Is it normal to not feel intelligent enough?

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AjustableTableLamp
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06 Sep 2012, 5:09 pm

I never really put my intellect to the test in school because I don't try hard enough. But when I really give my everything in math, I can't put all the pieces together and it takes me an eternity to get through work. I don't even remember how to work with large numbers anymore. You know when you have a large number with an even larger number and you have to do some fancy stuff with the extra digits. I started relying on a scientific calculator to do that stuff for me until I gave up in math. My gr. 12 math has never been completed but my school left me off the hook because they probably thought I was ret*d or something by the end of my high school career.

I'm naturally good at biology because that's where my magic aspie powers point at. But even then, I just passed the course because no effort was made. I did the bare minimum.

I really like reptiles, birds, and dinosaurs so I would like to study something around that but I need science credit for those and to get science credit I need to finish math.. So I'm going back to school to get those credits and I will try my best this time. I just feel like I'm naturally not smart enough. This is normal, right?

English isn't my first language so sorry if there are any weird structure issues.



AspieWolf
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06 Sep 2012, 8:00 pm

Your English is fine and MUCH better than my German! I think that it is common for us to have one or more subjects that are very difficult for us to master. Perhaps it might help you if you could find a tutor to help with your math. Also, it makes a very big difference who your teacher is. They all teach differently and sometimes that can make all the difference between our understanding the subject and not.

There is one last comment here. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we just can not do something. There are things that some of us simply can not learn and never will. We all have limitations of some sort, but never give up until you have really tried your best and even tried to find someone to help.


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OddDuckNash99
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06 Sep 2012, 9:15 pm

As a scientist with NVLD, I both can say that I often feel "stupid" because of my visual-spatial/math deficits, as well as that it IS possible to excel in science without being a whiz at math. What counts in science is that you are logical, analytical, and can interpret data and statistics, but for the most part, computer programs do the actual mathematical computations needed for data analysis and statistics. Yes, there are some sciences (mainly physics and chemistry) that rely heavily on math, but the life sciences are not this way. I actually am very good at statistics, because it is all algebra (the only math I'm good at) and logic. If you really want to pursue a career in biology, go for it!


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