[NT] How well did/do you do in school?

[Nighthawk]

I did pretty well in high school ... if you count grades as an indicator. I had an A/B average and a 4.0 my senior year. Of course, it was a lowest-common-denominator school in the Rio Grade Valley ... and I would find out just how little I had learned when I attended college on the East Coast.

Bottom 10% of my class at West Point my freshman year. Almost failed out. In those days you could fail only one class if you were not minority or female ... not a value judgement, but fact. I failed my one class and then barely made it through sophomore year. Then something clicked. I probably caught up learning all the basics that I did not learn at my poor high school. Managed to make deans list my last 2 years and graduated in the top third ... albeit with only a 2.89 average overall.

Grad school was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed classes immensely. I took my time (3 years) and came away from it with at summa cum laude with a 4.0 average. Not sure I could do it again. It was the right time and place. I take too many medications now that drain my energy and cloud my mind.

 

[Varelse]

It's interesting how so many sources say that N's do well in college, but what I'm reading here is quite the contrary -- even when it's not related to a J preference.

I've been doing ok in college so far-despite having no previous experience in a school setting-A's, the occasional B, and one C. It was easier taking the distance ed courses from the private college, but I seem to be adapting now. Still hate the homework.

 

[Nighthawk]

With all the talk on websites about how N's tend to do better in school than S's, I was just wondering how well fellow N's did in school.

I've read and heard that N's do better at graduate level work because much of it is theoretical. That was certainly the case for me. I did better in grad school than both high school or undergrad.

 

[Totenkindly]

It's interesting how so many sources say that N's do well in college, but what I'm reading here is quite the contrary -- even when it's not related to a J preference.

I think I would have done much better in college if I had known what I wanted to do -- i.e., had a career goal.

The problem was that I didn't, and so I never had any reason to invest in my studies. I just floated by with the minimal amount of effort. I regret it now, but... there's not much to do at this point.

 

[Cerpin_Taxt]

I discovered at a young age that i could get top marks with minimal effort.
This served me well until my last 2 years of high school, were the effort was required to succeed.
Add that to my lack of respect for structural learning environments and team work, and failure was inevitable--in most subjects anyway.

Or: Half assedness+contempt for authority= failure

 

[faith]

As an ESFJ I found school to my liking. I was always the teacher's favourite, finished all my work on time, and passed with flying colours. The entire education system seemed to be ideally suited to someone of my intellect and temperement, while some of my less-than-concrete friends fell behind, making endless excuses for their poor performance. Honestly.

Ha. I'd have to see your grades to believe it. I've known too many ESFJs who spent all their time on the football field or hooking up with cheerleaders. No doubt you were the teachers' pet, but chances are it wasn't because your grades were so astounding.

 

[Siúil a Rúin]

As an ESFJ I found school to my liking. I was always the teacher's favourite, finished all my work on time, and passed with flying colours. The entire education system seemed to be ideally suited to someone of my intellect and temperement, while some of my less-than-concrete friends fell behind, making endless excuses for their poor performance. Honestly.

Ha. I'd have to see your grades to believe it. I've known too many ESFJs who spent all their time on the football field or hooking up with cheerleaders. No doubt you were the teachers' pet, but chances are it wasn't because your grades were so astounding.

When I read it, I got the feeling he 'was' one of the cheerleaders.

 

[rivercrow]

I did great all through school unless I was in a class I hated. For instance, I nearly failed 6th grade English because the instructor was an ESxJ idiot with a fetish for rote tasks. I refused to do the work because it was excessive and stupid--and below my reading level. I passed all the tests, I just wouldn't do the work:

For vocabulary, we were given a list of 10-20 words and were supposed to:

1. Write each word 10 times
2. Write a sentence with each word
3. Write the full definition of each word
4. Write a paragraph using all the words
5. and I think something else.

I recall my teacher and mother trying to decide what to do to make me comply.

I've read and heard that N's do better at graduate level work because much of it is theoretical. That was certainly the case for me. I did better in grad school than both high school or undergrad.

I'd second this. I hated high school. College was my "high school experience." Grad school was fun until I got partnered with an ESTJ Boomer whose main reason for being there was "to confirm what I already know." :steam: That, and she was close personal friends with the program's director.

 

[Economica]

With all the talk on websites about how N's tend to do better in school than S's, I was just wondering how well fellow N's did in school.

K-4: Quick-learning student in a below-average school that didn't stimulate me adequately. :zzz: Lucky we moved when we did.

4-9: Perfect student in an excellent private school. Applied myself fully, maintained a 4.0 GPA (except for a few quarters when I clashed badly with an SF teacher), won all sorts of coveted plastic trophies, got glowing recommendations when we moved. All in all, classic INTJ according to the descriptions.

9: Perfect student in a terrible school that didn't stimulate me adequately. I learned nothing for the four months I was there... except how to loaf.

10: Almost perfect student in an average school that didn't stimulate me adequately. Loafed, still impressed, so got cocky.

11-12: Did the IB program, tried to get by with loafing (which by then had gotten very familiar and comfortable), got a wake-up call at the final exams when I failed higher level math.

