Lazy and smart versus Conscientious and uhh.. not as smart.

[Revolver]

Which are you?

Lazy and smart - These guys barely study, cram, do everything at the last minute and ALWAYS GET A's! Two guys that sit next to me in calc are like this, one is asian, and the other is a total dork. Both came into the test on Tuesday bragging about how they didn't study, and we got our tests back today.. both got 100s, compared to me, who studied hard, 93.

Conscientous and not as smart - We study hours on end in advance for tests. We take good notes. We are organized. We do everything in advance, never procrastinating. yet we can barely keep up with the lazy and smart type. Is it fair?

I think I'm somewhere in the middle. I consider myself smart, but I'm not as smart as the lazy and smart type, and I'm conscientious, but a little lazy sometimes.

Just a fun little thread here.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Zuerst]

How do you know they barely study? Because you overheard them bragging? Some people and for some particular subjects, just gets it. It is very rare that someone just get everything without putting in any effort. Most likely they spent most of their time studying for other classes, or just like to blow hot air and brag?

 

[Vizsla]

Which are you?

Lazy and smart - These guys barely study, cram, do everything at the last minute and ALWAYS GET A's! Two guys that sit next to me in calc are like this, one is asian, and the other is a total dork. Both came into the test on Tuesday bragging about how they didn't study, and we got our tests back today.. both got 100s, compared to me, who studied hard, 93.

Conscientous and not as smart - We study hours on end in advance for tests. We take good notes. We are organized. We do everything in advance, never procrastinating. yet we can barely keep up with the lazy and smart type. Is it fair?

I think I'm somewhere in the middle. I consider myself smart, but I'm not as smart as the lazy and smart type, and I'm conscientious, but a little lazy sometimes.

Just a fun little thread here.

im lazy and not as smart. maybe thats why i havent gotten in...

 

[SeventhSon]

Which are you?

Lazy and smart - These guys barely study, cram, do everything at the last minute and ALWAYS GET A's! Two guys that sit next to me in calc are like this, one is asian, and the other is a total dork. Both came into the test on Tuesday bragging about how they didn't study, and we got our tests back today.. both got 100s, compared to me, who studied hard, 93.

Conscientous and not as smart - We study hours on end in advance for tests. We take good notes. We are organized. We do everything in advance, never procrastinating. yet we can barely keep up with the lazy and smart type. Is it fair?

I think I'm somewhere in the middle. I consider myself smart, but I'm not as smart as the lazy and smart type, and I'm conscientious, but a little lazy sometimes.

Just a fun little thread here.

to put it bluntly, most of these people are full of **** when they say they hardly study. Even if it's true that they rarely study, it usually ends up catching up to you.

There are very, very, few exceptions.

 

[dr_dre]

Which are you?

Lazy and smart - These guys barely study, cram, do everything at the last minute and ALWAYS GET A's! Two guys that sit next to me in calc are like this, one is asian, and the other is a total dork. Both came into the test on Tuesday bragging about how they didn't study, and we got our tests back today.. both got 100s, compared to me, who studied hard, 93.

Conscientous and not as smart - We study hours on end in advance for tests. We take good notes. We are organized. We do everything in advance, never procrastinating. yet we can barely keep up with the lazy and smart type. Is it fair?

I think I'm somewhere in the middle. I consider myself smart, but I'm not as smart as the lazy and smart type, and I'm conscientious, but a little lazy sometimes.

Just a fun little thread here.

lol
There is no such thing as lazy and smart.
If you're lazy there is no way that you will EVER excell at anything.
You have to work hard for everything in life.

People who are lazy and smart are usually just arrogant liars. They try to make ppl like YOU feel bad by bragging about how they didn't study at all and still got an A.

I know a girl who is exactly like those two guys you described.
She has a 4.0 GPA and complains about EVERY test, assginment, quiz, exam, and essay - "omg, I totally am not ready for this. I only studied for like half an hour....", or "there is no way I am going to pass this essay, I only started last night, omg I didn't even proofread it".

Meanwhile everytime we ask her to join us for a drink she says she can't because she's "busy" - even if there are no tests/assignments schedualed that week.

Just ignore ppl like that and do your own thing and remember to enjoy your life.

 

[SoupWithAFork]

This article (the whole website actually) was pretty interesting:

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=483

 

[DrBowtie]

to put it bluntly, most of these people are full of **** when they say they hardly study. Even if it's true that they rarely study, it usually ends up catching up to you.

