Alright hereās the deal. Iām in grade 10 and I need to get a 90 average I donāt know how to study, Iāve always just winged it and done great. But itās starting to pile on and itās affecting my grades. I have no motivation, but I know I want to be a doctor itās just what Iāve always wanted to do. But I donāt know how. All of my friends get 90s and Iām here not knowing what to do. Iām afraid everyone else is moving ahead while Iām stuck. Help please
Ok so,Ā
Youāve hit the barrier that we all, at one point or another reach - where we need to supplement our natural talent with discipline and work.Ā
And thatās ok! Thatās normal! This is not a crisis. This is real life!Ā
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 youāve covered in class), and becoming familiar with the structure of your exams.Ā
and then leaving the rest to one side.Ā
So what does studying smart mean?
Hereās some other resources that might help:Ā
Studying smart, not hard (specifically for semester finals)
Study smart - aka affordable losses
How I stay motivatedĀ Ā
General high school tipsĀ
What to do after getting a shit gradeĀ
Time ManagementĀ
If youāre feeling overwhelmed, that may also be a time management issue. Now, weāve all got the same number of hours in a day - itās howĀ we choose to spend them that makes the difference.Ā
Some resources on time managementĀ
This comic by @solar-citrus
Managing Time and Tasks (originally by meredithdraper, via working link @elkstudies)Ā
This amazing post on Time and Task Management by @pensandmachine
@theorganisedstudent FAQ
Finding your best time of the day by @eatwellstudyhardĀ
this list by @joolshallie
this masterpost by @study-well
On being a doctorĀ
Itās great that you know that you want to be a doctor. I think a good way to motivate yourself is to ask whyĀ you want to be a doctor. Not only for short-term motivation, but for long term motivation.Ā
This is important because the road to being a doctor (and a lot of ātraditionalā professions) is much longer than just ācompleting high school and completing med schoolā. A lot of students donāt realise that it takes, in some instances, decades of hard work.Ā
Not to mention the financial, emotional and mental sacrifices that you will need to make.Ā
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 studyingĀ medicine. To that end Iād recommend:Ā
@studydiaryofamedstudentĀ
@dxmedicalstudent (FAVOURITE. seriously.)Ā
@verymedicalĀ
@medicalstate (no longer active, but his posts were always a deep dive into practice, amongst other things)Ā
On feeling left behind
Hereās the thing.
Youāre not.Ā
You are not falling behind.Ā
I understand why it feels that way. High school is a pressure cooker. For your entire academic life to date, youāve been working in this competitive environment. Where success feels like a zero sum game.Ā
Itās not.Ā
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 becauseĀ āyour friends are doing better.ā
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. Donāt give too much weight to what people say theyāve done. In the end you can only control your own performance.
You donāt need +90 toĀ āmove ahead in lifeā.Ā
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 theseĀ ācoming of age markersā - doesnāt mean that you wonāt get to achieve them yourself.Ā
But if you feel like youāre falling behind, and you use that feeling to stop yourself from working, then you will be holding yourself back from success.Ā
So, stop focussing on theĀ āraceā. Instead, look to where youāre running to. And where you final destination is.Ā Ā
Highly recommend reading these wise words fromĀ @niuniente.Ā
And if youāre feeling stuck? Reach out for help.Ā
All the best anon.Ā















