fix whole essay (change the tone)

Peihao Peng

Professor Simon

Essay #2 final draft

Sep 19, 2015

ESL 53C

Elite vs. Non-Elite Institutions

In the chapter “Caroline Sacks” by Malcolm Gladwell from the book, Caroline Sacks and the impressionists have two different options between Elite and Non-Elite Institutions . In the cases of Caroline and the Impressionists choice Brown university and Salon is the Elite Institutions and University of Maryland and Solo exhibition is Non-Elite Institutions.Caroline Sacks and the impressionists choose different ways. So Caroline Sacks chooses to enter Elite Institutions, and the impressionists don’t choose Elite Institutions. They choose a Non-Elite Institutions. The result are Caroline Sacks drop her major, and the impressionists are successful. In this object we learning how to consider their own abilities and need to make a right choice.

For this purpose, the impressionists and Caroline Sacks have the same choice between Elite and Non-Elite Institutions. Caroline Sacks lived on the farthest of the Washington DC. She has been interested in science. Sacks sailed through high school at the top of her class. In the second year of her high school, Her father and her use three days to look around five universities , most interesting university is Brown university. “It is small and exclusive, situated in the middle of a nineteenth-century neighborhood of redbrick Georgian and Colonial buildings on the top of a gently sloping hill. It might be the most beautiful college campus in the United States”( Gladwell 40). Finally she decides that Brown University is her first choice, and the University of Maryland as her backup. Brown University is the Ivy league university in the United States. But University of Maryland is not an elite private university. Another story is from one hundred and fifty years ago the Impressionists are not so popular, because “the Impressionists had an entirely different idea about what constituted art. They painted everyday life. Their brushstrokes were visible. Their figures were indistinct. To the Salon jury and the crowds thronging the Palais, their work looked amateurish, even shocking” (Gladwell 39).The Salon was the most important in the word, but the Impressionist don’t have a chance to show their own painting. The Impressionists have been discussing to join the salon or make their own art exhibition.

Whit this object, Caroline Sacks and the Impressionists make a different choice, between little fish is the Big Pond and big fish in small Pond, these two kinds of different is that former has more opportunity than the latter, at the same time that has more pressure than the latter. So Caroline Sacks choose to go to Brown university,she decide to be a little fish in the Big Pond .She think “Brown is a member of the Ivy League. It has more resources , more academically able student, more prestige, and more accomplished faculty than the university of Maryland”(Gladwell 26). Caroline chooses to enter Brown university is very correct, because everyone wants to get the best of things. Although the results are not the same as she had expected. However, The Impressionists choose to be a big fish in the Big Pond. The impressionists consider “Although the Salon is most famous in the world but it very difficult to be the best in this Salon. “If they were off by themselves and held their own show, they wouldn't be bound by the restrictive rules of the salon.”(21 Gladwell ). May be most people think art exhibition is not the right decision. But the impressionists adhere to their own choice, and they get the unexpected result. Finally, Carline Sacks decides to go to Brown university and the Impressionists made their own art exhibition.

In this object, Elite Institutions should more successful, But Caroline Sacks and the Impressionists get the opposite result. In the first year of Brown university Caroline met trouble her chemistry class. Because she choose a lot of classes and these classes brought huge pressure. and she compare whit other student, this compare let think she is not a good student. From these reason she drop her chemistry class. In the second year she retake this class, but she didn’t get good grade. In the spring semester she enrolled in organic chemistry. “She was a Little Fish in one of the deepest and most competitive ponds in the country- and the experience of comparing herself to all the other brilliant fish shattered her confidence”(32 Gladwell ).Otherwise The Impressionists made their own art exhibition. This art exhibition have one month time and 150 paintings on display. First day have the 157 people to watch this art. After one month, They have the 3500 people join to the art exhibition. They got a lot of positive evaluation, also have some bad evaluation. “In the history of modern, there has never been a more important or more famous exhibition.” (16 Gladwell )Until now, impressionist was the most popular art forms in the world.

This lesson I learned, sometimes be a Big Fish in a Little Pond is better than be a Little Fish in a Big Pond. Simultaneously different choice can bring the different result. But elite Institutions sometimes cannot help you become sussex, also bring the huge pressure for you. Consider their own abilities and needs, to choose the most suitable for their own is the most correct choice.