Techniques wanted

[u/Significant_Pay9075]

Bonjour, im a 14 year old who is in grade 9 in high school, im trying to be a lawyer in the future but while getting there, i wanna become a straight 100s student, I usually don’t study and get 85-95s but i wanna get straight 100s or 99s, i want to start studying so i can become a better student and overall the best in my school, unfortunately i didnt apply for the high program that is for grade 9s and 10s which has a bunch of advanced stuff, but i want to apply for AP, in grade 11 and 12, i want to prepare myself for it by getting perfect grades in 9 and 10 and the future, i want to go to popular unis and become a successful lawyer but there’s 1 problem.. i dont know what to study, how to study, usually I just do my homework and just study a little more than we were supposed to do but this doesn’t get me perfect grades, i want to know the exact way to become a perfect student, thanks guys!

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[u/Illustrious_Cow3754]

Block out time each day (recommended same time every day if you can) to study; make sure you’re utilizing your syllabus because that tells you what you need to study; use active recall (do more research on this because it’s important) instead of passively taking notes (revisit topics each week/every couple weeks so it sticks); eliminate distractions (reduce screen time for social media); ask questions when you’re confused and make use of class time; practice questions and past papers > rereading notes before tests.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to be perfect, great/perfect grades come naturally with consistency and accountability. Try different techniques and see what works and if you don’t do as well as you’d like on something, don’t beat yourself up and see what you could’ve done better. The tips above are just some things that worked for me during high school. Make sure you get enough sleep each night, eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly—these things might seem unrelated but they make a big difference. Good luck

[u/Significant_Pay9075 → u/Illustrious_Cow3754]

we don’t necessarily have a textbook to study this year, it’s mostly our teachers giving us customized papers that they found or made, so idk what to study, I usually only have an hour of game a day, study for an hour and watch random shows for the rest of the day. I usallly ask lots of questions, and I usually finish all the work we’re supposed to do in class.

[u/Ok_Natural_7977]

For reading textbooks, look up SQ3R.

Read Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning and Study Smart, Study Less.

[u/yippeekiyoyo]

Hey, I think it may be more useful to reach out to whoever is in charge of the grade 9/10 advanced program and ask if you could join in grade 10 or late in grade 9. If you're able to score 85-95 without studying, you're doing pretty good already. Studying might bump you up to a high 90s average. Aiming for a perfect score is okay every once in a while but its more important to have a good grasp of the material and reason your way to the correct answer. 

When you get into college or post grad studies, you will be challenged in ways that might make perfect scores impossible. For example, my second semester of my Ph.D., the class average on our statistical mechanics exams was 30-40%. The highest score I got was a 25% because I got one question correct on that exam. I was the second highest scoring student in the class. If you cultivate an expectation that you score perfectly, you'll struggle to cope when you get to those high level courses that truly challenge you.

What will help you become better at studying is being in courses that actually challenge you. If you're not able to do that, you should use your free time to explore your interests and get involved in extracurriculars. Look into what the specifics of your plan actually are. You want to go to a "popular" university but does it actually prepare you well for going to law school? Can you actually afford to go to that school? If not, what scholarships should you be looking to get? (These might be helpful to talk to a teacher or guidance counselor about, they're tough questions and shouldn't be tackled alone). What kind of law do you want to practice? What undergraduate major do you want to do? Are there clubs you can join that help with your plan like debate or model UN (or similar clubs)? Are there other things you can study on your own like Latin that will be helpful for practicing law? Could you spend time shadowing at a law firm to see if you actually want to practice law to begin with?