<p>I'm currently a rising sophomore in college, and I read about one being smart but privileged and it got me thinking back to high school...</p>
<p>It seemed like I was one of those working my butt off to get a GPA of at least 3.5, and SATs at least 1800/2400 (both of these stats ended up a little higher but anyways...) but those around me seemed to get A's and B+'s in AP and honors classes like it was nothing. Yet, you could not have one intelligent conversation with them, and I've many times viewed these guys as just condescending, arrogant, and snobby people... but I was always curious how they got such good grades and such.</p>
<p>Fast forward to college: my first year I had a 3.6 in addition to getting involved in many things in a top 50 university, while I saw many of these typical HS people I know have GPAs of below 3.0 all while studying at a top 20-30 university.</p>
<p>Maybe I've said too much and the topic is too broad but wanted to create a discussion:</p>
<p>Are these people I had known getting good grades because they're really privileged? or smart? Discuss...</p>
<p>I don’t see what “privilege” would have to do with grades, but it is fairly common for very smart kids to coast through high school without much work, and do poorly in college because they lack good study habits.</p>
like those kids in HS. And now, that they’re the ones with lower grades you wonder what happened? Is this what happens to privileged kids in college?
You ask “Are these people I had known getting good grades because they’re really privileged?” Absolutely! The teachers must have thought these rich, privileged, spoiled kids needed a “real lesson” so they dropped their grades, just because. Is that what you wanted to hear? Too bad you write this. You sound just like those one-time HS friends now: condescending and arrogant.</p>
<p>The correlation between social class and academic achievement is a lot more complex than you’re making out. Your peers in HS were not getting better grades simply because they were of a higher social class than you. But children from higher social classes do usually get an advantage when it comes to education. Their parents live in higher income areas with better funded schools or can afford to send them to top private schools, their parents often have more leisure time to assist them with activities and homework or they have the means to higher private tutors/nannies to drive them to activities, their parents are probably also well educated and they are accustomed to environments where education is valued (or at least educational “status” is valued) and where it is the norm and the priority to perform well academically to get into the best schools. That’s just scratching the surface of what some economically privileged children often receive as a consequence of birth that allows them to perform better than some less privileged children. And it’s possible that once in college, without the high level of support and strong pressures they’re accustomed to, they might not do as well. </p>
<p>But just because you are privileged doesn’t mean you are or are not smart. Just as under privileged children might be just as smart as a highly privileged child but lacking the advantages, a highly privileged child can easily be stupid. or be brilliant. These things in isolation don’t determine grades, achievement, performance. I think you’re letting your own high school feelings and your brief introduction to the politics of education and class get too mixed together.</p>
<p>Your use of privilege doesn’t make much sense in this case to me either. </p>
<p>It seems to me (to simplify) that there are 4 groups of students in any setting: 1)ones who have a natural affinity for a subject or have better preparation (I hate to use the word “intelligence”) and who work hard; 2) ones who have a natural affinity for a subject, etc. and who don’t work hard; 3) ones who don’t have a natural affinity for a subject, etc. and who work hard; and 4)ones who don’t have a natural affinity for a subject, etc. and who don’t work hard.</p>
<p>In most settings, group 1 is very successful and group 4 is very unsuccessful. In high school, groups 2 and 3 can be successful. In college, group 2 hits a wall and group 3 can be successful. Your experience seems to have followed this pattern.</p>
<p>I hope what I have to say will be meaningful both to the OP and to Putturani.</p>
<p>The four groups described above make a lot of sense, and we’ve all seen all types, “privileged” or not. I think this discussion is less about privilege but about the natural progression that happens in life. FutureCFO is wondering if there’s a definable sequence of success and failure, depending on social status, or even on attitude. I’d say what s/he is seeing is just about the vagaries of life in general, especially at this age.</p>
<p>The point is, people going through the transition from high school to college change in many ways, both internally and externally. Yes, some kids who are “pampered” and have it easy (perhaps group 1) or who were able to coast in easy situations (group 2) find themselves challenged and surprised by their new environment. Some kids in groups 2 and and 4 find new maturity and inspiration, and they “blossom.” Some kids in group 3 and even in group 4 find new abilities and strengths that they never had, or never knew they had.</p>
<p>In college you grow in many ways, and you see many new people who approach life in ways that you weren’t aware of. Yes, the old “top kids” often lose their luster when put in a bigger setting, or with higher stakes. Yes, kids who were held down by established hierarchies in high school now have the freedom to advance and shine.</p>
<p>And many people learn to work harder, or to invest more, or to dive in with passion, in ways HS never inspired them. FutureCFO - try to adopt an attitude of “people are who they are” and let you and your own goals be the focus of whatever you do. Putturani - you have time and a grand new opportunity to find things in yourself you’ve never seen before.</p>
<p>I hope any kid, at any level of “achievement” can go to a college where their imagination is broadened, and their perspectives challenged. Let’s hope we all continue to be surprised at what life gives us.</p>
<p>Thank you Emmybet, I love the wise words in the parent’s forum. I guess it’ll be a tough transition from being the big fish in a small pond to a small fish in a big pond.</p>
<p>I also think it depends on the level of academic rigor between any particular HS and any particular college.</p>
<p>A student who attended a very rigorous HS and had to work hard for A’s might find their college a lot easier than the student who attended a run of the mill HS and make A’s quite easily and now find themselves in a particular college where things are a lot more rigorous. On the other hand, a student who worked hard through HS and is now at a college that is a little less rigorous will probably have a easier time.</p>
<p>My son just graduated from a private prep school that was at least 1 year academically ahead of the local public high schools. Kids who transferred from the public high schools often had to repeat a grade at our school in order to be caught up. At son’s school, very bright kids worked very hard for As. Even our B/C students often report that they have an easier time in college than their peers because they were used to working hard.</p>
<p>The OP reports she is in a Top 50 college easily making a 3.6 while her friends are in Top 20/30 schools and are struggling to make 3.0. Maybe that’s the difference.</p>
My thoughts exactly. There can be a difference in academics. In his first year of college, my son has had all but one class of the math I had in my entire Computer Science program. He had very little flexibility in course registration during his first year; he was scheduled for a full load of tough courses and required to complete it, period. I got to pick and choose my courses from day one… as do many of his high school classmates making higher GPAs at the (perfectly wonderful) lower-tier colleges they attend. These are obvious factors in freshman GPA – course rigor and selection.</p>
<p>Future CFO - I think it is important to remember that everyone is HS is growing up, nothing is carved in stone and changes (some predictable, some surprising) are bound to come.</p>
<p>That being said, since you mentioned the relative affluence of your area, experience has shown that the resources available to affluent families are vast compared to the average income family. At high schools near me (also affluent area) there are dozens and dozens of students utilizing tutors and test prep that can cost thousands per year. Whether or not a student is smart, once that ready made support system is gone things may or may not change - but the motivation and study skills of the student then become more indicative of outcome than family income/resources. College in general is a more equal playing field but comparing grades at one school to another can be difficult - some schools are far more proactive at fighting grade inflation.</p>
<p>Be happy that you are doing well and be glad that you needed to study in high school - your skill set has obviously prepared you well.</p>