not smart enough?

Idk what with me. I always B AVERAGE THROUGHOUT MY LIFE… I dont know why… It been B 3/4 or 85 average. Accept for maybe biology and history classes where I always 90s and hundreds, But there is always something to drag down my grade and I dont know what do I do. Im a junior and I still have a 3.0 gpa and a 85 average. Something gets in the face and nothing in my life works out. What with me? Am I lazy? Idk what you call lazy but I do my work/homework/study. Tutoring is not available to certain subjects at my school. I’ll never get to work at a front office job at bulge bracket and I am probably going to never achieve the things I want in life

I come from a really poor background and I am first generation

Hmmm… You seem like quite a different person from your previous posts…say, June 2014? What’s up?!

I told post already my cousin was using the account. Got a little warning. There were 2 people using this account(didnt know that against the rules) Look I dont know what with me getting 3.0gpa average throughout my entire high school career. I feel down because I can never get better than a B average. I have always been a B student and I dont want to settle for average.

I dont feel smart enough even though I think I do. I make careless mistakes at times. I am just tired and depress of being average student when I feel I deserve more. I didnt get into brooklyn tech(12 points away)I didnt go the middle school I wanted. Due to my 80 average in middle school I wind up going to new utrecht high school instead ;(.There is always somethings that drags down my grade. I been a pretty heavy advocate of hard work beats everything but I am not so sure.

bump

I feel like I am going to end up in baruch then unemployed like rest of those whiny college graduates form bottom feeder schools

Not sure what you want people to say… if you are asking what the A students do differently, here are some thoughts:

  • If they are having trouble with a subject, they look for help (go see teachers before or after school, look for other students who are stronger in the subject and ask for help, etc.)
  • They don’t skip over stuff they don’t understand. They might look for other sources (online, other textbooks, asking for help) until they are SURE they understand the material.
  • They do any extra credit that is offered. They never miss points by turning in late or incomplete work, and they keep careful track of dates for quizzes and tests (which means they keep good track of assignments and plan ahead).
  • They proofread written work, ask for editing help if they need to strengthen their writing, and learn to check their work in math where possible.
  • Lots of A students really like to read for pleasure (pays off in standardized testing, too)
  • They leave some cushion in their schedule for “stuff” that happens. They don’t wait until the last minute to start something or study for something, because life can get in the way at the last minute (or it might take longer than they expect to get stuff done).
  • My kids had a study hall during the periods of the year when they have really busy EC schedules so they would have a window to do homework even if there was a game or something on a weeknight.
  • They keep their work papers and materials organized (notebooks, folders, etc.) and make sure they have their stuff every day before they leave for school.
  • They hang out with friends and do ECs, but they make sure that studying is their top priority. If one of those things is getting in the way of good grades, they cut back.

If you do this stuff all the time, you can take a few bumps and still stay on track for good grades even if you bump into the occasional tough teacher or get sick or whatever.

I would like to say a few words in defense of B students. Let me begin by saying that this post will be full of generalizations, and is not meant to offend any A students who might stop by and read it.

I’m a high school math teacher in a college prep school. And to be totally honest, until I joined this forum, I have never “met” a group so obsessed with A’s.

Of course grades matter, and of course you should strive to do your best. And, sure, if you studied more or got a tutor, some of those B’s might bump up to A’s.

But over the years I’ve taught lots and lots and lots of B students who went on to achieve their dreams, and then some. B students tend to rebound quickly-- they don’t see a single bad grade as the end of the world. They tend to have a good sense of priorities-- they’ll stop studying to comfort a friend or offer help to someone who needs it, or to preform service.

B students can be easier to teach. They enjoy the material for its own sake, and not for the grade it can garner them. They’re OK when I say that a topic is going to be difficult, where some of their honors counterparts start to hyperventilate at those words. Their classes tend to be more fun, with more personality, since it’s permissible to go off on the occasional tangent with them.

B students tend to have lots of interests, including some that won’t necessarily be reflected on their college applications. They tend to be an eclectic bunch (not in the “will being this eclectic be a hook for an Ivy?” type of way, but in a “here I am, take me or leave me” kind of way.

