Extract to the review of Malcolm Gladwell’s book “David & Goliath”
“Caroline Sachs, an above-average high schooler, was trying to decide which college to attend, University of Maryland or Brown University. The challenge of picking which school she should go to was most difficult. Most students would not even think twice about it because attending the school with a better reputation would look better on a job application, right? No. The problem with the students who chose the better school is that they do not realize is they will be among other students who were valedictorians and 4.0 scholars, immediately making her a little fish in this big sea. By choosing this, Caroline becomes an average student, which was a completely new concept for her. In the end, the decision she made ended up causing her to drop her intended major because it was too difficult and pick up a new one. This major was less appealing to her and was not her passion. Now do you wonder what would have happened if she would have chosen to be a big fish in a little pond? So, does she!”
Our advice to all our aspirating students and parents is as follows –
You do not need to select the top ranked University to study towards an Undergraduate degree. Why? Because it is daunting enough to transition from school life to University and then manage the cultural changes of settling into another country. Let us suggest a suitable yet well ranked University that other students in similar situations have chosen in the past through our advice and have subsequently excelled. Why, because the University suited the student’s academic ability. This allowed them to fit in well, enjoy their student experience and achieve excellent results and gain confidence. They were then able to progress to the best ranked University for their studies at a Master’s degree level. Due to the confidence they gained from the start of their studies at an Undergrad level, they graduated Cum Laude with their Master’s degree, have been “Head Hunted” in the job market and have speedily climbed the corporate ladder in their chosen profession.
Furthermore, there was a substantial cost saving at the Undergraduate level and the student experienced the benefits of diversity, made more friends and later work associates for life.
