Traits/talents necessary to succeed in MechE or EE.

[Soliptic]

Hey there,
I am considering studying mechanical or electrical engineering next year. I have always been a fairly strong student, but recently since I started what would be the equivalent of AP calculus (In Ireland) and feel considerably weaker at maths compared to other subjects. On one hand I'm thinking that maths is obviously more difficult (in terms of objective reasoning) than say English or Biology, but on the other hand I wonder if there are certain traits or ways of thinking which are imperative for success in engineering/maths/physics?
So given this and the fact that one maths teacher said iq and maths ability are strongly correlated, I (probably naively) took the test at iqtest.dk and got 135 which probably means little, but my question is does general intelligence and motivation guarantee success at undergrad level?
Replies greatly appreciated

 

[Evo]

So given this and the fact that one maths teacher said iq and maths ability are strongly correlated, I (probably naively) took the test at iqtest.dk and got 135 which probably means little, but my question is does general intelligence and motivation guarantee success at undergrad level?
Replies greatly appreciated

No. And silly online tests are worthless, they mean nothing.

 

[Illuvitar]

I am just starting college so I may not be qualified to say this but I think that the effort you put into learning mathematics is far more important than your IQ (I would tend to agree with Evo, it really means nothing). I was a really bad student in high school but my college GPA is a perfect 4.0; if you were a strong student then you already have developed the motivation and study habits required to excel at any subject so don't let your insecurities hold you back. I'm sure you will do just fine! Good luck and don't be shy because this is a great forum with many kind, helpful and intelligent people willing to give advice to neophytes like us!

To put it mathematically, effort is directly proportional to understanding/good grades! You can achieve your goals even if your IQ was 115 instead of 135.

 

[AlephZero]

does general intelligence and motivation guarantee success at undergrad level?

There are no guarantees of anything in real life (and it would be boring if there were, IMO.)

But having "general intelligence" and motivation is better than not having them. Just so long as you realize that IQ tests on the web probably don't measure anything meaningful.