This article was co-authored by Erin Conlon, PCC, JD. Erin Conlon is an Executive Life Coach, the Founder of Erin Conlon Coaching, and the host of the podcast "This is Not Advice." She specializes in aiding leaders and executives to thrive in their career and personal lives. In addition to her private coaching practice, she teaches and trains coaches and develops and revises training materials to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. She holds a BA in Communications and History and a JD from The University of Michigan. Erin is a Professional Certified Coach with The International Coaching Federation.
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This article explains how to become a nerd and act like a genius - the classic type. Read this to be the top in class.
Steps
Reading
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1Do not read trending magazines or books. Read magazines of your choice. Take an interest in mathematics, science, computers, poetry, or classic novels. Constantly expand your knowledge. You should read magazines like Knowledge by BBC, The Smithsonian and Popular science.
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2Have at least one complete set of encyclopedias. Put it in a place where everybody can see it. If you want it to really be convincing, make a whole bunch of the pages dog-eared so that it looks well-worn.
- Your books do not have to be all nonfiction, as some fictional works greatly increase vocabulary. All books are welcome, the key is to have a large interest in them and become knowledgeable.
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3Read ahead in every literature book. Get some novels.
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4Carry a book bag. How high you put your bag depends on the school you're in and even the country. If low hanging bags are fashion, put it up as high as possible. It also has some health benefit and that is your spinal cord is not getting much weight.
Media
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1Try not to watch reality TV or popular shows. Try educational television if necessary, good examples would be "PBS Create", the Science Channel, the Discovery Channel, Discovery Science or the History channel.
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2Watch news channels such as BBC and CNN.
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3Keep your room slightly messy. There should be crinkled-up papers with writings, designs and technical drawing on them and books. There should not be items like toys and video gaming systems. For suggestions, see step two as well.
Establish ‘nerdy’ habits
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1Learn how to write fast and neat. Practice writing neatly in both cursive and print. This will help to make fewer errors and get better grades. Remember, you're graded on your grammar and punctuation!
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2Increase your vocabulary and use it! Try not to be verbose, substitute some words (threw, building, bored) for those less commonly used (lunged, edifice, ennui). Make sure there's someone around to appreciate your vocabulary, otherwise those around you may become annoyed.
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3Ponder everything. If at any point you're not pondering, you need to try harder. Question yourself first and the world around you. Don't be afraid to ask others for their answer. Be ready to accept it and even adopt it if it's better than yours.
Becoming a real nerd
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1Learn your proper "nerdy" habits in class. If a challenging problem is asked by the teacher, rivet your eyes on the calculator, while clutching the device as close to you as you can manage, and press the keys non-stop. If in English class you are called to write an essay, always tap the edge of your writing utensil on your head. Having these idiosyncrasies may help you.
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2Join the nerd industry! Nerds can often make a lot of money by tutoring.
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3Study at night to get into advanced classes. Try very hard to excel in academics.
Community Q&A
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QuestionI'm in 8th standard and I want to become a genius in science. Today I am defeated in school science because of a poor quiz. What should I do to become a science genius?FaMeDCommunity AnswerWishing for things not enough, you have to work for it to achieve it. If you study and understand more you'll be good at it. Also, don't ever feel defeated cause you can always get up, just don't give up.
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QuestionBut what if I love playing video games?FaMeDCommunity AnswerPlaying video games is not that bad, but you have to learn how to manage your time among studying, managing your life, and playing.
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QuestionWhat if everyone in the class, including the teachers, laugh at my way of reading and studying or my nerdy habits?Community AnswerTell them how you feel.
Warnings
- Don't be a know-it-all. If you have to point out a mistake or a faulty logic, do it politely and discretely. If you are constantly correcting others, other people may think that you are trying too hard and you are snobbish and rude.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Not everyone in your life will relish your nerdiness. Some may even taunt, boo, or try to convince you that no, you have it wrong — nerds are not considered "cool" by most. Whatever you do, do not listen to them.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Please do not change because of bullying. Get help if a kid is teasing you because of one of your traits.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- If being a nerd is not you, don't force yourself to become one. There is nothing worse than a person who is not their true self.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Don't become so consumed with your obsession that you lose sight of reality.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- If you constantly mock others who are less clever than you, they could get their friends to harass you, or do it themselves.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- If you want to be a computer nerd, don't use Internet Explorer. It is too mainstream, true nerds resent that. Good web browsers are Firefox, Safari and Google Chrome. Never refer to either web browser by their full name, IE FF and GC are the popular acronyms for the three.⧼thumbs_response⧽