Write An Essay On The Outliers By Malcolm Gladwell

Many people think that just because someone is academically smart they’ll automatically achieve success. Just because someone has a high IQ doesn't mean they're guaranteed success. Authors such as Malcolm Gladwell in the Outliers gives many examples of why academic intelligence may not be enough. Social class, IQ, practical intelligence, and luck are key factors of achieving success.

Yes, being smart is important, but it's not everything. There’s a certain limit to intelligence and how far it will get you. In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell states, “If I had magical powers and offered to raise your IQ by 30 points, you’d say yes right? You’d assume that would help you get further ahead in the world...But is that true?” (Gladwell 76) Yes,

Gladwell's studies reveal, “The reading scores go up by .26 points. When it comes to reading skills, poor kids learn nothing when school is not in session. The reading scores of the rich kids, by contrast, go up by a whopping 52.49 points. Virtually all of the advantage that wealthy students have over poor students is the result of differences in the way privileged kids learn while they are not in school…” (Gladwell 8) Due to their long breaks that don't include any education they go back to school struggling. Wealthy kids own the supplies needed to grow academically during the summer, thus being at an advantage. The more they practice the better they get, which shows in their increase of points during the summer. Opposed to the kids of the lower class who don't have the supplies, and most likely don’t touch a book which puts them at a disadvantage. For example,“This is the advantage that Oppenheimer had that Chris Langan lacked. Oppenheimer was raised in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Manhattan, the son of an artist and a successful garment manufacturer. His childhood was the embodiment of concerted cultivation.” (Gladwell 108) It seems as if Oppenheimer was destined for success because of all his resources and through the connections from his rich parents. He had everything he needed to lead him to success. On the other hand, Chris grew up extremely poor. He was all alone and hardly had any