Ideal Student?

[chuckywang]

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: chuckywang
He ain't gonna get in grad school anywhere if his essays are as pompous as that.

What makes you say that? Universities run on pomp as far as I can tell. It just goes unsaid (usually).

I had a friend in high school who had amazing grades + 1600 SAT + 36 ACT + very good writing skills that got rejected from MIT, Harvard, and Yale. He went to Stanford.

He was rejected because he was pompous? I don't get it.

BTW, MIT, Harvard and Yale look at more than just SAT scores and grades. In fact, I believe MIT has an interview process.

Yes, he thought he was smarter than many many people (he is, but that's not the point). He got rejected at other schools too (I can't remember which), but I remember that I was shocked that he got rejected from so many. I have no idea why he got rejected.

 

[Dissipate]

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: chuckywang
He ain't gonna get in grad school anywhere if his essays are as pompous as that.

What makes you say that? Universities run on pomp as far as I can tell. It just goes unsaid (usually).

I had a friend in high school who had amazing grades + 1600 SAT + 36 ACT + very good writing skills that got rejected from MIT, Harvard, and Yale. He went to Stanford.

He was rejected because he was pompous? I don't get it.

BTW, MIT, Harvard and Yale look at more than just SAT scores and grades. In fact, I believe MIT has an interview process.

Yes, he thought he was smarter than many many people (he is, but that's not the point). He got rejected at other schools too (I can't remember which), but I remember that I was shocked that he got rejected from so many. I have no idea why he got rejected.

Well pomp is probably not good prior to becoming an undergrad. Once you are admitted there isn't much they can do about your pomp. I don't think the university wants you to really acquire pomp until you are a full tenured professor. Then you can sit back with your pipe and jacket with elbow pads as you ponder how many students you plan to flunk that semester. :laugh:

 

[Syringer]

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: chuckywang
He ain't gonna get in grad school anywhere if his essays are as pompous as that.

What makes you say that? Universities run on pomp as far as I can tell. It just goes unsaid (usually).

I had a friend in high school who had amazing grades + 1600 SAT + 36 ACT + very good writing skills that got rejected from MIT, Harvard, and Yale. He went to Stanford.

He was rejected because he was pompous? I don't get it.

BTW, MIT, Harvard and Yale look at more than just SAT scores and grades. In fact, I believe MIT has an interview process.

Yes, he thought he was smarter than many many people (he is, but that's not the point). He got rejected at other schools too (I can't remember which), but I remember that I was shocked that he got rejected from so many. I have no idea why he got rejected.

Some schools are notorious for rejecting 1600's, just so they can say they rejected a 1600-er.

 

[Dissipate]

Originally posted by: Mill

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: Mill

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: Mill

Originally posted by: Dissipate
Geniuses do exist. I know a guy who is REALLY good at math (at least the computation kind such as Calculus and diff eqs). This guy blows through textbooks like I've never seen.

Some people who are really smart lack creativity though. They can ace exams and understand perfectly material that is presented to them, but that does not necessarily mean they will ever make any great breakthroughs in the subject themselves.

Yeah, but that's a pretty common myth (that really brilliant people can't think outside of the box). A lot of the time it is that we underlings can't really understand their thought process. They have to really dumb it down for us. A lot of people call it social ineptness, but I just think they are on a different plane. 😛

Anyone that is good at math is smart in my book. I've always struggled with it. I can make good grades if I really pay attention, but it bores me so much that I just hate every waking moment of it.

Math isn't my thing either. Unfortunately as a computer science major I have to muddle through it. Right now I am taking 3 upper division math classes and it's not fun times (i.e. I can't wait until this quarter is over).

I think sometimes people think they are bad at math when really they just get a bad teacher/professor. I don't know what it is but it seems like it is rare to find a really good math teacher.

Then there are the textbooks. I could rant all day long about some of those. Some math textbooks should have never been written.

I had a Russian professor named Ivan one semester. It wasn't that he was a bad teacher, but simply was a teacher that can't understand why people can't follow his thought process. For someone that was gifted at math he'd be a great teacher. He was happy to explore everything and anything. Those of us that weren't gifted had a very hard time following him. He was inflexible, too. He scheduled a quiz in advance, and I told him advance that I had court that day and at the time we'd be taking it. He wouldn't allow me to take it earlier or after he'd given the quiz. He said I'd have to pick between "which one was more important." Heh. I understand his point -- and I don't think he was a total jackhole -- but I always seem to have an easier time in classes in which the professor is flexible and cares. I seem to then care more about the class...

That's ridiculous. You should have talked to the dean. What math class was it BTW?