B students tend to be accepting of less than perfection, both in themselves and others. They tend to be good friends, able to celebrate another’s success without taking it as a challenge to their own performance. They can be genuinely happy when their friends succeed, even if it means that their friend has found success they themselves haven’t found.

It’s perfectly OK not to have a schedule full of AP’s and college level courses. Lots and lots of perfectly successful people have waited until college to take college classes.

Sure, there’s lots to be said for A students. But, like many other teachers, I’m very happy teaching the kids who tend to pull those B’s.

  1. I dont read for pleasure because books bore me to death.
  2. I only procrasinate when the material is extremely easy and it works 99 percent of the time
  3. The problems I think I know the stuff until the test. I dont even know how to self test take
  4. I hate spanish and I dont like studying for it ,but I am force to take it because I am already 2 years in.Turns out I am under prepared for the 3rd term because I cheated every single test last year(teacher was horrible).
  5. I dont have trouble on subjects. The problem is I know the stuff and then bam exam time and I am cut off guard...
  6. I dont even hang out other than club meetings/events
  7. I dont feel challenged at this school and I tend to over estimate leading to my demise.
  8. My binder isnt the neatest in world and my hand writing SUCKS REALLY REALLY BADLY. I HATE WRITING BY HAND. 9.my binder is messy but my hand writing is also messy(a habit I formed in 1st grade because I had ADHD) I was illiterate till I repeated 1st grade again
  9. I tend to do better in biology and history class.Idk probably because these 2 subjects are the only thing interesting because I always get a 96-100 average on history . When I have to read the textbook in ap us history,all I had to do was read 2 times a week and walaa get hundreds on quizzes

yes and I am interested in the financial markets(weird for a teenager right). I know more about politics/finance/history then any other stuff. Too bad I dont have any money and yes my sister says I can be good at anything(because I tend to acquire real world knowledge from all sources due to knowledge of history/finance/history/current events) But sadly working at goldman sachs/morgan stanley/ wall street firms that pay well look at your SAT scores/only hire at highely ranked institutions. I plan to transfer from school to a target school but I am afraid I am still going to get the B average even if I join summer classes with HEOP/seek/eop

Is English your second language?

sortve… I dont always write long messages without checking my grammar. No, English is my first language and I got left back in first grade because I was illiterate . I dont speak other languages other than fujinese(not the best in world either)

@sylvan8798 sortve… I dont always write long messages without checking my grammar. No, English is my first language and I got left back in first grade because I was illiterate . I dont speak other languages other than fujinese(not the best in world either)

@bjkmom The thing is though I want to be a competitive kid and I want to be better than someone else. In a way, I sortve have to become a prestige whore to work at goldman sachs or morgan stanley. I dont know anymore. Somebody should give me a solution on the B student that want to be competitive.

You are in control of yourself. You will get as far as you are willing to work for. You choose what you do. If you want to be on top, in elite workplaces you have to be willing to put forth top effort. This means developing a reading habit and doing all of the things A students do as listed in an early post. It has been stated very clearly to you. Either do it or quit complaining.

I don’t understand what you are looking for here. An easy way? There isn’t one.

yeah some kids do have it easy because they are sons of engineers/rich people(probably in small class/private schools there is a reason why the majority of elite college students have parents making 120k or more). It kinda hard to change it now because I am far in high school already. Changing my writing habits is impossiple after countless practice. People who like to read begin at a young age. I didnt because of my ADHD. It not like college where you can type your notes or record classes.

You don’t sound too interested in making a lot of changes to your life.

Which, honestly, is fine. There’s nothing wrong with getting Bs in high school. Instead of worrying about changing your handwriting, I would just take a deep breath and then try to focus on accepting yourself for who you are. It doesn’t make sense to beat yourself up for not being a straight-A student while at the same refusing to take any proactive steps towards improving your grades. All that will do is make yourself unhappy, so I would just let go both of those impulses and move on with your life.

I dont maybe a unique story from wall street oasis can chear me up.Where a B student in high school that went to a public university /then transferred into elite university then went to work in a investment bank at goldman sachs will make me feel better. A real story with lessons learned and stuff like that. I tend to get motivated from that

Okay. So you are a B student. For all the reasons you gave, and all the reasons why that won’t change. And I get that you resent it and think you deserve better. Fine. So what do you want us to tell you? What kind of help or advice are you looking for?