Questioning My Declining Mental Capacity as an Undergrad Math Student

[manbearpig]

I am undergrad math student, aged 20
In the last 3-4 years, I feel that my intellectual capacity has waned and don't feel as smart as when I was a kid.

I seem to be fine at handling abstract concepts, but I feel slow and clumsy. My problem isn't lacking ideas, its more about concentration and sharpness. I feel i am extremely unproductive in studying.

I wonder if other people have same problems, or could offer advice.

thanks

 

[Asphodel]

Unfortunately, curricula for majors like physics or math have a way of inflicting this. Sometimes things like finding a good study group can be encouraging (reduces the difficulty level somewhat, and let's you see how you're doing compared to others). It can also help to find "fun" things to study in addition to the required coursework...if you love the subject, this can help remind you why you're putting up with it.

 

[tbradshaw]

Here is a rule I used during my undergrad.

No work after midnight!

It will help keep you from getting too frustrated and making careless mistakes. Plus, studying in the morning after waking up gives you a fresh look at material without all the distractions.

 

[lisab]

You might be chronically sleep-deprived. What are your sleep habits?

 

[mathwonk]

yes, mental work benefits from training like physical work, eating and sleeping well, and moderate living.

the actual time of day when one works best is somewhat different for different people, but some studies show material learned in the morning is retained better.

but morning work is not suited ideally for me personally. i like to work late.

as i got older my memory seemed to reduce in effectiveness, but it was more than made up for by ability to see better into the essence of problems.

this may not be an option, but during the 2 years i was at harvard as a postdoc, hanging out with fields medalists and other geniuses, i felt i became quicker and sharper, somehow picking up something from them.

but you might choose smarter friends.

 

[bobattopsail]

You might be chronically sleep-deprived. What are your sleep habits?

possibly, how's your diet by the way?

 

[Count Iblis]

I am undergrad math student, aged 20
In the last 3-4 years, I feel that my intellectual capacity has waned and don't feel as smart as when I was a kid.

I seem to be fine at handling abstract concepts, but I feel slow and clumsy. My problem isn't lacking ideas, its more about concentration and sharpness. I feel i am extremely unproductive in studying.

I wonder if other people have same problems, or could offer advice.

thanks

The best thing you can do is to start to do some exercise every day, like long distance running. This will force your body to adapt itself to high energy use and good recovery during sleep.

 

[Andrei001]

HI All,

Last year I did this Diploma of engineering (one year course) after having one year off from studies.
I found it extremely hard to readjust to the student life. I even began to wonder if I have some form of ADD but my doctor couldn't confirm this.
I started exercising more often and combined with an improved diet I started to see better results. A few weeks later I was more productive but occasionally I steel lost focus during lectures. Even my doctor said that he used to sleep during lectures ( which is a bit of a worry so I decided to change doctors) which can be the result of many factors including sleep deprivation, diet, life style, your motivation as well. You probably need to find something to "switch off" once in while.

Try motorcycles In case you haven't yet.

 

[jimen113]

I found it extremely hard to readjust to the student life. I even began to wonder if I have some form of ADD but my doctor couldn't confirm this.

I hear you, I felt the same way for approximately 2 years. My doctor diagnosed me with adult onset ADHD. I've always been fit, exercised, ate healthy, etc. but I continued to feel a strong inability to concentrate and learn material. Now, that I know what I have, I've done so much better.

 

[Howers]

I am undergrad math student, aged 20
In the last 3-4 years, I feel that my intellectual capacity has waned and don't feel as smart as when I was a kid.

I seem to be fine at handling abstract concepts, but I feel slow and clumsy. My problem isn't lacking ideas, its more about concentration and sharpness. I feel i am extremely unproductive in studying.

I wonder if other people have same problems, or could offer advice.

thanks

It may be because you have bad sleep habits, a problem kids normally don't have. Maybe you need a bit of physical exercise in the morning. There are also attention disorders that may be surfacing.

But for math students this is a common tale. Math is pretty dry as compared to science. The beauty is not usually appretiated immediately, and some days you just don't feel like struggling through 10 different theorems. So you lose interest, and tend to wander off. In science and stuff you get immediate gratification with "cool new things", so this is less of an issue with less abstract things.

And college in general, not just math or science, has a way of making you feel dumb. They are there to challenge you.

