Hacker News Reader

CMU? 50th percentile? Congratulations on finding a community of people who are amazing enough to make you look normal :)

View on HN

I'm making strides but it's still a far cry from high school, where I was easily one of the smartest kids without ever trying. Coming to CMU definitely humbled me quite a bit!

But that aside, I'm still not content with being normal. When I sold out my intelligence, it meant years of hard work on socializing and stuff (seriously. It's hard work). Now that I'm stepping back into academics, I'm aiming for the top again. But it's so much harder the second time around :(

It's actually the first time if you never had to try before. I think this is an issue that lots of people having an easy time in HS have, we actually need to learn how to study once things get more complex.

I actually don't think I was ever "naturally intelligent". My current grades prove that. But the reason I could cruise through high school was because my parents drilled me with algebra, vocabulary quizzes, geography, and Montessori school when I was 4-9 years old. That undeniably put me ahead for the next ten or so years.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com