• Public

  • Public
  • Network
  • Groups
  • Featured
  • Popular
  • People

I was reminded of this the other day when, the other day, I saw a thread on Twitter where a very successful person talks about how they got started, saying that they were able to talk their way into an elite institution despite being unqualified and use this story to conclude that elite gatekeepers are basically just scouting for talent and that you just need to show people that you have talent: One college related example from my life is that I managed to get into CMU with awful grades and awful SAT scores (I had the flu when I took the test :/) I spent a month learning everything about CMU's CS department, then drove there and talked to professors directly when I first showed up at the campus the entrance office asked my GPA and SAT, then asked me to leave. But I managed to talk to one professor, who sent me to their boss, recursively till I was talking to the vice president of the school he asked me why I'm good enough to go to CMU and I said "I'm not sure I am. All these other kids are really smart. I can leave now" and he interrupted me and reminded me how much agency it took to get into that room. He gave me a handwritten acceptance letter on the spot ... I think one secret, at least when it comes to gatekeepers, is that they're usually just looking for high agency and talent. I've heard this kind of story from other successful people, who tend to come to bimodal conclusions on what it all means. Some conclude that the world correctly recognized ...