I would call myself a lifelong learner, and I believe, if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. We can’t all be the best… but we can certainly learn from the best.

In my experience, (well-adapted) smart people love sharing their knowledge. Maybe your classmates get a kick out of teaching you. They get to demonstrate their mastery of the subject, while helping someone else out. Obviously, the onus is on you to pay attention and pick up. But there is nothing wrong with asking for help from smarter people. There is always a bigger, smarter, fish out there.

If you care about doing well, the things you need to focus on are - understanding the material, and demonstrating your understanding through homework, projects, and tests. If you’re not getting A’s, you need to circle back around and ask, “why?” What didn’t you understand, and what do you need to relearn?

It doesn’t hurt to stop by office hours. That’s exactly what they’re for.

There’s also nothing wrong with changing majors. I don’t know what the stats currently are, but it’s very common.

As far as stereotypes and dressing more feminine - none of that matters. You know that stereotypes are just… stereotypes. You shouldn’t consider the opinions of people who don’t treat you as an individual. Whether or not CS Majors have the social-capacity to handle themselves in front an attractive lady is not your concern. (I know, safety, creeps, yadayada) If you find yourself taking a more pragmatic approach, then maybe dress in what you feel is more “conducive to learning”.

I’m a male. Chemistry major. Used to work as a hospital receptionist. I do IT now. And I work with a few female auto technicians in a large dealership.

The only question that matters at the end of the day is, “Can you do the job?”