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People Are Revealing Who Their High School’s “Smartest Kid” Turned Out To Be (35 Stories)

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Long gone are the days when you have to go to reunions to learn what your former classmates are up to. All you need now is social media. Just log into Facebook, Instagram, or some other platform they're on and stalk away. Many share so much of their personal lives that it makes it quite easy.

So when Reddit user Desperate_Bluejay330 asked people "What happened to the smartest kid at your high school?", the replies immediately started pouring in, reminding us that you never really know what the future holds.

Continue scrolling to check out some of the most interesting stories, and don't miss the talk we had about looking back at your past with licensed clinical psychologist, Michael Stein, Psy.D.

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

He does some kind of morbidity projections for a hospital in a major city in Europe. The reason I know this is because in April or May of 2020, he posted on Facebook asking someone to call him because he was afraid he was going to hurt himself. I literally hadn’t talked to this guy since probably 5th grade (we went to the same elementary school and then different middle schools. When we got to high school, he had skipped two grades. We weren’t really friends in high school). It was 9 or 10 at night where I live so probably about 4 am where he lived. It was late, and I was worried nobody would see his post. I couldn’t have lived with myself if he had done something and I hadn’t called. So I called him using Facebook messenger. He was drunk and thinking about jumping off his balcony. His whole job was predicting covid deaths, and the numbers he was coming up with were terrifyingly high (and accurate), but nobody was listening to him. We talked for a long time. We both cried some. It was the weirdest thing - I literally talked him off a ledge. He didn’t jump, and now he seems to be doing great. He quit drinking, got back into running, and got through the pandemic. I think of him often, which is weird considering we were never really what you’d call friends.

TipsyRussell Report

Final score:

469points

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Stein, who runs a team of therapists in Colorado called Anxiety Solutions of Denver, thinks the main motivation that drives us to check up on our past acquaintances is simply comparison.

"People love to compare their own accomplishments to those of others, for better or worse," he told Bored Panda. "That's not necessarily a healthy thing, but it's something a lot of people feel compelled to do. It can feel good to know that your career or relationship status compares favorably to others, but of course that can run the other way as well; it can hurt to see that you have not progressed in life as much as your peers."

"I think the other biggest reason though is just curiosity. People have their set impressions of what their classmates were like in high school and they're curious to know if those classmates turned out how they thought they would. And then a final reason I would say is gossip! People love talking about people, and it can be entertaining to share what you found out, especially if you find something funny about a former acquaintance," Stein explained.

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#2

He became an astronaut, a doctor, AND a Navy seal. And was even nice in high school. Disgusting.

UrFaceIzUrButt Report

Final score:

355points

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#3

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) I married her

BigToneTheSeagull , One zone Studio Report

Final score:

335points

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The psychologist believes that high school can be a precursor for someone's adult life, but that's not always the case.

"By high school, you are likely to have a pretty good idea of a person's academic achievement, and high academic achievement in high school tends to lead to high academic achievement after it, but in terms of a person's personality, that is definitely not set in stone by high school. Personality tends to solidify in our mid-20s, so there is a lot of room for people to change from who they were in high school."

#4

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) I graduated in a class of 18 people (Edit).

I was co-Valedictorian. Thanks to social media and my mother sending me the local paper for years, I can tell you what happened to all of them:

Two are dead. Three are in jail, including my co-Valedictorian (child molestation). Three work in healthcare (RNs and radiologists, etc). One is a FEMA inspector (she’s in Kissimmee right now). Two work for the Cherokee Nation. One is a roofer. One has been fired as a jail guard (violence toward inmates) and kicked out of a church as pastor for embezzlement. One is a high school basketball coach. One is an openly gay cop in Austin, which I find fascinating considering where we came from. Two are meth heads who dropped off the map.

And I got college scholarships, left my shitty town for an English degree and the promise of the Great American Novel. Instead I became a college advisor, married a college professor, had a great kid later in life, and then semi-retired last year to be the single cook at my son’s small private school. Today I made Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas with a roasted tomatillo sauce from scratch. Truly living my best life. #Classof88

Mouse-Direct , Rainer Bleek Report

Final score:

291points

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#5

Valedictorian with perfect SAT. Kind, approachable and funny. Everyone assumed he would want to go into law or become a doctor. Instead learned traditional dance and joined a well respected dance troupe performing at cultural events and weddings. Was honored to have them perform at my wedding. Still an amazing human as far as I know.

