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Rank: Senior Student  Joined: 10/26/2011 Posts: 298
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The subject says it all. Are you smart because you study, study, study? are you smart because you eat your vegetables? Are you smart because your born smart? I'm a mid 80 student. I could be doing a lot better, if i dont procastinate and get distracted easily. But i think even if i tried my bestest, i wouldn't be able to pull off more than a 90/91ish average. I've came across plenty of forums/threads/posts whatever its called where students are getting mid 90s. How is that even possible? I need to know what the secret is? Anyone care to share there secret to success? ps. its friday night and i rather kill time on SA than brainwash myself with tv...so dont judge:p Co-op Management
University of Toronto
Class of 2016
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Rank: Senior Student
Joined: 5/12/2011
Posts: 214
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There is more than one way to define "smart". There is "university/classroom smart" and there is "think-for-yourself smart". Those who constantly churn out 90s (and 80s for some courses) clearly have the former, but not necessarily the latter. Likewise those who are the latter may not be the former. I know plenty of people who have average marks in the 60s, who ended up very successful. I am generally a 70s student (although my marks are inconsistent and all over the map). I don't care that someone spends 18 hours a day studying. Good for them. If they don't mind missing out on other stuff, then I don't see a problem. When I say "other stuff", I don't mean the default social activities such as partying, clubbing, and drinking. Join a youth group. Take up a hobby or sport. Try to find something you enjoy. Make a positive difference for yourself and others. Make sure to also study and pass your courses, but try to focus on the bigger picture of life rather than sacrificing everything to get a 90 average, which ultimately will make no difference whatsoever on whether or not you are successful in life.
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Rank: Student Body President
Joined: 6/3/2011
Posts: 2,118
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A lot of people on this forum ask me what my secret is and how I have succeeded so far, and I don't really know what to say. I think I was just born this way. I have worked hard but not as hard as some other people probably work,
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Rank: Senior Student
Joined: 5/12/2011
Posts: 214
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ktel wrote:A lot of people on this forum ask me what my secret is and how I have succeeded so far, and I don't really know what to say. I think I was just born this way. I have worked hard but not as hard as some other people probably work, I think we're all born equal. We just differ in our life experiences. Sounds like you have successfully found what works for you :) I'm still trying to figure my own life out, but something will work out in the end.
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Rank: Senior Student
Joined: 5/12/2011
Posts: 214
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ktel wrote:A lot of people on this forum ask me what my secret is and how I have succeeded so far, and I don't really know what to say. I think I was just born this way. I have worked hard but not as hard as some other people probably work, I think we're all born equal. We just differ in our life experiences. Sounds like you have successfully found what works for you :) I'm still trying to figure my own life out, but something will work out in the end.
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Rank: Senior Student Joined: 10/26/2011 Posts: 298
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Quiz wrote:There is more than one way to define "smart". There is "university/classroom smart" and there is "think-for-yourself smart". Those who constantly churn out 90s (and 80s for some courses) clearly have the former, but not necessarily the latter. Likewise those who are the latter may not be the former. I know plenty of people who have average marks in the 60s, who ended up very successful. I am generally a 70s student (although my marks are inconsistent and all over the map). I don't care that someone spends 18 hours a day studying. Good for them. If they don't mind missing out on other stuff, then I don't see a problem. When I say "other stuff", I don't mean the default social activities such as partying, clubbing, and drinking. Join a youth group. Take up a hobby or sport. Try to find something you enjoy. Make a positive difference for yourself and others. Make sure to also study and pass your courses, but try to focus on the bigger picture of life rather than sacrificing everything to get a 90 average, which ultimately will make no difference whatsoever on whether or not you are successful in life. I guess you can shun everything and everyone out. I can't. It bugs me when i see others do better. I guess im the jealous type=/ Co-op Management
University of Toronto
Class of 2016
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Rank: Student Body President
Joined: 12/22/2010
Posts: 1,330
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In my experience, particularly with multiple choice exams, success in school depends heavily on your ability to memorize large amounts of information. I think everyone could get 90s in their courses; doing so just requires less effort for some (i.e. the smart kids) than others. The more a person has to work to memorize material the more likely they are to give up and half-@ss it, yielding them poorer marks than they are capable of achieving. Give a person all the drive in the world, and he will be successful in school. BMSc Honours Specialization in Medical Science, Minor in Psychology, UWO '09
Bachelor of Pharmacy, University of Alberta '13 - Drop out as of '11
University Certificate in Finance, Athabasca University '12
Petroleum Engineering Technology diploma, NAIT '13
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Rank: Senior Student
Joined: 5/12/2011
Posts: 214
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bcd92 wrote:Quiz wrote:There is more than one way to define "smart". There is "university/classroom smart" and there is "think-for-yourself smart". Those who constantly churn out 90s (and 80s for some courses) clearly have the former, but not necessarily the latter. Likewise those who are the latter may not be the former. I know plenty of people who have average marks in the 60s, who ended up very successful. I am generally a 70s student (although my marks are inconsistent and all over the map). I don't care that someone spends 18 hours a day studying. Good for them. If they don't mind missing out on other stuff, then I don't see a problem. When I say "other stuff", I don't mean the default social activities such as partying, clubbing, and drinking. Join a youth group. Take up a hobby or sport. Try to find something you enjoy. Make a positive difference for yourself and others. Make sure to also study and pass your courses, but try to focus on the bigger picture of life rather than sacrificing everything to get a 90 average, which ultimately will make no difference whatsoever on whether or not you are successful in life. I guess you can shun everything and everyone out. I can't. It bugs me when i see others do better. I guess im the jealous type=/ Easier said then done. There is no "jealous type". Everyone experiences jealousy. Including myself. It might look like I shut everything and everyone out around me, but no. I still struggle with jealousy sometimes. Think about the big picture of life. How is jealousy going to help one become successful?
