School.... What is it good for?
It's hard for me to talk about this topic without stressing that I am in no way an exceptional student. It could be due to my lack of hard work in my younger years or just the sheer fact that I am a sub-par test taker. Be what it may, all in all I am not a model student... now, that's not to say that I am not an intellectual, but rather I'm a student of life not a student of the education system.
In a society that puts such a huge importance on GPA's and test scores, I feel as though I might as well call myself a failure. But why do we put so much importance on scores? Why don't we see the importance of discussion or creativity? I've been tossing this question around in my head and just can't seem to discover the reason. So, I turned to the internet and I guess I'm not the only one who has questioned the educational system. The question that seemed to come up the most, is "Do Employers really care about grades?", this question sparked a huge debate on Harvard's campus when the question "Do inflated grades help students get jobs?" was posted in Harvard's famous newspaper "The Crimson". In short, the answer was yes, grades do matter, and I see no reason why they would not be. They are (according to social norms)the measure of one's intelligence or by definition "a particular level of rank, quality, proficiency, intensity, or value".
However, in 2013 Forbes Magazine published an article with a somewhat different perspective. In this article (see link below),Susan Adams talks to many school officials about their opinions on grades and the workforce. Trudy Steinfeld, Head of Career Services at NYU, states, "The companies that care the most about grades are investment banks, professional service firms like Ernst & Young and pharmaceutical companies". All of this is completely understandable because the need for a veritable understanding of these fields is extremely necessary. Unlike pharmaceuticals, where if you don't know what is right and wrong (In terms of doses) you can take someone's life, investment banking is an entirely different game. My father has been on Wall Street for a little over 20 years and recently told me a story about a kid out of Harvard with a Double Major in Business who came in for an interview. The Harvard grad came in and sat down for an interview with my father and almost immediately my father knew Mr. Harvard was not cut out for the job. Sure, he was extremely qualified for the job intellectually, but he lacked the social skills to make it in the field of sales. My father got his undergraduate degree from the New York State University of Albany and a Law degree from Hofstra University and has become one of the most successful High yield bond salesmen on Wall street. This not to say that he was not a tremendous student, but his alma mater are not the most prestigious institutions.
However, in 2013 Forbes Magazine published an article with a somewhat different perspective. In this article (see link below),Susan Adams talks to many school officials about their opinions on grades and the workforce. Trudy Steinfeld, Head of Career Services at NYU, states, "The companies that care the most about grades are investment banks, professional service firms like Ernst & Young and pharmaceutical companies". All of this is completely understandable because the need for a veritable understanding of these fields is extremely necessary. Unlike pharmaceuticals, where if you don't know what is right and wrong (In terms of doses) you can take someone's life, investment banking is an entirely different game. My father has been on Wall Street for a little over 20 years and recently told me a story about a kid out of Harvard with a Double Major in Business who came in for an interview. The Harvard grad came in and sat down for an interview with my father and almost immediately my father knew Mr. Harvard was not cut out for the job. Sure, he was extremely qualified for the job intellectually, but he lacked the social skills to make it in the field of sales. My father got his undergraduate degree from the New York State University of Albany and a Law degree from Hofstra University and has become one of the most successful High yield bond salesmen on Wall street. This not to say that he was not a tremendous student, but his alma mater are not the most prestigious institutions.
I want to go back and take a little time to talk about my main concern with grades and the educational system: the common correlation with grades and intelligence. We, as Americans, put an extreme amount of importance on intelligence and its correlation to success. It's become common ground to believe that a student from Harvard will be much more successful than someone from Oregon University. Why is that? Why is it that we believe that someone that goes to a more advance higher education institution is going to become more successful? Is it because we think they are more intelligent (Possible), is it because we find them to be hardworking (Another great point), or is it just because we know we did not have the grades to get into that school and therefore they are smarter? Whatever the reason may be, we as humans believe that there is an intrinsic value in education and its role in shaping minds and intellectuals.
I see this differently and I hope many of you do too. I recently stumbled upon a few interesting takes on the educational system and intelligence. One was a group of Ted talks with a Man named Ken Robinson (I won't try to explan them... they are really worth checking out... I'll add a link) and a Woman by the name of Beeban Kidron (I'll add her too). And then I came across a picture that changed my perception of everything and that is this
Vital looks at Intelligence through a new lenses, unlike the social norm that says grades are the most tried and true from of knowing ones intelligence, he See intelligence as something entirely unique to each person. With each person being Intelligent in their own personal way. This is a beautiful way of looking at things, it allows for Intelligence to be seen at an entirely new and beautiful level. I might not be the smartest person in the world, but I don't need a paper telling me my intelligence level and I hope no one else does either. Never let anyone tell you your not good enough or smart enough, just go do you everyday.
Signing off and always...
"Family First"
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/12/06/do-employers-really-care-about-your-college-grades/
http://www.ted.com/speakers/sir_ken_robinson
https://www.ted.com/talks/beeban_kidron_the_shared_wonder_of_film
I see this differently and I hope many of you do too. I recently stumbled upon a few interesting takes on the educational system and intelligence. One was a group of Ted talks with a Man named Ken Robinson (I won't try to explan them... they are really worth checking out... I'll add a link) and a Woman by the name of Beeban Kidron (I'll add her too). And then I came across a picture that changed my perception of everything and that is this
Vital looks at Intelligence through a new lenses, unlike the social norm that says grades are the most tried and true from of knowing ones intelligence, he See intelligence as something entirely unique to each person. With each person being Intelligent in their own personal way. This is a beautiful way of looking at things, it allows for Intelligence to be seen at an entirely new and beautiful level. I might not be the smartest person in the world, but I don't need a paper telling me my intelligence level and I hope no one else does either. Never let anyone tell you your not good enough or smart enough, just go do you everyday.
Signing off and always...
"Family First"
LINK:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/12/06/do-employers-really-care-about-your-college-grades/
http://www.ted.com/speakers/sir_ken_robinson
https://www.ted.com/talks/beeban_kidron_the_shared_wonder_of_film
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