Effective_Pie1312 Report

Final score:

271points

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Some predictions, however, are possible. For example, when researchers from the University of Virginia looked at a community sample of 169 adolescents over 10 years (from the time they were age 15 to when they were 25), they found that teen friendships (or the lack of them) may directly impact their long-term mental and emotional health.

"High school students with higher-quality best friendships tended to improve in several aspects of mental health over time, while teens who were popular among their peers during high school may be more prone to social anxiety later in life," said Rachel K. Narr, a Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology, who led the study.

#6

She graduated from college, got married, had 5 kids, and homeschools now. She and her husband lived way below their means, saved every penny, invested in trailer parks, and retired early. She goes on cruises twice a year and makes a mean homebrew in her basement. She is me. Thanks for asking!

Queen_of_Trailers Report

Final score:

242points

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#7

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) He took 6 years to finish college and graduated with a chemical dependency problem that took another 6 years to get over. He has a low key job now and is reliable, if unremarkable. Some would say he never realized his potential, but he's content and doesn't really care what people say.

Dry_Heat , Greta Schölderle Møller Report

Final score:

182points

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Interestingly, neither having a strong best friendship nor being more popular predicted short-term changes in mental health; these differences only became apparent later and they appeared regardless of the youth's experiences in the interim.

"Our study affirms that forming strong close friendships is likely one of the most critical pieces of the teenage social experience," Joseph Allen, Hugh P. Kelly Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, who co-authored the study, added. "Being well-liked by a large group of people cannot take the place of forging deep, supportive friendships. And these experiences stay with us, over and above what happens later. As technology makes it increasingly easy to build a social network of superficial friends, focusing time and attention on cultivating close connections with a few individuals should be a priority."

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#8

Four years after high school graduation, he was driving back to Yale from spring break, weeks from graduating with highest honors, and then starting a Rhodes scholarship, when his car was hit head-on by a truck. He was killed instantly. We all believed he would be the first African American president of the U.S.

tossaroo Report

Final score:

169points

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#9

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) He was actually quite overweight. When he left for college, he was studying physics. Couple of years later, I learned that he lost 175 pounds, became super into fitness, dropped out of college and became a gym trainer.

Apprehensive_Bet_438 , Anastase Maragos Report

Final score:

156points

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Our former classmates aren't the only people from our past we like to keep tabs on. How many times have you "accidentally" looked up your ex?

"These are obviously people that you've had a strong emotional attachment to and the obvious question people want the answer to is whether they found someone new," Dr. Stein said.

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"Again, it's that comparison thing: for better or worse, people want to know if past relationship partners have moved on to someone else, what that person is like, and in general see how they are doing in life. I don't think there are many people who haven't looked up past partners online!"

Quick, someone ask Redditors about this topic!

#10

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) Not my class, like 15 years after I graduated. I visited my hs to see an old teacher who was retiring. While talking to the principle he tells me about this student who was legit one of the most brilliant students the school had had in decades. He wanted to be a chef. (I am one). Cut to the graduation and he is due to give his speech.

The one they approved was totally dropped. He gave a scathing tirade against all the teachers for not supporting him and kept pushing him to not follow his dreams and to just go to regular college. I heard it was brutal.

(Kid had a scholarship to several top culinary programs already, his family owned a successful restaurant).

He is a happy chef. His family doesn’t support the school anymore.

My years smart folks are all married and grandparents by now.

MissMurderpants , ABDALLA M Report

Final score:

151points

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#11

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) Became a doctor, decided it wasnt for her and went to law school. Is currently a barrister as far as I know.

Barnaby_Cuckoldsniff , Stephen Goldberg Report

Final score:

131points

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#12

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) He had a offer to work on a nuclear submarine I s**t you not. But he failed the drug test.

The last person he smoked with. Me.

I felt horrible.

anon , Jeff W Report

Final score:

122points

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#13

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) My best friend was arguably the smartest kid in my school, or one of the smartest. Had a lot of inner demons, passed away young because of those inner demons.

BigBearSD , Jack Lucas Smith Report

Final score:

116points

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#14

He dropped out if uni and became a bartender. Made fun of me and bullied me because i was failing at math and science in hs. Now I have an engineering degree and last I saw him, he was still living with his parents.

XVII_numerus Report

Final score:

114points

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#15

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) He went on to study Business and Chinese and now he's a businessman in China

KatTheFat , Jhon Jim Report

Final score:

112points

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#16

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) I still talk to him. He's a good friend of mine, still. He's an engineer at Google now. I am not.