There are very, very, few exceptions.

True. Those are gunners.

 

[Vox Animo]

I'm an alcoholic

I need to do this to even the playing field because i am so ridiculously intellectually gifted. Not only do i not study, but I am messing up my brain so others don't feel bad. And i still do better.

 

[Duchess742]

lol
There is no such thing as lazy and smart.
If you're lazy there is no way that you will EVER excell at anything.
You have to work hard for everything in life.

People who are lazy and smart are usually just arrogant liars. They try to make ppl like YOU feel bad by bragging about how they didn't study at all and still got an A.

I know a girl who is exactly like those two guys you described.
She has a 4.0 GPA and complains about EVERY test, assginment, quiz, exam, and essay - "omg, I totally am not ready for this. I only studied for like half an hour....", or "there is no way I am going to pass this essay, I only started last night, omg I didn't even proofread it".

Meanwhile everytime we ask her to join us for a drink she says she can't because she's "busy" - even if there are no tests/assignments schedualed that week.

Just ignore ppl like that and do your own thing and remember to enjoy your life.

yeah, the pre-med world is full of what i like to refer to as "secret studiers"

 

[MarzMD]

The first group you described are people that are smart, but actually look at the material every day and are able to understand it with little studying. That way when test time comes around, they can claim they "crammed". To them it is cramming, but in actuality it is really how everyone should be studying.

 

[Tribeca]

i believe i pick up things quickly (except in phys and calc!), but i work my a$$ off most of the time. i think the hard work has made me, in a way, "smarter." (or more appropriately, more knowledgeable.)

 

[almost_there]

I learned in college that being smart but lazy doesn't get you very far in life or help you accomplish anything worthwhile. I had horrible study skills and discipline, was still able to do decently well by cramming, but realized that at the end of the day, I didn't learn anything well or accomplish anything concrete. On the other hand, people who weren't as "smart" as me in high school but worked hard, and carried it through in college were now the stars at school and, later, at work.

To really accomplish anything worthwhile, it takes hard work.

 

[OwnageMobile]

lol
There is no such thing as lazy and smart.
If you're lazy there is no way that you will EVER excell at anything.
You have to work hard for everything in life.

People who are lazy and smart are usually just arrogant liars. They try to make ppl like YOU feel bad by bragging about how they didn't study at all and still got an A.

I know a girl who is exactly like those two guys you described.
She has a 4.0 GPA and complains about EVERY test, assginment, quiz, exam, and essay - "omg, I totally am not ready for this. I only studied for like half an hour....", or "there is no way I am going to pass this essay, I only started last night, omg I didn't even proofread it".

Meanwhile everytime we ask her to join us for a drink she says she can't because she's "busy" - even if there are no tests/assignments schedualed that week.

Just ignore ppl like that and do your own thing and remember to enjoy your life.

As Ewrin Rommel once said
"Men are basically smart or dumb and lazy or ambitious. The dumb and ambitious ones are dangerous and I get rid of them. The dumb and lazy ones I give mundane duties. The smart ambitious ones I put on my staff. The smart and lazy ones I make my commanders."

I believe "smart and lazy" does exist. I'm incredibly, let's say, "efficient with my time." I haven't cut my hair for 4 months because I don't see much point in it. I eat ramen noodles (and I'm in China) and PBJ sandwiches because I think my time is better spent on the internet doing stuff I like (paradoxically, "wasting time" on SDN). I do work quite hard when my procrastination alarm tells me that it's time to cram. Call me a liar, but I crammed for a month and pulled a 37 on the MCAT. I work 10-12 hours a day programming/doing research. I work hard, but I cut all corners deemed cuttable. While in college I was notorious for (unintentionally) hurting roommates' grades due to my begging them to come party (nearly 3.8 GPA). I believe my procrastination ethic shaped my studying style into efficient cramming. I am that "total dork" that sat next to you. I simply study for less time and remember more. I'm sorry if that all comes off as arrogant, but to deny the existance of those "smart and lazy," and to ignore and call those who claim they are, "gunners" or "arrogant liars," is IMO, not the way to go about treating people.

 

[rajad10]

I've always crammed for all my tests and not slept a wink before each test day. I have very done well on them to have a 3.9 GPA right now. But when I think about the test like a week after, I realize it was all short term memory and I forget a lot of the finer details. Looking to definetly change this habit in med school.