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Rank: Senior Student Joined: 10/26/2011 Posts: 298
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Quiz wrote:bcd92 wrote:Quiz wrote:There is more than one way to define "smart". There is "university/classroom smart" and there is "think-for-yourself smart". Those who constantly churn out 90s (and 80s for some courses) clearly have the former, but not necessarily the latter. Likewise those who are the latter may not be the former. I know plenty of people who have average marks in the 60s, who ended up very successful. I am generally a 70s student (although my marks are inconsistent and all over the map). I don't care that someone spends 18 hours a day studying. Good for them. If they don't mind missing out on other stuff, then I don't see a problem. When I say "other stuff", I don't mean the default social activities such as partying, clubbing, and drinking. Join a youth group. Take up a hobby or sport. Try to find something you enjoy. Make a positive difference for yourself and others. Make sure to also study and pass your courses, but try to focus on the bigger picture of life rather than sacrificing everything to get a 90 average, which ultimately will make no difference whatsoever on whether or not you are successful in life. I guess you can shun everything and everyone out. I can't. It bugs me when i see others do better. I guess im the jealous type=/ Easier said then done. There is no "jealous type". Everyone experiences jealousy. Including myself. It might look like I shut everything and everyone out around me, but no. I still struggle with jealousy sometimes. Think about the big picture of life. How is jealousy going to help one become successful? I absolutely agree with you. Jealously will not get me anywhere. Things are a little different for me though.... Co-op Management
University of Toronto
Class of 2016
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Rank: Senior Student  Joined: 12/20/2010 Posts: 212
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ktel wrote:I think I was just born this way. I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK BABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAY University of Toronto - TrackOne Engineering 1T5
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Rank: Senior Student
Joined: 5/12/2011
Posts: 214
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bcd92 wrote:Quiz wrote:bcd92 wrote:Quiz wrote:There is more than one way to define "smart". There is "university/classroom smart" and there is "think-for-yourself smart". Those who constantly churn out 90s (and 80s for some courses) clearly have the former, but not necessarily the latter. Likewise those who are the latter may not be the former. I know plenty of people who have average marks in the 60s, who ended up very successful. I am generally a 70s student (although my marks are inconsistent and all over the map). I don't care that someone spends 18 hours a day studying. Good for them. If they don't mind missing out on other stuff, then I don't see a problem. When I say "other stuff", I don't mean the default social activities such as partying, clubbing, and drinking. Join a youth group. Take up a hobby or sport. Try to find something you enjoy. Make a positive difference for yourself and others. Make sure to also study and pass your courses, but try to focus on the bigger picture of life rather than sacrificing everything to get a 90 average, which ultimately will make no difference whatsoever on whether or not you are successful in life. I guess you can shun everything and everyone out. I can't. It bugs me when i see others do better. I guess im the jealous type=/ Easier said then done. There is no "jealous type". Everyone experiences jealousy. Including myself. It might look like I shut everything and everyone out around me, but no. I still struggle with jealousy sometimes. Think about the big picture of life. How is jealousy going to help one become successful? I absolutely agree with you. Jealously will not get me anywhere. Things are a little different for me though.... Things are also very different with me, and they're different with everyone. Jealousy is a persistant and ongoing struggle. I've been dealing with it a lot more than usual latley. Basically, it comes down to two options that I have: I let it consume me, and I feel horrible. Or, fight it (not easy, but definately worth the effort). Naturally, a lot of people let it consume them. But clearly, they are choosing the easy option and are therefore heading into a world of misery. I chose the much more difficult option, and eventually I will succeed in defeating it. It's a lengthy, lonely, and difficult struggle, but it can be overcome.
