I want to start off by saying that I really enjoyed Outliers. I feel like it's accurate in every point it makes and the way it makes those points is great. One thing that really stood out to me was in chapter 3, "The Trouble With Geniuses Part 1," where it talks about Lewis Terman's study. Gladwell states that what Terman saw as a way of figuring out who could or would be successful was the same view that most everyone shared. It then goes on to explain how these views and methods are not exactly accurate. The chapter, and the chapters after it, elaborate on how being classified a “Genius” by a test does not mean you are going to be successful, it just means that you just so happen to be more intellectual than others.
Gladwell gives some examples of how we classify who is a genius or who is most likely to succeed. He cites classes for “gifted students,” IQ tests, and tests that measure one's cognitive abilities as common ways. What stands out the most to me is when he states that “Elite universities often require that students take an intelligence test (such as the American Scholastic Aptitude Test) for admission,” that exam is most commonly known to us as the SAT. The SAT which we are taking in a little over a month from now. The test that will play a huge role in whether or not we get accepted to the colleges we favor. When you think about it, if you do poorly on the test then there is a possibility that as a result you don’t get accepted to a good college and you may likely turn out to not be successful. Is that fair? I think not.
From what I gathered from Outliers, the SAT just tests one part of my skills and perhaps those are not my greatest skills, I will be penalized anyway. As Gladwell makes clear, just because you’re book smart does not mean you’re going to be successful, there are many other things that contribute to someone becoming successful. Savvy people. Outspoken people. Charismatic people. Experienced people. Those are the people who typically succeed. Colleges should look at more than just SAT scores, maybe they should look for more than just people with strong cognitive skills.
I agree that collegese should look for more than a test score ro determine who should be accepted into their schools. A test score shouldn't determine whether you qualify to go into college. Maybe the student had a bad day and that reflected on their test. This chapter made me realize that we should look beyond just IQ scores to determine ones success. Gladwell proves that this isn't the key to success. It doesn't only matter about your analytical intelligence but your practical intelligence as well.
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