 

[R.P. McMurphy]

to put it bluntly, most of these people are full of **** when they say they hardly study. Even if it's true that they rarely study, it usually ends up catching up to you.

There are very, very, few exceptions.

totally agree.....I know some mofo who said he never studied for anything.....caught is ass in the library with about 13 notebooks out one night....

 

[R.P. McMurphy]

I've always crammed for all my tests and not slept a wink before each test day. I have very done well on them to have a 3.9 GPA right now. But when I think about the test like a week after, I realize it was all short term memory and I forget a lot of the finer details. Looking to definetly change this habit in med school.

same exact situation as you....I study tons, similar gpa, forget all that ish

 

[Revolver]

I am lazy when it comes to extra work outside of the class. For me, I prefer lecture, lecture, lecture, problems in the book, then study, study, study.

Why some professors choose to assign research papers and "projects" is beyond me. These are unncessary tortures that have little educational value and excel in creating frustrated students along with hours of wasted time.

These professors that assign papers and projects should have their foot tied to the base of a car and be dragged along the road at 70 mph.

 

[Zuerst]

As Ewrin Rommel once said
"Men are basically smart or dumb and lazy or ambitious. The dumb and ambitious ones are dangerous and I get rid of them. The dumb and lazy ones I give mundane duties. The smart ambitious ones I put on my staff. The smart and lazy ones I make my commanders."

I believe "smart and lazy" does exist. I'm incredibly, let's say, "efficient with my time." I haven't cut my hair for 4 months because I don't see much point in it. I eat ramen noodles (and I'm in China) and PBJ sandwiches because I think my time is better spent on the internet doing stuff I like (paradoxically, "wasting time" on SDN). I do work quite hard when my procrastination alarm tells me that it's time to cram. Call me a liar, but I crammed for a month and pulled a 37 on the MCAT. I work 10-12 hours a day programming/doing research. I work hard, but I cut all corners deemed cuttable. While in college I was notorious for (unintentionally) hurting roommates' grades due to my begging them to come party (nearly 3.8 GPA). I believe my procrastination ethic shaped my studying style into efficient cramming. I am that "total dork" that sat next to you. I simply study for less time and remember more. I'm sorry if that all comes off as arrogant, but to deny the existance of those "smart and lazy," and to ignore and call those who claim they are, "gunners" or "arrogant liars," is IMO, not the way to go about treating people.

That's not smart and lazy though...

 

[UIC Killa]

Which are you?

Lazy and smart - These guys barely study, cram, do everything at the last minute and ALWAYS GET A's! Two guys that sit next to me in calc are like this, one is asian, and the other is a total dork. Both came into the test on Tuesday bragging about how they didn't study, and we got our tests back today.. both got 100s, compared to me, who studied hard, 93.

Conscientous and not as smart - We study hours on end in advance for tests. We take good notes. We are organized. We do everything in advance, never procrastinating. yet we can barely keep up with the lazy and smart type. Is it fair?

I think I'm somewhere in the middle. I consider myself smart, but I'm not as smart as the lazy and smart type, and I'm conscientious, but a little lazy sometimes.

Just a fun little thread here.

I have done both...crammed all night for a test and do well and study for hours and also do well...it all depends on how comfortable I feel with the material. If i have been paying attention all semester long and have kept up with the material I can probably "cram" it...if i have no idea what is going then I study for long periods of time. I would consider myself lazy in the fact that if I dont feel pressure then I dont study much at all and that has hurt me once or twice. I will say this with certainty...classes you cram for you never learn anything afterwards, while classes you spend time on you learn a lot. My science classes I studied a lot (orgo, physics...) and it helps with mcats because I learned it...other classes (humanities...) I could usually cram and do well.

 

[OwnageMobile]

That's not smart and lazy though...

What is your idea of "smart and lazy?"

 

[KingTutATL]

I rarely will ever sit down and study, but I don't make straight A's. I am always telling myself to work harder but its the laziness that keeps me from doing it. Some classes like computer science or math I could never take the shrink wrap off my book and still make an A. Hindsight is 20/20

 

[karirunner]

My husband is lazy and smart...we both took Cell Biology at our undergrad...he showed up for class only when we had quizzes and I went everyday and took notes. At the end of the class he had a 98% and I had barely a 91%. Grrrrrrr. However, i had an easier time applying for med schools than he did for grad schools since his GPA was 3.5/3.25 science and math. People that are selectively lazy (I consider this class beneath my effort) still do ok.

lol
There is no such thing as lazy and smart.
If you're lazy there is no way that you will EVER excell at anything.
You have to work hard for everything in life.