 

[Count Iblis]

Another thing that I've seen in University is that good studens sometimes drop out because they are not used to studying a lot. The students who go to university to study math or theoretical physics were often amoung the best students in high school. They didn't need to spend a lot of time to do their homework.

At university after your first and perhaps second year that will change. But then you are older than 20 and you have to learn that studying really means studying five hours, six hours, or perhaps eight hours per day, that may be a difficult transition and it may look like you have become dumber.

What also happens is that there are students who used their extra time in high school and the first years in university to work ahead. They are more used to studying a lot and when they are third year students they need to spend less time to study. For the students in the former category this creates the illusion that they are much dumber than some of their fellow students.

 

[Fearless]

Try to have some fun once in a while. Meet with your friends as often as you can and still succeed in school. There is also a chance that you are in a slump right about now in your studies, try to hang in there and not throw in the towel. Maybe after a year from now you will have accomplished all of which seems impossible right now.

Do something different once a week. Get yourself a job or something that will get your mind of school. Or join a club or something? chess? soccer?

 

[jimen113]

Great advice Fearless!

Try to have some fun once in a while. Meet with your friends as often as you can and still succeed in school. There is also a chance that you are in a slump right about now in your studies, try to hang in there and not throw in the towel. Maybe after a year from now you will have accomplished all of which seems impossible right now.

Do something different once a week. Get yourself a job or something that will get your mind of school. Or join a club or something? chess? soccer?

 

[aliloffithink]

HI All,

Last year I did this Diploma of engineering (one year course) after having one year off from studies.
I found it extremely hard to readjust to the student life. I even began to wonder if I have some form of ADD but my doctor couldn't confirm this.
I started exercising more often and combined with an improved diet I started to see better results. A few weeks later I was more productive but occasionally I steel lost focus during lectures. Even my doctor said that he used to sleep during lectures ( which is a bit of a worry so I decided to change doctors) which can be the result of many factors including sleep deprivation, diet, life style, your motivation as well. You probably need to find something to "switch off" once in while.

Try motorcycles In case you haven't yet.

I would love to "switch off"{ I feel silly writing this.. lol..} but yea I feel like I lose my concentration no matter what time of day, I analyze everything before I can go on to the next it seems! I can't even put into words the way I'am always doing something but my mind has 50 other thoughts behind it... not cool :uhh:

 

[Choppy]

When you were in high school, you were in an educational program basically designed to educate the "average" person. Only the top 20% (not sure on exact number) of these students went on to university.

Of those, top 20%, how many decided to pursue the more mathematically demanding courses? A safe bet would be most of the ones who were good at it and enjoyed it.

Of those, how many dropped out after the first year? That number is not insignificant either.

Now you're in a program that's more than likely geared towards preparing people for graduate work and research in your field.

If that isn't enough, let's add some stress to the situation, shall we?
- First time living away from home?
- Thought about how you're going to pay for all this?
- Drinking?
- New intimate relationships?
- Debt?
- Room mates?
- Conflict of political or ideological ideas?
- Part-time job?
- Dorm parties? Frat parties? Social club parties?
- Distracting games?
- Distracting co-eds?
- Career path?
- Idiots with stereos?
- Have I mentioned debt?

So, yeah, I think we all go through it. There's lots of good advice here on ways to keep sane and keep focussed. I agree that leading a healthy lifestyle is a big part of it.

 

[thewhills]

Well as far as I know you can't "lose" intelligence

I think you are just enter the point where math is no longer just common sense.

 

[ekrim]

It may be because you have bad sleep habits, a problem kids normally don't have. Maybe you need a bit of physical exercise in the morning. There are also attention disorders that may be surfacing.

But for math students this is a common tale. Math is pretty dry as compared to science. The beauty is not usually appretiated immediately, and some days you just don't feel like struggling through 10 different theorems. So you lose interest, and tend to wander off. In science and stuff you get immediate gratification with "cool new things", so this is less of an issue with less abstract things.

And college in general, not just math or science, has a way of making you feel dumb. They are there to challenge you.

