chuck-

I agree. It’s difficult for poor kids to know what schools are a good fit for them. Least, that is my experience when I applied. I barely knew what colleges were out there.

He went to a top 5 public school instead. No idea what he did after.

I wrote about it before, but the smart poor face quite the uphill battle. Friend of mine scored a 1600 on the SAT but went to one of the worst high schools in the area. He was rejected from elite universities. He couldn’t compare to those that also scored well on the SAT, subject SATs (which our high school didn’t make clear was a thing), and those that already took calculus 1-3, linear algebra, data structures, and proof based mathematics courses from magnet schools. It isn’t just about raw intelligence and scoring highly on exams. He was behind before he started by attending our high school.

Some elite schools talk about free scholarships for those that make less than a certain income, but how many of those elite schools are admitting poor smart students? When you’re smart and attend a HS that doesn’t make you competitive, you tend to get rejected.

This is excellent news. Great to hear this.

>I think that's questionable and downplays his abilities. He won National Merit Scholarship. He scored 1590 out of 1600 in SAT.

I think you underestimate how much a proper background can help you in terms of admissions to elite schools. I know someone that scored a 1600 out of a 1600 on their SAT, but came from more of a modest background than Bill. They were denied from Harvard. Harvard receives plently of high SAT scoring, high achieving applicants. Smart people from poor backgrounds have a lot more to overcome in life to get to the same point as others with more resources. A head start with a secure background can make a large difference later in life. I'm sure if my friend didn't go to one of the worst high schools in the state, and went to a better STEM school, they could have been admitted to Harvard. Who knows how that would have changed their life for the better. Now we will never know.

I was referring more to potential, as opposed to what he actually did in software development. Per stories from Harvard, he had some mathematical talent. With talent like that he could have essentially pursued whatever intellectual pursuit he wanted and have obtained results in it. Whether that be software development, mathematics, running a business etc. My point is there are others out there like him, we likely won’t know about them because they aren’t from such affluent families.

If Bill Gates weren’t from such a wealthy family it is likely he wouldn’t have ever attended Harvard. Grooming for Harvard and the ilk start up from an early age. It is also likely no one would know who he is today as well. He might had been that genius principle engineer that would have went on to do absolutely amazing work, but not one to start or lead a company.

Imagine how many potential Bill Gates are majoring in CS from average to good state universities that have the potential to do so much more in academia and industry, but come from poor families/no one to help them. You’ll probably never hear of them/know they exist.

I believe you’re making a good point that others are misinterpreting or outright dismissing:

Many gifted children come from upper middle class to upper class families. I’d wager majority of the people on this site are from those sorts of families and look around them and say “hey, none of us are geniuses! So, environment alone is not sufficient!” This is dismissive and misses the point (while ignoring most of these people went to good colleges and have good jobs, which typically is associated to “smart people” accomplishments).

What I think you’re getting at, is that you can be gifted and raised in an environment where your parents are uneducated and you lack a support systems to nurture your intellectual growth. You can be gifted and raised in an environment where you aren’t taking college level courses in high school and don’t have what it takes (on paper) to enter a good college and then potentially get held back from what your potential would otherwise allow you to achieve.

Even a kid that has a 160 IQ but went to a school where the highest math course they took is Calculus, will be behind a kid that took Calculus I-III, Differential Equarions, Linear Algebra, Abstract Algebra, Real Analysis and Number theory at a STEM magnet school. Even if they are equally smart as them. The latter kid would likely get into top colleges, while the former kid may get into a State school. The latter kid will be seen as traditionally intelligent, while the former kid may be viewed as average given their high school accomplishments.

I think the demographics of people on this site assume everyone is from the same upper middle to upper class backgrounds and equally have the same educational opportunities like the latter kid.

What they don’t all realize is you can be really smart in a very bad environment and not achieve anywhere near what you’d otherwise be capable of.

Environment plays a big factor along with genetics.