Alright hereâs the deal. Iâm in grade 10 and I need to get a 90 average I donât know how to study, Iâve always just winged it and done great. But itâs starting to pile on and itâs affecting my grades. I have no motivation, but I know I want to be a doctor itâs just what Iâve always wanted to do. But I donât know how. All of my friends get 90s and Iâm here not knowing what to do. Iâm afraid everyone else is moving ahead while Iâm stuck. Help please
Ok so,Â
Youâve hit the barrier that we all, at one point or another reach - where we need to supplement our natural talent with discipline and work.Â
And thatâs ok! Thatâs normal! This is not a crisis. This is real life!Â
The best advice I can give you is to study smart. That means targeting your time/ effort to the things you are going to be examined on. This starts with looking over your course syllabus (or what topics youâve covered in class), and becoming familiar with the structure of your exams.Â
and then leaving the rest to one side.Â
So what does studying smart mean?
Hereâs some other resources that might help:Â
Studying smart, not hard (specifically for semester finals)
Study smart - aka affordable losses
How I stay motivated Â
General high school tipsÂ
What to do after getting a shit gradeÂ
Time ManagementÂ
If youâre feeling overwhelmed, that may also be a time management issue. Now, weâve all got the same number of hours in a day - itâs how we choose to spend them that makes the difference.Â
Some resources on time managementÂ
This comic by @solar-citrus
Managing Time and Tasks (originally by meredithdraper, via working link @elkstudies)Â
This amazing post on Time and Task Management by @pensandmachine
@theorganisedstudent FAQ
Finding your best time of the day by @eatwellstudyhardÂ
this list by @joolshallie
this masterpost by @study-well
On being a doctorÂ
Itâs great that you know that you want to be a doctor. I think a good way to motivate yourself is to ask why you want to be a doctor. Not only for short-term motivation, but for long term motivation.Â
This is important because the road to being a doctor (and a lot of âtraditionalâ professions) is much longer than just âcompleting high school and completing med schoolâ. A lot of students donât realise that it takes, in some instances, decades of hard work.Â
Not to mention the financial, emotional and mental sacrifices that you will need to make.Â
A good way to make an informed decision about your career choices is to ask people who are already in the field and people who are studying medicine. To that end Iâd recommend:Â
@studydiaryofamedstudentÂ
@dxmedicalstudent (FAVOURITE. seriously.)Â
@verymedicalÂ
@medicalstate (no longer active, but his posts were always a deep dive into practice, amongst other things)Â
On feeling left behind
Hereâs the thing.
Youâre not.Â
You are not falling behind.Â
I understand why it feels that way. High school is a pressure cooker. For your entire academic life to date, youâve been working in this competitive environment. Where success feels like a zero sum game.Â
Itâs not.Â
You have your own route to success. The battles you win, the results you receive, the progress you achieve - the value of these things are not diminished just because âyour friends are doing better.â
Its natural to judge your performance against everyone else. What they got for an exam, how much they wrote, what answers they got, how they solved a problem. Donât give too much weight to what people say theyâve done. In the end you can only control your own performance.
You donât need +90 to âmove ahead in lifeâ.Â
Just because someone does it first, whether it be graduating high school, graduating uni, getting a job first, getting their first kiss, going on a first date - all these âcoming of age markersâ - doesnât mean that you wonât get to achieve them yourself.Â
But if you feel like youâre falling behind, and you use that feeling to stop yourself from working, then you will be holding yourself back from success.Â
So, stop focussing on the âraceâ. Instead, look to where youâre running to. And where you final destination is. Â
Highly recommend reading these wise words from @niuniente.Â
And if youâre feeling stuck? Reach out for help.Â
All the best anon.Â











