I just got back from a trip with my son visiting a college in St. Louis. There are some fallacies that are embedded in our psyche that should be dispelled. The notion that the educational system in this country is bad and that somehow it is inferior to those of other countries are ridiculous. We produce students through our system that can outcompete any other country. One can argue that on the average in the US kids perform poorly when compared to other nations. However if you look at the top tier of students, I believe, we prepare kids through our system with the skills and preparedness that exceeds any other on the planet. The combination of educational rigor with the desire for extracurricular pursuits and the stress of giving back to the community produce very well rounded individuals. They are prepared for a life of balance between work and play as well as between the attainment of wealth and charity.
The competition of getting into a top college is daunting. So many kids have excellent grades, SAT scores and varied extracurriculars. There are tens of thousands of kids who excel each year and are the future of our country. There is no doubt in my mind that this country will continue to be a world leader as long as we produce these young adults with the passion to excel in all pursuits. I would put up our top 5-10% of students any day against any other country's. It is not just the test scores though, that exemplify our top children but a intangible element that kids get by growing up in this country. The sense that anybody from any background can go as far as their talents will take them instills our students with passion and hope.
The other factor that drives our kids is competition. The competitive spirit that our kids feel in order to succeed is at the same time stressful but also drives them to overachieve. They feel pressure to score better on SAT, to take the most rigorous curricula and to expand their extracurricular activities to enhance their resumes. Competition breeds excellence and the undergraduate and graduate systems of admissions foster and promote this competition. The best rise to the top and the bar at the top continues to rise.
The future of the US is promising as our brightest children will certainly be world class business leaders, scientists, etc. Worldwide innovation will continue to be a primarily American phenomenon as it has been over our history. We are the engine of discovery for the world and the great advances that are certain to occur will be created in the US. We have nothing to worry about regarding China. They will take existing technology and produce it cheaper but the US is the epicenter of innovation in all fields. It is the way we educate and raise our kids versus their system of education and government. It is the way we reward that innovation that propels discovery and creation.
As I toured the campus listening to various students and as I watch my son competing against such outstanding candidates I kept returning to the same thought. I am so happy I don't have to go through the process now. It is so much more difficult now then when I was in school. I question whether I would be able to reach the same level now as before.
The beauty of our system is that at every level you can rise to the top regardless of your previous performance. There is always a chance to reinvent yourself to maximize your skill set. The only one who puts limits on your achievement is you. As is the case in so many other countries you are not pigeon holed into a specific life path depending on your genealogy, wealth, or score on a single test. I know my son will develop his skill set regardless of the school he goes to. I hope he has the fortitude to compete and excel, to accept failures as opportunities to learn and try again, and to live a life of balance.
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