Yes, it was the same for me, I saw others memorize, say, the trig identities without understanding them, even though we were in the same class, with the same teacher. In other classes I was the one resorting to memorization, because the overall picture didn't make sense to me (art history, literature). I attribute this to my not having the aptitude to internalize these subjects, just like those artsy types had trouble internalizing math and physics.