Endymian , Pawel Czerwinski Report

Final score:

109points

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#17

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) She went to college, got her Master's degree, started medical school, got pregnant and has been a stay at home Mom for 20 years.

YouGuysKilledIt , Tanaphong Toochinda Report

Final score:

108points

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#18

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) I was friends with the guy who had the 2nd highest GPA in our class. He created a business renting out and managing office equipment. I lost touch with him, but I just Google his business. It's still open, and he's still the owner, after 15-20 years. Glassdoor says it's worth 5 to 25 million USD.

YeePepper , Peter van Eijk Report

Final score:

107points

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#19

I was the smartest in my school, I am now in university and have become the depressed average student with no skills or social life.

AvocadoMysterious732 Report

Final score:

105points

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#20

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) Went to West Point. Knocked up his girlfriend his junior year, so automatically disqualified from attending (you couldn't have dependents and attend a military academy at the time, not sure if that is still true). Married the girl, got divorced a couple of years later.

Enlisted in the Army to fulfill his service obligation, finally became an officer in his early 30s and is now flying blackhawks. Got remarried and has two kids with the new wife. Seems genuinely happy.

bagboysa , U.S. Department of Defense Report

Final score:

99points

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#21

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) The one older than me went to MIT and then Stanford. He’s doing something tech related in Silicon Valley or something like that.

The one younger than me (and I never knew he was this smart) wound up at Harvard Medical and then was a Fulbright Scholar. He’s a doctor in New England somewhere and his wife is also a Harvard doctor.

Thirty_Helens_Agree , Johny Georgiadis Report

Final score:

92points

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#22

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) Has 6 kids to 5 different fathers & is currently being investigated for massive benefit fraud.

Legendof1983 , Vitolda Klein Report

Final score:

91points

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#23

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) He went to college and double majored in business and biomechanical engineering at a very good school. Graduated, and is apparently doing research for some big company. Dude is smart as f**k.

BrilliantWeight , National Cancer Institute Report

Final score:

90points

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#24

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) He's a NASA scientist, while I just come on Reddit

superdupernumnuts , NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Report

Final score:

89points

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#25

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) Last I saw our class valedictorian, 40 years ago - when we were about 21, he bragged about he and a couple of friends breaking into a logging company's powder shack to steal the explosives. He was disappointed that they failed to ignite under the bridge they had selected.

It is very depressing to know that I'm stupider than him.

lumberjack_jeff , Nikita Pavlov Report

Final score:

84points

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#26

After graduation at our high school, he did four years of University, I went to his wedding right after University Graduation. She was probably the smartest girl at our high School. Got a job with Lockheed Martin real quick. Nobody has seen him since. I could see him in a top secret government lab inventing anti gravity flight. Whenever I hear about a UFO sighting, I say “ Oh that’s just Bill”

Max_Tongueweight Report

Final score:

84points

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#27

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) He lives in the same small village he was living in when we were in school, is married with kids and apparently works in an office in the nearest town. He had aspirations of becoming a surgeon when we were in school, it didn't happen, but it sounds like he's living a good life regardless

zerbey , Juliane Liebermann Report

Final score:

77points

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#28

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) He was my investment advisor. I wasn’t overly impressed with him but I trusted him. We are all retired now.

Hamfiter , Scott Graham Report

Final score:

75points

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#29

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) He barely graduated due to giving up on public school, joined the army for one term to get out of his rural improvised town. He struggled for 15+ years to make ends meet and at his mid 40s is finally buying a house and is on track to retire at 55.

Being the smartest out of a class of 100 isn't that exceptional.

Festernd , Specna Arms Report

Final score:

71points

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#30

She got her Ph.D in Chemistry from Harvard and is now Dean of the Science Department at our local state university, of about 20k students. Went to a high school in a town of about 4,500 people. Still see her occasionally.

PhillyCSteaky Report

Final score:

71points

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#31

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) Completely fell off the radar. I assume he's running some sort of nefarious thinktank for a huge tech company or something.

ckuiper , U.S. Army DEVCOM Report

Final score:

70points

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#32

The smartest kid: Went to an esteemed Aerospace university but had to move back home due to medical issues. No idea what happened to him there.

The valedictorian (smartest on paper): Works as an OBGYN in upstate New York.

The most successful: A musical tiktok star with 12 million followers.

