I wonder who I’ve looked at all my life and never seen?
This summer, I befriended a close friend’s boyfriend aka smart person. Smart person here is kind of smart.
He’s from Pakistan. He went to school at a top school and studied economics. He’s kind of smart.
You see, he kind of got a job as an economic forecaster for the World Bank. He did this straight out of undergrad. He is by far the least “qualified” on paper compared to his colleagues, whom all boast masters degrees work years of work experience. He’s kind of smart.
You see, he kind of took the GMAT without much effort and did really, really, really, really well. You see, he’s looking to end his contract with the World Bank to apply to business schools – he had done the same straight out of undergrad and was accepted into many programs, something business schools do not do to normal people. He’s kind of smart.
You see, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and UPenn will be fighting to offer admissions. When I asked him if he considered applying to Johns Hopkins-SAIS, the number two grad school for international affairs, he defiantly said, “Why would I? Graduates from SAIS compete to get the job that I already have. I’m trying to reach the next level.” He’s kind of smart.
If there is a need to go to business school one day, I dream of being accepted into Wharton. Or Sloan. Or Stanford. For this kind of smart guy, he’ll be nitpicking which one will yield the greatest return on investment.
You see, he’s kind of smart. But he’s also idealistic. He’s probably not going to Wall Street to make millions, even though that’s what he could be doing right now. There’s a reason why he’s working for the World Bank and doesn’t care about money as the end goal.
Perhaps this kind of smart boyfriend of my close friend cares more about money and prestige, and more about advancing his interests and values that are not attached with $$$$.
Smart person has been met, but I how many people I’ve met all my life and never seen?
Andy Cheng 