The only thing holding me back is math. I can do all the basics, but it takes me a bit. Which is why I think I'm pretty dumb.
Poll: How smart are you?
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A lot of people here are unquestionably considering themselves smart because they receive good grades at school or university, high IQ, or whatever; which does nothing but display a total lack of wisdom.
Talking to really smart people, you instantly know it - and it frankly doesn't happen particularly often. A lot of people here aren't even above average, I'd reckon, they are just deluded.
People here get good grades, but do they have informed opinions on politics beyond having a favourite candidate for a given position? Opinions on social issues? Are they reflective and insightful? Are they able to relate to and socialize with people of all kind? It is extremely easy getting good grades in school and uni, if you are willing to put in time and effort and aren't in a toxic environment, but it is much, much harder actually being a smart person.
EDIT: For the record I consider myself above average. I have a very high measured IQ, good grades and all that jazz, but I have been humbled in my adult life. I used to think I was God's gift to mankind, and then I met people who were simply significantly more intelligent than me. Geniuses. Those are the creme de la creme. Not me.
---Just noticed this is a six year old thread. Damn, it is almost as old as my user. Maybe I have a response in the thread already! What a necro.
Talking to really smart people, you instantly know it - and it frankly doesn't happen particularly often. A lot of people here aren't even above average, I'd reckon, they are just deluded.
People here get good grades, but do they have informed opinions on politics beyond having a favourite candidate for a given position? Opinions on social issues? Are they reflective and insightful? Are they able to relate to and socialize with people of all kind? It is extremely easy getting good grades in school and uni, if you are willing to put in time and effort and aren't in a toxic environment, but it is much, much harder actually being a smart person.
EDIT: For the record I consider myself above average. I have a very high measured IQ, good grades and all that jazz, but I have been humbled in my adult life. I used to think I was God's gift to mankind, and then I met people who were simply significantly more intelligent than me. Geniuses. Those are the creme de la creme. Not me.
---Just noticed this is a six year old thread. Damn, it is almost as old as my user. Maybe I have a response in the thread already! What a necro.
You're not smart for necroing a 2010 thread and posting "." (double warnings?).TZer0 said:
OT- Hard to say. While I did get grade Cs on the basics (Math and Science) but I did redo English (however literature and Speaking and Listenning were C's) (my enthnic background is Chinese before you asked) but since I'm not in school anymore, I am certain my knowledges on those subject had slipped.
I'm slightly smarter than average. Not "genius" level, but still at least a little bit smarter than most people I've known through school. I'd proven this time and time again, understanding stuff ahead of others, when I'm focused or doing a thing I enjoy I outright rock at it, I can often intuitively grasp new concepts faster than others, etc.
However!
This is counterbalanced by my ADD and Aspergers, which makes it so that if it's not something I enjoy doing (say my omnipresent nemesis that is advanced post-calculus math, or if I run into constant roadblocks in my work), I suck at it. For most of my life, this put me aquarely in the average camp, being able to do really well in some courses, and badly in others. But now? Now that University has weeded out most of the average guys (in the compsci field anyway), I'm surrounded by other people who are also (mostly) slightly smarter than average, which means my ADD puts me at a disadvantage compared to them.
It's not helped by the fact that I spent most of my life relying on being able to intuitively grasp concepts and not need to go more than surface level in order to get it. Now that University is all about the more in-depth edge cases that require a dozen formulas and twenty precise steps that can be goofed up in a way that ruins the whole answer if you make a tiny mistake? It makes me wanna scream. Especially when one too many small fuck ups can lead to failure, which leads to having to repeat stuff which leads to the degree goalpost being moved further away..
I have so little patience, focus and self-discipline left at this point (especially after having my imminent graduation punted farther down the road another year or two x_x) that I've got half a mind to just throw my hands up, quit, and try to get into game programming and design without the friggen degree. University has killed so much of my desire to learn, with the way I need to mass-memorize for tests, then forget everything to make room for next semester's mass-memorization only to find out two years later that ooops, I shouldn't have forgotten that first year's info because now it's suddenly the backbone of an entire course. x_x
I used to feel smart, and a lot of people were impressed by how I was able to quickly I can intuit things. Now? At the tail end of 6 years in University, I feel like I'm the dumbest goddamn person in the class and I'm slowly losing the last fucks I have to give. x_x
However!
This is counterbalanced by my ADD and Aspergers, which makes it so that if it's not something I enjoy doing (say my omnipresent nemesis that is advanced post-calculus math, or if I run into constant roadblocks in my work), I suck at it. For most of my life, this put me aquarely in the average camp, being able to do really well in some courses, and badly in others. But now? Now that University has weeded out most of the average guys (in the compsci field anyway), I'm surrounded by other people who are also (mostly) slightly smarter than average, which means my ADD puts me at a disadvantage compared to them.
It's not helped by the fact that I spent most of my life relying on being able to intuitively grasp concepts and not need to go more than surface level in order to get it. Now that University is all about the more in-depth edge cases that require a dozen formulas and twenty precise steps that can be goofed up in a way that ruins the whole answer if you make a tiny mistake? It makes me wanna scream. Especially when one too many small fuck ups can lead to failure, which leads to having to repeat stuff which leads to the degree goalpost being moved further away..
I have so little patience, focus and self-discipline left at this point (especially after having my imminent graduation punted farther down the road another year or two x_x) that I've got half a mind to just throw my hands up, quit, and try to get into game programming and design without the friggen degree. University has killed so much of my desire to learn, with the way I need to mass-memorize for tests, then forget everything to make room for next semester's mass-memorization only to find out two years later that ooops, I shouldn't have forgotten that first year's info because now it's suddenly the backbone of an entire course. x_x
I used to feel smart, and a lot of people were impressed by how I was able to quickly I can intuit things. Now? At the tail end of 6 years in University, I feel like I'm the dumbest goddamn person in the class and I'm slowly losing the last fucks I have to give. x_x