PhreedomPhighter Report

Final score:

70points

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#33

So the valedictorian is a dentist. The person I believe is the actual smartest person (I think she was 3rd in our class) is getting her PhD in physics of some sort.

couchmonster2920 Report

Final score:

70points

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#34

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) Professor at Cambridge University

TimothyBenn , Miguel Henriques Report

Final score:

63points

#35

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) Male: Got a 4.0 from a top public university, studied Financial Mathematics, became a quantitative Trader

Female: Graduated Summa Cum Laude from an Ivy and is now in Medical School

Desperate_Bluejay330 , National Cancer Institute Report

Final score:

62points

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#36

Graduated college early, worked with data/stats, quit the job to raise her kids and bake fancy cookies. Seems genuinely happy.

intrntvato Report

Final score:

30points

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#37

Smartest girl: is enrolled in a special Law program which takes 6+1 years to complete, saw her on the news recently for scoring all of her year's exams cum laude.

Smartest boy: dropped off the face of the Earth internet-wise, no activity from his social media whatsoever, so I can't tell you.

Sinistrail Report

Final score:

30points

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#38

One studied medicine and emigrated to Australia. He's a flying doctor now.

The other, who did even better at A levels stayed in the small town we went to school in and got a job in a bank. She never went to university as it was against her parents' wishes - despite her lifelong dream of teaching. I have no idea what happened to her, she never got social media, it's like she dropped off the face of the earth.

mordenty Report

Final score:

29points

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#39

Columbia Med School. Brain surgeon.

billstrash Report

Final score:

28points

#40

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) He's a scientist (something related to nutrition) and a big fitness Youtuber

Digrug , AQVIEWS Report

Final score:

27points

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#41

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) Got falsely accused of SA

Won the court case after proving he wasn't in the town when the SA supposedly happened

Nearly unalived himself

Got sent to US where he now is

CodeFighterUB , Jon Tyson Report

Final score:

27points

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#42

She went to U Miami, became a lawyer, got addicted to cocaine and died of an OD.
Doesn’t matter how smart you are.

Final score:

27points

#43

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) She's currently going to medical school at Duke University.

ZTH-Yankee , Ani Kolleshi Report

Final score:

26points

#44

Stanford, dot com millionaire, married the homecoming Queen.

kategoad Report

Final score:

25points

#45

Working for NASA as an aerospace engineer.

valaliane Report

Final score:

25points

#46

Dropped out of med school and is a Kindergarten teacher.

Skastrik Report

Final score:

25points

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#47

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) There were 3 I would argue were the smartest. They were all neck and neck for the valedictorian and salutatorian title. 2 of them I was never really close to so I have no idea what they're doing exactly. One of them moved out half way across the country and had a child and the other was a johovahs witness and there was something about them not being allowed to go to university for what they wanted to do. Other than that I don't know what they're doing.

The other was actually a good friend I knew since the 3rd grade but we fell in and out of each other's lives. Life changed directions for them as far as aspirations go. Originally he was part way through a master's program for human kinetics but he realized it wasn't going to pan out as expected so he went into teaching. Now he's married, has a kid and overall happy I believe.

wert989 , Kenny Eliason Report

Final score:

24points

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#48

He’s a Captain for the US Navy.

AdjectivesOfInsanity Report

Final score:

24points

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#49

He went to Oxford Uni.

I couldn’t stand the kid, but his life’s going pretty well so fair play to him.

He had that arrogance about him, that just made you want to punch him in the face, but he was too scrawny to punch without looking like an a*****e.

LoserAntics Report

Final score:

23points

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#50

One's a Partner for a highly renowned financial firm. The other is either a surgeon, or in his residency to become one.

bangersnmash13 Report

Final score:

22points

#51

Planned for med school from the time I met him in 8th grade. Even signed yearbooks "MD2B". Went to med school through the program where the military will pay for a few years service. Somehow, through his Air Force service, started working for National Security. Never became an actual doctor.

GreenEyes9678 Report

Final score:

22points

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#52

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) Knew a guy who was really smart, but also was kind of a s**t bag. He got caught a couple years back producing a ton of Fentanyl at his aunt or grandmas house I think.

el_payaso_mas_chulo , Joel Overbeck Report

Final score:

21points

#53

I became a lawyer, live alone and feel unfulfilled

p1zza_face89 Report

Final score:

20points

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#54

Went and got a doctorate in physics and now works as a logistics corrosive m coordinator for an energy company.

Velfurion Report

Final score:

20points

#55

Last I heard he was a well known, very successful attorney in Massachusetts.