People who are lazy and smart are usually just arrogant liars. They try to make ppl like YOU feel bad by bragging about how they didn't study at all and still got an A.

I know a girl who is exactly like those two guys you described.
She has a 4.0 GPA and complains about EVERY test, assginment, quiz, exam, and essay - "omg, I totally am not ready for this. I only studied for like half an hour....", or "there is no way I am going to pass this essay, I only started last night, omg I didn't even proofread it".

Meanwhile everytime we ask her to join us for a drink she says she can't because she's "busy" - even if there are no tests/assignments schedualed that week.

Just ignore ppl like that and do your own thing and remember to enjoy your life.

 

[QuikClot]

lol
There is no such thing as lazy and smart.
If you're lazy there is no way that you will EVER excell at anything.
You have to work hard for everything in life.

It would be nice if that were true, but it isn't.

Most people who excel are talented and work hard. But some are just very, very talented. In writing, in chess, in music, and in other fields there are numerous examples of people with poor work ethics among the best in the world.

Try to be philosophical. It's not much easier to suddenly become steady and methodical than it is to suddenly become bright. Maybe the bright kid with ADHD and a video game habit is sitting over there in the corner thinking "It's not fair. I'm way smarter than them, but they've memorized the whole f&*(ing textbook. Why can't I be more responsible, and not leave things to the last minute all the time???"

We all feel like we've been shortchanged, personality-wise, in one way or another. You think the OP's "dork" wouldn't trade a few IQs points in exchange for a confident, smooth manner with the ladies?

We've got what we've got. If you've got either the raw brains or the above-average discipline to make it in this field, be thankful. There are lots of people who don't have either one.

 

[RandomGuy]

I'm an alcoholic

I need to do this to even the playing field because i am so ridiculously intellectually gifted. Not only do i not study, but I am messing up my brain so others don't feel bad. And i still do better.

hahaha yeah and i'm sure your motives are purely altruistic too

 

[Zuerst]

What is your idea of "smart and lazy?"

There are degrees but, smart and lazy to me is well, smart, but lazy as in not putting in required amount of work when necessary.

From your own description, you come off more as smart, hard working, and efficient.

And I consider myself a convenience enthusiast, not lazy. 😀

 

[trustwomen]

It would be nice if that were true, but it isn't.

Most people who excel are talented and work hard. But some are just very, very talented. In writing, in chess, in music, and in other fields there are numerous examples of people with poor work ethics among the best in the world.

Try to be philosophical. It's not much easier to suddenly become steady and methodical than it is to suddenly become bright. Maybe the bright kid with ADHD and a video game habit is sitting over there in the corner thinking "It's not fair. I'm way smarter than them, but they've memorized the whole f&*(ing textbook. Why can't I be more responsible, and not leave things to the last minute all the time???"

We all feel like we've been shortchanged, personality-wise, in one way or another. You think the OP's "dork" wouldn't trade a few IQs points in exchange for a confident, smooth manner with the ladies?

We've got what we've got. If you've got either the raw brains or the above-average discipline to make it in this field, be thankful. There are lots of people who don't have either one.

I second this.

And being smart makes it easier to avoid developing work habits, i.e. to remain lazy. But it will only take you so far, usually.

The really "smart and lazy" people are probably not pulling off the highest grades - they're probably in the middle of the pack, but with a track record of effort that most resembles those of the kids that flunked out after first semester.

It's very very hard to develop study habits and become methodical and disciplined, when you never needed to be so in your youth.

 

[locoindio]

I would probably say I'm lazy and reasonably smart, def not smart enough to do nothing and get an A. I do nothing. I get nothing. Maybe I do nothing and end up with a B. That happens to me sometimes. Whoever it is that wrote that being lazy gets you nowhere couldn't be more right. I've met people who I personally think are dolts but who have amazing grades, standardized test scores, and who have some fairly impressive resumes. The funny thing is I try to have a normal conversation with them, and it's like they never learned anything more than how to hone in on something and persist til they get it. Other people I've met are a lot more laid back and prefer to get by on their ego (like myself, not a good idea). They say things like, "yeah. I'm sure if I put in the effort, I could get the grade....but I get bored....' It's the path to failure so I'm tryin to quit. I admire anybody on this board who has their stuff together, who works hard regardless of how naturally smart they might be, and who doesn't look back. It's a skill I'm trying to acquire so I can reach my potential. That's all for me. Godspeed...

