Where do all these "off the charts" kids end up?

[Anonymous]

I work with people who claim to have high IQ's. They scored 800's on the SATs..., but they aren't performing that much better than the average Joes. As a matter of fact, there are some outgoing average Joes that have everyone figured out and they bubble to the top. I am in an academic/science profession, and I am just curious, maybe these guys are fibbing about their 99%ile IQ scores.

[Anonymous]

There was a very interesting New Yorker piece done many years ago that talked about how kids who went to Hunter College HS, maybe the TJ equivalent in NY, went on to be welll nothing extraordinary.

Someone else mentioned this article here a while back and it might be worthwhile searching for either the other post or the article itself in the New Yorker archives.

[Anonymous]

That is sad.

[Anonymous]

It's not a secret that social skills are at least as important to success as SAT scores. But then again, some of us National Merit Semifinalists have turned down management jobs so we can see our kids at night.

[Anonymous]

High SATs are not necessarily the result of high IQ. My BIL is a great example. Gifted range IQ, but kicked out of the gifted program for bad grades and had crappy SATs. Hasn't changed since then.

Another friend has probably average IQ but is a disciplined machine. He was #1 in our law school class and figured out what size pond to put himself in. He sized it up exactly right and has had plenty of success and lives a very smart and comfortable life. Discipline, and figuring out what you want to spend your energy on, probably matters more than high IQ or high SATs.

I know a bunch of very high IQ folks who end up losing focus because they went down the wrong path. I am convinced it's all perfect fodder for a mid-life crisis.

[Anonymous]

"Off the charts" kids don't always "thrive"? Egads!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:High SATs are not necessarily the result of high IQ. My BIL is a great example. Gifted range IQ, but kicked out of the gifted program for bad grades and had crappy SATs. Hasn't changed since then.

Another friend has probably average IQ but is a disciplined machine. He was #1 in our law school class and figured out what size pond to put himself in. He sized it up exactly right and has had plenty of success and lives a very smart and comfortable life. Discipline, and figuring out what you want to spend your energy on, probably matters more than high IQ or high SATs.

I know a bunch of very high IQ folks who end up losing focus because they went down the wrong path. I am convinced it's all perfect fodder for a mid-life crisis.

I couldn't agree more.

[Anonymous]

I'm a huge believer that moxie, discipline and social skills get you as far as gifted/high IQ, when all the dust settles and you've reached adulthood. Exhibit A is Official Washington.

DS has high IQ and worrisome work ethic. I am concerned.

[Anonymous]

They're at NASA and NIH, in a parallel universe.
And happy, too, from what I can tell

[Anonymous]

I got 1540 on the SATs, have a high IQ, went to great schools and had tons of opportunities, yet I am painfully shy and completely unable to be assertive in any situation. Therefore, I have a not so outstanding career. I think teaching your kids how to handle themselves in the real world is every bit as important as any score or grade, and my parents weren't around to do that. Make the effort, people!

[Anonymous]

Makes you wonder if the intelligence tests are testing everything.
I worked with a person who was a member of mensa. She was not the ceo.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes I feel bright american kids 'dumb down' to avoid being teased...
very different from my native land

[Anonymous]

I also think that kids who really excel at science and math end up in places doing what they love in places like NASA, NIH, and think tanks. They probably don't even want to manage other people.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, that last post didn't look too smart, even people with high SAT scores fail to proof-read!