Mental Framework for College Students – We Are All Dumb Until We Aren’t

Before further reading note that being dumb in this context means lacking knowledge about a particular subject and it is a temporary state that can be overcome through learning and gaining understanding.

This is the mental framework I use when learning new things. It takes away the fear or pressure to perform at a level I am not capable of yet.

For example, when approaching a new subject that looks like a foreign language, I am no longer intimidated by it; instead, I am excited to learn new concepts and skills.

This framework has allowed me to fall in love with my statistics homework over my Psychology and Philosophy classes because each time I gain a new understanding of a topic deemed hard by many students, I feel encouraged.

I am more engaged because I want to understand. This isn’t to say the other two classes aren’t hard or worth their own weight, but there is more distaste from college students regarding statistics than there is for the other two.

With that said, we are all dumb until we are not, meaning, when I sit down for the very first time and start something I have never seen, I am an idiot until proven otherwise.

Meaning until I learn just one thing, one thing about a subject, I am dumb just like everyone else.

I am not worried about knowing as much as the next person or the person who goes on to major in said topic.

I am there to learn what I can about it as much as I can; then no longer am I as dumb as the previous day.

Another way to say this is we are all ignorant about something until we are not. I don’t know anything about golf, for example, so therefore I am dumb when it comes to it.

Does this mean I am actually dumb as in low intelligence or incapable of learning?

No, it just means I am ignorant about the subject, and if you asked me a question about golfing, I’d probably say something stupid because I don’t know anything.

But if I learn just one thing, then that makes me just a little less dumb than I was previously.

This framework might not work for many; in fact, it could be too harsh because some might make it too personal and confuse it with their actual capabilities.

Again, you’re not actually dumb; it’s just a way to frame approaching new projects or subjects and take the pressure off of learning something new.

It means for me walking into a science class that I have never taken before and being okay knowing I am at a disadvantage like everyone else who has never taken the class.

It’s not about how fast another person catches on compared to you; it’s about realizing you are learning new concepts just as everyone else on the first day.

Even if the subject doesn’t come naturally, and you have to put in a bit more effort than the next person, it’s okay because you are learning something new.

You are gaining knowledge about something that you were previously oblivious to, and even if you learn just one thing about a subject that switches the levers, that’s a win because you just became smart and created new synapses (pathways) for your brain.