Loco

 

[QuikClot]

When I was younger, I really had that problem, but I went from something like a 3.4 with mostly lit. and history courses to a 3.97 in my pre-med year as a non-trad. I made boxes of flashcards. I showed up first to the study group, and I left last, and my grades reflected it.

Still, it's hard to fight your nature. I had to constantly remind myself that a test was coming, and it always took (takes) great effort to put aside distractions and stop procrastinating. You would never confuse me with the real grinders -- I never prepared more than I had to, I was never high-anxiety.

I also notice, now that I'm really trying, that it's hard as hell for me to focus for more than 10-15 minutes at a time without daydreaming/getting up and taking a walk/starting a conversation with a stranger. I'm starting to wonder if I really have a little ADHD, and I'm seriously considering getting on the pills.

 

[LabMonster]

Which are you?

Lazy and smart - These guys barely study, cram, do everything at the last minute and ALWAYS GET A's! Two guys that sit next to me in calc are like this, one is asian, and the other is a total dork. Both came into the test on Tuesday bragging about how they didn't study, and we got our tests back today.. both got 100s, compared to me, who studied hard, 93.

Conscientous and not as smart - We study hours on end in advance for tests. We take good notes. We are organized. We do everything in advance, never procrastinating. yet we can barely keep up with the lazy and smart type. Is it fair?

I think I'm somewhere in the middle. I consider myself smart, but I'm not as smart as the lazy and smart type, and I'm conscientious, but a little lazy sometimes.

Just a fun little thread here.

That was me. Now it's time to see if "unmotivated" "laziest intelligence I've seen" "prolific underachiever" has any relevance. 😀

 

[Shredder]

Talent is tight. Hard work/laziness can be made up for later but there is no substituting for lack of innate talent. Applies in sports and everything, at the highest levels anyway

Oh btw don't forget about closet studiers, I had some East Asian friends in high school who had to keep up their "coolness" and act like they didn't study. But they were naturally smart too.

ack speaking of studying for test I have one in 10 hours. Talent, baby!

 

[instigata]

I am the type to study hard and do well in the end. I haven't really crammed for a test just because I can't make myself leave the material off to the end. Speaking of which, I have a Physics final in 13 hours 😱

 

[MirrorTodd]

I 100% agree with trust and loco. The only class I've gotten consistent A's in is Latin and that's because we had homework due every class. It was also the only class I've been really interested in. Anyway, I consider myself a smart guy, but I trick myself into thinking that I understand everything a lot more than I really do. I have to remind myself every few hours to stay on track. As a matter of fact, the background of my computer has a list of goals and motivational stuff because I am on my computer so much. Now, I will subsribe to this thread to give me strength from reading about people just like me.

 

[Law2Doc]

Lazy and smart - These guys barely study, cram, do everything at the last minute and ALWAYS GET A's! Two guys that sit next to me in calc are like this, one is asian, and the other is a total dork. Both came into the test on Tuesday bragging about how they didn't study, and we got our tests back today.. both got 100s, compared to me, who studied hard, 93.

You will find that there are people who think they seem cooler by feigning the slacker mentality. They tell everyone they were out partying all night every night and yet seem remarkably sober and prepared at every test. Don't buy into it - they are posers. There are also people who regularly study 8 hours a day and thus when they only put in 5 they actually feel like they didn't study at all. Then there are the folks who are blessed with better memories and minds than the rest of us, but they tend to be a rarer breed than the other groups. I don't know which group these people you described fall into, but the odds are they are not lazy -- they probably put in as much time or more than you, they just talk a better game.

 

[lilmissfickle]

Maybe the bright kid with ADHD and a video game habit is sitting over there in the corner thinking "It's not fair. I'm way smarter than them, but they've memorized the whole f&*(ing textbook. Why can't I be more responsible, and not leave things to the last minute all the time???"

