Reply to Grinders and strivers and curators, oh my!

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Why are any of these terms considered insults? What exactly is wrong with a student who grinds towards their desired college/major/career goal, strives for the best possible outcome, and curates a compelling narrative for decision-makers who control access?[/quote]

I would argue that the insult lies in the fact that these words capture a kid’s blind ambition, yet are devoid of the student’s intellectual curiosity. The latter is the more essential ingredient to bring to an elite education if one wishes to truly make the most of the opportunity. People who lack this important ingredient waste a limited resource in pursuit of their box ticking ambition.

However, those three words are not offensive to me if the student is also genuinely curious. They are not mutually exclusive, but the combination is becoming rather rare. [/quote]

It’s really none of ourbusiness. These are inherently subjective judgments that are often completely wrong, and are, in any event, irrelevant. I have seen the full range of personality types while teaching and in practice.  Passion is incredibly overrated in terms of predicting eventual success or reliability. Curiosity comes and goes. I have seen hundreds of people over time who professed passion for their field and profession, and could not make challenging professional problems interesting. People with passion often are striving for status, and when the time comes to develop and excel, they simply do not have the tenacity to dig in and truly develop. Conversely, I have seen tons of fairly flat people develop genuine interest and curiosity in their field over time. Quite frankly all of you are insane trying to characterize or judge what a bunch of high schoolers or college kids are. [/quote]

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