America's smartest (and dumbest) cities

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http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/01/pf/college/Americas_brainiest_cities/index.htm

Edited October 3, 2010 by \

[peejay 327]

What should we garner from these nuggets of data? Should we dig deeper to ascertain the race, nationality, legal status, religion, income, profession, etc., etc. of the inhabitants of these cities in addition to the education level? Do we really want to go there?

Or did you just post this for sh*ts & grins?

Edited October 3, 2010 by peejay

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What should we garner from these nuggets of data? Should we dig deeper to ascertain the race, nationality, legal status, religion, income, profession, etc., etc. of the inhabitants of these cities in addition to the education level? Do we really want to go there?

Or did you just post this for sh*ts & grins?

Breathe, PJ.

[amykathleen2005 441]

I don't think that a college degree is an accurate indicator of "smartness." There are plenty of people with degrees who are just plain idiots and those who scraped through high school who are very smart. Plus there are all different kinds of intelligence.

[SMR 368]

I don't think that a college degree is an accurate indicator of "smartness." There are plenty of people with degrees who are just plain idiots and those who scraped through high school who are very smart. Plus there are all different kinds of intelligence.

I definitely agree with this. And I have a BS and am working on an MS so this isn't just sour grapes. The topic title seemed promising and I almost felt the jerk from the bait and switch when it turned out that this was just a thread with some more mostly meaningless statistics.

[slim 1,533]

And I have a BS

Isn't it funny that a degree proving you're "smart" (or, at least, educated) is called BS?

[Jenn! 918]

Of course there are smart people that did not go to college. And dumb people who did. But *generally speaking* the college-educated population is measurably smarter than the non-college-educated population.

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... *generally speaking* the college-educated population is measurably smarter than the non-college-educated population.

You shouldn't say stuff like that. It's bad for their self esteem.

[JimVaPhuong 4,864]

Of course there are smart people that did not go to college. And dumb people who did. But *generally speaking* the college-educated population is measurably smarter than the non-college-educated population.

The most common factor that determines whether someone pursues a college education is financial. Many people with relatively weak mental acuity still have adequate memorization skills, and can achieve an acceptable SAT score. If they've got the financial resources, they can get a college degree.

Someone with a college degree may have measurably more knowledge than someone without one, but that wouldn't necessarily mean they are smarter. "Smart" and "intelligent" usually refer to someone's aptitude for learning and reasoning skills. Those are assets you're born with - they can't be taught in college.

Now, if we're talking about "smart" as a percentage of each population group, then it's probably safe to say that the percentage of "smart" people among college graduates is higher than among non-graduates. This is because the non-graduates group includes the absolute idiots who could never graduate from college, regardless how much money their parents have. While you don't have to be particularly intelligent to graduate from college, someone who is completely unintelligent has no chance of graduating. All of the completely unintelligent are in the non-graduates group, which makes the group bottom heavy and skews the statistical results.

I can't speak for all of the cities on the lists, but in San Francisco and San Jose the numbers can be attributed mostly to the cost of living. People with college degrees tend to earn more money, and both of these cities are expensive to live in. It doesn't say anything in particular about the people who are from these cities because most of the people who live there were not actually born there.

[SMR 368]

The most common factor that determines whether someone pursues a college education is financial. Many people with relatively weak mental acuity still have adequate memorization skills, and can achieve an acceptable SAT score. If they've got the financial resources, they can get a college degree.

Someone with a college degree may have measurably more knowledge than someone without one, but that wouldn't necessarily mean they are smarter. "Smart" and "intelligent" usually refer to someone's aptitude for learning and reasoning skills. Those are assets you're born with - they can't be taught in college.

Now, if we're talking about "smart" as a percentage of each population group, then it's probably safe to say that the percentage of "smart" people among college graduates is higher than among non-graduates. This is because the non-graduates group includes the absolute idiots who could never graduate from college, regardless how much money their parents have. While you don't have to be particularly intelligent to graduate from college, someone who is completely unintelligent has no chance of graduating. All of the completely unintelligent are in the non-graduates group, which makes the group bottom heavy and skews the statistical results.

I can't speak for all of the cities on the lists, but in San Francisco and San Jose the numbers can be attributed mostly to the cost of living. People with college degrees tend to earn more money, and both of these cities are expensive to live in. It doesn't say anything in particular about the people who are from these cities because most of the people who live there were not actually born there.

Good points. But I wouldn't agree that you're born with an aptitude for learning and reasoning skills and that you're just stuck with what you got. There's no denying that some people are born with more than others. But learning to understand new things and actively solving problems will increase your aptitude for learning and reasoning skills. People who spend a lot of time learning get better at learning, just like people who spend time running get faster.

[fozzie 41]

The most common factor that determines whether someone pursues a college education is financial. Many people with relatively weak mental acuity still have adequate memorization skills, and can achieve an acceptable SAT score. If they've got the financial resources, they can get a college degree.

Financials is one aspect but there is nearly always an option to financie your education. This is an excuse for the most part (av. earnings for a college degree in the US is $26,000 a year more than a high school grad so as an investment it pays off in the end)

Someone with a college degree may have measurably more knowledge than someone without one, but that wouldn't necessarily mean they are smarter. "Smart" and "intelligent" usually refer to someone's aptitude for learning and reasoning skills. Those are assets you're born with - they can't be taught in college.

I disagree with this because you can learn to learn. What usually lacks is the motivation or encouragement from home. Nature and nurture both play a significant role but I give the edge to nurture.

I can't speak for all of the cities on the lists, but in San Francisco and San Jose the numbers can be attributed mostly to the cost of living. People with college degrees tend to earn more money, and both of these cities are expensive to live in. It doesn't say anything in particular about the people who are from these cities because most of the people who live there were not actually born there.

I am not sure why it matters if they were born there or not. It just comments on the 'intelligence' of its residents not those that migrated there or were born there. Cost of living affects the college rates because in order to live there you need to earn more, therefore you need a degree.

[Amyyduck 20]

I can't speak for all of the cities on the lists, but in San Francisco and San Jose the numbers can be attributed mostly to the cost of living. People with college degrees tend to earn more money, and both of these cities are expensive to live in. It doesn't say anything in particular about the people who are from these cities because most of the people who live there were not actually born there.

Speaking of San Jose especially, but generally the whole area as well, you have to take into consideration that the city is smack in the heart of Silicon Valley. People flock there for the tech jobs and to get a tech job, you generally need a degree of some sort.

I grew up there, I miss it.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

The lamest ppl I have ever met have a degree.