> I am not pursuing a PhD in pure math so I certainly have both interest and ability in doing academic stuff

I don't see how the second half of the sentence follows from the first half. Did that "not" slip in by accident? Or do you consider a PhD in pure maths to be evidence of not having academic ability?

-- Yours, offended holder of PhD in pure maths :)

I guess this was written on a phone: "now" became "not"

I did too. But I've gotten much better at studying/learning over the years, and I attribute my high school problems with grades as a combination of ADD and my head being focused on trying to deal with what, in retrospect, were psychological problems. What I needed back then was a really great therapist and some training in mindfulness meditation. Alas.