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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don’t like the sheep part either, but I think what the author was implying was more that many of these students just achieve because it is what is expected and it gets them rewards. So they keep just reaching for the next ring. It isn’t necessarily because they actually love any of it. They just do it. And sure, the elite schools might get them networks and access to well paying jobs, but do they actually WANT to be investment bankers or consultants, etc etc? Is that what they love? Is it what truly motivates them?[/quote]

I think that you are trying to be reasonable, but it is clear to me that you are unfamiliar with the realities of students at elite undergraduate National Universities. [b]These are highly intelligent, genuinely motivated young adults who strive for the best in themselves and in their professional endeavors.[/b] Some want to become investment bankers and consultants, while others want to be [b]educators, doctors, lawyers, engineers, non-profit organizers and administrators, researchers, and a number of other professions and occupations.[/b]

I think that the description might be more apt for students at SLACs who are trying to find & refine their interests and locate a path to a future career. These are excellent students who continue the high school or prep school experience at a higher level. And there is nothing wrong with any of this. But, slamming SLACs does not sell books. In order to sell books you need to slam Harvard or the Ivies. Bring the privileged elite down to our level type of silliness.[/quote]

Interesting. In my HYPS class, there were a lot of doctors, lawyers, and engineers. Not too many teachers, NPO workers, academics, or scientists. Lots went into consulting and finance as well. But then again, I graduated a couple years after '08, so I think my class was more financially-minded than earlier classes. It's probably only gotten worse.

The PP who said that it's not a good advertisement of HYPS that their alumni can't handle minor criticism of the schools is on point. I agree with the OP and with Deresiewicz, and I do think it took me a couple of years to unlearn the relentless perfectionism and status-seeking behavior of my college years.

Also, I think being highly intelligent in and of itself is not particularly valuable. What's more valuable is intellectual curiosity (different from innate smarts) and a sense of internal motivation. Those two traits I do find lacking in a lot of my classmates. [/quote]

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