Let's not go overboard here :)

 

[Irja]

Hmmm - I don't agree - actually my IQ dropped dramatically last years ;)

I haven't found solution of this problem, I also was feeling sooo smart and brainy when I was younger, now I can't force myself to think, I need much more time to solve any problems... It hurts.
What helps a little bit:

1. Stop drinking. Absolutely stop.
2. Stop playing computer games.
3. Turn off the computer. Limit browsking.
4. Exercise.
5. Wake up early and run in the morning.
6. Think about your diet.
7. Think all the time about goals.
8. Then die of boredom, no social life etc ;)

I see my friends developing intelectually, when I am in fact doing nothing wgat benefits me... It hurts a lot

 

[Topher925]

It sounds like your just plain old burnt out. This happens to just about everyone including myself. You push yourself 110% for so long eventually your going to start wearing down. Just take a break, spend some time away from math. What I always found works is to just sit in on some MBA lectures. That always makes me feel smart.

 

[quasar_4]

I feel the same way all the time. Sometimes to help me stay focused I'll look for something that motivates me - like watching a science sort of inspirational movie or reading an excerpt from a book. I always feel really inspired to study after reading about the great minds of physics and their lives (if Faraday could make it without upper level math, there is hope for us all). Good music can help too - I listen to a lot of classical when I study, because I find that vocal music of about any type is distracting, as is a catchy beat... classical is more complex and actually, it makes me feel smarter! I don't think you can get dumber; I think you can get more bogged down by all the stresses in your life that weren't previously there, and you have to learn to shut all these things out of your mind. Ban the other thoughts during homework time!

 

[Defennder]

It sounds like your just plain old burnt out. This happens to just about everyone including myself. You push yourself 110% for so long eventually your going to start wearing down. Just take a break, spend some time away from math. What I always found works is to just sit in on some MBA lectures. That always makes me feel smart.

Ok that was marginally funny.

 

[Count Iblis]

It sounds like your just plain old burnt out. This happens to just about everyone including myself. You push yourself 110% for so long eventually your going to start wearing down. Just take a break, spend some time away from math. What I always found works is to just sit in on some MBA lectures. That always makes me feel smart.

MBA lectures? :yuck:

 

[kuahji]

I am undergrad math student, aged 20
In the last 3-4 years, I feel that my intellectual capacity has waned and don't feel as smart as when I was a kid.

I seem to be fine at handling abstract concepts, but I feel slow and clumsy. My problem isn't lacking ideas, its more about concentration and sharpness. I feel i am extremely unproductive in studying.

I wonder if other people have same problems, or could offer advice.

thanks

Like others have asked, how much sleep do you get at night? If I only get a few hours of sleep, I'm done for. So every night I try to get 7-8 hours of sleep. Other people in my classes laugh at the idea, but it has kept me afloat thus far. Another thing I noticed is that studying at the library is 10 times better than studying at home. Studying in groups can help your realize things you skipped over, but ultimately, at least for me, studying alone I can usually accomplish the most. Heavy meals also seem to make me sluggish. Energy drinks can be good or bad... depending on if the ones you drink make you jittery. Stay away from a computer... you may end up browsing for long periods of time & not even realize it. Lastly... ambient music... don't know why, but it works really well for me.

 

[WCOLtd]

I'm in the exact same situation as you, age 20, poor studying, feeling kind of lousy. I'm experiencing the same thing, I think it's that it doesn't seem as new to me, it's not as fresh... or maybe I have ADHD but don't want to take pills because they make me feel empty inside.

Personally, I think its great that you feel dumb, it's a more realistic picture of who you really are. We are all pretty stupid if you think about it.

Have you ever thought you were smart only to realize you were a complete idiot? Hell, there are conspiracy theorists who believe they are the smartest people in the world! (half of them are probably on ADD pills) they're so latched on to their self-intelligence that no one or common sense notion can prove them otherwise. If they are humans, and are capable of such blind arrogance, who's to say we are any better? Aren't most of our notions based on trust, isn't phenomenon presented to us in the classroom pre-interpreted? We don't observe all phenomenon we believe exists, and we don't interpret ourselves the phenomenon we do observe.

I think your problem is not that you feel dumb, it's that you felt smart in the first place.

 

[mal4mac]

I am undergrad math student, aged 20
In the last 3-4 years, I feel that my intellectual capacity has waned and don't feel as smart as when I was a kid.

Just because you don't feel as smart doesn't mean that your assessment is right! You might be feeling just a bit depressed/tired.

Careful of the "exercise" advice -- do too much and you'll feel even more tired! Build up slowly to a brisk walk of half an hour every other day.

Read "The joy of laziness" by Dr Peter Axt, who gives medical backing to my walking plan, and some more stress-free advice! He used to be an international runner, as well as a medical doctor, and realized he was wasting his time and probably damaging his health.

