksy, prose — Gladwell convincingly shows that it is better to be a Big Fish in a Small Pond than a Small Fish in a Big Pond. Meaning, if you are brainy enough in math and science to get accepted at both Harvard and another less prestigious school, but not brainy enough to dominate your field, you should probably go to the less prestigious school. For one thing, you will be less likely to drop out in frustration. For another, a study he cites shows that when it comes to hiring, “the best students from mediocre schools were almost always a better bet than good students from the very best schools.”

“The Big Pond,” Gladwell adds, explaining the effect of being in a classroom surrounded by the super intelligent when you are only extremely intelligent, “takes really bright students and demoralizes them.” "

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell: review | Toronto Star

 

[Cabbage Patch]

That dude is a fukking moron for choosing FAMU over a Harvars education

It's not where you go, its what you do with it once you get there. 16 years old and going to college already, he was still a baby. His story isn't so different from those stories you'd hear in the 80s and 90s with young kids who were the first of their family to go to college at 14, 15, 16 years old, and then them leaving (pregnancy, drugs, too much pressure, whathaveyou). Maybe there should be social competency tests to go with academic competency tests, and anyone who scores high on the latter but fails the former should be automatically assigned special College Life prep to go with their regular classes. Or maybe not.

His life is not over, but like @Nigerianwonder said, he needs guidance. He needs a mentor, and not just to be tossed to the wolves because he scored well on some tests.

 

[bigDeeOT]

Except that if Harvard wanted him in the first place, nothing is stopping him from being accepted in the future .

That's not how it works any competitive school bruh. Once you're offered admission you can defer for a year if you have other goals in mind, but you can't just turn down an admission then a few years later ask if you can hop right on in. You have to fill out your application all over again. And unfortunately, Harvard actually does NOT accept transfer students anyway. I know because I once day dreamed of transferring to Harvard.

 

[Black_Jesus]

It's not where you go, its what you do with it once you get there. 16 years old and going to college already, he was still a baby. His story isn't so different from those stories you'd hear in the 80s and 90s with young kids who were the first of their family to go to college at 14, 15, 16 years old, and then them leaving (pregnancy, drugs, too much pressure, whathaveyou). Maybe there should be social competency tests to go with academic competency tests, and anyone who scores high on the latter but fails the former should be automatically assigned special College Life prep to go with their regular classes. Or maybe not.

His life is not over, but like @Nigerianwonder said, he needs guidance. He needs a mentor, and not just to be tossed to the wolves because he scored well on some tests.

Look man, I didn't even read the article so I dont know his story... All I know is this nikka picked a raggedy ass HBCU over the #1 school in the country...

 

[Cabbage Patch]

How does a gap year work in Europe? Imo I think it should be advocated more in America. A part feels that it's kind of ludicrous to have a fresh out of high school [not even fresh out of high school b/c college apps and decisions are made well before your senior year is over] make decisions that will literally effect the rest of their lives.

7 Questions to Ask When Considering a Gap Year - US News

Gail Reardon, who runs the gap year counseling firm Taking Off, says the term is a bit of a misnomer. "The name implies that students are taking a gap in their education, when really the gap is to fill in what they haven't learned in school," she says. "A gap year is about what happens after school, how you make decisions, how you figure out who you are, where you want to go, and how you need to get there. It's about the skill set you need to live your life."

Gap years cut into the 'making money off public and private loans to students -- especially those students who are the first or second generation in their families to attend -- which they'll have to pay off for the rest of their lives and can't discharge via bankruptcy' racket, though.

 

[Black Magisterialness]

Perfect example of having the wrong people in his ear. The professional world don't care about your religious life, the simple fact he has a lapse in enrollment may stop a future hire. Regardless of the well documented racial issues on Ivy League campuses having the opportunity to do so is for majority of people a once in a lifetime thing. Generations of families lived and died without that opportunity.

Its also insane that he stopped school to follow a spiritual path. That's all fine and dandy, but they elders in his life should have told him to finish what he started first. I applaud his spiritual pursuits, but not taking these opportunities my hinder this young man in the future.

I wish him the best though.

