Intelligence does not equal common sense

[Deleted]

I'm probably going to erase this thread soon but for now here it is. 

Between last week and this week, I just did 5 of the 8 days of orals for prospective HS students who want to go to my 5Y Masters business university. There were 3 other days: one more day for the HS students, and two days for university students who want to transfer in their third year. I didn't do those 3 days (because of scheduling constraints). 

If they pass a rigorous written exam, they get invited to the orals: English oral, and personal interview (in French). 

So, here were my doozies: 

I want to be a manager. Everybody knows that the best managers come from engineering schools, not business schools, because they actually know what they are talking about, unlike the business school students. 

I got this twice. You are entitled to your point of view, but stating it during an oral interview to a business school professor while trying to get into a business school is probably not a great idea. So (at the end of their answers) I said, so I guess you are applying to engineering schools too? They both said, But of course! LOL

To be clear, I mark them on their English level. They have to read an article chosen at random, summarize it, answer questions about it, and then we have a general Q and A about their interests, hobbies, motivation, etc. In my four years of doing this, I have NEVER taken points off just because I didn't like the answer.

But the best one was this one. From a student in Paris: so, if you had the choice, would you choose to go to the Paris campus or the (other, main) campus? 

Oh, definitely, the (other, main) campus! Because everybody knows that the good teachers are on the main campus, and the "bad" teachers are "exported" to Paris. I said, I'm sorry, I don't understand. You live in Paris. You want to go to (the main campus) which is 1h by train from Paris, plus a 15m bus ride, and that's assuming you live in that train station. So, are you planning to commute every day? He looks at me like I'M stupid, and tells me, of course not, I'd move to (the main campus). I said, so you wouldn't commute. He tells me, with GREAT disdain, of course not, that would be impossible. 

So I tell him, kindly, has it ever occurred to you that it's the same thing with the professors? That the professors who teach on the main campus live in commuting distance from the main campus? And that the professors who teach in Paris live in commuting distance from Paris? And since professors are older than students, some of them have spouses, kids, etc? 

He thought about it for a minute and told me, nah, I'm not buying it. I have it on good authority, the good teachers teach (on the main campus) and the bad teachers are exported to Paris.

At that point our time was up, otherwise I would have had more fun with him LOL. I wish I had noted his name though! And for the first time in 4 years, I took a point off, because he's just too stupid for me to want to deal with somebody that stupid, narrow-minded and arrogant.   

Since he was SO sure of himself, I'm sure he got zapped in the personal interview, which has much more weight than the English interview. 

The test for these kids to get an interview is really quite difficult.

More proof that intelligence does not equal common sense. 

[Deleted]

O, MG... And Way to Go!

[Abby Normal]

Just goes to show you can be "book smart" and have zero common sense.   But at least you were entertained!

[Deleted]

Yes, I certainly was! Plus I pretended to have been hurt, told him, but I teach in Paris! He didn't give a shite, he was totally unaware of his gaffe. 

Unfreaking believable! I wish I had noted down his name though, if only to see how he'd done on the personal interview LOL. 

We also have to take notes and justify our marks, so if they are refused entry, we can explain why. (Not me personally, thank Gd lol)

ETA: Obviously I did note his name on the marking sheet, but I interviewed so many HS kids, I can't remember it. I mean I wish I had noted it down for myself. 

[Deleted]

I've always known that "intelligence does not equal common sense." I'm living proof although I'm actually very practical.

But you have to laugh that I always chant the "left is loosey-goosey, right is mighty-tighty" when I'm screwing/unscrewing items.  I have the least imaginable mechanical intelligence in the world.

And I made 99th percentile TWICE on the verbal part of the GRE . . . twenty years apart.  That doesn't help me exist in the real world. 

[achelois]

At least they were bilingual.  We Americans are so far behind. 

[zibazinski]

DS is extremely intelligent. He couldn't find his way out of a paper bag if you pointed the way to him. I love him but.....

[Deleted]

SS, "knowing" you, I'm guessing you would never have said anything remotely that stupid, even when you were young and foolish!

Achelois, they were not bilingual, but they did have a good level of English. More and more of them do. It's a private school and sadly, the rich kids who can afford to go to summer camp in the US or spend a month in the US / UK working on their English do indeed have an advantage nowadays. 

Full disclosure, my DS2 went to that school, before I started working there. He's 26 now so in those days the "gap" wasn't as big as it is now. 

[Bonny]

Wasn't the student in training to become a young, arrogant French man? C 'mon there are stereotypes to uphold!

[Deleted]

Bonny, there are plenty of those, lol, but this guy's reasoning is TOTALLY wonky. I've seen some wonky reasoning in my time there, but this definitely took the cake LOL. 

[Deleted]

I did have another bit of fun, I forgot about this. Some teachers who teach very specific courses teach on both campuses (I certainly don't envy them having to commute each week, I've been on the main campus 3X in 3 weeks and I'm beyond exhausted.) I asked him if he could explain that, and if the fact that they teach on both campuses means they're great because they teach on the main campus, or if it means they suck (obviously I didn't use that term) because they teach in Paris too. 

He hemmed and hawed on that one long enough that I ended up changing the subject. 

[Gardening Grandma]

Yeah. My second husband was brilliant (PhD in nuclear physics at the age of 26). But totally lacking in plain horse sense...

[Deleted]

Jun 4, 2014 17:27:50 GMT -5 @debthaven2 said:

SS, "knowing" you, I'm guessing you would never have said anything remotely that stupid, even when you were young and foolish!

I don't know, Debthaven. I probably wouldn't have "said" it because I try to be a little more diplomatic than that.

But do you know why I decided to major in English? It was my lowest score on the ACT. Now to be fair (to me), it actually was only low in comparison to my math and science scores (28 when the top ACT score was a 32). But doesn't that mean that is the area where I had the most to learn?

You have to laugh at the arrogance of youth. It also helps to remember that you were young, too.

[achelois]

Jun 4, 2014 17:27:50 GMT -5 @debthaven2 said:

SS, "knowing" you, I'm guessing you would never have said anything remotely that stupid, even when you were young and foolish!

Achelois, they were not bilingual, but they did have a good level of English. More and more of them do. It's a private school and sadly, the rich kids who can afford to go to summer camp in the US or spend a month in the US / UK working on their English do indeed have an advantage nowadays. 

Full disclosure, my DS2 went to that school, before I started working there. He's 26 now so in those days the "gap" wasn't as big as it is now. 

I am sure their English was much better than my French. I wish my dad had taught us French, even if it was "only" Canadian French. 

[Deleted]

That's why I posted this here SS, because I AM indeed laughing at it, and I wanted to share with all of you! :-)

But I would have been (way) more diplomatic too LOL. 

[sesfw]

Some things are too unbelievably funny. Glad you are keeping your sense of humor.

[busymom]

Wow! Just wow! I guess parents aren't doing a good job teaching their kids what other people think of what comes out of their mouth.

I've worked with some people who were brilliant in their careers. But, when it came to their personal lives, total train wreck!

[NoNamePerson]

I lived with a guy whose son was extremely intelligent. He graduated second in class of Chemical Engineering and after a year in the job market decided to go to law school. Graduated in top of class too.  But you had to tell him to come in out of the rain if it was lightening. Had absolutely no common sense at all. I hate to say it but sometimes it was downright funny at the things he did or didn't know how to do.