Every school had a certified genius. They were the valedictorian, the kid who ruined the grading curve, the person whose future seemed like a straight, golden road paved with scholarships and success. We all just assumed they were destined to change the world.
But life after graduation is rarely a straight line. An online community asked a fascinating question: what actually happened to the smartest person you went to school with? The answers are a surprising mix of incredible achievements, quiet contentment, and heartbreaking struggles.
More info: Reddit
#1
She married me, which I guess makes me the smartest person I went to school with.
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#2
She’s a Harvard professor.
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#3
One is single with a doctorate traveling when their job allows, the other is married, several kids, strong respectable career. Both really good, kind people.
Image source: Popcornulogy, tsyhun
Our relationship with the “smartest kid” in school was always a little complicated. As the business psychology site Workology points out, we have a tendency to both admire and resent overachievers. They were the living, breathing embodiment of the grading curve, the person our parents would subtly (or not-so-subtly) compare us to.
This complex mix of awe and envy is why we’re so fascinated by what happened to them. We’re secretly hungry to know if they lived up to the monumental expectations or if they became, well, just like the rest of us.
#4
We had a girl who was so musically talented, she got a free ride to Juilliard. She wound up not going to take care of her sick father, and within a few years was gone from an aggressive ovarian cancer. It’s never easy to see young people go, but her fate just seemed so extra harsh.
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#5
Hes a mechanical engineer for an oil & gas company now with a nice new home and a beautiful family.
Image source: BallsoMeatBait, aleksandarlittlewolf
#6
My husband is a PhD physicist, his old college friends are all PhD physicists, and all his coworkers have PhDs. I am absolutely drowning in brain cells that aren’t mine.
So when I met his boss, who, by the way, is literally one of the top experts in the world in his field, we were hosting a community event for homeschool kids and adults with special needs. I didn’t know who he was yet, so I just… made assumptions. I cheerfully guided him around like a guest who needed a little extra support, made sure he got cookies and cocoa, and even complimented him on his “great grasp of the topic” while giving him a tour of his own equipment.
Then we ran into my husband, and I realized I had been gently supervising a world-class genius.
The next day, his boss went out of his way to tell my husband how kind his wife is. He literally just thinks I’m wholesome.
Image source: NefariousAloe, freepik
For some of the geniuses in these stories, the sad truth is that their best years were behind them by the time they tossed their graduation caps. This is the classic “peaked in high school” phenomenon. As psychology writer Marielisa Reyes explains, the signs are all too familiar.
These are the people who still talk about their high school achievements as if they just happened, who try to relive the glory days, and who often look down on the success of their former classmates. For these individuals, the “smartest kid” label became less of a launching pad and more of a golden cage they could never quite escape.
#7
He graduated from MIT.
naturalninetime replied:
The smartest guy I knew was my high school valedictorian, but he was a few years ahead of me. All of the teachers would talk about him for years to come. Not only was he a brilliant student – he was also supposedly very humble and kind.
I just checked out his LinkedIn. A.B. in Mathematics from Harvard, Master’s in Philosophy from Oxford, and a PhD in Economics from MIT. It looks like he went into finance and is currently a Vice President at Zillow. Not sure what I’d expected, but I hope that he is still humble and kind 35 years later.
Image source: dedinthehed, The Yuri Arcurs Collection
#8
Owns a vineyard in California.
Image source: Scootergirlkick, EyeEm
#9
Wanted to be a Doctor, graduated undergrad with a 4.0, passed the MCAT with basically a perfect score, got into every med school they wanted. Then their dad said “hey, I want to retire from farming and I’ll give you the entire operation as long as your mom and I can live in the second house. I suggest you do the math.” So yeah, they are a chicken farmer now.
In Canada, chicken farming is printing money because of the quota system and it’s super easy as far as farming goes. They were straight up handed a massive operation that was already fully paid off.
