<p>This is a serious question. In school, I always manage to get B's B-'s and my professors always say to me "ktm7099, you are very intelligent and your class discussions don't reflect your tests/papers."</p>
<p>Am I just lazy or am I just not as smart as I think I am? I think it might be the former.</p>
<p>Well, no one here can tell you since we don’t know you. </p>
<p>but i remember in psych class we learned of a study where particpants were given an IQ test and afterwards told to estimate their IQ, and on average, most guessed higher (you would expect average to be 100 but it was significantly over that). Not that IQ is even important, but it shows people overestiminate their intelligence.</p>
<p>if your profs are noticing you say a lot of intellectual things in class but they’re marking you down on papers, it probably means you’re smart but not as good at getting it down on paper. Not a big deal, you can work on writing skills, but at least you’re smart to begin with.</p>
<p>This reminded me of Seinfeld when Elaine said “Is it possible I’m not as cute as I think I am?”</p>
<p>Anyway, if you’re doing well in discussions then it likely means that you grasp the material, but there are several reasons why you may not be succeeding in tests. Some people are just poor test takers, maybe you’re not studying/preparing enough, maybe you’re over-stressing during a test which is reflecting poorly on grade—the reasons are infinite. </p>
<p>However, I don’t think doing well on a test necessarily equates with intelligence. I’m sure several dumb people have aced tests and several intelligent people have failed them.</p>
<p>
Great Seinfeld reference. It is so universal, it is the only show that I know will be funny in fifty years. I can’t go a day without making several Seinfeld references.</p>
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Fifty? o_O</p>
<p>And btw, when people evaluate peoples intelligence they usually do it on verbal agility and such which do not correlate 100% with actual understanding.</p>
<p>Getting good grades in college isn’t necessarily about intelligence. It’s about understanding the material, the way the professor wants you to. There are exceptions of course, but this is the general trend that I have come across in college. As long as you’re not mentally handicapped, I think anyone can pull at least an A- average if they have the right study skills, even in tough majors like engineering.</p>
<p>I think there are a lot of people who are actually smarter than they think they are. Take an average student out of their home environment and put them into another, and they’ll shine.</p>
<p>OP, your experience could be a hint at a possible Learning Disability. Your verbal communications and reasoning and analytic abilities seem exceptional, yet your grades are not commensurate–a classic sign of LD. Typically, a gifted IQ person who cannot perform in reading/writing/computational tasks in timed testing situations may be an indication for educational testing.</p>
<p>I think the question you pose in your heading is the sort of question a lot of LD kids ask themselves before discovering what may be holding them back.</p>
<p>willmingtonwave,</p>
<p>You are sadly mistaken. M<em>A</em>S*H will still be funny. </p>
<p>ktm7099,</p>
<p>There are lots of reasons for you to be “underperforming” that have nothing to do with grey matter. But yes, you might not be as smart as you think you are. That’s probably true of most of us.</p>
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<p>I’m the same. I cannot go through a single day without saying “Remember on Seinfeld when…”</p>
<p>Maybe that means I watch too much television :P</p>
<p>@madbean: I think that’s just stupid. Now-a-days every student has a ‘learning disorder’. Not getting A’s? Must be a learning disorder! Don’t feel like studying? Must be a learning disorder!</p>
<p>Simple solution, yes you are lazy; study more, try harder.</p>
<p>I agree with this 100% Even if you don’t have a diagnosable LD and testing is very expensive, you probably have some strengths in verbal communication that you can’t demonstrate as well in written form. Check out “Inspiration” (you can google it). They have software to help in paper writing. You can try it online for free for 30 days. You can probably develop your written skills. This isn’t comessurate (sp?) with smartness per se.</p>
<p>
well you can’t watch too much Seinfeld…
[SurfTheChannel</a> - Seinfeld](<a href=“surfthechannel.com”>surfthechannel.com)
that has nearly every episode (hint the megavideo links work better)</p>
<p>there are lots of ******bags out there who think they are smart and treat others like crap cause they are stuck up and think they deserve to treat others of ‘lower’ intelligence condescendingly.</p>
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<p>Woww I just looked at this trying to find an episode I haven’t seen. But there isn’t=[
Oh well it still has amazing re-watch value</p>
<p>I scored genius level on my IQ test, but I make poor grades in school? Why? I’m unmotivated and lazy. When I’m serious about what I do I’ve made jaws drop (Ranging from the Dean of Admissions at various colleges, to teachers, etc.)</p>
<p>A lot of it has to do with motivation. I see very few people are truly “dumb”. When someone is honestly motivated and determined they’ll be amazed at what they can accomplish.
Often, people don’t give themselves enough credit. School is by no means a test of intelligence, so students will equate poor grades/high grades with being dumb/smart. School is a reflection of how well you are at taking tests, and how diligent you are about turning in your work in on time. That’s it.
Don’t under mind yourself, very few people in this world are dumb, very few people in this world are smart; a lot of us though, aren’t motivated as others. If we as a race where motivated to succeed the things we would accomplish are unimaginable. I’m not one of those hippy preachers that tries to encourage people (Often, I’m quite the opposite), but this is something I truly believe.</p>
<p>Yeah, it really does come down to how motivated you are and how much time you spend on things. I know for a fact that I’m as intelligent as my school’s valedictorian, only difference is that he spends hours on his homework and studying, whereas on average I spend 5 minutes, with probably 20 minutes being the most I’ve ever spent on studying on something (which includes time spent online, on ps3, or dazing off). He also comes from a family where getting an A+ is the standard, anything lower is just terrible, and his parents help him on EVERYTHING. He may be smart, but in the real world I question his ability to survive without his mommy and daddy holding his hands or telling him what to say in situations. I know that in college I will have to step it up, and that’s something I am going to try to do and that’s what you’re gonna have to do if you want to be viewed as ‘smart’ or ‘intelligent’.</p>
<p>I’m the same way.</p>
<p>Severe depression will make you screw up. You can be engaged at times, and other times you sleep instead of studying.</p>
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<p>Would you think having an inferiority complex is worth it? Regardless of your 90’s you’d still feel worthless. Is that fun?</p>
<p>“I scored genius level on my IQ test”</p>
<p>That’s it? I scored Mechagodzilla level…</p>
<p>Well, at least you did better than my freind… he scored George Bush level :(</p>