# Bright people, bad grades?



## dagnytaggart

aw mannnn....


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## Indigo Aria

God said:


> aw mannnn....


tis a shame


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## Thrifty Walrus

So to summarize what was lost - 

People think what I'm saying is intelligence = good grades, which I'm not.

I'm saying Intelligence+hard work = success

So if you don't do well in school you should be doing something else. But the majority of "bright" people just use that as an excuse to do nothing. Also God said something I remember was awesome but I forgot


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## Indigo Aria

Thrifty Walrus said:


> if you don't do well in school you should be doing something else.


I wish you had used this sentence yesterday.


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## scarygirl

I'm bright, and I love philosophy and art.
But i don't really care about the notion of culture, i care about the deep aspect of things.
I'm a very rebel individual, i always had problems with everyone and my ways of thinking got people mad. They never liked me xD and I'm absolutely bad with deadlines!


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## Thrifty Walrus

TheLuckyOne said:


> I wish you had used this sentence yesterday.


But that's the thing, most "bright" people just do nothing instead of something else. I suppose we have reached an agreement then?


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## Indigo Aria

Thrifty Walrus said:


> But that's the thing, most "bright" people just do nothing instead of something else. I suppose we have reached an agreement then?


Yes, I'd say we agree now.


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## mnemonicfx

scarygirl said:


> I'm bright, and I love philosophy and art.
> But i don't really care about the notion of culture, i care about the deep aspect of things.
> I'm a very rebel individual, i always had problems with everyone and my ways of thinking got people mad. They never liked me xD and I'm absolutely bad with deadlines!


Hey scarygirl,

Maybe you need this for a motivation:





I'm quite against the mainstream of society, so I understand what you mean by that.


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## kexx

I like to think of myself as intelligent and I usually am a 4.0 student, but I work two jobs now and am super stressed...I find that my grades are slipping and at first I cared, but lately I've become apathetic to it because it's not the grades that count it's that you learn it.


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## Ormazd

"Succeeding" in school has very little to do with "intelligence". To succeed in school one needs all of a variety of things. The minimum of intelligence (which in my opinion isn't very much). A stable home environment. A reasonably sound mind. Motivation. And of course for the simple act of being at school to not be an extremely stressful experience. And I'm sure I'm missing some other things.


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## Mutatio NOmenis

I've never known a smart person get poor grades routinely. The intellectually skilled get good grades. However, if you expand intelligence to mean the people-skilled, then yes, smart people can get bad grades.


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## OrangeAppled

Thrifty Walrus said:


> Well if people who claim to be bright are as smart as they say they are, the "boring work" wouldn't take very long at all, so what's the point in not doing it? Someone who is quite intelligent could probably get most of the "homework" if not all of it done in school.
> 
> I think these "bright" people who don't do the work are just lazy, sure you can rationalize why you don't do the work, but in the end it's just laziness.


I agree.....pre college school is not that difficult if you're supposedly bright. I'm just going to say it: I barely tried in HS, was absent all the time, and I still managed to graduate with a 4.0. I realize that some are overachievers who try hard & get good grades due to effort, so that good grades in themselves are not a measure of intelligence; but if you're really so smart, then it's not too difficult to pull off good grades AND be lazy :tongue: . I was definitely one of those kids with like 75% of my homework done before I got home, and I wasn't doing it during the lunch break. It's called, "Tune the teacher out while he explains it in detail because I've already figured it out myself & so now I'll do the homework & get ahead."

I mean, if these people who get bad grades are so bright, but just lazy, then what about those who get good grades and are lazy also? Are they extra bright? I often hear parents of poor students claiming their kids are really bright, but they just don't do their homework ("because they give these kids too much"). If they're so bright, then they'd not have tons of homework; it only seems like a lot when you can't do it quickly & easily. It sounds like some hippy mentality where even the losers "win" & get a trophy because they tried; no kid is stupid, they're just "bored" - riiight. It undermines the accomplishment of those who do get good grades, whether it's through hard work, sheer intelligence, or both.

As for college, no one has my sympathy there. University/college education is not mandatory; you're there by choice. As an INFP, I enjoyed college because the work was less "busy work" & more actual learning, which was stimulating to me (hey, I _like_ to learn). I can't see how an intelligent person would not appreciate mental stimulation; what are the alternatives they are seeking then?

Besides, in college, I _still_ got my work done rather quickly & made good grades (I'm a "wait until the day before it's due to start & work all night, then run to class still wearing yesterday's clothes & turn it in at the last minute" kind of person though; I kind of _liked_ the panic).