 

[Cabbage Patch]

That's not how it works any competitive school bruh. Once you're offered admission you can defer for a year if you have other goals in mind, but you can't just turn down an admission then a few years later ask if you can hop right on in. You have to fill out your application all over again. And unfortunately, Harvard actually does NOT accept transfer students anyway.

I wouldn't expect a school to accept anything less. I apologize if I made it seem like he could take off, then just reuse his old acceptance letter. He can not. What I meant was that Harvard saw something in him worth extending an invitation to, and that just doesn't go away because he said 'nah, I've chosen someone else'.

I know because I once day dreamed of transferring to Harvard.

Transferring to Harvard College | Harvard College

"To be eligible to transfer, you must have completed at least one continuous academic year in a full-time degree program at one college and not have completed more than two years total in college. You must complete at least two full years of study at Harvard. "

So basically, they're bullshytting, and it's really just a way to ease legacy kids in, but it's not intended for 'real students'?

 

[bigDeeOT]

Malcolm Gladwell explored this choice in his latest book.

He concluded that it's usually better to be a top student at a 'non-elite' university than an average student at an 'elite' one.

--------

"In another fascinating section — and the entire book is full of eye-brow raising moments, all laid out in deceptively simple, even folksy, prose — Gladwell convincingly shows that it is better to be a Big Fish in a Small Pond than a Small Fish in a Big Pond. Meaning, if you are brainy enough in math and science to get accepted at both Harvard and another less prestigious school, but not brainy enough to dominate your field, you should probably go to the less prestigious school. For one thing, you will be less likely to drop out in frustration. For another, a study he cites shows that when it comes to hiring, “the best students from mediocre schools were almost always a better bet than good students from the very best schools.”

“The Big Pond,” Gladwell adds, explaining the effect of being in a classroom surrounded by the super intelligent when you are only extremely intelligent, “takes really bright students and demoralizes them.” "

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell: review | Toronto Star

Except, he went to a lower ranked school and still dropped out. And then when he wanted to go back for engineering he didn't go back to FAMU lol.

But I guess I kind of do agree with the big fish small pond thing. I don't know. Because if you're at a big school you will in general have better connections.

 

[Cabbage Patch]

Perfect example of having the wrong people in his ear. The professional world don't care about your religious life, the simple fact he has a lapse in enrollment may stop a future hire. Regardless of the well documented racial issues on Ivy League campuses having the opportunity to do so is for majority of people a once in a lifetime thing. Generations of families lived and died without that opportunity.

Its also insane that he stopped school to follow a spiritual path. That's all fine and dandy, but they elders in his life should have told him to finish what he started first. I applaud his spiritual pursuits, but not taking these opportunities my hinder this young man in the future.

I wish him the best though.

I'll be honest, the only thing I've observed which has stopped future hires is someone not knowing the right people. If someone wants you, they will seek you out; and if they want you badly enough, they will bend alleged rules for you. If, however, they don't really want you, you can have all your ducks in a line and they'll find a bullshyt reason to tell you to kick rocks so that they can hire somebody else who knows more people than you.

Have a good reason for your lapse, then keep it moving. This isn't a felony rap for armed robbery, it's just a gap. Always show improvement, always improve yourself. NEVER assume that any situation in your life is the end of the world, or that doors are permanently closed to you.

 

[AITheAnswerAI]

Nah dude. Just because people wonder if you have the credentials to be there doesn't mean they treat blacks like shyt. If the black students there were confident they deserve to be there then it shouldn't matter what anyone initially thinks because the results would speak for themselves. That whole "I too am harvard" was a bunch of hogwash in my opinion. I think the reason why they felt isolated was because they internalized it within themselves. If you convince yourself that no one likes you and you're all alone, then everyone else will pick up on that vibe and act accordingly. No one wants to associate with negative people who isolate themselves.

Bullshyt. They treat you like shyt and they're very wary, especially if you're a man. You sound like one of those apologetic nikkas, or just a white guy.

And how would you know this??

Because my black cousin went there and I heard everything she had to say about the experience. She almost transferred a couple times herself but her immediate family talked her out of it a bunch of times. Not to mention I've heard other things from friends.