Image source: frankyseven, The Yuri Arcurs Collection
For many, the “smartest kid” label is an incredibly heavy burden instead of a golden ticket. As an NPR report highlighted, being labeled “most likely to succeed” comes with a crushing weight of expectation and an intense fear of failure. When you’re told from a young age that you’re a genius, the thought of being average can feel like the worst fate of all.
This pressure can lead to burnout, an unwillingness to take creative risks, and a life spent chasing the approval of others instead of their own happiness. This is the story behind the valedictorian who dropped out of college or the prodigy who chose a quiet, low-stakes life. Not because they failed, but because they finally chose to stop trying to live up to everyone else’s idea of success.
#10
He left us. He was hiking in Mexico and he got altitude sickness. His hiking partner thought he was okay and went on without him. His body wasn’t found for a few weeks, but they estimate he was gone two days before his 24th birthday. I met his fiancée at his funeral.
We had known each other since kindergarten. He was one of my best friends. We were co-valedictorians of our class, but he was smarter. I had to work hard to keep up with him.
We went in different directions after high school, but we stayed in sporadic contact. This was before we all had a phone in our pocket.
Our last conversation was a week or so before his trip to Mexico. He was excited, and he wanted me to meet his new fiancée as soon as we could manage it. I was making a hard pivot from my chosen career path into something else, and I was feeling a little lost. The last thing he said to me was, “You’ll be fine. You’re the smartest guy I know.”
I’m still not over it. I don’t think I ever will be.
Image source: badwolf1013, EyeEm
#11
He’s a super nerd at the PNW National Laboratory.
He dropped out in 9th grade due to bullying, went to community college, went to veterinary school and got a BS in animal science, got a MS in Genetics & Cell Biology, then went and got a MS in electrical engineering.
Image source: mixreality, freepik
#12
He is the head civil engineer for a major city. Funny story about him. He was the ultimate troll before trolls were even a thing. He tricked most of the teachers into thinking he was barely literate. This went on for years and years. It wasn’t until he took the ACT and SAT and blew them out of the water that the staff realized he had been messing with them for nearly a decade.
I miss that dude. He was fun to be around.
Image source: TakingCareOfBizzness, freepik
Of course, sometimes the prophecy comes true. History is full of people who were voted “most likely to succeed” and then actually did, often in spectacular fashion. The late, great Robin Williams, known for his genius-level comedic improv, was given the title by his high school classmates.
Actress Reese Witherspoon was another “most likely to succeed” who more than lived up to the title. These stories are also a reminder that while the pressure can be immense, some people have the talent, drive, and resilience to meet those high expectations and then soar right past them.
#13
He became a dentist at like age 23 lol dude got like a ton of scholarships, not to mention he was a really fit guy, was in rotc, had a bunch of medals from that, im glad I became friends with him senior year cause he was a cool dude.
Image source: RealEz3, macniak
#14
He had aspirations to learn and spend his entire life learning. I thought he was going to go into engineering or science as he was a textbook introvert and loved reading books. As ridiculous as it sounds I really thought he was going to change the world in some way.
We spent our senior year working on Physics projects together and studying calculus to prepare for college and graduated ready to take on life. Then came the cancer (Acute Myeloid Leukemia). In a matter of a year he was a physical shell of himself, but he was still good spirits. He never admitted to the pain but it seemed like it was constant and agonizing.
He left us after 2 years of battling it. RIP CB, you would have changed the world. I hope one day we can play one more round of civilizations on the pc.
Image source: Husky_Engineer, freepik
#15
Jobless and posts wild conspiracy theories to his socials.
4.0 GPA, Honors in high school 32 on ACT, full ride to college masters degree came out making 6 figures flamed out in 2.5 years in the workforce.
Image source: woundedgoose28, SkelDry
So, what’s the final verdict on the “smartest kid”? The stories from the online thread paint a beautifully messy and human picture. Some are Harvard professors, some are conspiracy theorists, some are happy chicken farmers, and some are still living in their hometown.