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## Think

I always used to get good grades (had been at the top of my class until the 8th grade). People used to tell me you are bright, intelligent etc.. 

But, I always knew I had not understood the concepts well enough. People around me kept on telling me that they had understood the concept. I took this as a chance to discuss. But in vain. They had not even understood what I had understood about the concept. Keeping me surprised all the time about why people tell they have understood the concept.

During my 8th grade I realized this concretely. People had understood what was given in the textbook not the concept entirely. These were smart people, who knew exactly how to use the textbook as a tool to score marks. Although my grades did not plummet. The reason was the 'helicopter parenting' and 'methodical solipsism' by the society/parents to build a very weird belief, thinking systems. These asking me to score marks and nothing else. Not to think about anything. Nil pondering. But inherently, I wanted to think apply etc.

I managed to get into a good college here for engineering. I had to move to another city away from my parents (this was something I managed to make happen). This was when I truly unleashed what was disturbing me all the while from the weird belief system, to every other aspect of me. Now my grades plummeted to the extent of me loosing 2 years. These were the most productive of all the years combined during my entire academic years.

One of my greatest achievements that has personally benefited me was to self learn & apply. 

I am a bright person who has had bad grades. But now I am more confident of myself.


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## Liontiger

I think there are a lot of different factors that go into the kind of grades you get. I'm one of those people that will hardly study at all, write papers the day before (or the same day) they're due, and still get straight A's. (I drive myself insane doing it, but I digress...) There are two factors at play here already: ability to comprehend material and work ethic. What I lack in the latter, I make up for in the former. The ability to figure out answers based on outside information is also extremely useful for test-taking. (I forget what it's called. Constructive reasoning, or something?)

You also have to know how to play the game; that is, knowing what you can and can't get away with. If you're the kind of person who easily understands the material, you can get away with not doing the reading. If you know a professor is a lenient grader, you can get away with a "poorly"-written paper. This involves giving people what they want; no more, no less. Then there's another factor I like to call "charm." It's knowing how to interact with professors to get extensions, exceptions, and other forms of grade-boosting assistance. This includes being active in class, smiling at the professor, and building a certain level of exploitable trust. Now, I'm not saying that this should be done all the time. It's just good in emergency situations, where I'd be screwed otherwise. I get myself into a lot of messes. Also, professors may give you assistance voluntarily without you having to manipulate them into doing it. Who'da thunk?

So, in short: grades seem to depend on a combination of intellectual capabilities (how you comprehend and reason), work ethic (how much work you do and how you do it), ability to "play the game," (understanding the system and manipulating it to your advantage), and charm (fostering relationships with professors that could lead to an advantage). Being "bright" is an advantage, but not entirely necessary. Personally, I think a good attitude is the most important thing to have.

I just made all of that up, but I hope it's kind of true :laughing:


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## curious0610

it depends on what society and their education system tho. i come from a japaneseamerican background (born/raised in the us) . im not too sure about how the japanese education system is but ive often wondered if i wouldve done better or worse in that education system as opposed to the us one.


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## velvet

I've never been good at schooling and tests. I would sometimes study, and still would get a horrible scores. So I guess I would give up. My brain works differently, I seem to get wiser as I keep growing more. What I thought I was horrible at in the past, I've seen to understand and more patient about it. People think I'm smart :S because I'm always reading books, watching educational videos, and other things but the thing is I sometimes don't understand some of the information but enjoyed it. I guess I have no desire to prove anything to others or feel the need to understand things in a hurry. 

To me the educational system is very flawed, that's why I've never liked school because I hardly learned anything it was just memorizing and I don't learned like that. Does that make me stupid no, its the system and it ain't my fault.


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## absent air

funny,

i have something similar to these scenes posted here.

...the bad grades:laughing:


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## Munchies

im smart and dont care about societies standards... also. i think that the people who gain political power and other high end/high educational jobs are completely selfish for own personal gain then the proffesion they are in. Politics shouldnt be chosen because of education rather personality and values.


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## firedell

You can be bright, and have bad grades. You don't have to be school smart to be intelligent.


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## absent air

Munchies said:


> im smart and dont care about societies standards... also. i think that the people who gain political power and other high end/high educational jobs are completely selfish for own personal gain then the proffesion they are in. Politics shouldnt be chosen because of education rather personality and values.


aren't we all completely selfish beings?


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## absent air

by the way, i think almost everyone on this forum is really schmart.


