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

[theworldismine13]

twism seeing this itooamharvard as unsolicited compliments

what?

 

[Mr Hate Coffee]

That dude is a fukking moron for choosing FAMU over a Harvardeducation

My nikka kept it simple and to the point.

 

[Mr Hate Coffee]

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.

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"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

Damn I'm about to deal with this exact same dilemma for business school. I got into a top 5 school where there are clearly some people who blow me out of the water. A top 10 school when I fit in just fine... and a top 20 school where I'd be one of the smarter people there.

I dunno if I agree with Mr. Gladwell... maybe for undergrad but not for grad school. I think people at that point are old enough to where they're mature enough to benefit from being around smarter folks. Plus GPA doesn't matter for recruiting.

 

[lakinta]

sounds like dude just got mildly bored with success.

it's a somewhat common story you spend your life working to get to mountaintops of wealth, status/prestige, etc. and once you get there, you realize it was a bit of a hollow pursuit the whole time. because to get to the "top" you have to sacrifice friendships, family, etc and in the end, you aren't left with an enduring sense of happiness. just pieces of paper (money, a degree, etc)

 

[wire28]

So it looks like our old friend is at it again arguing with people for pages

for showing hbcus love. Shoulda went to one of the HUs tho

 

[Serious]

does this kid think we're stupid

 

[Serious]

I never said or implied there wasn't any racism. My argument is that although there is racism, the blacks EXACERBATE the issue by isolating themselves from everyone else. Further, the examples you cited are just what I said earlier. Its black people assuming that no one likes them because of some subtle remarks in class. How about they actually go up to these white students so they can get to know each other? Where are the testimonies of blacks claiming they have tried to make a bunch of friends with white people but got shot down? There are none because blacks don't even want to make friends with white people. Blacks are just as racist as whites.

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[Depreciating Asset]

Damn I'm about to deal with this exact same dilemma for business school. I got into a top 5 school where there are clearly some people who blow me out of the water. A top 10 school when I fit in just fine... and a top 20 school where I'd be one of the smarter people there.

I dunno if I agree with Mr. Gladwell... maybe for undergrad but not for grad school. I think people at that point are old enough to where they're mature enough to benefit from being around smarter folks. Plus GPA doesn't matter for recruiting.

Well it depends on what your objective is. An MBA program is usually about prestige, networking and connections so the big pond/little pond effect is probably less of a factor. You will probably have little problem at a business school especially if there is a vibrant, active minority affiliation group in place. But for law school and grad programs where your grades and career prospects are much more dependent on your peers, then this idea becomes much more relevant.

I have a masters degree from an 'elite' school. I had hoped to pursue a PhD afterward but was discouraged due to the strength of my classmates and my eventual decent but unspectacular GPA. Had I gone to a non-elite school, I think things would have turned out much differently. I definitely wish I had read the chapter in Gladwell before deciding which grad school to go to.

 

[yoyoyo1]

He seems to be jumping around quite a bit, he seems lost.

However, it's not such a bad thing he turned down Harvard, black people get treated like shyt there. Everywhere you go on campus those white students are staring at you and talking about you "He's only here because of affirmative action" blah blah blah. I don't blame him for passing up that demon hole.

I guess negging me with "cac" means I'm a more successful smarter person than your stupid ass. I'm guessing yout hink being black and stupid isn't your fault?

 

[wheywhey]

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

Harvard didn't accept transfers in 2008 and 2009 because they didn't have enough housing. Just from a quick skim of the internet, it appears that they only accept about 1% of transfers or 12-15 people.

As Freshmen Move In, Transfers Crowded Out | News | The Harvard Crimson

 

[wheywhey]

The biggest indicator of success at a college is a student's GPA and SAT. The biggest indicator of success at medical school is a student's undergraduate GPA and MCAT.

To admit students with significantly lower numbers is to set them up for failure.

Blacks are 6 times more likely than whites and Asians to drop out of medical school for academic reasons. Blacks are nearly twice as likely as Hispanics to drop out for academic reasons.

https://www.aamc.org/download/102346/data/aibvol7no2.pdf

 

[Dada]

Maybe she broke up with him after he said that...it does say ex-boyfriend.

I did think of that, but then he must have felt comfortable saying it for a reason. Usually guys who are color obsessed don't keep that in the dark. You could be right, though.

 

[theworldismine13]

Blacks are 6 times more likely than whites and Asians to drop out of medical school for academic reasons. Blacks are nearly twice as likely as Hispanics to drop out for academic reasons.

https://www.aamc.org/download/102346/data/aibvol7no2.pdf

good info

AA is really a social experiment that has failed, its like that eddie murphy movie trading places, white liberals sat around and said "hey what would happen if we give the negroes some extra points in their college applications, that would really solve our negro problem"

but AA can never address the fundamental issues of why black students have bad grades and low scores in the first place and really its something that black people need to solve, its not something that can be solved by an outside force

and its gotten out of control first because black people dont see it as a social experiment we see it as the key to progress and also its been spread to every tom dikk and harry including white women

imo its just something that needs to be stopped so we can focus on other methods besides white liberal social experiments

 

[Mr Hate Coffee]

Well it depends on what your objective is. An MBA program is usually about prestige, networking and connections so the big pond/little pond effect is probably less of a factor. You will probably have little problem at a business school especially if there is a vibrant, active minority affiliation group in place. But for law school and grad programs where your grades and career prospects are much more dependent on your peers, then this idea becomes much more relevant.

I have a masters degree from an 'elite' school. I had hoped to pursue a PhD afterward but was discouraged due to the strength of my classmates and my eventual decent but unspectacular GPA. Had I gone to a non-elite school, I think things would have turned out much differently. I definitely wish I had read the chapter in Gladwell before deciding which grad school to go to.

No doubt. I'm going to get my MBA btw

 

[Entropy Fan]

However, it's not such a bad thing he turned down Harvard, black people get treated like shyt there. Everywhere you go on campus those white students are staring at you and talking about you "He's only here because of affirmative action" blah blah blah.

And your only there cuz your dad is a senator. Acting like some indian kids application didnt get thrown in the trash to let your 2.7 gpa having ass in harvard. Bush and Kerry were C students and went to Yale