All in all, some good came from all that loafing; I realized I wanted more (or more accurately (since, for me, a tradeoff was involved): different) from my youth than academic brilliance. That realization was worth it, but would I prefer to have had it in a less pitiful way? Sure.

University (=undergrad+grad): Started applying myself again, but also kept up an active social life --> Above-average student... which is turning out to be enough.

 

[dblhelix]

I did terribly in high school. Not because I couldn't do well, but because I never tried... ever. I got something like a 2.3 gpa. I'm paying for my mistakes now though. I never actually learned how to study. I'm in college and memorizing even the simplest things is an excruciating task. I can't stand being presented with a series of facts--it's torture. If a teacher starts reading off of a list of things I need to memorize, I immediately start daydreaming. I'm clueless as to what is or isn't important and spend hours trying to figure out how I can intuitively learn a series of facts. It's tough. I get by though, making mostly As and a few Bs.

 

[JivinJeffJones]

I was always slightly above average. My main concern was to prove to myself that I could be the top student if I tried. So I would usually put in a lot of effort at some stage, get top marks and then lapse into apathy-induced mediocrity. I must've been pretty frustrating to teachers and lecturers. My poor-to-nonexistent self-discipline always held me back. This isn't to say that I didn't usually pay attention in class. When it was interesting. The exception to all this is maths and math-related subjects. I always sucked in those.

 

[raincrow007]

11-12: Did the IB program, tried to get by with loafing (which by then had gotten very familiar and comfortable), got a wake-up call at the final exams when I failed higher level math.

Another IBer?

 

[Economica]

Another IBer?

I kid you not.

 

[Natrushka]

When I put in effort, I did really well; when I didn't put in much effort, I passed.

That about sums it up for me as well. If it was interesting then I excelled. If not? Bleh.

 

[ygolo]

I did above average up to high-school, below average during high-school, above average during undergrad, below average in grad.

Roughly average overall.

Generally what happened was I would bite off more than I could chew, and refused to admit it.

I had enough college credit in highschool to almost start off as a junior in college.

I got two undergrad degrees at the same time, but apparently it wasn't enough to overload me. The credits form high-school helped out quite a bit.

Now, I am taking some of the hardest (and most interesting) grad classes I can find (while working full-time in one of the most demanding tech. industries), and often take them without having pre-reqs. So my grades suffer a bit.

If only I had a way to reliably getting the depth and breadth of knowledge I want at the pace that I want without having the hassle of taking a "class"( and being subject to grading that has consequences for my further education possiblities).

If it weren't for the fact that getting bad grades limits my future education (and possibly employment), I would say grades were a good thing-- because at least then I have some external measure of progress.

I want the option of failing, and finding out that I failed. This is the best way to learn. I ended up getting Bs in some off my favorite classes because I was trying out concepts I came up with on some of the interesting (also "big-portion-of-course-grade") projects, and didn't have time to finish with quality. Luckily, I take tests reasonably well.

 

[Athenian200]

Well, my grades were all above 90, except for Algebra 2 and Art 2

In Algebra 2, I made a 73, and in Art 2, I made an 89.

The only reason I did so badly in Algebra was because I didn't understand my teacher, and she didn't really care if I did well or not. My primary motivation to do well in a class came from the teacher's caring about my performance. If the teacher cared, so did I. But if he/she didn't... then I found it difficult to care either. Also, disliking my teacher made it more difficult to focus on the math.

In Art 2, I just happened to have trouble with one particular style, and it brought my entire grade down.

 

[substitute]

Did very well academically, without ever really putting in much effort, but very badly socially. Right up until I left school. Then I did independent study for years and years, not thinking anything of it, until one day I was unexpectedly given an honorary PhD for something I'd written under my own steam completely.

Occasionally I start thinking I'll go back to college and do a course or two, but then I come to my senses and realise how much I hated it. I liken it often to childbirth, and how after the baby's born a woman will go 'fuck that, I am NEVER doing that again!' but give it a few years and she forgets the pain, sees a cute baby and thinks, 'Ah you know, I'd love another baby...'

Well I forget how much I hate it, see a certificate or qualification and the doors it opens and think 'Ah, it wouldn't be so bad to go back to college, just for a little while...' But unlike the broody woman, I do come to my senses generally, and remain a staunchly independent learner

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

I got fairly good grades, mostly Bs with some As sprinkled in. I graduated high school 21st out of 280. I always got hassled by teachers and my parents though, because my standardized test scores were consistently 99th percentile.

In college I didn't work any harder except for classes in my major and wound up with a 3.25 GPA. I didn't truly work hard until I got to graduate school, and ironically enough, my master's degree is more of a hindrance than a help in my career.

 

[ygolo]

I didn't truly work hard until I got to graduate school, and ironically enough, my master's degree is more of a hindrance than a help in my career.

If we could only pretend we didn't know something or learn something in the past and fool even ourselves...another way ignorance is bliss.

 

[Sahara]

I was amongst the top star pupils in school, high grades and teachers pet status lol, I was held back only by the fact that the school wouldn't bump me up two years after it was discussed because uk schools at the time didn't do that. For personal reasons I never made it to exams though.