I will come right out and say it: I believe intelligence is a myth. If someone is capable of entering a University, they are almost definitely at a level of being able to accomplish the same grades as those lauded as geniuses in their class. People who are called smart or a genius often just work more and study/think of the material in a creative way.
I have found intelligence to be brought up in two common scenarios: When someone wishes to feel better about themselves by claiming they are smart, or when someone wants to make an excuse about how they are unwilling to put effort into something. Common is the scenario where a student studies many hours for an exam and receives a fraction of the grade of someone that has studied only the night before. I ask: how did these two people study? Sitting in the library staring at the textbook and notes is ineffective and inefficient. It is also frustrating. Studying in a group where only a fraction of the time and conversation is studying is also ineffective and inefficient. Usually the “smartest” person in the group is the one that spends the most efficient time studying outside the group.
My first semester the University I earned a 1.28 GPA. I failed Biology I and Precalculus I, and withdrew from the lowest level Chemistry offered at the university. This was frustrating and I saw people whom I thought were some sort of prodigies of science breeze through the courses. Though I look back now at how I studied: 1 hour per exam staring at the textbook, rarely going to class, and putting myself down for lacking “intelligence.” I even stopped going to class for 2 weeks once Dragon Quest VIII came out for the Playstation 2. Over the following year I worked hard to develop new ways of studying. They took a lot of time, and they worked. The fall semester of my third year I achieved an A in Microbiology, A- in Organic Chemistry I, and an A in English III, while beginning working 20 hours/week. Where did that “intelligence” come from? Did I fall out of the womb destined to one day get A’s in Organic Chemistry? The reality is that I put in the effort, time, and thought necessary to achieve these grades. I continued this trend all the way until now and have earned a GPA above 3.70 every semester while working.
Using spaced repetition, the playing field is leveled. The time necessary to study for exams drops like a lead weight. Simply using the spaced repetition software will make studying more efficient. There is plenty of wiggle room for creatively making flash cards in the software. Better cards build stronger memories faster.
Anyone can do well in Psychology, Chemistry, History, Biology, etc. It is common to hear when someone tells another their major: “Ah! I was never good at xxxx!” Of course they were never good, they never had a solid approach and motivation to learn! I did terrible in every math class I had ever taken in education. On the DAT I earned an 85 percentile on the math section. Worlds above my standard grades for the section. All I did was take a different approach and wanted to learn.
With the proper motivation and approach, we can achieve our target grades.
Edit: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19125691.300 “How to Be a Genius”