Note that Einstein never went jogging, and Wheeler didn't have all the extra-curricular activities that many are recommending. Read "Geons..." and you'll see that all that Wheeler did "for fun" was read books (often out loud, with his wife). Reading out loud is not one of today's cultural activities, so try chatting to a member of the opposite sex instead.

If you feel slow and clumsy just take a close look at some of your professors

If you feel unproductive in studying, is it just a feeling or are you really unproductive? Try doing examples from your textbooks BEFORE reading the chapter. If you cannot do them, but can do them AFTER reading the chapter, then you are (by definition) productive at studying. If the chapter seems to take a long time to read then remember that's what textbooks are like -- you might only get through a few pages of some university level textbooks in a day even if you are a great studier.

Make sure to set aside lots of time for studying (keep chatting to girls/boys down to less than an hour a day and you'll have that if you follow the Axt-Wheeler methodology!)

 

[Irja]

Oh no, let us live our dreams, that when we only start this f**** jogging our brains will go back to their "normal" states ;P It is all about 15 minutes of exercises in the morning - it makes our body "wake up" efficiently.

I am almost sure that what makes me come back to work is scheduling - when I only give myself too much freedom I start to think how dumb I am... It works all the time this way.

Organization of our time is the one and only solution in fact. Now, when I changed my lab environment I feel also a little better :/ But I am neither exact physicist, nor mathematician, so I have never been too smart in fact (even though I am doing research in physics-connected area for all my science life)

 

[Count Iblis]

Careful of the "exercise" advice -- do too much and you'll feel even more tired! Build up slowly to a brisk walk of half an hour every other day.

We are talking about a 20 year old here, not an 80 year old. Sure, if you are not fit to start with, recovering from serious illness, it is advisable to start doing light exercise and go to the doctor immediately if you don't feel well.

But a healthy 20 year old should not aim to "build up slowly to a brisk walk of half an hour every other day", because that's not nearly enough exercise for someone of that age. People of age 70 who have had a bypass operation are advised to do that (under medical supervision in the beginning)

A rule of thumb is that if you are under 40 and are exercising at a level that a healthy person of 80 could do, you are not nearly getting enough exercise. The message your body is getting is basically: It's good enough to maintain myself to the fitness level an 80 year old. So, don't be surprised if that's indeed how you feel.

Brisk walking for a fit person doesn't even raise the heart rate to appropriate training level. I do brisk walking immediately after running for half an hour simply to recuperate. If you are below 40, you should exercise at least 5 times a week for at least 30 minutes.

A good exercise program would be to run for at least 20 minutes and then slow down while brisk walking for 5 minutes. Do 5 to 10 minutes of brisk walking later on the same day, that helps to recuperate faster.

 

[mal4mac]

Are you a medical doctor Iblis? Neither am I, that's why I recommend reading Dr Peter Axt. His book has a foreword from Professor Cary Cooper, probably the UK's leading expert on stress. A brisk walk for a 20 year old is brisker than that for an 80 year old, but a brisk walk is good enough. Just yesterday the news had an item about doctors worried about the massive increase in 40+ year old gym freaks needing hip replacements and the like (something I've seen amongst many colleagues jogging into their fifties!) It also recommended replacing "gym" with "brisk walking". I was an exercise junky in my youth, but I started to get minor injuries around 40. Reading up on the issue I decided that "brisk walking" was sufficient. Besides not suffering injuries I also feel less tired, less stressed and have more time & money for more important things -- like reading. This fitness jag is just a fashion, and it's about time it was put to sleep.

 

[Count Iblis]

Are you a medical doctor Iblis? Neither am I, that's why I recommend reading Dr Peter Axt. His book has a foreword from Professor Cary Cooper, probably the UK's leading expert on stress. A brisk walk for a 20 year old is brisker than that for an 80 year old, but a brisk walk is good enough. Just yesterday the news had an item about doctors worried about the massive increase in 40+ year old gym freaks needing hip replacements and the like (something I've seen amongst many colleagues jogging into their fifties!) It also recommended replacing "gym" with "brisk walking". I was an exercise junky in my youth, but I started to get minor injuries around 40. Reading up on the issue I decided that "brisk walking" was sufficient. Besides not suffering injuries I also feel less tired, less stressed and have more time & money for more important things -- like reading. This fitness jag is just a fashion, and it's about time it was put to sleep.