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Rank: Senior Student
Joined: 5/12/2011
Posts: 214
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steele wrote:ktel wrote:I think I was just born this way. I'M ON THE RIGHT TRACK BABY, I WAS BORN THIS WAY It seems as if you're a troll..........intriguing.
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Rank: Student Body President
Joined: 6/3/2011
Posts: 2,118
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Quiz wrote:ktel wrote:A lot of people on this forum ask me what my secret is and how I have succeeded so far, and I don't really know what to say. I think I was just born this way. I have worked hard but not as hard as some other people probably work, I think we're all born equal. We just differ in our life experiences. Sounds like you have successfully found what works for you :) I'm still trying to figure my own life out, but something will work out in the end. I figured out from a very young age though. Never really struggled. I was reading chapter books when I was 5 and my parents NEVER had to make me do my homework, I just did it.
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Rank: Student Body President
Joined: 12/13/2010
Posts: 1,054
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I have a really, really good short term memory. To the point where it's slightly photographic (I can remember things word for word from lecture slides, including punctuation, text colour, placement on the slide, font size etc). I figured this out in grade 9 when I had an in class English essay test but was given the topics beforehand. I went home and wrote the essay, memorized it, and then rewrote it word for word on the test. And I only need to see/read things twice to remember it (albeit not long term, I forget everything after about 2 days). This means I can regurgitate info pretty much verbatim and it's definitely the main reason why I do well in school. Also, I'm a quick learner and just reading lecture notes is usually enough for me to grasp the concept (so I can spend more time memorizing rather than looking up stuff in textbooks, doing optional/supplementary readings, spending time in the lab etc). McMaster Bachelor of Health Sciences 2011
U of Guelph-OVC Doctor of Veterinary Medicine 2015
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Rank: Senior Student Joined: 10/26/2011 Posts: 298
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ktel wrote:Quiz wrote:ktel wrote:A lot of people on this forum ask me what my secret is and how I have succeeded so far, and I don't really know what to say. I think I was just born this way. I have worked hard but not as hard as some other people probably work, I think we're all born equal. We just differ in our life experiences. Sounds like you have successfully found what works for you :) I'm still trying to figure my own life out, but something will work out in the end. I figured out from a very young age though. Never really struggled. I was reading chapter books when I was 5 and my parents NEVER had to make me do my homework, I just did it. alien alert -_- Co-op Management
University of Toronto
Class of 2016
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Rank: Student Council
Joined: 6/29/2011
Posts: 371
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LOL, I do not even think I am clever. The world is not over and I'm still kicking butt!
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Rank: Senior Student
Joined: 1/3/2012
Posts: 50
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lol I'm a lot like inthemaking. Sometimes I wonder if I have a photographic memory too. Thank goodness, cause that's what makes me able to do so well on tests with minimal studying.
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Rank: Student Body Vice-President
Joined: 1/4/2011
Posts: 782
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Id say i also have a near photographic memory. Probably came from the pressure my parents put on me when i was young. Took a lot of smacks to the head and shouting but they definitely did it the right way haha also, as a younger sibling i definitely felt the competitiveness to always be better. my brother always told me second place is just a fancy word for loser, i believed him too much then and still do now :) Waterloo Mechanical Engineering '17
Applied:
McGill :) :( :( :(
Western :)
Ivey :(
U of T :) :)
Waterloo :) :) :)
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Rank: Frosh
Joined: 12/30/2011
Posts: 24
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Definitely memory for me as well. I have a really good musical memory, to the point where I can memorize a page of music having played it only a few times. I know it sounds odd, but I apply this to almost everything I learn in school. Like if I have to memorize a page of French vocab, I'll make up a song to go along with it and it's stuck in my head forever. The Juilliard School '16
Bachelor of Music in Cello
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Rank: Student Body President
Joined: 6/3/2011
Posts: 2,118
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inthemaking wrote:I have a really, really good short term memory. To the point where it's slightly photographic (I can remember things word for word from lecture slides, including punctuation, text colour, placement on the slide, font size etc). I figured this out in grade 9 when I had an in class English essay test but was given the topics beforehand. I went home and wrote the essay, memorized it, and then rewrote it word for word on the test. And I only need to see/read things twice to remember it (albeit not long term, I forget everything after about 2 days).
This means I can regurgitate info pretty much verbatim and it's definitely the main reason why I do well in school. Also, I'm a quick learner and just reading lecture notes is usually enough for me to grasp the concept (so I can spend more time memorizing rather than looking up stuff in textbooks, doing optional/supplementary readings, spending time in the lab etc). My somewhat photographic memory quickly went away after about grade 9, unfortunately. Luckily I hadn't only relied on that.
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