Lepa - do you think you would have achieved as highly as you have done had you received a gifted score? Irrespective of the number you're clearly clever and motivated, do you think you would have worked as hard as you did if you'd a "gifted" label?
I didn't find out my score until recently and while it was in the HG range, for me, it was better not knowing. I was happy at school and while some parts were far too easy, others weren't. I did have a bit of fuss made over me and was offered some extension work which I enjoyed. Had I known my score I might have relaxed a bit more but I was determined to get into medical school and thought I'd have to work really hard to be accepted.
At medical school pretty much everyone there has topped their high school, or come close, and the general consensus amongst my cohort was that the work wasn't too hard but the volume was huge. For me, the volume would have been overwhelming had I not already established decent study habits. True, there were some amazingly brilliant people who seemed to coast with minimal effort but they were rare. In fact, the woman who ended up topping our year at the end of the degree wasn't neceassarily the cleverest but she was definitely the most organised. Overall I was probably above average throughout those years, although I shone a bit more in my specialist exams.
Anyway, I think intrinsic motivation is a better indicator of academic success than just a number. Furthermore, "not quite gifted", could well have been gifted on another day and with another tester.
Last edited by coffee; 01/25/15 01:58 AM.