It was a lower-level math class. MA-106 I believe -- Geometry and Algebra. I thought about talking to the Dean -- I'm not a math major obviously -- but even then I didn't want to start trouble or burn any bridges. I tried a few times to talk it over with him again, and he even told me "go take it up with the Dean if you wish." Meh, I just didn't want to create a reason for him to mark down my exams, because lord knows math can be more subjective than objective if the professor wants it to be. He was a stickler for showing your work, too. I'm one of those people that can figure a lot of things out, but I don't always know how I did. It is really a difference in what you are talented at. Some people have no problem showing their work and just "get" math, whereas I don't at all...

I wish I could go back to the days of geometry and algebra. Well, actually I'm still in algebra but it is the abstract/modern kind.

That reminds me. Last quarter on one of my midterms, on one of the problems, the T.A. put: "I have no idea what you are doing. There are many incorrect ways at arriving the the correct answer." I had the correct answer but she took off like 2 or 3 points because I didn't write down step by step how I did it.

 

[Dissipate]

Originally posted by: Syringer

Some schools are notorious for rejecting 1600's, just so they can say they rejected a 1600-er.

How many 1600-ers are there though? Can't be more than a dozen.

 

[pennylane]

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: Syringer

Some schools are notorious for rejecting 1600's, just so they can say they rejected a 1600-er.

How many 1600-ers are there though? Can't be more than a dozen.

There's plenty more. My high school had a couple.

 

[TuxDave]

Originally posted by: fanerman91

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: Syringer

Some schools are notorious for rejecting 1600's, just so they can say they rejected a 1600-er.

How many 1600-ers are there though? Can't be more than a dozen.

There's plenty more. My high school had a couple.

For each of the four years I was in high school, there was consistantly 3 1600'rs

 

[chuckywang]

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: Syringer

Some schools are notorious for rejecting 1600's, just so they can say they rejected a 1600-er.

How many 1600-ers are there though? Can't be more than a dozen.

Oh, how wrong you are. In my group of friends in high school, there was a

1) 1600 (SAT) and 36 (ACT)
2) 1580 (SAT) and 36 (ACT)
3) I got a 1550 on my SATs.

There are probably a few hundred students who get a 1600 on their SAT. I don't know how many score 1600 and a 36, but that friend of mine has to be one of less than ten in the country. BTW, his birthday was today, so wish him a happy birthday. 🙂

 

[placebo139]

Hmm... 😕 What kind of person does that...?
I wonder if he memorizes each compliment, rushes home and posts them online.

 

[Syringer]

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: Syringer

Some schools are notorious for rejecting 1600's, just so they can say they rejected a 1600-er.

How many 1600-ers are there though? Can't be more than a dozen.

At least a thousand.. My school had a few too.

 

[Syringer]

Originally posted by: placebo139
Hmm... 😕 What kind of person does that...?
I wonder if he memorizes each compliment, rushes home and posts them online.

He's probably like a hard drive, and remembers every conversation he's ever had in his life, even if they're not his own.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: chuckywang
He ain't gonna get in grad school anywhere if his essays are as pompous as that.

What makes you say that? Universities run on pomp as far as I can tell. It just goes unsaid (usually).

I had a friend in high school who had amazing grades + 1600 SAT + 36 ACT + very good writing skills that got rejected from MIT, Harvard, and Yale. He went to Stanford.

He was rejected because he was pompous? I don't get it.

BTW, MIT, Harvard and Yale look at more than just SAT scores and grades. In fact, I believe MIT has an interview process.

Yes, he thought he was smarter than many many people (he is, but that's not the point). He got rejected at other schools too (I can't remember which), but I remember that I was shocked that he got rejected from so many. I have no idea why he got rejected.

Well pomp is probably not good prior to becoming an undergrad. Once you are admitted there isn't much they can do about your pomp. I don't think the university wants you to really acquire pomp until you are a full tenured professor. Then you can sit back with your pipe and jacket with elbow pads as you ponder how many students you plan to flunk that semester. :laugh:

I don't know what it is about my school. I haven't taken too many higher level classes (about 5), but I've yet to encounter a really pompous professor. I go to an urban state school -- but mainly commuters attend -- and I've yet to really encounter someone that is pompous. That could be because I mainly take liberal arts classes -- or not -- but most of the professors here are pretty damn genuine and understanding. The closest to being pompous is my current adjunct Forensics professor. Don't disagree with her viewpoint on crime or she will ream you for it. I've actually found many CJ and CJ related professors are like that to an extent. If you aren't always 100% on the side of the current legal structure and the police, then you'd damn well better be in your essays and discussions.

