Why Choose a School that Makes You Feel Stupid?

The Brian Lehrer Show | Apr 9, 2015

This segment originally aired live on April 9th, 2015. An edited version was included in a best-of episode of The Brian Lehrer Show on July 17th, 2015. The unedited audio can be found here.

Malcolm Gladwell, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of (now in paperback) David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants (Little, Brown and Company, 2015), makes the argument that attending an elite university for the sake of prestige is a recipe for failure. He says true success comes from finding an environment that fits the individual student's needs and learning to shine in that environment.

→EVENT: Malcolm Gladwell talks to Richard Thaler at 92nd St Y on May 19 at 8:15 (ticketed).

"We understand what's good about going to a prestigious school but we never talk about the costs." -Malcolm @Gladwell pic.twitter.com/oMy4HuppG0
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) April 9, 2015

Sammy, a Bronx parent, says daughter passed on Harvard for University of Toronto, @Gladwell's alma mater. Found smart, down to earth peers.
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) April 9, 2015

Malcolm @Gladwell's advice to those mulling over colleges: don't ask where's the best place, ask where you will best thrive.
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) April 9, 2015

More advice from @Gladwell: choosing an institution where you can be one of the better students will maximize freedom to do what you love.
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) April 9, 2015

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