In the final analysis, one, regardless of how gifted, does still have to go out into the world and find a place for his or her “giftedness,” regardless of what variety. It is in this “transference to real life,” if you will, that we have seen the greatest level of failure among many we have known.
To use an extreme example: After shooting under par on the links, the budding concert pianist who conceives of a new black hole theory between bars, then writes a screenplay during intermission, but never finds a “home” in which to place his or her talents, for all practical purposes, will, most likely, not live a happy, fulfilling or productive life.
The “gifted” walk a fine line in life, and that is why we have always taken great care to strike a balance concerning this issue. It hasn’t been easy, but, because we have tried to stay uber aware of the pitfalls, the “giftedness” has turned out to be a blessing, rather than a curse in our family.[/quote]
Absolutely, flyer, high IQ can be a curse as much as it is a blessing. There is also a correlation between high IQs and mental illness.
Like your story, some friends of my parents had a son with a 160+ IQ. He attended an Ivy League university and law school, and eventually opened his own practice in NY. Within a few years, he started acting irrationally…had to leave the business and moved back into his parents house where he remained indefinitely (last time I heard of him, he was still living there, decades later), walking around in his robe and reading lots and lots of voluminous, intellectually challenging books.
There are many stories just like this out there, as I’m sure you know. It’s why I think we ought to give equal(?) consideration to non-academic accomplishments when choosing between college applicants. I’d personally like to see more students who are more focused on ways to make the world a better place, as opposed to those who are simply focused on improving their own lot. That’s what colleges try to do when they look at essays, interviews, extracurricular activities and accomplishments, which I think is a good thing.
And just to be clear, I’m opposed to racial quotas, too. Just wanted to toss around the idea that, no matter what the deciding factors are, college entrance requirements are discriminatory by their very nature. Oftentimes, what they are discriminating for (or against) are things that people are born with…like skin color, physical ability (in the case of athletic scholarships, etc.) or intelligence. How can we really determine what is “fair”?[/quote]
Yes, CAR, we too have heard many stories like the one you related. That’s why we took proactive steps to try to minimize the “curse of giftedness,” and our efforts seemed to have worked so far.
Regarding the current issue being discussed, IMO, life itself is difficult enough by nature, without imposing any type of quotas at the educational level.
Many of my kids friends who thought the sacred degree would assure them life would be a “slam dunk” after college, have found a very different reality.
When my wife and I, and our peers, graduated from college, life was pretty much a “slam dunk,” with any degree, but today, (per my experience watching my own kids and their friends compete for the gold) if you’re going after the most coveted career positions, you’re going to need a lot more than a piece of paper to get what you want in life.
I won’t even begin to go into detail about what it took to get my daughter into Harvard Med, and it had nothing to do with race.