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## Munchies

absent air said:


> aren't we all completely selfish beings?


maybe im evolved then


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## absent air

Munchies said:


> maybe im evolved then


just by stating this you commit the act of being egocentric thus being selfish :laughing:


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## Third Engine

Liontiger said:


> So, in short: grades seem to depend on a combination of intellectual capabilities (how you comprehend and reason), work ethic (how much work you do and how you do it), ability to "play the game," (understanding the system and manipulating it to your advantage), and charm (fostering relationships with professors that could lead to an advantage). Being "bright" is an advantage, but not entirely necessary. Personally, I think a good attitude is the most important thing to have.
> 
> I just made all of that up, but I hope it's kind of true :laughing:


I actually pretty much agree with all of that, and I'd also add that you can still have a lot of one element and still be able to get by, or even do well. For example, I'm just gonna be honest and say that I'm much more naturally gifted than my sister. My mind is like a sponge--I hear it once or twice, it goes down inside me, and I can usually recall most anything pretty well. I'm not sure why I can do this but anyway, my sister does not have that ability. However, she works her ass off whereas I could not study and not do homework and still make As. The thing is, though, is that she generally gets better grades than I got when I was her age (she even got 1 point higher on the ACT than I did). Needless to say, it be any combination that can really lead to success.


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## Pachacutie

A lot of the things learned in high school particularly are just blantant memorization. If you're not interested, perhaps you just won't learn it. I know that's how I work and it's a horrible trait. I shouldn't be commended for it, but I know I'm not stupid.

And to the arguments that you could do your schoolwork at school if you were exceedingly bright... I agree, but it takes a certain amount of motivation to do your homework at school as well as at home, doesn't it? If you're a procrastinator, you'll put it off in both places. With me, I just forgot to do assignments sometimes. Also, claiming you're "bright" or at least "intelligent" doesn't mean you're saying you're Stephen Hawking. 

Some people who had trouble in school use it as a cop out. But does having some trouble in one area of school make you unintelligent? I was awful at math, didn't try... could've salvaged it, but didn't. I did fine in the things I liked but could've done much better. I think I'm smart. That's really all I care about. Every person has a different situation and I don't see why people get angry about it. If you did well in school, you should be very proud of yourself. Whether you put forth maximum or minimal effort.


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## Munchies

absent air said:


> just by stating this you commit the act of being egocentric thus being selfish :laughing:


lol you don't know what i know. think of it as a more heightened version of gnosis
bow down


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## absent air

Munchies said:


> lol you don't know what i know. think of it as a more heightened version of Gnosticism
> 
> bow down


if you define yourself as a heightened version of Gnosticism, 

You may define my judgement as a heightened version of perspicaciousness

do not bow, kneel down


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## Munchies

absent air said:


> if you define yourself as a heightened version of Gnosticism,
> 
> You may define my judgement as a heightened version of perspicaciousness
> 
> do not bow, kneel down


You may have the clear-sightedness of a spider designing it's web according to the dimensions. but you have the depth of a puddle. I am the house which you built your web on, how dare you compare your web to my house.

pray that you may inherit my 3rd eye as you envy it with your two eyes.

ya, thats right


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## absent air

I dont think i will need to borrow your 3rd eye since i have plenty of them!










and which two eyes are you talking about exactly? muwahahhaha


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## Munchies

DAMNnnnnnn


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## absent air

Munchies said:


> DAMNnnnnnn


seems like we are following the same study :laughing: i would've love it to meet you in real person. honest.


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## Choptop

Hahaha
I accidentally read "British people, bad grades?"
Looked up and elaborated on it a bit, couldn't understand the reasoning.


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## johndoe

The rote style of learning leaves much to be desired. In North America we emphasize memorization over true knowledge, specifically in highschool. For instance, look at all the plug and chug math or physics problems you did throughout highschool. The teacher will give you a note about a couple examples and provide you with formulas, then you see the same problem 50 times over in that night's homework. It's a broken system, and to me personally I found very little interest in anything but english. But, I focused on understanding the concepts on my own rather than doing all the homework. As a result I got good grades even in the subjects I found boring. I find it hard to call someone bright if they ignore the system we live in. To be succesful and go to higher level learning where you might actually be challenged and interested, you have to get through the boring parts. So as far as the ability to process intellectual ideas, some people may be very bright according this defenition and still perform poorly. But to me they are evidently lacking in common sense and practical knowledge, which would tell them to get their you know what together.


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## Inky

There are many factors to consider.

You'll need a certain amount of intelligene and work to get good grades.

Some people get along fine doing minimum work. Some need to read something over and over again before they understand it. Most people are in between.

