I think Paul is missing something here, and that's soft skills. I, like him, was at the D table, and it was only much later that I realized why. I was much more interested in left-brain activities at the expense of right-brain ones. Yet left-brain skills are not necessarily smarter than right-brain skills, just as being a physicist isn't better than being a film director. The film director was probably popular in high school. The physicist probably not (and probably still isn't). And that's too bad for both. Nerds are unpopular because they're hiding in what they're good at; the same reason a cheerleader might put on makeup.

To be truly smart, you need to develop both sides, both skill sets. You should be able to dress well and yet know the Earth's distance from the Sun. The true smart is a round thing.