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This is a long one, but here's the short and sweet version:
I'm an exceptionally good and enthusiastic physics student in high school and despite being friendly, welcoming, understanding and helpful toward my classmates, I feel like I intimidate them with my intellectual capacity for physics (and math). I basically put a tenth of the time into school as many of my classmates do and come out with significantly higher marks. I try to not be complacent, and taking compliments isn't my strong suit either.
Here's the long version, I tried to make it entertaining, but I'm a good science student, not a good writer :P
I've been on this site for a few months and the resources here have helped me monumentally (outside my actual high school course) get a little ahead into some advanced physics.
I have to say, though I have not been making many contributions myself (yet!) I have to dedicate this bit of screen space to say thank you to this awesome forum and its awesome community!
Since my very first physics class I got excited about physics. I ended up finishing the grade 11 course with the highest mark in our school and one of highest in our board (except one person who has the course this semester, one of my good friends, who looks like he's going to beat me! :P).
I followed the advice of my dad and a former teacher (who was an engineer before getting into teaching) to not become complacent. I took the advice to heart and I am not arrogant when it comes to physics. When people come to me for help (as they inevitably do) I'm as understanding as possible. (Though with the friend mentioned earlier, we have some intense discussions about physics, explaining systems too complex to be in our textbook to each other.)
Generally (especially with motion problems) someone will come to me with a problem they've been stuck on and I've never seen before and I'll usually solve it within 5-10 minutes, and someone commented that I intimidate them when it comes to physics.
But I don't have to write most of this, most of you have a similar love and capacity for this type of thinking, and most of you are probably a lot better at me than it anyways (our physics course is a little diluted so me getting the highest mark isn't that big an achievement).
The thing is that I love helping people with physics, mostly because I generally like helping people and I like physics. It's a match made in heaven, so I'm a little off-put when people are too intimidated to ask me for help. The first comment I got was "oh my gosh I hate coming to you with physics, you intimidate me 'cause you know it too well."
There might be moments where I unintentionally sound arrogant about it though. For example, I might see a problem and comment: "that's easy," subconsciously, as my classmates stare at it dumbfounded.
I don't really know what my point or question is, but if anyone has any advice as to "dealing with" (for lack of a better phrase) being a good physics student, I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks for the help everyone!
P.S. I also don't know how to take compliments without sounding like a complete dork. My usual tactic is to flip over the conversation to something that the complimenter is good at. Ex: "OMG you're so good at physics." Reply: "...says the person who placed first in the math contest!"
Though that doesn't always work, and I have to admit, to my shame, that I do enjoy the compliments.
I suppose with all of the information these forums have given me, this community might be the cause of the problem. I GUESS it's only fair that you should try and solve it! (Just joking of course!)
Thanks again everyone!
I'm an exceptionally good and enthusiastic physics student in high school and despite being friendly, welcoming, understanding and helpful toward my classmates, I feel like I intimidate them with my intellectual capacity for physics (and math). I basically put a tenth of the time into school as many of my classmates do and come out with significantly higher marks. I try to not be complacent, and taking compliments isn't my strong suit either.
Here's the long version, I tried to make it entertaining, but I'm a good science student, not a good writer :P
I've been on this site for a few months and the resources here have helped me monumentally (outside my actual high school course) get a little ahead into some advanced physics.
I have to say, though I have not been making many contributions myself (yet!) I have to dedicate this bit of screen space to say thank you to this awesome forum and its awesome community!
Since my very first physics class I got excited about physics. I ended up finishing the grade 11 course with the highest mark in our school and one of highest in our board (except one person who has the course this semester, one of my good friends, who looks like he's going to beat me! :P).
I followed the advice of my dad and a former teacher (who was an engineer before getting into teaching) to not become complacent. I took the advice to heart and I am not arrogant when it comes to physics. When people come to me for help (as they inevitably do) I'm as understanding as possible. (Though with the friend mentioned earlier, we have some intense discussions about physics, explaining systems too complex to be in our textbook to each other.)
Generally (especially with motion problems) someone will come to me with a problem they've been stuck on and I've never seen before and I'll usually solve it within 5-10 minutes, and someone commented that I intimidate them when it comes to physics.
But I don't have to write most of this, most of you have a similar love and capacity for this type of thinking, and most of you are probably a lot better at me than it anyways (our physics course is a little diluted so me getting the highest mark isn't that big an achievement).
The thing is that I love helping people with physics, mostly because I generally like helping people and I like physics. It's a match made in heaven, so I'm a little off-put when people are too intimidated to ask me for help. The first comment I got was "oh my gosh I hate coming to you with physics, you intimidate me 'cause you know it too well."
There might be moments where I unintentionally sound arrogant about it though. For example, I might see a problem and comment: "that's easy," subconsciously, as my classmates stare at it dumbfounded.
I don't really know what my point or question is, but if anyone has any advice as to "dealing with" (for lack of a better phrase) being a good physics student, I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks for the help everyone!
P.S. I also don't know how to take compliments without sounding like a complete dork. My usual tactic is to flip over the conversation to something that the complimenter is good at. Ex: "OMG you're so good at physics." Reply: "...says the person who placed first in the math contest!"
Though that doesn't always work, and I have to admit, to my shame, that I do enjoy the compliments.
I suppose with all of the information these forums have given me, this community might be the cause of the problem. I GUESS it's only fair that you should try and solve it! (Just joking of course!)
Thanks again everyone!