Beauty Before Brains

yea... this is old news by a long shot, by indirectly saying that in order to get anywhere in a ''fair'' manner, you have to be pretty. Also with the emerging reality of genetic uses becoming more frequent, Anybody want a customized baby....yea. In genetics there is expresstivity, allow genes to maintain more than on/off switch for many functions at various levels being triggered at different times and some functions can be maintained in in one gene just as easily 1300 genes could control one function of the body be it phenotype (external : hair color) and say for example muscle development. By removing that gene or group of genes the absence could lead to having muscles with weak endurance let alone balance and coordination. Which would just suck big time.

There is a well-known anticorrelation between high school college entrance grades and year 4 college grades, while the metric that matters the most is how good you are in final years of college and grad school.

High school grades, in particular - high school GPA, are a bad measure of anything related to intelligence. High school is particularly structured as an accessible program, i.e. most people can ace it if they try hard enough (not even really hard - just hard enough). A heavy skew towards essay writing and similar skills makes the estimate even more biased. So, I'm not surprised than more self-conscious people, in particular - with better communication practice, do better.

The chief difference with college is that in college people can take what they do the best and run it as far as they want, in particular - in grad school. If you major in hard science, like physics, noone really care whether you're good at solving elementary problems and write essays and do presentations - the rules of the game change substantially, and involve physics only, lots of physics only, and with a lot more self-motivation to do physics, not to be a good boy. This causes a well-knows phenomenon of anticorrelation between final year college grades and high school entrance grades.

The only conclusion we can come to is that, perhaps, we shouldn't put too much fate into standartized tests and the name of bachelor school of an individual for further life.

Hey Ms. Begley. I was wondering but did you know that Rush Limbaugh's been lying about you and insulting you on his program?

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_071509/content/01125107.guest.html


You should really respond to him, it's disgusting the stuff he's saying about you. I myself did a response to him which you can read here.

http://columbinegame.com/discuss/viewtopic.php?p=19862#19862


Oh, and if any wingnut Dittoheads happen to read this topic- hope you like it! ; )

Success in life comes along three avenues, skill, personal presence, and social connections. In this country we like to believe that anyone who works hard enough and develops their skills will be rightfully rewarded, and that is often is the case. Individuals can also achieve resounding success, however, based on the force of their personal presence, that is through their good looks, snappy wardrobe and winning (or conniving) personality. Those who have labored in the trenches to build up a qualified resume often resent those who schoomze their way to the top, but in reality both paths are viable. Finally, without a doubt, knowing the right person can lead to opportunities for individuals regardless of their qualifications or interpersonal skills. Nepotism, political favors and personal bias will never be out of style. That???s life.

Sounds like some one is bitter they didn't get asked to the prom. Looks matter in life, especially in the work force, some jobs more than others, but they give advantages and disadvantages. Schools are suppose to prepare children for the real world and bias is part of the real world.
What I have a problem with is students who are diagnosed with a learning disability and recieve more time and help with tests, and then obtain the same diploma as everyone else. This isn't fair to them, their future employer that can't aford to treat them different because of a learning disability, or the other students.

We are headed towards a world as depicted in the movie "GATTACA," complete with valid and invalid people. Not good.

Tell me something i ddn't already know. Looks & the right "personality" matter. These traits don't, in of themselves, make you smart, but the bias always works in your favor. Ask any intelligent, homely looking person whose had to work with those who's GPA's are not earned through actual achievement, and you will find hat this is no secret.

This story is either bad rsearch by or bad reporting. The causal connection is probably the opposite of what was reported. Among this age group students who succeed in the classroom (higher grades) develop more confidence in who and what they are. They then take more pride in their appearance and grooming habits, then are perceived as more attractive, which makes them more popular, which makes them more outgoing. This study, as conducted, does not permit any statements about what causes what. When you are young and impressionable, bad grades can destroy your self-esteem. I believe it starts with the grades, not the other way. The reporter should have at least considered the story from both directions.

Hard to believe geneticists would use grades as a measure of intelligence. And while IQ tests have been shown to have cultural biases, they don't reward appearance or grooming.

Hard to believe that geneticists would use grades as a measure of intelligence. And while IQ tests have been shown to have cultural biases, they don't reward appearance or grooming.

I know in graduate school, personality and looks are the entire grade. That's why I've never bought the meritocracy argument.

In response to CoreTheology. While there are certainly people who would be attractive if they bothered to keep themselves up/learn to dress/etc; most attractive people are simply attractive. Thus habits have little to do with it. It has been my experience that many physically attractive people get in the habit of coasting along on their looks without learning anything or improving themselves.