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<p>I agree. I don’t have a “natural” aptitude for math. My parents helped me develop an aptitude for math.</p>
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<p>Considering the level of grade inflation at Harvard, class rank really doesn’t mean much. 
(Sorry, I had to.)</p>
<p>is it just me or do girls generally have less problem solving skills than guys but can remember random details better. (This is what I’ve seen at my school)</p>
<p>People who seem smart without trying probably just absorb things more readily than people who have to work harder. And people who are better at certain subjects over others just…think that way.</p>
<p>Geoffs thats seems to be the same at my school too, and I’ve seen studies saying similar things. Also you can see it on # of people who get 800s on the SAT Math. Its more f athing like “oh there’s 10 good girls and 12 good guys at my school” rather than like “the best math students in my school are guys.”</p>
<p>I would say I’m not the most naturally smart person, but I’m much more naturally smart then a large majority of kids. Freshman year (tough HS) doing homework before school in the cafe every morning (~30-45 mins) I ended with a 3.45 in all Honors classes (never studied, read assigned reading). I work harder now than most kids in my Honors/AP classes, but they are all much more naturally smart than I am because they get better grades (Very gifted school).</p>
<p>bump…</p>
<p>haha why the bump?</p>
<p>People can compensate for less natural intelligence with hard work. In my mind, that makes them even more intelligent than someone who has the gift of intelligence but squanders it. Seriously, if they were so smart, they would use it.</p>
<p>I think a lot of what we call “natural intelligence” is just exposure at an early age to certain topics, and perhaps a natural interest in them. I am what people call “naturally smart”, but I got that way because I’ve read/been read to for hours daily since i was two years old. i used to love reading encyclopedias and almanacs. my mom bought me math books when i was little. Those head starts compound over the years…</p>
<p>in ap class, hard work = studying and hw. natural intelligence = tests and ap exams (studying is just a factor. You have to reason with the knowledge u gain from studying)</p>
<p>^That is so true. I am a historical moron so no matter how hard I study for an AP Euro or AP US test I still do pretty poorly. Math on the other hand is the other way around. Even if I don’t know the facts I can reason my through the questions and still do well.</p>
<p>It ****es me off when the kids at my school confuse grades with intelligence. These people think that they’re more intelligent than you because they take every AP class available (and thus, have a higher GPA and class rank)… Meanwhile, I’ll sleep during class and get better grades on the test that they’ve studied incessantly for. We call them TRYHARDS.</p>
<p>@mj rothlan I agree 100%. The same goes for me, except I can’t remember that I liked almanacs :P</p>
<p>When I think about it, I have never heard of someone naturally smart who haven’t been engaged their favorite topic at a very young age.</p>
<p>this is only somewhat related, but did you know that the reason why people are naturally curious is because that learning new things releases the same chemical opium does? it would seem to explain why some people are addicted to learning.</p>
<p>^ Whoa, never knew that. That’s fascinating. :D</p>
<p>When I see slackers but find out that they’re reeeeeally smart, it frustrates me. They could achieve so much but doesn’t choose to. I guess it’s their own decision, and each must have his own reason, but still…</p>
<p>Hopefully, those intellects who are lazing around now are only doing so because they find high school mundane. Ideally, they will start using their capacity for knowledge when they get into college/grad school/work force.</p>
<p>Natural intelligence, I believe, is just the ability to learn, retain, and use. However, being exposed to certain topics at a younger age facilitates knowledge gained, which creates the impression of a superior intellect. Two people with equal abilities of learning, but one who had the privilege of access to higher-level courses and research will, to many, seem more intelligent than the other, even though the other could just as easily bring himself to that level after proper education.</p>
<p>so much word aero</p>
<p>I work super hard and I still don’t get straight A’s or run a 4:40 mile. :(</p>
<p>^ This is irrelevant, but how many miles per week do you run and at what pace? PM me because I broke 4:40 my freshman year so I might be able to help.</p>
<p>I see these lazy “intelligent” people all the time at Berkeley. They make it in, think they dont have to try, and fail. Here’s the sweet part, they start trying around their second year, but their study methods and work ethic are so bad that it can’t save them. And it gets more delicious when they just give up their dreams of medical school and settle for nursing because they consider it easy. Wait… I’m not done yet. Then they decide to take a year off to volunteer or do a post-bach because they’re gpa’s are so weak that can’t make it to any health profession school. If you type in reapplying to medical school, you’ll see what I mean.</p>
<p>On the other hand, those that worked hard since high school are much more adaptive to their situations. They might do bad for a semester but they quickly get better since they have built up the discipline throughout their lives to trudge through difficult situations. These people do alright their 1st semester, better their second and provided they dont get into drinking or partying too much, they tend to go to the medical school, grad school, or job they want ina short time after graduating or right after graduating.</p>