BravesFan252 Report

Final score:

19points

#56

Funny, she didn't pass the admition exam for the carreer she wanted in Uni. Three years after she finally got in, she was expelled for cheating.

Final score:

19points

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#57

Got a scholarship to Harvard. No idea what happened after she gave her valedictorian speech.

Final score:

19points

#58

People Are Revealing Who Their High School's "Smartest Kid" Turned Out To Be (35 Stories) he had disappeared, and since nobody heard about him

peag , Andrik Langfield Report

Final score:

18points

#59

Teaches English in Japan

MainShow23 Report

Final score:

17points

#60

He now works at my old high school. Teaching Math. He was smart as s**t, but as ambitious as a slug

Radiant_Salary520 Report

Final score:

16points

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#61

Dated me for about 4 years (first mistake).

Was Valedictorian.

Went to Duke University.

Last I heard she dropped out her sophomore year right after we broke up, but I don't know what happened after that. This was nearly 20 years ago.

That was the high school I graduated from. The previous high school I went to:

Was Valedictorian.

Went to Texas A&M.

Got kicked out for setting a couch on fire on the quad.

SweetCosmicPope Report

Final score:

16points

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#62

Brain surgeon.

Remarkable-Estate775 Report

Final score:

16points

#63

Got a scholarship to become a civil servant. Will eventually have a hand in running the country

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Final score:

16points

#64

We had two: one is a music producer getting her PhD to become a professor, the other is Disguised Toast.

I am on reddit with a bag of nachos.

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Final score:

16points

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#65

He was gay and now is a gay priest.

Final score:

16points

#66

Became a pretty successful lawyer.

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Final score:

15points

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College Student Does Exactly As Told After Roommates Demand They Keep Their Stuff In Their Room

Rokas Laurinavičius

Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

Mantas Kačerauskas

As a Visual Editor at Bored Panda, I indulge in the joy of curating delightful content, from adorable pet photos to hilarious memes, all while nurturing my wanderlust and continuously seeking new adventures and interests—sometimes thrilling, sometimes daunting, but always exciting!

As a Visual Editor at Bored Panda, I indulge in the joy of curating delightful content, from adorable pet photos to hilarious memes, all while nurturing my wanderlust and continuously seeking new adventures and interests—sometimes thrilling, sometimes daunting, but always exciting!

What do you think ?

Bobby 2 years ago

It was me. I was the smart kid. After school I made one terrible decision after another and it took a 5 year vacation from the world courtesy of the department of Justice to get my head out of my a*s and stop blaming the world for my problems. Now I'm a father of 3 lovely children and have a wife who is supporting of me and helping me get back to school to pursue my passions. Our hope is that if I can make it as a freelancer making close to what she does as a travel sleep tech we'll be able to each only work 6 months a year and take all of summer off with our kids

16points

GirlFriday 2 years ago

The smartest guy in my high school went on to graduate from West Point and about 2 after his graduation from there, he was arrested, tried and found guilty of molesting and trafficking several children. He is prison now and probably won't ever get out. That is a good thing.

11points

John Ambrose 2 years ago

The one really smart guy I was friends with got a bunch of scholarships for one of the best universities in our state. Some kind of computer science, it was the 90s. First year of school got involved in a toxic relationship. She lied about being pregnant, cheated on him and all that. When they broke up, he quit everything. School, job, life. Ended up being a pretty successful musician a couple years later. He got into drugs for a while but, luckily, quit the lifestyle before it killed him. I remember seeing him once when we were about 30 and he was as skinny and pale as a skeleton. Now he's in grad school to be a veterinarian.

11points

Leo Domitrix 2 years ago

Grades aren't always intelligence. And luck and so forth play parts. Let's face it, if you graduate top of the class in Nowhere, vs top of the class at a fancy preparatory school? Your options right there are different.

8points

madbakes 2 years ago

It has taken me a good amount of therapy to truly accept this and not beat myself up too badly.

5points

Load More Replies...

Casey Burns 2 years ago

The smartest woman in our class became a NASA aerospace engineer. Monanika was her name.

7points

Wysteria_Rose 2 years ago

Smartest person was my best friend and still is, though we live far apart and can't talk as much anymore. She now teaches at our high school and works alongside her mom, but she has her own house and plans to have kids on her own someday. I'm proud of her!

