Have you always been “Smart”

[F430]

I have had alot of classes with people who brag about how incredibly smart they are despite their GPA. They sound alot like you, "I could make a 4.0 if I studied but I never study, I'm so great at everything". Generally most people have what GPA they're capable of, if you have a 3.3 that is probably what you are capable of. Guess what, being pretentious doesn't make you smart. Actually accomplishing things makes you smart, I know, its a crazy concept.

Exactly, most people attain the GPA they're capable of. And no, accomplishment doesn't necessarily make one smart. It says a lot (proper form) about motivation, relevance, intelligence, etc. Sure, plenty of people use this as an excuse. But is it ever true? Yes. I myself fall into this category at times. For example, I have to take a number of courses that are completely irrelevant to becoming a dentist (I'm in dental school). We take biochem, cell bio, gross anatomy, physiology, etc. all over again, though, of course, at a more challenging level. However, in physiology, for example, we learn renal physiology backwards and forwards. But how will mastery of this topic help me become a better dentist? It won't. And so I'm left with options. I can study it very thoroughly, and earn an A, or, I can glance over it, have a lot more time to do the things I enjoy (golf, bars, hanging out with friends...) and earn a B. I have no desire to specialize, and so I don't need to earn all A's. Learning every aspect of kidney function won't at all help me become a more competent dentist. And so, does a student who earned an A have the right to say he's smarter? You seem to think so. But if student A spends 24 hours studying for an exam to earn 94%, and student B spends 8 hours to earn 85%, who's smarter? I'll agree that njac came off as being arrogant, but she has a point. Another example, Stephen Hawking. While I'm not so foolish to suggest that any of us are on his level, it is peculiar to note that he didn't really care about grades, either. Look him up. The point of all of this rambling is that while a GPA does depend on intelligence, it also depends on motivation. Those who earn 4.0's, but did it through excessive amounts of studying have every right to be proud, but have no right to dismiss those who didn't earn 4.0's. Especially those that didn't care to. Not everyone gains the same sense of accomplishment from earning all A's. It's fair to say that if one is in professional school, they could make the grades when they needed to. Once in professional school, however, one has every right to make the choice to slack in classes that are largley irrelevant. Believe me, you'll have them.

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[Epic]

Delete this thread already. Academic prowess equals not "smart."

 

[Knipps]

When I was a child going to school in California, they wanted me to skip grades. My parents said no, that it was more important to keep me with my same age group. Otherwise, I would have been a geek with no friends. I thank them for this.

So, yes I've always been smart. I found out early that I didn't have to study or apply myself to make good grades. I learned to study when I got to college. Once I got to pharmacy school, I studied a lot.

This sounds exactly like my situation, in elementary school I was on an elevated reading level, and once I moved in middle school (through high school) I was placed in advanced math (a year ahead) but it was mostly all kids in the same grade..

It's only now in college that I'm finding out i have to study

I've always denied I was smart though, for some reason..
I never really felt it

 

[Knipps]

BTW sorry to dig up an old/dead thread.