The ultimate takeaway is that high school potential is a wildly unreliable predictor of adult happiness. The real world doesn’t have a grading curve, and “success” turns out to be a far more complex and personal equation than any of us could have imagined at seventeen.
Do you know what happened to your golden student? Share their stories in the comments!
#16
She’s a veterinarian. It isn’t easy to become a vet, but she aced it. Never married and lives alone with her cats and dogs. She’s a great person.
Image source: BrainPainn, freepik
#17
He is a PhD astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins.
Image source: though-, sambathdara95
#18
She married my college roommate and now does…something she’s not allowed to talk about. She was computer science in college though.
Image source: whyisthissticky, pvproductions
#19
Last thing I heard was they got a neuroscience degree at Oxford .
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#20
She’s sitting right here just scrolling thru her Reddit feed.
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#21
After graduating from college (done science/engineering degree) he strayed from his parents’ plan for his future and became a poet and actor.
Image source: ConsciousStart8934, Jakob Owens
#22
It’s quite a sad story- she actually had a heart attack when she was about 16. She was overweight, but not massively by any means, so I think there were some genetic factors at play.
But she took it as an opportunity to change, started exercising and eating well and lost loads of weight – only to then have a seizure while driving at 21. She never had a seizure before or since, so this was completely unexpected. Thankfully she didn’t crash the car and made a full recovery, but what a horrible hand to be dealt at such a young age.
She went to university, but dropped out after a year due to a combination of ill-health and just not liking the environment.
As far as I know though, she’s now living very happily with her long-term partner, working as a tutor and author. She was born male and transitioned at a fairly young age, so I know she also advocates for trans issues and does talks on the subject. I haven’t seen her in years, but she was one of the kindest, most easy-going people I’ve ever met who never let her struggles get her down, so I love to see her doing well.
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#23
All the smart ones I know all got married kids and just lived average lives. I guess simplicity works for many.
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#24
Made a you tube channel called VSause. Was always weird trying to watch his channel.
Image source: Kenichero, Vsauce
#25
MIT, Hughes Aerospace, Princeton, NASA, DARPA. I think he retired recently. He was smarter than the actual valedictorian, who became a dermatologist.
Image source: Blecher_onthe_Hudson, reskp
#26
I looked him up recently, and found a series of post graduate level physics lectures he taught about some sort of field theory. Apparently after his post doc fellowship at gather he is now a professor of theoretical physics.
Was a chill dude all things considered, but am not surprised that’s where he ended up…
Image source: Grinder969, Getty Images
#27
She had a burn out in college. She got better.
Image source: ApeOver, Getty Images
#28
Define smartest.
If you mean valedictorian, he ended up going to college, turned from a straight A+ student to a straight D student, dropped out, got married then divorced, and I just laughed from that point because he was always a jerk to me specifically.
Image source: KiraTsukasa, Getty Images
#29
Ended up in jail for stupidity. Had a full ride and decided that stealing and selling stuff was intelligent.
Was on his way to being a chemical engineer. Now I have no idea where he is now.
Image source: trying_again_7, Ron Lach
#30
Define smart? Our valedictorian became a phd and is a college professor. But the guy with the highest IQ suffers from deep depression, is gay, alone, unhappy and works as a server in a mid-tier chain restaurant in our home town.
#31
One got a PhD and became a rocket scientist.
The other dropped out, sold an invention, retired at 24, and has spent the last 10 years drinking cheap vodka straight from the bottle while re-watching the same 3 TV shows all day.
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#32
Gastroenterologist.
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#33
Went to an Ivy League school and married the nicest girl in our class. He really was Mr Everthing.
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#34
One of them went on to Harvard and then Stanford for a PhD in chemical and biological engineering, and went on to become one of the top research scientists in the country.
Another one went on to create Pinterest.
And I am currently unemployed.
Image source: cuteight
#35
The last time i’ve heard from him,
I think he is working in INTEL.
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