Hahaha...story of my life, except substitute "video game habit" with "walking aimlessly around my room for hours on end". In my opinion, the ability to keep organized, sit through lectures, take consistently good notes, and stick to a study schedule of daily review is an enormous talent/skill that everyone who possesses should be hugely thankful for. I will always be insanely jealous of you. 🙁

 

[MossPoh]

I am a little more on the lazier smart side. I do lots of indirect studying though where I kind of read stuff just for enjoyment and know it because of that. My grades haven't been anything stellar and I am trying to get my habits back in order. I'd say that I have never crammed for an exam once, the most I have spent preparing for a single exam (regular or final) was probably 3 hours the day before. I am not bragging at all..I am kind of ashamed of it really. I have no idea where my time goes..I don't even keep a t.v. in my room, I don't party everyday...I have a 3.1 as of now which is just short of mediochre but intend on doing a postbacc program for classes that will actually require studying. My lack of study habits are what demolished me freshman year and the reason I have that 3.1 ....if I actually didn't have a meltdown I'd probably have a 3.7 or so. Oh well....I'm not a genius I just don't see much of what I do as true "studying" ....if you read a book over a topic for enjoyment does it count as studying?

 

[USArmyDoc]

I am in the middle of your descriptions but sometimes towards the concientous and not as smart. Personally, if I pull the grades I don't care! 😀

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

The first group you described are people that are smart, but actually look at the material every day and are able to understand it with little studying. That way when test time comes around, they can claim they "crammed". To them it is cramming, but in actuality it is really how everyone should be studying.

This is not true for some people. There are people who do not go to class (at all, seriously, not even the first lecture), dont go to discussion section, and then pick up the book the day before the test and either ace the exam or do quite well (at least one SD above the mean). They go through intense 6-12 hour (depending on the volume of the material) study sessions the day before the test and remember just enough of the material to answer knowledge based questions, and they're smart enough to work their way through the conceptual questions.
The problem with this study method (if you can call it that 🙂), is that in most people, the material doesnt "stick" over the long term, and within anywhere from hours to weeks after the test, the vast majority of the material is forgotten, as it was never committed to long term memory. This certainly won't work well in medical school, considering the sheer volume of material that must be committed to memory, and the necessity of learning things well enough to refresh the information for Step 1.
There are other draw backs to this method, too. I was frequently an A- student in science classes, because many teachers tested on bits of information that was only presented in lecture and was not covered in on-line notes or in the texts. These teachers did this to encourage lecture attendance, but it certainly wasn't a strong enough draw to pull me away from Halo. Sorry, but the Master Chief was more important to my life than their pitiful lecture, which was usually presented with poor English skills anyways

 

[trustwomen]

In my opinion, the ability to keep organized, sit through lectures, take consistently good notes, and stick to a study schedule of daily review is an enormous talent/skill that everyone who possesses should be hugely thankful for. I will always be insanely jealous of you. 🙁

This ability can be worked on, but it tends to bring with it a mild anxiety disorder. I can testify to this; man, was I ever a type B a decade ago. I wish I could remember how to live in the moment like that. Or maybe it's just because I was a teenager? 🙂

And of course the people who work harder and get the same grades as you (or lower ones) have NO sympathy for those who never developed work habits or are struggling with them. It's viewed as a character flaw instead of an underdeveloped skill. Which I understand, really I do - especially when they call me two nights before a test and ask what's up, and I blithely say "Not much. Watchin' TV. Wanna go for dinner?". (But I think it isn't under our control as much as they think it is.)

If it makes you feel better, there are probably some of your hard-working friends who are insanely jealous of you, because you don't have to put in as much work.

 

[isobel]

Hahaha...story of my life, except substitute "video game habit" with "walking aimlessly around my room for hours on end". In my opinion, the ability to keep organized, sit through lectures, take consistently good notes, and stick to a study schedule of daily review is an enormous talent/skill that everyone who possesses should be hugely thankful for. I will always be insanely jealous of you. 🙁

heh. when i'm supposed to be studying (the day before the exam of course) i nod off, check the internet incessantly, eat, go to the bathroom and repeat these for hours until the balance tips and i get so freaked out about not having studied yet (despite the fact that everyone else has been talking about the upcoming test for 2 weeks) that i feel better actually doing it.

but i'm still one of the first people out of the test and usually score at least average if not near the top. i think low GPA/high MCAT scores are common among my type of people.

i wish i could actually pay attention in class and study a little every day but no way in hell would i give up any of my smartness to gain that.

