Dear Tweedle and Dee,
I am a first year student at RPI. I come from a small school where I was one of the top students in my class. But now, as I look around my IEA class, it seems like everyone is more intelligent than me. Am I the dumb one in the class?
Sincerely,
Small Fish in the Ocean
Dear Small Fish in the Ocean:
It is not uncommon for first year students (or students in any academic year) to feel overwhelmed and less capable than their classmates. Even the top student in each class is going to feel this way. One day, instead of looking around and thinking about how everyone is smarter than you, why not watch as the other students do that. You will see you are not alone in this.
It is hard to come out of an environment where you are the “top dog” and be placed into an environment where everyone is the “top dog.” You and all of the students at RPI are intelligent and worked hard to get here. Everyone was in the top 50 percent of their class, and most were in the top 30 percent.
Unfortunately, half of each class year has to be in the bottom 50 percent. But remember, your classes and education are not part of a competition. Believe it or not, after you get your first full-time job, no one is going to care what your GPA was.
The important thing to do now is to learn effectively, take care of yourself, and to never think of yourself as dumb. You have not gotten as far as you have on stupidity. Try and remember this when you are questioning yourself. Good luck.
Editor’s Note: E-mail poly@rpi.edu with your questions. Only a limited number of questions per week can be answered. Not all questions will be addressed publicly. While licensed professionals answer the questions, the answer to any question is not intended to take the place of a medical or psychological visit.
