Meaning Of Outliers By Malcolm Gladwell

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What causes success? To many people, success is cultivated through dedication and perseverance; the amount of effort put in directly correlates to the quality of the result. However, this statement does not fully represent the implications of success and how it is achieved. In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell analyzes the basis of success, uncovering the astonishing effect that opportunity and legacy have on the creation of outliers. When applied to my life, these two factors play a significant role in my achievements and future potential. Opportunities and sheer luck have aided me in accomplishing what I have thus far. By random chance, I had the opportunity to grow up in an upper middle-class household. My parents follow “concerted cultivation,” …show more content…

My birthday is in October 2001, meaning that I am unfortunately often the youngest in my class. According to the Matthew effect, I should have difficulties keeping up since “it’s hard for a five-year-old to keep up with a child born many months earlier” (Gladwell 28). In the 1990s, my parents immigrated to the United States from China. With them, they brought the Asian ideology where hard work triumphs over any adversity, since they themselves came from extremely poor families. Over the years, I have been taught discipline and endurance, which ultimately led to my academic success. Since the age of four, I have attended various math and writing classes, closing the initial gap between me and my classmates. Also, I spent my eighth-grade year at BASIS Ahwatukee, similar to the KIPP Academy mentioned in Outliers, where teachers drill academic proficiency into the students’ minds. As a middle schooler, I took eight classes a day, three of which were required science courses. These circumstances represent the “rice paddy” analogy where you can use grit and diligence to wipe away any disadvantage. As a result, I am currently rank one in my class, taking all AP or honors courses. I have scored 4s and 5s on seven AP tests by the end of sophomore year, and obtained a research internship at Barrows Neurological Institute and ASU Speech and Hearing lab. Even though the odds were against me in the beginning, my family’s cultural legacy has allowed me to