Loving a subject I knew the least.

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between personal interest in a subject and academic performance. Participants explore reasons for experiencing lower grades in subjects they enjoy compared to those they find less interesting, considering psychological and study approach factors.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether a psychological barrier exists, suggesting that a strong liking for a subject might lead to overconfidence or neglect of study details.
  • Another participant draws an analogy to visiting Paris, proposing that a deep interest in a subject might cause one to focus on only a small part of it, potentially leading to gaps in knowledge.
  • A different viewpoint emphasizes that a negative correlation between enjoyment and performance does not imply causation, suggesting that studying techniques and marking schemes should be examined to identify areas for improvement.
  • One participant reflects on their own experience, noting that familiarity with a subject can lead to complacency, resulting in overlooked details during exam preparation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various perspectives on the relationship between interest and performance, indicating that multiple competing views remain without a consensus on the underlying causes of the issue.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of specific information about individual study habits, the difficulty level of the subjects discussed, and the absence of clear definitions regarding what constitutes effective studying.

cdux
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I noticed I got marks of 70 or 80% on subjects I found the least interesting and on my favorite one I tanked. Is that normal? '

How should I tackle it? Just study hard?

I hope there isn't a psychological knot of the type "you like it so much that you pretend you know it" because I'd like it losened.
 
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I suppose this is a little like going to Paris, if you really like Paris you're likely to see less of it on your trip, preferring to go to bistros and things like that. Perhaps the same happens here: liking the subject means focusing on a small part of it.
 
There are all sorts of possible reasons for poor performance in a class. Just because there is a negative correlation between the degree to which you enjoy a subject and your final performance, this does not imply a causation.

What a question like this boils down to is that you have really take some time to look at your studying approach. Look at the marking schemes for your classes. Where are you losing most of the marks? What studying techniques are you using? Can you improve them?
 
verty said:
I suppose this is a little like going to Paris, if you really like Paris you're likely to see less of it on your trip, preferring to go to bistros and things like that. Perhaps the same happens here: liking the subject means focusing on a small part of it.

Hahaha this is a great analogy.

But seriously it can be spot on. Sometimes in your 'favorite" subjects you will spend too much time on the limited sub-topics you find most attractive. I don't think that this alone will account for "tanking" the class. Maybe the class you preferred just required more effort and was overall a more difficult class. Do as Choppy says, pinpoint where you are losing your marks. Without knowing you, the class, and your study habbits, no one here can pinpoint exactly what you are doing wrong, but there is always room for improvement.
 
happened to me last semester, my favourite subject is the one I know and have practiced over and over in, which means towards the end of the semester when exam prep starts, I get pretty tired of looking at the same problem and neglect studying it, because I felt confident with them at some point, and overlooked some details where i became rusty.
 

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