The Termites: Summary

There are many ways to measure success, and as the reading discusses, there are also many ways to measure intelligence. Though intelligence and success are generally correlated, a high level of traditional intelligence does not always guarantee a high level of success. In the case of the Termites, the scientist Dr. Terman focused his research on traditional measures of intelligence, notably the IQ of individuals. He believed that those individuals with the highest IQs would reach the highest level of success, and while I believe that raw intelligence is important, I also know that creative and divergent thinking is important.

The areas in which one is successful in the past can be good predictors for future success, at least in those areas. There are other factors that I know will influence my success at BGSU beyond simply my GPA in high

There is no way to ensure that a person is successful, because much of success can be dependent on personal attitude. Without taking divergent thinking into account, Dr. Terman believed he had discovered the group of people who would be highly successful in life, but his method of relying on IQ was not perfect by any means. The Termites prove that success is multi-faceted and based on more than raw intelligence. It is important to understand that a high level of traditional intelligence allows people to pass a given threshold, but once a certain IQ is reached, other aspects of successful people must be taken into account. The ACTION program provides many positive experiences during the summer bridge and during the year that will foster other components of success, including people skills and rapport among professors in the field that will truly give the students involved a competitive edged; however, I do not believe that success can ever be