If something needs to be "put to sleep" it is perhaps all of us: most people need 8 to 9 hours of sleep, and that includes the peope who do "fine" with 5 to 6 hours of sleep. It is a no brainer that you'll feel tired if you exercise and then don't eat and sleep well.

I don't know much about "gym", perhaps that includes a lot of weight lifting, which can cause injuries? Anyway, you need to do vigorous exercise as http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7035557.stm"

Also, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7554293.stm"

Running on a regular basis can slow the effects of ageing, a study by US researchers shows.

Elderly joggers were half as likely to die prematurely from conditions like cancer than non-runners.

They also enjoyed a healthier life with fewer disabilities, the Stanford University Medical Center team found.

Experts said the findings in Archives of Internal Medicine reinforced the importance that older people exercise regularly.

And there was no evidence that runners were more likely to suffer osteoarthritis or need total knee replacements than non-runners - something scientists have feared.

At the beginning of the study, the runners ran for about four hours a week on average. After 21 years, their weekly running time had reduced to around 76 minutes, but they were still seeing health benefits from taking regular exercise.

 

[Count Iblis]

If something is wrong about our lifestyles, it has to be this:

"[URL are not just getting fatter, they are ballooning to extremely obese proportions at an alarming rate.
[/URL]

and not that there are too many 40 years old exercising a lot.

 

[mal4mac]

If something needs to be "put to sleep" it is perhaps all of us: most people need 8 to 9 hours of sleep, and that includes the peope who do "fine" with 5 to 6 hours of sleep...

I totally agree with that! More importantly so does Axt. Also, Einstein was famous for sleeping nine hours a night. He also rode a bicycle, a great alternative if your knees are hurting through too much jogging in your youth. Axt's solution to weight gain is simple: eat less! Incentive: eating less is the only clear strategy that has been shown to increase lifespan significantly in rat experiments.

 

[tgt]

I am undergrad math student, aged 20
In the last 3-4 years, I feel that my intellectual capacity has waned and don't feel as smart as when I was a kid.

I seem to be fine at handling abstract concepts, but I feel slow and clumsy. My problem isn't lacking ideas, its more about concentration and sharpness. I feel i am extremely unproductive in studying.

I wonder if other people have same problems, or could offer advice.

thanks

Are you a man? If so it could be the onset of woman that has distracted your study?

 

[fizziks]

I spent about 2 years in the army + ROTC during college. I had more energy and endurance when I only gotten 5-6 hours of daily sleep than when I wasn't in the army + 8-10 hours of sleep.

Exercising and working out increases your overall stamina. Thus requiring a little less sleep to restore yourself. I am very cereal about this. I did better academically when I exercised more than sitting down and staring at my books and computer.

 

[Count Iblis]

Well, I still need about 8 hours of sleep. But I can function well with 5 hours of sleep for about ten days (e.g. when visiting conferences and suffering from jetlag). But then I don't work out, so my body only has to recuperate from listening to lectures while it is used to recuperating from hard exercise.

So, I'm quite fit after ten days of sleep deprivation while everyone else is a wreck.

 

[Moonbear]

I am undergrad math student, aged 20
In the last 3-4 years, I feel that my intellectual capacity has waned and don't feel as smart as when I was a kid.

I seem to be fine at handling abstract concepts, but I feel slow and clumsy. My problem isn't lacking ideas, its more about concentration and sharpness. I feel i am extremely unproductive in studying.

I wonder if other people have same problems, or could offer advice.

thanks

Congratulations! You're just advancing in your education and learning that you don't know as much as you used to think you know. You're not a teenager anymore.

Really, it's not a bad thing, it's a good thing. Very bright people feel like everything comes easy when they are still young and everything taught to them is still fairly simple. It's a bit of a shock when you start encountering things that don't come so easily, but it means you've advanced far enough in your education that you're no longer being coddled and spoon fed. Yes, it's tough. Yes, it takes some adjustment. Most importantly, it means you're aware of your limitations and starting to learn about all the unknowns in your field, not just the easy stuff. The more educated you are, the more you realize how much you don't know.

Don't let it get to you. Just keep working hard and try to understand that every advance you make from now on is going to come with more questions than answers. Embrace the questions; this is what you'll be doing for the rest of your life...asking questions.