Can average intelligence thrive in college?

[FishmanGeertz]

This year, I will probably be attending post-secondary education, either at a technical school or community college (I can't afford a university yet). I heard that college-level coursework is extremely advanced and very difficult when compared to high school academics. And that the only people whom really succeed in college are those with genius-level intellect (an IQ above 140).

My question is this, could a person with at least average intelligence (IQ 85-115) attend college and do fairly well? Almost all people fall within that IQ range, and there are millions and millions of people attending college. Only 2% of the entire populace has an IQ above the "genius" 140 mark. I would imagine most of them are attending Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and so forth.

 

[Klockan3]

Yes, you can succeed even if you are average, no you do not need to have an IQ of over 140 to get perfect grades. However it will take a fair bit of discipline.

 

[Pengwuino]

This year, I will probably be attending post-secondary education, either at a technical school or community college (I can't afford a university yet). I heard that college-level coursework is extremely advanced and very difficult when compared to high school academics. And that the only people whom really succeed in college are those with genius-level intellect (an IQ above 140).

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: who told you this?!

No. Just, No.

My question is this, could a person with at least average intelligence (IQ 85-115) attend college and do fairly well? Almost all people fall within that IQ range, and there are millions and millions of people attending college. Only 2% of the entire populace has an IQ above the "genius" 140 mark. I would imagine most of them are attending Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and so forth.

IQ isn't important. The people who do well in college are the ones who work hard. That's it.

 

[flyingpig]

Lol, my grades in college are better than in high school, I'll tell you that much

EDIT: At least this semester...

my first semester was insane lol. Had to go through a few deadly weeder courses

 

[lisab]

This year, I will probably be attending post-secondary education, either at a technical school or community college (I can't afford a university yet). I heard that college-level coursework is extremely advanced and very difficult when compared to high school academics. And that the only people whom really succeed in college are those with genius-level intellect (an IQ above 140).

My question is this, could a person with at least average intelligence (IQ 85-115) attend college and do fairly well? Almost all people fall within that IQ range, and there are millions and millions of people attending college. Only 2% of the entire populace has an IQ above the "genius" 140 mark. I would imagine most of them are attending Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and so forth.

People of average intelligence can excel at the college level; in fact it's not even a rare occurrence.

 

[Jack21222]

IQ isn't important. The people who do well in college are the ones who work hard. That's it.

Well, it's somewhat important. An IQ of ~70 for example will pose a practically insurmountable barrier to success.

 

[Angry Citizen]

This year, I will probably be attending post-secondary education, either at a technical school or community college (I can't afford a university yet). I heard that college-level coursework is extremely advanced and very difficult when compared to high school academics. And that the only people whom really succeed in college are those with genius-level intellect (an IQ above 140).

My question is this, could a person with at least average intelligence (IQ 85-115) attend college and do fairly well? Almost all people fall within that IQ range, and there are millions and millions of people attending college. Only 2% of the entire populace has an IQ above the "genius" 140 mark. I would imagine most of them are attending Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and so forth.

Depends on the major. Could a below-average intellect do physics or engineering? Probably not. Could an average person? Only with extreme self-discipline. Then again, I think 2/3rds of all intelligence is attitude and determination, so those with extreme self-discipline aren't likely to be average people.

 

[zif.]

I heard that college-level coursework is extremely advanced and very difficult when compared to high school academics. And that the only people whom really succeed in college are those with genius-level intellect (an IQ above 140).

I'm going to go ahead and guess that you heard this from someone that didn't attend post-secondary and has used 'facts' such as this to justify their poor decision.

 

[chiro]

This year, I will probably be attending post-secondary education, either at a technical school or community college (I can't afford a university yet). I heard that college-level coursework is extremely advanced and very difficult when compared to high school academics. And that the only people whom really succeed in college are those with genius-level intellect (an IQ above 140).

My question is this, could a person with at least average intelligence (IQ 85-115) attend college and do fairly well? Almost all people fall within that IQ range, and there are millions and millions of people attending college. Only 2% of the entire populace has an IQ above the "genius" 140 mark. I would imagine most of them are attending Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and so forth.

Work hard and make use of your resources. Any one person does not know everything, IQ regardless. You have access to like minded students, professors, TA's, a library full of books, forums (like this one) and other resources.

Use your available resources and some initiative and you will succeed.

