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Analysis Of William Deresiewicz's Essay

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In William Deresiewicz’s essay, “The Disadvantages of n Elite Education”, Deresiewicz begins by developing a social scenario that he had with a plumber in his kitchen. Here he explores the first disadvantage of an elite education which he describes as being unable to talk with people who aren't like you, referring to those who didn't attend an Ivy League school. Supporting his statement, Deresiewicz goes on to explain that Elite schools strive to achieve a strong diversity, but only in ethnicity and race and not economic class. As an example, he uses Al Gore and John Kerry, both of whom went to Harvard and Yale respectively. Going along with terrible social ability with non Ivy League alumni, Deresiewicz also claims that his education taught him that those who didn’t attend Ivy League education are below him and not good enough to talk to, no matter their ethnicity, race, or class. Deresiewicz’s second disadvantage to …show more content…

He is frustrated that elite students are supposed to be the smartest and brightest kids around in an academic sense, however they aren't going above and beyond the homework to become intellectuals. Instead, the schools are molding the students into only being able to answer the little questions in life and how to think as a lawyer or doctor. The students that Ivy League’s accept are already trained to do what it takes for the A rather than think outside the main idea. Deresiewicz points out that there are students at middle class universities that are just as smart as Yale and Harvard students, but never pushed to get the grades in high school. They are the thinkers rather than the doers and they will be the ones who end up being the strong intellectuals while the elite educated graduates will become the next Al Gore and John Kerry. As Deresiewicz puts it “She will have many achievements but little experience, great success but no

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