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How the Ivy League Broke America
If you control the choke points of social mobility, then you control the nation’s culture. And if you change the criteria for admission at places such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, then you change the nation’s social ideal.
David Brooks • How the Ivy League Broke America
In short, the meritocratic system is built on a series of non sequiturs. We train and segregate people by ability in one setting, and then launch them into very different settings.
David Brooks • How the Ivy League Broke America
Possessing agility helps you make good judgments in real time. The neuroscientist John Coates used to be a financial trader. During the bull-market surges that preceded big crashes, Coates noticed that the traders who went on to suffer huge losses had gotten overconfident in ways that were physically observable. They flexed their muscles and even w... See more
David Brooks • How the Ivy League Broke America
I recongise when I have gotten a win, I become more confident (no surprise there). But also I’ve been told by others I’m acting cocky.
Is this true? I don’t think it is, because I lack confidence and self esteem normally. I feel it’s not something people are used to seeing.
But if they are right, then John Coates’ observation will serve as a reminder to pay more attention to my mind and body, not just when I feel low/sad, but also when I feel strong, confident which could possibly mean I’m overconfident and could affect my next moves.
Social engineers
David Brooks • How the Ivy League Broke America
For instance, Princeton’s unofficial motto is “In the nation’s service and the service of humanity”—and yet every year, about a fifth of its graduating class decidesto serve humanity by going into banking or consulting or some other well-remunerated finance job.
David Brooks • How the Ivy League Broke America
Mehta and Fine profiled one high school in a network of 14 project-based charter schools serving more than 5,000 students. The students are drawn by lottery, representing all social groups. They do not sit in rows taking notes. Rather, grouped into teams of 50, they work together on complicated interdisciplinary projects. Teachers serve as coaches ... See more
David Brooks • How the Ivy League Broke America
Helpfully, some of these project-based-learning schools are pioneering a different way to assess kids. Students don’t graduate with only report cards and test scores; they leave with an electronic portfolio of their best work—their papers, speeches, projects—which they can bring to prospective colleges and employers to illustrate the kind of work t... See more
David Brooks • How the Ivy League Broke America
Waldsterben , or “forest death.”
David Brooks • How the Ivy League Broke America
“What is each person great at, and how can we get them into the appropriate role?”