 

[Shackleford]

Typically, the "geniuses" are the guys who work little but understand much. Or, they are the guys who work hard, understand everything, and become very successful in whatever they do.

 

[FishmanGeertz]

Depends on the major. Could a below-average intellect do physics or engineering? Probably not. Could an average person? Only with extreme self-discipline. Then again, I think 2/3rds of all intelligence is attitude and determination, so those with extreme self-discipline aren't likely to be average people.

People with extremely high IQ's usually attribute their genius to intellect-demanding subjects like physics, mathematics, engineering, science, and whatnot.

Do you think someone with an "average" IQ of ~100 could par with the academic performance of MENSA members in any field of study? I don't think so. But hard work and sheer determination will get you many places.

 

[chiro]

People with extremely high IQ's usually attribute their genius to intellect-demanding subjects like physics, mathematics, engineering, science, and whatnot.

Do you think someone with an "average" IQ of ~100 could par with the academic performance of MENSA members in any field of study? I don't think so. But hard work and sheer determination will get you many places.

I think you will find that a lot of people with so called "high IQs" actually waste their ability and talent, and can be lazy, and because of that don't get anywhere near their potential.

Regardless of IQ, the ones that will succeed are the ones that push themselves. They face situations where they struggle, and none-the-less keep at it. Being bright helps, but its the ones that face failure head on, and use a positive attitude to keep at it.

There's a saying that goes along the lines of "The harder I work, the luckier I get".

 

[Pengwuino]

Do you think someone with an "average" IQ of ~100 could par with the academic performance of MENSA members in any field of study? I don't think so. But hard work and sheer determination will get you many places.

Where are you getting these ideas about what people with high IQs can and can't do? Honestly, I don't know anyone who ever mentions MENSA in any form or capacity as something worth... well, mentioning. There are plenty of MENSA people who don't do anything and are quite useless. What did Einstein say? Something like genius is 95% perspiration?

 

[odinsthunder]

. But hard work and sheer determination will get you many places.

Funny you should say that.

Here's an article which has been released today.

Intelligence tests are as much a measure of motivation as they are of mental ability, says research from the US.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13156817"

 

[zif.]

Personally, I stopped putting any stock in 'IQ' after reading Feynman's Wikipedia article,

"In high school, his IQ was determined to be 125: high, but "merely respectable" according to biographer Gleick."

 

[sponsoredwalk]

I hope you're at least aware of the fallacy of basing your whole outlook of life on the
controversial & largely unjustifiable idea of IQ.

 

[Pyrrhus]

If you want to be good in college. You need to put the hours. That's it. The most you exercice the brain, the quicker it'll be to build on good foundations, your newly acquired knowledge. For example, I taught myself computer programming, and the first time it was painful. It took me quite a while to get all the little details. Later, I've taught myself other programming languages, and their learning curve was quicker. I was already familiar with important ideas such as programming logic, data variables, and others.

 

[olivermsun]

You want to succeed in the aggregate? Rely on your high IQ and hope you aren't an outlier.

You want to do something special? Nobody can control all the chances that have to come together to make that happen. Keep working hard.

;)

 

[HallsofIvy]

Where are you getting these ideas about what people with high IQs can and can't do? Honestly, I don't know anyone who ever mentions MENSA in any form or capacity as something worth... well, mentioning. There are plenty of MENSA people who don't do anything and are quite useless. What did Einstein say? Something like genius is 95% perspiration?

Actually, that was Thomas Edison.

 

[AlexChandler]

This year, I will probably be attending post-secondary education, either at a technical school or community college (I can't afford a university yet). I heard that college-level coursework is extremely advanced and very difficult when compared to high school academics. And that the only people whom really succeed in college are those with genius-level intellect (an IQ above 140).

My question is this, could a person with at least average intelligence (IQ 85-115) attend college and do fairly well? Almost all people fall within that IQ range, and there are millions and millions of people attending college. Only 2% of the entire populace has an IQ above the "genius" 140 mark. I would imagine most of them are attending Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and so forth.

You'll do just fine in college. It doesn't take a genius to do well, it just takes a hard worker. I, for example, barely graduated high school (with a 1.9) because I didn't like to do work, then went to community college for a couple years and realized the importance of education, and started to work harder and harder. Now I am at Michigan State University with a 4.0 as a Physics major :tongue2: As long as you take it seriously and have some passion for what you do, you can do just fine. The important thing is that you work as hard as possible. You'll find that you will probably be doing much better than those "smart" people who you hear about.