5points

howdylee 2 years ago

Of my graduating class (about 100 students per grade): 1 is a veterinarian, 1 is a lawyer, 1 is an aviation engineer, several RN's & teachers, I am an architect, and this is just the women! 1 guy was/is an engineer for NASA. Most of the loud mouths never got out of town and aren't doing anything exciting (not saying they're not happy, just not as accomplished on paper.) We had quite the group of quiet, determined women in our class!

4points

Chich 2 years ago

I kept track of pretty much no one from HS. It and hometown were completely in the rearview mirror the day I graduated.

3points

Michael Largey 2 years ago

The first valedictorian from our school went to a prestigious college and then became a priest. He worked his way up the order and ended up at a very young age the president of a major Catholic university. Then he was exposed as a pedophile, and all that came crashing down. I was not surprised. He always had been the picture of smug entitlement and felt he deserved anything he wanted. He refused to express any remorse.

3points

S 2 years ago

If we're talking valedictorian.. She's a doctor, married to a doctor, and they just had their first child. We still keep in touch, she was a close friend when were young. Fb is great for staying connected. We both still live in the town we graduated from (hs grad in 2011).

3points

Ahimsa Soul 2 years ago

The smartest kids in my school (there were quite a few), went to college, took the degree they dreamt of, and prioritised travelling, living and working abroad, before having their own business. Most of them married relatively late and have children. They seem happy and are kind to me now as they were as when we were kids.

3points

Benita Valdez 2 years ago

I was friends with the smartest kid and he dropped everything at his girlfriends prodding to get married and have kids right after high-school. She was his first girlfriend and a terrible person who convinced him not to pursue anything, move hundreds of miles away and just marry her. Last I heard he was utterly miserable, hated her, resented the kids that he never wanted and couldn't divorce her because of his religion.

2points

Miranda Small 2 years ago

Smartest girl (on paper) was from a wealthy family and was very entitled. She was pretty mean, couldn't understand that some people just didn't have the same money that her family did. She went to an expensive private university. Suddenly there were people much richer than she was. She maxed out several credit cards, and I guess in desperate attempt to pay them off, she agreed to rob this guy by pretending to go on a date with him. Her partner actually killed the guy, they were both arrested, and she was sentenced to time served and 5 years probation. Her parents divorced over it.

2points

lila marie 2 years ago

The smartest kid in my class was headhunted by Microsoft freshman year of college and has been working with them ever since. The smartest kid ever was a year ahead of me and we dated for a couple of years in high school. Last I knew he was working with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (something like that) happily married for almost twenty years to someone he met in college with two kids. Probably teenagers by now.

1point

Jasam Nitko 2 years ago

The three smartest in my class went on a joy ride on graduation night. One of them survived the crash but is paralyzed. He blew all his insurance money on booze and drugs. He was not doing that well the last time I talked to him, but it was 15 years ago so he might be doing better now. The two guys at the "bottom" of our class contacted me a couple of years ago, and they are living their best lives. Still best friends, still quirky, and still down to earth. They run a business together, as they planned to when we were kids. One teacher once told them that no one would hire them because of their low grades. Their solution was to hire themselves. Maybe that makes them the smartest?

1point

LynzCatastrophe 2 years ago

A plethora of smart kids in my graduating class. We live in a small town and all once used to define success as leaving. The smart classmates ended up staying: most are stay at home moms, the males ended up as port workers or construction. I'd say being a port worker pays lots but you wouldn't guess that based on rental rates or housing prices here. Those who were average students or barely managed to graduate? All left. I was an average student, I have a degree from a major university that I can't use because I came back to this hometown because hubby got a job here. I'm massively unhappy living here and planning to leave.

1point

Scarlett 2 years ago

They’ve gotten into great colleges (Ivy league), made tons of friends, love their majors, and seem to be living their best life. They’re my best friends and I wish them well. I used to be smart and now I’m a depressed mess of a senior who’s going to community college and probably has no future or chance to get out of this miserable state.

1point

Leo Domitrix 2 years ago

Don't kid yourself. I seemed that way and was suicidal. I'd probably have been healthier if I *had* admitted i was a depressed mess. You're already one step ahead of me at that age. And there is a chance. Always. My life is nowhere near what it was then. Gentle hugs.

5points

Load More Replies...

Hannahbanana007 X 1 year ago

'The most succesful: 12 million subs on Tiktok'. Tell me you're American without telling me you're American.

