Interesting comment to my tuesday post...

i once asked an iim grad- whose kids go to american schools- so why dont you even talk about them going to iit/iim- he said they just wouldn't be able to compete with the indians. wonder if that is true- indian kids raised in the U.S.A cant cut it competing against the indians from india???????

Well, I would agree with that in terms of cracking the entrance tests for IITs and IIMs. The average kid educated in India tends to be better prepared to handle the stress and the level of preparation required to clear the IIT JEE or the IIM CAT. The JEE is pretty advanced by high school standards in the USA. The CAT is extremely analytical and time sensitive. It requires a lot of prep and quick quant skills.

Having said that, I think these are primarily because of the differences in the educational systems and the culture in the two countries. Its got nothing to do with IQ. The educational system in India ensures that one learns a lot of math, science or commerce while still in high school compared to the US. Culturally too, Indians have biases towards science, engineering, medicine and CA. Undergrad options in arts and humanities are not as popular in India compared to the US, primarily because careers in such areas are not lucrative for the average Indian. Besides, Americans tend to start working while still in school but for Indians, the first job is something that comes only after atleast your undergrad degree because of which there is that much pressure to undergo an undergrad degree that can fetch you a job.