 

[FishmanGeertz]

You'll do just fine in college. It doesn't take a genius to do well, it just takes a hard worker. I, for example, barely graduated high school (with a 1.9) because I didn't like to do work, then went to community college for a couple years and realized the importance of education, and started to work harder and harder. Now I am at Michigan State University with a 4.0 as a Physics major :tongue2: As long as you take it seriously and have some passion for what you do, you can do just fine. The important thing is that you work as hard as possible. You'll find that you will probably be doing much better than those "smart" people who you hear about.

I graduated school with a 3.6 GPA. It would have been higher if I had tried harder and didn't always go to school half-asleep. Is it true that you can transfer to a university after 1-2 years of community college?

I scored low on the math segment of the IQ test given to me. But on all of the other parts, I scored average/above average. I was diagnosed as having a mild learning disability solely in mathematical comprehension. I believe my overall score was within the "average" range, like 93-94. The average SD (standard deviation) is between 85-115. Almost all people score within that bracket on intelligence tests.

 

[Angry Citizen]

Is it true that you can transfer to a university after 1-2 years of community college?

Depends on the university, but as a general rule, yeah. It's what I'm doing.

 

[AlexChandler]

Is it true that you can transfer to a university after 1-2 years of community college?

Yes, you can. I spent more than 2 years at community college, but mostly because I had to learn all of the stuff that I didn't learn in high school. (Also I couldn't make up my mind as to what I wanted to study.)

I scored low on the math segment of the IQ test given to me. But on all of the other parts, I scored average/above average. I was diagnosed as having a mild learning disability solely in mathematical comprehension.

I wouldn't worry too much about this. Just study very hard. That is the key. If you want to do well in mathematics, you just have to try really hard. It has never come easy to me, but nevertheless I am doing very well in math and physics. However, I have had to dedicate nearly all of my time to studying.

Here is my recommendation for you. Study mathematics with Salmon Khan on

www.khanacademy.org

Its a free educational website that has some really great videos. You can learn almost all of the material offered at a community college on the site (at least for math and science). His videos are easy to understand and he has exercises to complement the videos. So after you watch a video, you can go right to the corresponding exercise to see if you really understood it. If you didn't.. just watch the video again, and take notes.

If you want to succeed in college mathematics and science, all it takes is a lot of hard work.

 

[Pengwuino]

Actually, that was Thomas Edison.

Edison said 97%. Feynamn estimated it at around 93.5%

I scored low on the math segment of the IQ test given to me. But on all of the other parts, I scored average/above average. I was diagnosed as having a mild learning disability solely in mathematical comprehension. I believe my overall score was within the "average" range, like 93-94. The average SD (standard deviation) is between 85-115. Almost all people score within that bracket on intelligence tests.

Shhh. Go to college already.

 

[Leveret]

In practice, what people actually do is a much better indicator of their abilities than what a test says they should be able to do. Stop stressing about a number on a piece of paper, and start doing the work.

 

[mal4mac]

If you have a low IQ, are finding college really hard and not getting anywhere, then who cares, there are many other paths to take. For example, surveys have shown that hairdressers are amongst the happiest workers - you can take a break when you want, the customers are appreciative, there is lots of chatting - what's not too like.

If you like the outdoor life, why not take up gardening - I do it for free! I imagine it must be a pretty good job...

But if you want a high-pressured career... according to Gladwell ("Outliers") the literature suggests that the relationship between success and IQ works only up to a point. Once someone has reached an IQ of somewhere around 120, having additional IQ points doesn’t seem to translate into any measurable real-world advantage” (Gladwell p.48). Further, “A mature scientist with an adult IQ of 130 is as likely to win a Nobel Prize as is one whose IQ is 180″.

 

[MECHster]

But if you want a high-pressured career... according to Gladwell ("Outliers") the literature suggests that the relationship between success and IQ works only up to a point. Once someone has reached an IQ of somewhere around 120, having additional IQ points doesn’t seem to translate into any measurable real-world advantage” (Gladwell p.48). Further, “A mature scientist with an adult IQ of 130 is as likely to win a Nobel Prize as is one whose IQ is 180″.

