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Can a person in their 20s strengthen their intellectual aptitude? Is it true that people usually reach their peak at a certain age? I have not yet gone to college. Am I too old to make a great improvement in an area I am not too great in? I did not take advantage of my education when I was in grade school. I really wish I had.
Sometimes I feel incompetent because of my lack of education. Even on this website, I find a columnist that has terrific writing capabilities, outstanding knowledge, and a vast vocabulary. It makes me feel a little smaller and a hint of jealousy. I mean columnists around my age of course; I would not compare to the elderly or the teens.
Sometimes I feel more stupid than I want to be. I can look back at things I write and it looks like I'm on a lower-level compared to others in my age group. Many things I attribute to my deprived life experience.
I once dated someone that made me feel inferior. He could write a whole page and in the neatest hand-writing while I was on sentence two with my average print. It was like that when it came to typing speed. In some classes we shared, it seemed that he was more informed than I was about the world.
In grade school, I excelled in math and literature. I actually looked forward to math knowing that I was one of the top-ranked in the class. It was the one class people came to me for help and the one class that others would tell me that I was intelligent besides teachers. My 115 on a test compared to their 87 gave them that idea.
Also in grade school, there were times where I excelled in all my classes when I put in my best effort. There were times where I flirted with boys and took my answers off their papers. There were times I spent an entire class doing homework for another class. There were times that I thought skipping school was better than going to school.
You can see that I deprived myself of a good education but a lot of kids and teenagers do. Many times in school, whenever I felt like I was learning something that I was picking up really well or something that I felt was an important piece in my education, the study in that field was cut short. That missing piece in my education could be very critical for me to know.
I wish I can go all the way back to the foundation of my education and build up. However, I know in college I am going to be starting at where I left off with all the gaps left to be a hindrance.
I do not want to feel so limited. I want to formulate intelligent sentences. I do my best with my writing but as I am putting my thoughts into words, I come short as I try to pull vocabulary or ideas out of my head. I feel that it's there but unattainable. I know my knowledge runs short. I know that as for how my memory works, I sometimes can not recall for all my wits anything without seeing something that brings the memory to me.
Many things I choose not to remember for I find that they will be of no use to me in the future or I could easily relearn them if necessary. I know this limits me as well.
I do have a favorable short-time memory which benefits me when cramming for a test. I can memorize a list of a hundred things or more in order and spelled correctly within a hour. I can usually hold that knowledge for one or two weeks before it dissolves into the forgotten abyss in my mind.
Anyway, I'm through talking about myself. I don't particularly want to read a book to answer my question. Nor do I want to be refereed to a webpage. I want to know what you think. I want your opinions or views on the matter. Anyone else feel the same way or similar? What's your thoughts and advices?
Any answers would be appreciated. (link)
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This is an interesting question for me, because I have done quite a bit of research on this a while ago. Not formal research however.
You can always learn, however old you are. Of course, when you are a child, it is the best time to learn. This is because your brain is still growing, and things are learnt easily. This is not to say that it is impossible to learn as an adult: humans crave knowledge. Not everyone seeks knowledge in classic academic subjects. One person may dedicate their life to learning about wine, another about how to fix cars, and another on history. So everyone is different.
Einstein once said something along the lines of "Everyone is a genius. But if you just a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will forever believe that it is stupid", i.e. everyone has their own strengths that they excel at.
Talking of Einstein, he was a late bloomer. Even Stephen Hawking did not really become a 'genius' until his 20s. This was when he dedicated almost all of his time into research.
If you want to learn, specifically English, then I suggest you read. Start with what you enjoy, then slowly move on to the classics: Dickens, Homer, etc.
When I was around 16/17, I used to read a lot, for pleasure. This translated into a well developed writing style. My History teacher always used to comment on how my writing style was so "mature". In fact, she used to use my essays as exampled to the whole school on how to write good essays.
The next year, the school workload steeply increased. I found less and less time to read for pleasure, and lo and behold, my grades start slipping too. My essay style was messy. My teacher was worried, because I had taken such a fall in my ability. So you can see the link between it.
I am slightly in the same position as you. I find myself forgetting basic mathematics that I got A's in when I was 15/16. So what did I do? I bought the latest text books, aimed at that age group. When I find myself with time, I work through them, and answer questions in the work book. I do this for pleasure, not because I am going to have a big test next week.
That is what I've found: the education system is geared towards tests, and exams (understandably). But when you take the time to really learn- because you *WANT* to, opposed to because you *HAVE* to - you enjoy it much more, and it sinks in.
There is also a lot of self discipline involved. When the TV is so packed with good shows, or your friends are having an amazing time, you have to make tough decisions about what you want more: education, or something else. It does not have to be a choice between education vs fun: you can easily make education fun, with games, pictures, colours, etc.
So In short, my advice is to READ, READ, READ. Simple books at first, then more complex ones. When you can read The Count of Monte Cristo, you know you're on track. If you want a good book to read, try The Catcher in the Rye. It's an American classic. It's not long, and it's generally a very good book. School children are also often made to read this.
Also try to write if you can. Advicenators is a great way to write. Start a blog, keep a diary, write short stories. Your style of writing will eventually get better.
If you need anymore help, please feel free to inbox me, because I've really enjoyed answering this question.
Good luck, and I hope I helped :)
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Rating: 5
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Thanks. Helps a lot. I'm really impressed you quoted Einstein. I have read The Catcher in the Rye. I read a summary of The Count of Monte Cristo, it sounds interesting. I enjoyed your answer. (:
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