I live 3000 miles away from the land of America still your thought resonate my feelings.In India also, there are isolated islands of excellence in a huge cesspool of mediocrity. Like Ivy leagues, we have our own IIT and IIM system.The blind race for best colleges irrespective of interest is dooming the universities everywhere on behalf of student resources. Then of course is the rigidity in course structures and fixed time frames for completing studies.The age bar in Indian educational institutions is something that defeats the purpose of learning.

From the moment we enter school, we are taught to sit in a row, be quiet, do not ask questions, do not interrupt the class and on and on. This proves wonderful training for when the young minds leave formal education behind and enter the work world, where you are encouraged to sit quietly, not ask questions and do not interrupt. To have the opportunity to learn from someone who believes that education is more than rot memory and regurgitating facts is indeed spectacular, potentially life-altering and unfortunately rare.

The environment of each school has become to promote technological and management skills perfectly.But they do not care about humanities and social science.The present political structure is based on ignorance and irrational thinking.Even within a university environment, saying social or political things may be rife with problems from fellow students or administration.

Hope your article invokes some ideas in brain of pseudo intellects.Thanks for such meaningful article.

My experience at Stanford Law proves all of this to be very, very, very true. I do not feel encouraged to be different or entrepreneurial. We just huddle in the halls and nervously move from one stage to the other (not that it takes much more than a 98.6 to proceed from year to year), so scared to separate from the pack or seem like we don’t “deserve” to be there, that people flip out and panic over every stutter or any assignment. Rarely do people ever reflect on this state of affairs or question where this desire to “acheive” prestigious things even comes from.

It is very troubling to see so many young and highly educated people falling in line for jobs at these very high-paying law firms without, so it seems to me, wondering what they really *want* to do or what they *should* ethically do. It is very difficult to live in such an environment, but it is even worse to try to be creative. The fear is palpable, and fear totally depresses higher cortical functioning – my doctor said – the kind of thinking that allows us to be free to make connections, explore new things, and really express ourselves. You can’t have an individual self to express! – if you are separated from the pack, you are strange and unworthy. The legal education especially teaches you to find the Don’ts and the Problems and the Issues, not the opportunities or excitement, so I’ve found some new ideas of mine shot down with . . . it kinda seemed like glee

Your comment that elite schoolchildren give up at “alternative” paths quicker than others was an important reminder not to give up and flee to a traditional path if my ideas for businesses don’t pan out, like, Immediately. Thank you very much for that insight.

Sincerely,
Amy