I think he was talking about just general "success" in life. And the reason why IQ isn't as big of an impact after say 130 is because that's when social skills become the key factor in "success". And I'm also pretty sure he was talking about the real world, not getting good grades. I'd definitely say the kid who has an IQ of 140 will have a pretty big advantage in getting good grades over the kid who has an IQ of 115. It doesn't mean the smarter kid will actually get the better grades but he does have an advantage, IMO.

 

[FishmanGeertz]

I think he was talking about just general "success" in life. And the reason why IQ isn't as big of an impact after say 130 is because that's when social skills become the key factor in "success". And I'm also pretty sure he was talking about the real world, not getting good grades. I'd definitely say the kid who has an IQ of 140 will have a pretty big advantage in getting good grades over the kid who has an IQ of 115. It doesn't mean the smarter kid will actually get the better grades but he does have an advantage, IMO.

Are you saying geniuses have poor social skills?

 

[Intensero]

My question is this, could a person with at least average intelligence (IQ 85-115) attend college and do fairly well? Almost all people fall within that IQ range, and there are millions and millions of people attending college. Only 2% of the entire populace has an IQ above the "genius" 140 mark. I would imagine most of them are attending Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and so forth.

Being a genius doesn't always help. Being persistent and sticking to something even when its boring all the way to the finish...thats key.

I can speak from the other side of the fence: My IQ generally tests 147-160, but I was so bored during middle and High school that I stopped even paying attention in class and received poor grades. Eventually I gave up on school since I didn't learn anything that I couldn't pick up and read in a book in one day.

I was never taught about persistance or I didn't have it in me to be persistant. I dropped out of College for a girl and NOW 13 years later am going back to school while taking care of my 5 year old, which is much harder than going when your younger and only have yourself to take care of.

You can be very successful in college. The key is understanding it is going to be some hard work and that not everything will be interesting, but in the end it will be worth it. Take it from my sad story, even those of us who are considered "genius" can fail if we don't stick it out.

Good Luck.

 

[brocks]

IQ isn't important. The people who do well in college are the ones who work hard. That's it.

Not true at all. Academic success comes easier to those gifted mentally, just as athletic success comes easier to those gifted physically.

That said, the vast majority of college students are of average intelligence and don't work very hard, so if you are of average intelligence and *do* work hard, you will very likely do well, and may do better than a genius who goofs off.

 

[clope023]

Not true at all. Academic success comes easier to those gifted mentally, just as athletic success comes easier to those gifted physically.

That said, the vast majority of college students are of average intelligence and don't work very hard, so if you are of average intelligence and *do* work hard, you will very likely do well, and may do better than a genius who goofs off.

 

[MECHster]

Are you saying geniuses have poor social skills?

No. The argument presented by the book was that after an IQ level of (around) 130, IQ level is not a major factor in predicting "success". And again, the author was not talking about academia. He said one of the things that can predict "success" after the 130 IQ level is social skills. So social skills will be the difference why a guy with an IQ level of 135 was more "successful" then a guy with an IQ level of 155. I have heard (not sure if it was from that book) that when people get into the extremes (165+), their social skills can take a beating.

 

[Disinterred]

Taking an IQ test, imo, is a useless thing to do.

Say I take an IQ test and I score super high. I will most likely become a more arrogant person. Now say I score super low or average on an IQ test. I will feel bad about it for the rest of my life. Neither of these cases is appealing to me.

If you truly want to show how intelligent you are, make a lasting contribution in physics/mathematics like Einstein or Feynman. These two, as far as I know, were never associated with a gigantic IQ. But imo, their intelligence far exceeds the top IQ scorers.

 

[Leptos]

Ah yes, the good old "but they're too good, I can never be better!" argument. I once thought like this, but in order to be the best version of myself, I have to ignore what others do and try to better myself as much as possible, regardless of where I'll be after putting in 110% for years on end. Also, intelligence to some extent can be somewhat of a catch 22 in that to be intelligent you must have a well exercised brain, but to have a well exercised brain, you must be intelligent. It's like how nearly all males are capable of having 18" biceps and yet nobody has 18" cut in nature. If you put in 110% effort for a few years toward mathematics, you will be better than the vast majority. Sure you may not end up being that guy setting world records, but you'll still be good, even by the standards of the gold medal championship winners in terms of academia.

 

[flyingpig]

If Feyman took an IQ test for writing, he would've been as dumb as me lol. I swear most of today's "iq test" are seriously just brain teasers and knowledge tests