I remember that feeling in my upper-division math classes in college -- PDEs, abstract algebra, etc. It seemed to me like I was struggling (which was a new expe

I remember that feeling in my upper-division math classes in college -- PDEs, abstract algebra, etc. It seemed to me like I was struggling (which was a new experience for me in math class) and to make it worse, I sat next to this guy who always seemed to know it cold. I would score in the 80s on almost everything, and I would look over there and this guy would have perfect scores all the time. It definitely bothered me. About halfway through the semester I ended up spending more time with this guy and I realized that he really lived and breathed mathematics. I mean, he did all the exercises in every chapter. (Who does that?) He would study for hours and hours before tests. Anyway, it kind of taught me a lesson. If you want to belong, you have to work for it. Nobody's just going to move over to make a space for you. You have to carve a space for yourself.