You Are the Average of the 5 People You Spend the Most Time With...

A recent Atlantic article explores and attempts to explain the primary reason why Ivy League graduates are statistically so successful relative to the rest of the population. Like too many articles on higher education, the focus on the Ivy League nearly turned me off from reading it, and I think the claim made in the article that “the people who go to the fanciest colleges tend to have the most successful careers,” is both dubious and incredibly subjective. This claim seems to rest on stats mentioned earlier in the article that Ivy League “alumni represent more than 12 percent of all Fortune 500 CEOs, 32 percent of all New York Times journalists, and 13 percent of the wealthiest 0.1 percent of the population.”

First, these don’t strike me as particularly convincing numbers, especially when you consider the implications of the inverse of each stat (for example, that 88% of all Fortune CEOs come from non-Ivy League colleges). Furthermore, each person’s definition of success will vary (I frequently remind the high school students I work with about this). You can be extremely wealthy while also being extremely miserable - is that a success? For some it might be, but for some it's not.

Having said all of the above, I do find the underlying finding of the article to be very interesting – that this “success” is the result of Ivy League students receiving “an education in how to succeed in an environment full of some of the world’s most gifted, determined people.” Ignoring the Ivy League focus, this finding provides a useful lesson in the importance of surrounding yourself with high performing people, regardless of which college you choose to attend. As a famous quote, often attributed to entrepreneur Jim Rohn states, “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

So how do high school students apply this lesson? Enroll in the harder course even if you think it will be a significant challenge. Try out for the team even if you think most of the members will be more talented than you. Join the club even if you think other club members have more experience or leadership or knowledge on the topic. Basically, identify the high performers in your school and choose the path that puts you near them as often as possible. You will become a better person for it and your prospects of long-term success, regardless of how you define the word, will improve.