If you want to get good grades, you need to know where you stand and study smart. Know your learning style and be realistic about how much work you need to do to get your desired grade.

If you're the kind of person who just don't give a damn about studies...then of course your grades won't be good, no matter how bright you are. You can't just "know" something if you never even touched that text book.

It's about self-control, and your goals and priorities in life. Maybe you're not so interested in your studies because you already have some other goals in life. Maybe you've been distracted by other aspects of your life. Maybe you're still immature and don't realise the importance of education in later life. I don't know. There are many reasons bright people don't get good grades.

About thinking differently, I do agree that much of the time, especially in subjective things such as essays and stuff, teachers can be a little biased. And the education system is a little restrictive. But hey, they need a system that'll work for all the different students out there. Try to adapt as best you can. 

E.g. if your English teacher gives you bad grades, you can ask her what you can do to improve your essay. And if you're stuck with her, after a little experimenting, you'll eventually realise what kind of writing she'll give good grades for.

I'm sure that when there's a will, there's a way. If you want something badly enough and actually work hard for it, you'll get there, or at least somewhere close.


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## bhavik15

Krou said:


> My teachers always said that I am very bright, but I could rarely sit down and study in home and in class I always daydreamed, the lessons were so uncreative I didn't find any interest to pay attention, with a few exceptions. I had average to low grades, but I always got much better grades in the final exams.


I know what you mean. I didn't much care for the lessons my teacher planned out, and for the most part they knew it. I go to a school that accepts 100 people every year, 87 people are going to be in my graduating class. I find that as interesting as some of the things we are taught may be, I find the work to be boring, and redundant. I end up not caring to do my homework, but I still get good grades on my tests.


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## angularvelocity

Bright people get bad grades all the time. God said it spot on IMO when he said that some bright people don't feel like writing that 10 page crap paper and would rather spend their time doing something else. I still remember in my second year of college when majority of the class got an A in an anthro class and I sat in there with a D- cause I refused to open a book about mesoamerican Quetzalcoatl. As of now I'm running a classroom at the university and I see bright students all the time asking really good questions but in the end not giving a crap and not using their potential(something I think thrifty was hitting on, tied into laziness). You're a smart person and don't let grades get you down. It's a small factor.


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## Michael82

scarygirl said:


> I find like I was so different from them. They say I'm intelligent, but I always appear as dumb.
> The question is,
> do bright people really get bad grades because it's not what society, and education, are tuned to?
> Do you get what I mean?
> 
> For example, I aired this in other forums, but I felt very destructed after I got a 4/10 in English, because it's something I do very well, and I breathe. Well, I mean, I don't think to speak in English. I'm a fucking genius in that, and I'm sorry. I speak it almost as well as my own language...look at me, in fact!!! I do it very fast. Anyway...but since I never adapt to the way of teaching, which I assume is Si...
> what I mean is that Ne people could have it much worse into education.
> We're rebels, somehow. We live in our world of possibilities, air castles, fantasy, imagination and globality.
> 
> And, another awesome fact, is that I'm unable to get very good grades at school. I'm very interested in many topics, but I always do it in another direction, or I always question the main opinion, or focus just in one direction...T.T.


Yeah I know how you feel. I learned that in my creativity I sometimes lose what life is about: to feed ourselves and to move on because we are human beings. I could think day after day about the universe and what would be beyond :crazy:. But it is not going to work for this world to keep thinking that way, something constructive HAS to be done. All of these MBTI types got us here where we are today, and all of us types will move on somewhere in the future. Something's gotta give.

I guess INFP's may be slightly unlucky being graded by exams. I also think this somewhat forms/reforms/reshapes our type, and this perhaps relates to being blocked in our work...

So I think it is at least personality related. As for your IQ, do you have a high IQ? I think mine is around 130, but I don't trust online IQ tests :tongue:


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## Ikrash

Bright people get bad grades because
they find memorising hard they would rather understand new ideas then memorising crap
as with all bright people there are other non study activites that they find so attractive
also they are lazy


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## Plaxico

Desire is extremely important. It doesn't matter if you're intelligent if you don't desire what it takes to get good grades. My opinion is that if you've got something whether it be a job, cause, skill, talent you're really good at and dedicated to, and can support yourself, there's no need to force yourself through college and potential subject matter you're not interested in. But if you have no clue what you're doing and are not willing to apply yourself in college then you're just lazy.


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## Carpe diem

Interesting article linked by none other than julian assange:

IQ.ORG


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## Think

Carpe diem said:


> Interesting article linked by none other than julian assange:
> 
> IQ.ORG



very nice article.


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