The Outlier

While reading Theories of Intelligence, I found myself relating to a lot of issues Dr. Ballenger discussed, mainly the feeling of thinking you're not as smart as you think you are.

I've always had a pretty good sense of where I stand on the totem pole, as it were. I've always known that while I'm smarter than some, I'm certainly not smarter than many others. I got good grades during high school because I did my homework, studied, and got along well with the teacher, but there was never a moment when I realized, Wow, I really understand this, and I feel smart. 

It came as a shock to me in my sophomore Honors European History Class (which prepared us for the AP exam) when I asked my teacher: If I consistently get half right on the multiple choice, and maybe get a middling grade on the FRQs and the DBQs, do you think that'll be enough to pass?

He answered, "Sure."

Now, I didn't end up passing the exam, but at the moment, the realization that I may be smart enough for this exam was overwhelming and exciting. The only place where I have ever felt intelligent, maybe even smarter than my peers, my closest friends, the Valedictorian and the Salutatorian who are now attending Princeton and Brown, respectively, is when I talk about something I'm passionate about, specifically music. So the realization that I may just be smart enough for something was a revelation, even if it didn't come to fruition.

I believe that a lot of people in this class have grown up as Hailie explained in her blog post, Exercise 2, going through Gifted programs because everything else is at too slow a pace for them. Even though this hasn't been my particular experience because I've never been deemed part of the "smart kids" crowd, I'm excited to be a part of a group that did grow up this way.

As my mom always says, "Better to be the least intelligent person in a room full of intelligent people, than the most intelligent person in a room full of less-intelligent people. At least you'll learn."