The Only College Decision Criteria Malcolm Gladwell Thinks Matters

In the literal senseamp160the episode39s titleamp160Dissecting the Success of Malcolm Gladwellamp160sounded like a carefully executed operation with intent to uncover the sources of Gladwell39s success This quotoperationquot was rather aamp160carefullyamp160executed interview between Ferriss amp160author of The 4Hour Workweek amp8211 and Malcolm Gladwell For those of you living in a bubble Gladwell is a journalist speaker and bestselling author All five of his books were on The New York Times Best Seller listamp160His work is often in the areas ofamp160sociology psychologyamp160and social psychologyGiven Gladwell39s extensive writing portfolio and global recognition I felt like I already knew him amp160or his public figure rather Not long into the interview I discovered how little I really knew about Gladwell as a person and how he got to where he is todayamp160which is why this episode was such a treat amp160he was sharing his authentic stories instead of me reading about him in the mediaGladwell spoke about a plethora ofamp160stories amp160ones about his family his loveamp160of running his writingsamp160and thatamp160he eats as little as possible in the mornings There was one topic in particular he spoke about when hisamp160speech quickened his tone strengthenedamp160and his passions boiledamp160amp160when he was talking about collegeI never knew Gladwell felt so strongly about the American college system amp160so strongly that he said the quotAmerican college system should start overquot He also called BS on advice about quotworking hardquot to quotget into the 39best39 college you canquot He chuckled at this statement because society39s sources for what college is quotbestquot are derived from US News and World Report Gladwell39s view on society39s ridiculous criteria on which we base our college decisions is a topic that really resonated with meI strongly believe that anyone can experience the quotbestquot college because the college experience is what you make of it Even the toprated academic institutions in the world cannot promise to deliver a college experience in your best interest Instead of buying into the belief that if you go to this school you will be successful we should think twice about why we believe that school is the best for us Gladwell believes the only criteria students should base their college decision on is if you will be interested and inspired Ask yourselfIs this a place where I will find myself late at night having deeply interesting conversations with people I like and find interestingWillamp160I be so inspired by what I learn during the day that I will want to talk about it at 1 am in the morning with people whoamp160will challenge meOnly you can answer these questionsI absolutely agree with Gladwell that whatamp160shouldamp160matter to society is what happens when a student attends that school Students need to create the experience for themselves usingamp160the support toolsamp160and resources the school provides amp160and not rely on the school for a great college experience to just happenamp160quotExperience can be created in every institutionquot Gladwell said quotIt39s in our snobbery that interestingness is defined by test scores It39s an outrageous liequotAs a University of Kentucky graduate I am aware that my college degree did not come from an Ivy League or quottoprankedquot school However I am also aware that my college degree was 100 what I made of it I didn39t have to attend what someone else viewed as a quotbest collegequot to be inspired to graduate with honors to publish a book my senior yearamp160or to meet global influencers bestselling authors and industry gamechangers All of that was my own doing No one should feel defined or constricted by a school but rather feel interested and inspired withinThe importance of creating your own experiences also applies to changes and transitions well beyond the college decision Remember that you have the ability to author life and to define what it means for you to be the quotbestquotThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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The Only College Decision Criteria Malcolm Gladwell Thinks Matters

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Sydney Fulkerson

The Ad Council, Huntsman Mental Health Foundation and Amazon Announce “The Mind Set” to Support Mental Health - Ad Council InSites

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The Only College Decision Criteria Malcolm Gladwell Thinks Matters

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Sydney Fulkerson

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