138 IQ + Poor Grades?
So I got tested and found out that I have an IQ of 138, which I'm told is rather high. I consider myself more intellectual than most people my age (I'm 17) but I've never had good grades. I try hard in school and love learning but tend to be dismissed as "scatter-brained" and "unreliable" by my teachers...and I think that unfortunately these statements are all too accurate. I think I'm going through this identity crisis in which I'm trying to discern whether or not people's assumptions of my intelligence are valid. I don't know. I'm so confused. I've spent all my life being called "nerdy" and "witty" and "smart," but my grades told me otherwise. Then this IQ test points to at least relatively intelligent again.
I'm so lost. Which scores are an accurate portrayal of my intellect, if either? How do I ever truly know what to believe?
I know that this may be a ridiculous question, but being deemed intelligent has been instilled inside of me from a very early age. I just don't know how to view myself. I would really appreciate honesty and a dose of reality.
Thanks in advance.
Comments
It could be because of the type of learner that you are. A lot of highly intelligent people do not fall into the visual or audio learner categories that public schools use. In the traditional classroom, a teacher teaches to the students by showing them how to do something and also telling them how to do it. Many students of very high intelligence would rather say, okay, but what would the results be if I do it this way or that way instead? (their inquisitive thinking) Or, yes, but can I do the assignment in a different format to make it more interesting? My son was like this. He would finish the entire book and all the questions by the end of November (months ahead of the class, just because he wanted to). Or, he would do projects the way that he thought would be interesting, rather than what the assignment called for. I ended up moving him to a private school before grade 6 when he got a 0 on a math assignment for not showing his work & he went up to the chalk board and showed the class how he answered all of the questions with "new" math. When he was really young, he also didn't talk till really late and I was sure that he must have ADHD or was very slow - but it was just the opposite - if it didn't interest or challenge him, he had no interest in doing it. People (and even teachers) can have really different perceptions of these types of students.
Albert Einstein was an "average" student in public school for the same reasons. Winston Churchill also had the same problems and didn't even bother to talk until he was 3. When he finally did talk, it was at a very advanced level.
Which score to believe? Your Official IQ When you eventually get into University (which you will), you'll be with kindred spirits.
Hi! Well, your IQ is a bit higher than normal. But you can't get good grades just by having a high IQ.
You need to apply yourself. Dose of Reality: Don't expect your IQ to get you into Princeton. Expect your hard work and perseverence (with a little dash of intellegence) to get you there. Being intellegent isn't neccesarily the same as having a high IQ. Sure, they're related. I think of a brain as a sponge. IQ represents how much your sponge can hold. Water represents the knowledge that comes from books and studying. So if you don't put water on the sponge, how can you expect your sponge to retain the information? Never try,never know. Good Luck!
Here is a dose of reality anyone who truly believes that they are "smarter intellectual" clearly needs a reality check. If you are getting bad grades then apply yourself more. If you feel your classes don't challenge your brain more and take some advanced classes.