I've found that the older a professor is that the less likely they are to bash you over the head with for disagreeing. In fact, many will agree with you, or say it is a subject worth discussing. A lot of the younger professors just want to lecture you and espouse ideals, but they won't allow for disagreement or someone challenging the reality of their opinion. Case-in-point: I pointed out how ineffective current drug laws and rehabilitative methods are at preventing recidivism. We were discussing community standards in policing, and how many places are now "decriminalizing" or at least starting to ignore marijuana possession and usage of small amounts. The professor was vehemently against any decriminalization. The argument was that if the are in jail they can't be committing their crimes against property in society. While true, it totally ignores the idea of the CJ system providing justice and solutions instead of just punishment. I'm very much libertarian in some of my ideas, and I don't think locking someone up for 10 years for simple possesion (after a history of such possession) will actually solve any problems. It just shifts the burden to the next time they are out of jail, or it cost taxpayer resources and money to jail someone as a temporary solution. Providing classes, education, and other rehabilitative means lowers the rate of re-offense, and at much less cost to the taxpayer. Not only that, but society has a duty to coax other members back into being produtive. Otherwise they are simply a leech when they could be re-introduced and be productive.

I hate to rant, but this thread had me thinking a lot about this semester. There's a lot of current thought that policing should be much tougher and throw more people into jail rather than solve problems and enforce normal societal controls. I really hate this -- it seems we are moving into a new area of policing that is leading back to the "no questions asked and no discretion is allowed" period of the Reform Era. A lot of people think that the problem of crime is solved by being tough, inflexible, and vindictive toward offenders. I guess it is easy to fall back onto that instead of actually taking the extra effort to provide permanent solutions. A lot of people think NYC's tough crackdown on petty crimes was so effective and beautiful that is should be implemented everywhere (they basically followed the model of a broken window theory and then some). I think it was a pretty sorry way of trampling on personal rights and the disorder that society tolerates. Being fascist -- or at least appearing to be -- doesn't actually solve or prevent crime. It just takes a lot of people off the streets or makes them move elsewhere.

Sorry for the rant... I realize a I am TOTALLY off topic.

 

[chuckywang]

Originally posted by: placebo139
Hmm... 😕 What kind of person does that...?
I wonder if he memorizes each compliment, rushes home and posts them online.

Some of them seem to be emails.

 

[Dissipate]

Originally posted by: Syringer

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: Syringer

Some schools are notorious for rejecting 1600's, just so they can say they rejected a 1600-er.

How many 1600-ers are there though? Can't be more than a dozen.

At least a thousand.. My school had a few too.

Well then I stand corrected. I don't know much about the SAT because I never took it.

 

[ed21x]

hmm... if this kid was in my class, i would fail him just for being a self-absorbed pr!ck. not all berkeley tudents are like this, but a significant group are... mostly the foreign students from Japan/China/Taiwan/HK, who spend their days and nights studying.... Definitely academically talented, but probably lacking the creativity and social skills to do research and development.

<~also from Berkeley

 

[swaq]

All his classes are 100 level or lower... That's not super impressive, he's just got a huge ego.

 

[Skunkwourk]

Quit hating, its quite an accomplishment. Not only was did he score well, he corrected professors, and they still liked him. I wouldn't mind having these sorts of comments in a letter of recommendation...

 

[letdown427]

he'd probably say the plane can take off too. 😛

 

[pclstyle]

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Originally posted by: Dissipate

Originally posted by: Syringer

Some schools are notorious for rejecting 1600's, just so they can say they rejected a 1600-er.

How many 1600-ers are there though? Can't be more than a dozen.

Oh, how wrong you are. In my group of friends in high school, there was a

1) 1600 (SAT) and 36 (ACT)
2) 1580 (SAT) and 36 (ACT)
3) I got a 1550 on my SATs.

There are probably a few hundred students who get a 1600 on their SAT. I don't know how many score 1600 and a 36, but that friend of mine has to be one of less than ten in the country. BTW, his birthday was today, so wish him a happy birthday. 🙂

1550 ... is not equal to 1600.


i got a 1590, and i never try to lump myself with 1600s

 

[AccruedExpenditure]

Don't hate, congratulate

 

[daveymark]

Originally posted by: chuckywang
He ain't gonna get in grad school anywhere if his essays are as pompous as that.

Neither will you if your essays are just one sentence long like that.

 

[DaShen]

I know people like that. They are crazy smart and if they don't let it go to their heads, pretty cool people to hang out with.

 

[DVK916]

Originally posted by: swaq
All his classes are 100 level or lower... That's not super impressive, he's just got a huge ego.

Dumbass at Cal undergraduate class are all under 200.

 

[Gunslinger08]

I wonder if this guy is the type that doesn't have to study, or if he does nothing but study? I graduated summa cum laude in three and a half years while doing pretty much nothing at all. College isn't the same for everyone.

 

[mugs]

I have to wonder why he'd put something like that on the Internet. 😕 But in the process of my wondering I'd realize I don't care.