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How do you know if you're smart enough?

How do you know if you're bright enough to do well at university? And get a decent job at the end?

I am very worried, as a youngster on my Access course was recently gloating about how easy the course is versus A levels. Personally I've found certain subjects fairly easy but other stuff very confusing. Obviously the course caters for a range of ages and interests.

Sometimes I do struggle to get a sentence together, and find essays etc very hard work. What I have got is a mind for logic and a lot of stubbornness when necessary.

How do you know if you've got what it takes? Or do you just hope, and go full steam ahead...?
I'm dubious about the whole "A-Levels are harder" argument. I did 'em a long time ago, so maybe my memory ain't too reliable, but my recollection is that I didn't put much work in and still managed to scrape two A-Levels, including a 'B' grade for English. I've worked really hard on my Access course, which has led to much better results, but I feel even to have just cruised through the course getting passes I'd have been doing more work than I did for my A-Levels - I think Access demands it of you since it's condensing it all into 9 months. Draw what conclusions you want from that, but I'd simply say that if you're coping with the Access course fairly well, you're probably equal to the challenges of uni (disclaimer: I'm not at uni yet, so I can't give first-hand testimony on the challenges of a degree workload).

It sounds like writing essays isn't your forte, but perhaps if you like logic you'd be better at a subject like Maths or Computer Science (my perception is they're not particularly essay-oriented, but I could be wrong). Access entails battling through subjects that aren't necessarily what you like or are good at, but hopefully you can focus more on what you like and you're good at while at uni.

Re. your question about getting a job, your idea of a decent job and mine might vary, so I don't think I can say much on that one (without specifics). It's an issue I'll be facing in 3-4 years time too, but in the meantime I'm operating on the principle that the (hopefully) degree-qualified me doing that will be better equipped to face the challenge than the lesser-qualified me would be.
(edited 8 years ago)
A levels are simply regurgitation, hardly an accurate measure of 'intelligence' but bravo, you can remember a whole 9 months of work, where is your trophy?!?! :congrats:

An fairly accurate measure of ability and aptitude would be something like STEP, or assessments along those lines

I guess society doesn't give enough leeway for people who just aren't good at exams in general, or knowing how to structure an essay properly and won't give you a chance to show what you're really capable until you achieve those oh so amazing A level grades :ahee:
Reply 3
I feel like this
In school I always did well , I had natural ability :-)
Since I've had children and not used my brain cells .... I struggle with communicating effectively and I'm worried about essays but I'm sure it will all fit together and practice makes perfect . I think generally worrying will get us nowhere . Confidence and positivity might :-)
I start access sept and hoping its preparation enough for uni .

I did a levels maths,Chem,biology after a couple of months struggling ... I switched to avce health and social care and loved every moment ! Life's too short and everyone's different .
I think it's pretty normal to doubt yourself when you start an access course, or even when you are ending one! If you have been out of school for a while you need to relearn all sorts of skills again from reading academically to writing essays and even study skills. It can all feel daunting and overwhelming. When I did an access course, I really felt out of my depth at times. However, I am now just finished 3rd year at Glasgow and going into 4th while considering post grad.
Don't about what other people think and say, in access there are all different levels of students. If you can get the work done and feel you've done your best and are happy with your grades, that's all you need. The course is designed to set you up for uni.
Reply 5
Original post by thecatwithnohat
A levels are simply regurgitation, hardly an accurate measure of 'intelligence' but bravo, you can remember a whole 9 months of work, where is your trophy?!?! :congrats:

An fairly accurate measure of ability and aptitude would be something like STEP, or assessments along those lines

I guess society doesn't give enough leeway for people who just aren't good at exams in general, or knowing how to structure an essay properly and won't give you a chance to show what you're really capable until you achieve those oh so amazing A level grades :ahee:


Well said!
Have done both A-Levels and (currently) Access.

A-Levels were science-based.. Maths, Phys, Chem. I was also a teenager and didn't really care about them as much as I should have so I did poorly in the end. Generally harder because they require unnatural discipline - exams can seem so far away and you tend put prep off until it's too late (hyperbolic discounting). Found it very boring and mechanical i.e. memorising formulae and repetitively working out slightly different but fundamentally similar 'problems'.

Access Course is in Humanities with History, Philosophy, English and Art. Seems easier because assessments are frequent so the hyperbolic discounting effect is reduced somewhat. And it helps for motivation knowing what your guaranteed marks are as you go along. But I say this as an older, more focused version of the teenage me. I'm just putting a lot more into it. Very subjective and I think there's some sort of cognitive bias here as you find something easier to the degree to which you get good results from it, which creates a positive feedback loop, so maybe this is objectively harder, but because it's going well and I put more effort, it just 'seems' easier to ME. I also got A* grades for English + English Lit for GCSE and only As for the sciences and maths, so my strengths definitely leaned towards the Arts and Humanities. Discursive writing comes far easier to me than working out solutions to mathematical or chemical equations. I foolishly chose the sciences because of the institutional biases towards STEM - thought I wanted to be a doctor, lol.
Original post by thecatwithnohat
A levels are simply regurgitation, hardly an accurate measure of 'intelligence' but bravo, you can remember a whole 9 months of work, where is your trophy?!?! :congrats:

An fairly accurate measure of ability and aptitude would be something like STEP, or assessments along those lines

I guess society doesn't give enough leeway for people who just aren't good at exams in general, or knowing how to structure an essay properly and won't give you a chance to show what you're really capable until you achieve those oh so amazing A level grades :ahee:


Agreed- This is why I hate the education system. Exams test your aptitude at sitting Exams, not intelligence! If you define 'smart' as passing exams then just revise lots, but if you actually want to be "intelligent" then don't get too fixated on numbers and grades, practice thinking!

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