 

[bigDeeOT]

"To be eligible to transfer, you must have completed at least one continuous academic year in a full-time degree program at one college and not have completed more than two years total in college. You must complete at least two full years of study at Harvard. "

So basically, they're bullshytting, and it's really just a way to ease legacy kids in, but it's not intended for 'real students'?

hmmm they must have changed the rules. I didn't know they allowed transfer students at all.

 

[Black Magisterialness]

I'll be honest, the only thing I've observed which has stopped future hires is someone not knowing the right people. If someone wants you, they will seek you out; and if they want you badly enough, they will bend alleged rules for you. If, however, they don't really want you, you can have all your ducks in a line and they'll find a bullshyt reason to tell you to kick rocks so that they can hire somebody else who knows more people than you.

Have a good reason for your lapse, then keep it moving. This isn't a felony rap for armed robbery, it's just a gap. Always show improvement, always improve yourself. NEVER assume that any situation in your life is the end of the world, or that doors are permanently closed to you.

It's not the end of the world no. But its already difficult enough being a young black man in certain fields. You said yourself "if they don't want you they will look for a reason". I was only saying don't give them a reason.

 

[Cabbage Patch]

Except, he went to a lower ranked school and still dropped out. And then when he wanted to go back for engineering he didn't go back to FAMU lol.

But I guess I kind of do agree with the big fish small pond thing. I don't know. Because if you're at a big school you will in general have better connections.

Exactly. That's why I'm not really feeling the 'he made a stupid mistake by not choosing Harvard' line of reasoning seen here. This would have happened to the kid whether he was at FAMU or Harvard or DeVrys. Something else was going on with his life, and if it had happened at Harvard folks would still be embarassed for him. And there wouldn't be 'at least he dropped out of Harvard' hindsight.

I think the big fish small pond thing is apt, as well. Goes for high schools, too. 'I was valedictorian of Olan Mills High. We only had 40 students, but I was valedictorian' versus 'I was 30th in a class of 4000 at MegaUrban High.' The latter kid may have outperformed the former on a level playing field, but the latter kid isn't getting the offers the former kid is. What will ultimately matter is what they do with the rest of their life, though. No one cares who was at the top of Bill Gates class, because Bill Gates made that irrelevant. He passed the School of Hard Knocks. I believe he's who any student should aspire to (without the suspect business and charity practices).

Here's somebody who says it better than I can, though (though I don't agree that Valedictorians fail, not at all, and neither does the writer; but he's talking about something else):

Why Valedictorians Fail

"The world of the future belongs not to the “A” students, but to those who can embrace change, see the future and anticipate its needs, and respond to new opportunities and challenges with creativity and agility and passion."

also:

(Karen Arnold, a professor at Boston University) also stated, “they’ve never been devoted to a single area in which they can put all their passions...The opportunities to become famous or change the world as an accountant, for example, are few and far between...They obey rules, work hard, and like learning, but they're not the mold-breakers. They work best within the system and aren’t likely to change it.”

Translation: Valedictorians don’t make good entrepreneurs and investors because they’re afraid of risk. They make great employees.

 

[Cabbage Patch]

hmmm they must have changed the rules. I didn't know they allowed transfer students at all.

The academic world changes shyt all the time, man. It sucks when the changes are after you already passed through the system, but that's how it goes.

 

[bigDeeOT]

Bullshyt. They treat you like shyt and they're very wary, especially if you're a man. You sound like one of those apologetic nikkas, or just a white guy.

Notice that out of all the testimonies you find on the internet of blacks claiming to be isolated or whatever at harvard/yale, they are always talking about what they THINK are going through people's heads. You don't hear about them actually going up to these white students and trying to get to know them, which in turn would allow the whites to get to know the blacks as well. You see the blacks talk very passionately about how no one likes them or this other yadda. When in all actuality the reason why no one likes the majority of these black students is because they isolate themselves. I'm very confident of this because I go to a school with a vast majority of white students and I never feel isolated. (and no I have not espoused any of my political beliefs either. We just have normal conversation)