wealthy parents, or superior genes? which would you prefer if you had a choice?

[B_subgirrl]

I can be book-smart, but only when I do about double the work it seems like the average person has to do. I have to dedicate a lot of time reading the material and try to make sense of things. In fact, when I was a kid I was almost placed into special education - actually, my teachers were pushing my parents to put me into that program, saying that I could never keep up with my classmates. My parents resisted and spent A LOT of their evenings with me doing my homework. Still, I barely passed my classes until middle school, where I started getting better grades. I was at my best in high school and this is where I really started to bloom.

I had to work very hard for that, though, and I still do in college. This could be a quality that might be looked up on or down on in the professional field, I'm really not sure which. Would someone hire me because I know the meaning of hard work in order to accomplish something, or would they want to bother with someone who might take longer to understand something?

My sister had a similar thing happen throughout school. In her case it was because she couldn't hear very well for several years and she got behind. She didn't really start to believe in herself again intellectually until late high school. I've always admired the way she would put in so much effort to get work done. It was something that was foreign to me until I went to uni.

And don't be too sure that you're so different to everyone else now you're in college! I get very high marks but almost never go to lectures. Because of my non-attendance, for the first few years they knew me, my friends thought I was some kind of genius. Little did they know how very hard I was working at home! Every semester I put in significantly more hours than is recommended by our lecturers and by uni guidelines.

Of course, there are always people who say they did their assignment the night before, and the still manage to get okay marks. Guess who I respect the most? Certainly not the ones who don't see their degree as worth the effort of working hard.

 

[Catharsis]

Really? Doing the assignment before is how I learn best, lol. Some people would probably go to lecture and then read about it, but for me I find it best to teach myself the material by reading the respective text, and then go to lecture to reinforce the material - and actually know/understand what the professor is teaching us :biggrin1:.

But, always trying to be ahead of the game is a very hard task for me; currently, I'm ahead in two of my more difficult lectures, but falling behind in another pretty hard one and keeping right up with two others. Weekends are usually my time to catch up .

 

[ConanTheBarber]

Really? Doing the assignment before is how I learn best, lol. Some people would probably go to lecture and then read about it, but for me I find it best to teach myself the material by reading the respective text, and then go to lecture to reinforce the material - and actually know/understand what the professor is teaching us :biggrin1:.

But, always trying to be ahead of the game is a very hard task for me; currently, I'm ahead in two of my more difficult lectures, but falling behind in another pretty hard one and keeping right up with two others. Weekends are usually my time to catch up .

I admire your gumption.
I never worked hard in any course.
I got through, but I learned only a fraction of what I might have.

 

[MrToolhung]

I would say genetics!

 

[B_subgirrl]

Really? Doing the assignment before is how I learn best, lol.

Oh! I didn't mean reading up on stuff the night before a lecture! I meant that these people are beginning essays and lab reports that are worth 25% or more of their final mark the night before they are due!!! I work best under pressure, but that's just pushing it a little too far.

Hopefully my last post will make a little bit more sense now I've clarified :tongue:.

Some people would probably go to lecture and then read about it, but for me I find it best to teach myself the material by reading the respective text, and then go to lecture to reinforce the material - and actually know/understand what the professor is teaching us :biggrin1:.

This is what we're advised to do in my subjects. I know that at least some people actually take the lecturers advice and do it this way. I don't learn by listening at all. It goes in one ear and out the other, hence the non-attendance.

But, always trying to be ahead of the game is a very hard task for me; currently, I'm ahead in two of my more difficult lectures, but falling behind in another pretty hard one and keeping right up with two others. Weekends are usually my time to catch up .

Well done!! Getting ahead is bloody difficult! I know I forever feel like I'm only just hanging in there. I don't think I've ever been ahead in my life!

This weekend you have strict orders to work on the difficult subject *pretend stern face*. No falling behind for you! :tongue:

And apologies to the OP for the off topicness. I voted for genetics too. I couldn't give a fuck about appearance, but I appreciate the intelligence I've got and I would love to have somewhat healthier genes. Good genes (however the hell you want to define 'good' :tongue are so much better than money.