Date: July 1st, 2015 9:18 PM
Author: bull headed shivering senate corn cake
My educational path has been:
1. Local in-district elementary school (literally blocks away from my house). ESL until 2nd or 3rd grade (mother tongue was Italian/Polish/Russian). During this time, I eagerly consumed scholarship.
2. I don't know how this happened but I got lifted up and into my district's "gifted" cohort for 6th grade only. Not flame, this cohort has turned out pretty well.
3. Went back to a local middle school in its own "gifted" class (i.e., 1 class of "smarts." This cohort has been solid but unexceptional (e.g., state school, CPA). The rest of the middle school were prole URMs (e.g., 3 of them copped 20 year sentences recently). During this time, I shunned the books and just played video games. SPS grades.
4. Tested into a magnet high school (think Chicago Lab, TJHS in VA in VA, LASA in TX, SF/LA/MFH magnets). Here I was surrounded by actually talented peers (a lot just did HYP like it was nbd). But I didn't really interact with them all that much. More video games, SPS grades.
5. 2300+ SAT'd my way into an "elite" undergrad (admit rate <15%; cue "How was Duke?"). Lost interest in video games. Sort of grinded for that GPA to get HYS.
6. Got HYS, but I think my bad habits have caught up to me. Hence why I'm in a dire employment situation.
All along I thought the main problem from this education path was that I didn't learn the elite's ins and outs, basic WASP interaction 101 that I woud've gotten had I gone to e.g., Harvard-Westlake or Deerfield.
Quality of teachers and peers have had almost no impact on my "learning," since I never paid attention in class and just napped with my head on the desk.
But did I drag my lazy undisciplined ass to each stepping stone thru sheer "talent"? Or did I benefit from educational "resources" like shithead HS teachers, competent peers, culture to just gun for TJHS-->HYP-->HYS like it's nbd? That I wouldn't have gotten had I been a product of the Compton/Baltimore/Bronx public ed system?
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2924566&forum_id=2#28241460)