0points

Starlee Martin 2 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

0points

Dodo 2 years ago

Not *the* smartest but one of the best in my class: had a mental breakdown, quit school before final exams. Never did any form of higher education, lived with their parents well into their 30s. Depression and anxiety, no job, no love life, no friends.

0points

Dre Mosley 2 years ago

He became a doctor.

0points

Rubyjune 2 years ago

Our smartest girl was a snotty b***h. I'm so glad I was never invited to reunions and don't care where she ended up!

0points

kath morgan 2 years ago

I don’t know about school-wide, but in my friend group; she got her doctorate and is in academia in her chosen field. Very proud :)

0points

Silre 2 years ago

I graduated with this guy who was a huge nerd and now he's a fitness/romance cover model.

0points

censorshipsucks 2 years ago

why is this thread full of american examples? what is a valedictorian?

0points

waddles 2 years ago

valedictorian is the person who gets the highest grades

1point

Load More Replies...

Leo Domitrix 2 years ago

I'm guessing you don't realize Canada also uses the term "valedictorian", too? I know, it's crazy, these Anglophone nations not using old Latin titles like "dux". The term derives b/c the top student is usually the one to give a farewell address at graduation (from Latin: to speak farewells).

0points

Aaron Strickland 2 years ago

Google is your friend.

0points

Bobby 2 years ago

It was me. I was the smart kid. After school I made one terrible decision after another and it took a 5 year vacation from the world courtesy of the department of Justice to get my head out of my a*s and stop blaming the world for my problems. Now I'm a father of 3 lovely children and have a wife who is supporting of me and helping me get back to school to pursue my passions. Our hope is that if I can make it as a freelancer making close to what she does as a travel sleep tech we'll be able to each only work 6 months a year and take all of summer off with our kids

16points

GirlFriday 2 years ago

The smartest guy in my high school went on to graduate from West Point and about 2 after his graduation from there, he was arrested, tried and found guilty of molesting and trafficking several children. He is prison now and probably won't ever get out. That is a good thing.

11points

John Ambrose 2 years ago

The one really smart guy I was friends with got a bunch of scholarships for one of the best universities in our state. Some kind of computer science, it was the 90s. First year of school got involved in a toxic relationship. She lied about being pregnant, cheated on him and all that. When they broke up, he quit everything. School, job, life. Ended up being a pretty successful musician a couple years later. He got into drugs for a while but, luckily, quit the lifestyle before it killed him. I remember seeing him once when we were about 30 and he was as skinny and pale as a skeleton. Now he's in grad school to be a veterinarian.

11points

Leo Domitrix 2 years ago

Grades aren't always intelligence. And luck and so forth play parts. Let's face it, if you graduate top of the class in Nowhere, vs top of the class at a fancy preparatory school? Your options right there are different.

8points

madbakes 2 years ago

It has taken me a good amount of therapy to truly accept this and not beat myself up too badly.

5points

Load More Replies...

Casey Burns 2 years ago

The smartest woman in our class became a NASA aerospace engineer. Monanika was her name.

7points

Wysteria_Rose 2 years ago

Smartest person was my best friend and still is, though we live far apart and can't talk as much anymore. She now teaches at our high school and works alongside her mom, but she has her own house and plans to have kids on her own someday. I'm proud of her!

5points

howdylee 2 years ago

Of my graduating class (about 100 students per grade): 1 is a veterinarian, 1 is a lawyer, 1 is an aviation engineer, several RN's & teachers, I am an architect, and this is just the women! 1 guy was/is an engineer for NASA. Most of the loud mouths never got out of town and aren't doing anything exciting (not saying they're not happy, just not as accomplished on paper.) We had quite the group of quiet, determined women in our class!

4points

Chich 2 years ago

I kept track of pretty much no one from HS. It and hometown were completely in the rearview mirror the day I graduated.

3points

Michael Largey 2 years ago

The first valedictorian from our school went to a prestigious college and then became a priest. He worked his way up the order and ended up at a very young age the president of a major Catholic university. Then he was exposed as a pedophile, and all that came crashing down. I was not surprised. He always had been the picture of smug entitlement and felt he deserved anything he wanted. He refused to express any remorse.

3points

S 2 years ago

If we're talking valedictorian.. She's a doctor, married to a doctor, and they just had their first child. We still keep in touch, she was a close friend when were young. Fb is great for staying connected. We both still live in the town we graduated from (hs grad in 2011).

