In high school, I was made to take a professionally-administered IQ test, and my score was recorded to be 143 (with high verbal and logic abilities, etc).
I do realize that 143 is a score just a bit above average. Such a score will not entitle me to any sort of Nobel Prize, but provided I was tested – and scored – properly, shouldn’t high grades come to me as naturally as oxygen?
Now I’m in university. As all the students must fulfill General Education requirements (which span a wide variety of subjects), I took the classes that seemed the most interesting to me, such as Physics, Advanced Calculus, Creative Writing and Russian, and I not only received A’s effortlessly, the professors wanted to recruit me to intensive programs, have my essays published, etc.
My family has managed to convince me that my personality type suits the field of Accounting, and since they think that the profession ensures employment, autonomy, and makes use of my math abilities, I have declared it as my major.
And I effin’ suck.
I cannot concentrate on my reading, I get income statement entries, definitions, and rules all mixed up, and although I can understand the logic of the established guidelines of finance and accounting, when I get mixed up, it’s because I see logic in other ways. This may be because subjects such as physics and calculus are based on natural, nearly indisputable “laws”, whereas subjects such as accounting are governed by humans.
I study about 3 hours a week, which more-than-sufficed before I got involved in business/accounting, but my efforts yield no success. I got a D on my Accounting midterm – and so did everyone else.
Well, if grades are based on intelligence, and the average IQ is 100, and I performed as weakly as my peers, then my IQ is truly 100, and not 143, right?
Do I simply need to study even harder, or will brute-force studying be ineffective in light of my newfound true IQ?
Thanks for reading all this, I’m just so frustrated. }:-(
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It sounds to me like you’ve proved your family wrong. There is nothing in your post that indicates that you necessarily have a passion for accounting or that you plan to spend a long time in that field. Instead, it sounds as if you need something that allows you more room to use your creativity, natural curiosity, and logic. You already know some areas that excite you, so you are ahead of the game in that sense. The following free career test might also give you some additional insight: http://www.questcareer.com/career_assessment_resources.html
I would change your major to something that you feel excited about, as you will not do well in a subject that you subconsciously experience ambivalence toward. You might even be subconsciously sabotaging yourself in order to justify a future move. Schooling is expensive; make sure you’re getting the most out of your investment by learning about something that will give you years of satisfaction personally and professionally. If your family does not respond well to your decision to switch majors, you might point out that your grades indicate that you are not necessarily compatible with that career choice. Good luck!
Part of the growing up process is becoming independent of your parents… your first step would be too figure out what you like and major in that field..
Use common sense and decide what you most enjoy doing in life. I mean after college you get a job for the next 30 plus years. Don’t listen to your parents totally, think outside their box and do what you want to do since it is your life.
Correction: 50+ years!
IQ is a really innefective way of judging one’s intelligence. It tests to see if you’re capable of specific thought patterns, but it’ll never be a definitive measure. I have an IQ of 132, which is also pretty high but I’m doing REALLY badly at school at the moment. It really is about effort and LOOKING AFTER YOUR BODY more than anything.
143 is not a bit above average! It is MILES above average; we’re talking 50-60 points above average.
In any case, I think IQ tests are bogus. I’ve taken four professional IQ tests – all four came out differently. In one I scored 145, another 136, another 124 and another only 113.
Choose a subject you enjoy and stop letting your family dictate to you what you’re good and not good at, and don’t let a number decide for you what you can achieve. Only you can determine these things.
IQ measures intelligence in one specific way (granted over a variety of area). There are lots of things it doesn’t take into account, creativity, artistic skills, emotional intelligence, ability to learn facts.
It doesn’t take into account things that are going on in our lives outside of school, boys, friends, fun or our preferences for subjects. We all know that we do better in things we enjoy.
Learning strategies, like mnemonics may help.
I’m an accountant and it took me awhile to get the logic of it, until I got a job in the field. BUT – please take some of those career questionnaires. Your advisor can give them to you. Find out what YOU want to do. You’re too young to be locked into a boring field that you really don’t like for the rest of your life.
Being smart and being intelligent are two VERY different things. Grades are not based on intelligence, they are based on how much you can remember from a lecture or studying. Try a different subject where you can use your intelligence, something like psychology.