Battle of the brains: street smart vs book smart

by Adeena Salimee

Have you ever noticed that one student in your class that never studies, but consistently gets great grades? Well, that’s probably because they are street smart- or maybe just a genius.

When it comes to achieving success in life, I think that street smarts are more crucial than book smarts. Of course, if you possess both, you might consider yourself to be among the most fortunate few in the entire world.

Most of the time, we each have more of one or the other as our blessings. I can speak for myself when I say that my street smarts are superior to my academic smarts. I can also say that my street smarts have been a major aspect of any goals I have obtained so far.

I believe street smarts are crucial in attaining success, in the real world. For me personally, my street smarts have come in handy in many situations but especially in interviews.

Being able to read a person’s expressions and expectations allows me to adapt the way I speak to meet their standards. This comes from my experience in the public speaking world, where I am constantly faced with different judges, with different moods and styles.

Perhaps most importantly, street smarts come with experience. It indicates that you’ve drawn lessons from everything you’ve experienced both the good and the bad.

In a book, you absorb and understand someone else’s perspective on the world, and no matter how great the writer is, you are only minimally connected to the experience of it. Street smarts comes with the scars from real life, put to action.

I say all of this as a person who adores reading and possesses some level of what may be referred to as book smarts. But the information that I’ve applied in the direction of street smarts
is what best explains all I have personally accomplished in life.

However, being book smart isn’t all bad. Being able to absorb from books and learning is a great skill, and these people tend to excel in examinations. Knowing the way your brain works can help you achieve better results in anything you do!

Try out different styles of learning, be it videos, articles or even trying things out in real life- understanding your style is most important, whether you’re book smart or street smart.