3points

Ahimsa Soul 2 years ago

The smartest kids in my school (there were quite a few), went to college, took the degree they dreamt of, and prioritised travelling, living and working abroad, before having their own business. Most of them married relatively late and have children. They seem happy and are kind to me now as they were as when we were kids.

3points

Benita Valdez 2 years ago

I was friends with the smartest kid and he dropped everything at his girlfriends prodding to get married and have kids right after high-school. She was his first girlfriend and a terrible person who convinced him not to pursue anything, move hundreds of miles away and just marry her. Last I heard he was utterly miserable, hated her, resented the kids that he never wanted and couldn't divorce her because of his religion.

2points

Miranda Small 2 years ago

Smartest girl (on paper) was from a wealthy family and was very entitled. She was pretty mean, couldn't understand that some people just didn't have the same money that her family did. She went to an expensive private university. Suddenly there were people much richer than she was. She maxed out several credit cards, and I guess in desperate attempt to pay them off, she agreed to rob this guy by pretending to go on a date with him. Her partner actually killed the guy, they were both arrested, and she was sentenced to time served and 5 years probation. Her parents divorced over it.

2points

lila marie 2 years ago

The smartest kid in my class was headhunted by Microsoft freshman year of college and has been working with them ever since. The smartest kid ever was a year ahead of me and we dated for a couple of years in high school. Last I knew he was working with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (something like that) happily married for almost twenty years to someone he met in college with two kids. Probably teenagers by now.

1point

Jasam Nitko 2 years ago

The three smartest in my class went on a joy ride on graduation night. One of them survived the crash but is paralyzed. He blew all his insurance money on booze and drugs. He was not doing that well the last time I talked to him, but it was 15 years ago so he might be doing better now. The two guys at the "bottom" of our class contacted me a couple of years ago, and they are living their best lives. Still best friends, still quirky, and still down to earth. They run a business together, as they planned to when we were kids. One teacher once told them that no one would hire them because of their low grades. Their solution was to hire themselves. Maybe that makes them the smartest?

1point

LynzCatastrophe 2 years ago

A plethora of smart kids in my graduating class. We live in a small town and all once used to define success as leaving. The smart classmates ended up staying: most are stay at home moms, the males ended up as port workers or construction. I'd say being a port worker pays lots but you wouldn't guess that based on rental rates or housing prices here. Those who were average students or barely managed to graduate? All left. I was an average student, I have a degree from a major university that I can't use because I came back to this hometown because hubby got a job here. I'm massively unhappy living here and planning to leave.

1point

Scarlett 2 years ago

They’ve gotten into great colleges (Ivy league), made tons of friends, love their majors, and seem to be living their best life. They’re my best friends and I wish them well. I used to be smart and now I’m a depressed mess of a senior who’s going to community college and probably has no future or chance to get out of this miserable state.

1point

Leo Domitrix 2 years ago

Don't kid yourself. I seemed that way and was suicidal. I'd probably have been healthier if I *had* admitted i was a depressed mess. You're already one step ahead of me at that age. And there is a chance. Always. My life is nowhere near what it was then. Gentle hugs.

5points

Load More Replies...

Hannahbanana007 X 1 year ago

'The most succesful: 12 million subs on Tiktok'. Tell me you're American without telling me you're American.

0points

Starlee Martin 2 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

0points

Dodo 2 years ago

Not *the* smartest but one of the best in my class: had a mental breakdown, quit school before final exams. Never did any form of higher education, lived with their parents well into their 30s. Depression and anxiety, no job, no love life, no friends.

0points

Dre Mosley 2 years ago

He became a doctor.

0points

Rubyjune 2 years ago

Our smartest girl was a snotty b***h. I'm so glad I was never invited to reunions and don't care where she ended up!

0points

kath morgan 2 years ago

I don’t know about school-wide, but in my friend group; she got her doctorate and is in academia in her chosen field. Very proud :)

0points

Silre 2 years ago

I graduated with this guy who was a huge nerd and now he's a fitness/romance cover model.

0points

censorshipsucks 2 years ago

why is this thread full of american examples? what is a valedictorian?

0points

waddles 2 years ago

valedictorian is the person who gets the highest grades

1point

Load More Replies...

Leo Domitrix 2 years ago

I'm guessing you don't realize Canada also uses the term "valedictorian", too? I know, it's crazy, these Anglophone nations not using old Latin titles like "dux". The term derives b/c the top student is usually the one to give a farewell address at graduation (from Latin: to speak farewells).

0points

Aaron Strickland 2 years ago

Google is your friend.

0points

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