The Genius Myth

I'm sure we could all name a genius, how about Albert Einstein, Mozart or maybe that annoying kid that gets A*s with no effort. These people are the best at their games and we imbue them with mythical qualities, like gods of their fields. Tonight I was a student representative at a gifted and talented event talking to the geniuses, as a genius myself  (I'm not finished yet don't worry). We were top of our games, I coasted through GCSEs and to be honest I am coasting through my A levels. Contrary to expectations however, this isn't a ticket to academic stardom. If anything my ability makes me complacent and lazy. I have come to thrive on academic attention without any effort required. Everytime I talk to someone my academic acheivements almost inevitably come up. My ego may be huge but Shockingly, I am no genius.

Many clever people float through the education system and drop off the end, people with the potential but without the drive to prosper. Its to do with hard work and geniune enthusiasm. My coasting through academia actually means i'm anything but a genius. We tend to judge geniuses on their contributions to their field; being good and quick at soaking up teaching is anything but progressive. Advancing a field requires hard work, something I have yet to realise the value of. There are thousands of people like me, decent at maths, and with only a few spots on the genius stand, I've got to up my game.