 

[Nodelphi]

I consider myself clever, not smart. I'll never attain the ammount of undeniable intelligence some people I know have but I've learned to make good use of what I've got.

 

[jackieMD2007]

Honestly, I don't know where any of us got the idea that if someone needs to study a topic, it means that they aren't "as smart" as someone who doesn't need to review.

Also, some people are just exceptional test-takers. I am not sure whether this makes them "smart" or anything else besides "really good test takers."

As a Biochem TA I got to see the full spectrum of students, very bright students who spent a lot of time studying and working problems, very bright students who didn't spend much time studying, etc.

How much someone studies is not a good measure of their intelligence.

 

[trustwomen]

Honestly, I don't know where any of us got the idea that if someone needs to study a topic, it means that they aren't "as smart" as someone who doesn't need to review.

I guess you could substitute "smart" for "exceptional memory" or "faster processing speed" then. The debate remains the same. I have a friend that envies my "memory" because she works harder for lower grades. I envy her good work habits (and ability to cook and clean), but that doesn't quite make up for it in this "proof-in-the-pudding" society.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I second this.

And being smart makes it easier to avoid developing work habits, i.e. to remain lazy. But it will only take you so far, usually.

The really "smart and lazy" people are probably not pulling off the highest grades - they're probably in the middle of the pack, but with a track record of effort that most resembles those of the kids that flunked out after first semester.

It's very very hard to develop study habits and become methodical and disciplined, when you never needed to be so in your youth.

As a person who crammed through college and law school and did well, I agree with this. I wish that I could easily be more organized in my studying, but the cramming has always worked. It's not going to work next year, and hopefully I won't fall into the cramming trap.

One thing I did realize in undergrad is that I was somehow better at figuring out what to focus on when I studied, so I would study less than other people and do better. Instead of self-defining myself as lazy (which wouldn't be entirely inaccurate), I think I could also describe the people who studied all the time as inefficient.

 

[Shredder]

"video game habit"

🙁 I was up playing Chrono Trigger instead of studying for "Economy of the Arts". a C might be in the works, but that's why classes immediately before matriculation are great.

Ppl who are "smart" just absorb information better and more efficiently. Nobody can get by without studying at all, bc the knowledge somehow has to get into their head. Closet studiers everywhere

 

[SeventhSon]

🙁 I was up playing Chrono Trigger instead of studying for "Economy of the Arts". a C might be in the works, but that's why classes immediately before matriculation are great.

Ppl who are "smart" just absorb information better and more efficiently. Nobody can get by without studying at all, bc the knowledge somehow has to get into their head. Closet studiers everywhere

ahhh that game and ff3/6j were a part of my youth...

 

[isobel]

One thing I did realize in undergrad is that I was somehow better at figuring out what to focus on when I studied, so I would study less than other people and do better. Instead of self-defining myself as lazy (which wouldn't be entirely inaccurate), I think I could also describe the people who studied all the time as inefficient.

ooo, i agree. i hate listening to classmates freak out about all these little details they think are gonna be on the test when i so know they won't.

 

[deleted102545]

I've always crammed for all my tests and not slept a wink before each test day. I have very done well on them to have a 3.9 GPA right now. But when I think about the test like a week after, I realize it was all short term memory and I forget a lot of the finer details. Looking to definetly change this habit in med school.

Same here. I really need to change my study habits because they won't cut it in med school.

 

[Shredder]

ooo, i agree. i hate listening to classmates freak out about all these little details they think are gonna be on the test when i so know they won't.

yes thats actually an excellent point by lawgirl that i too have experienced. It's why I never study with others, they just don't know how to properly

as far as RPGs go I have never really been into them, but I find they're too easy with the walkthroughs and too inefficient without them. Not much motor skill/reflexes required

ehh test in 45, what the hell am i doing

 

[noonday]

I think I could also describe the people who studied all the time as inefficient.

yes.

yes yes yes. part of it is "smarts" and part is efficiency. studying a lot does not make a better student, nor a better grade, necessarily. the inefficient are annoying.

but then, i have a semi-photographic memory, so sheer memorization is fast for me. and i wouldn't classify that as smart, nor efficient (though it makes learning go faster), i would just call it lucky...

 

[MollyMalone]

Also, some people are just exceptional test-takers. I am not sure whether this makes them "smart" or anything else besides "really good test takers."

I agree with this entirely.