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鈥淵ou know, we want to be thought of as normal,鈥� says Chaewon Lim, 18, who graduated from Senator O鈥機onnor College School with 100 per cent in three sciences, two maths and English.

Still, the numbers reveal an exceptionality: Of the board鈥檚 6,000 graduating students this year, 21 finished with an average of 97.5 per cent or higher.

Less than one per cent.

The Star spoke to five TCDSB students who finished high school with a 100 per cent average.

Andy Feng, 18

Mary Ward C.S.S. (Advanced Functions, English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Religion, Law); heading to Georgetown University (government)

How does one get 100 per cent in English?

That鈥檚 the question everybody asks me. To do well in English, you have to improve and iterate really fast. A lot of students don鈥檛 iterate; they write whatever and submit it and the iteration happens for the next assignment. So maybe they鈥檒l get an 80 and next time get to 90. In the same assignment, I would iterate many times by talking to my teachers, asking, 鈥楬ey, what is something I can do to improve the structure, improve the flow, improve the syntax of my writing?鈥�

How do you fuel a study session?

I鈥檓 big into running, so before a study session, I would take a jog for an hour. That was one thing I lived by, and number two is coffee. I try to stick to black coffee and shots of espresso.

How did the pandemic impact your academics?

Before the pandemic I wanted to go into business so badly. But during COVID, I recognized there was a world bigger than just business and that world was for people who are marginalized. As a result, I rethought my entire life, my study plan, my career plan into an activism-advocacy sort of mindset.

How much time do you spend on your phone?

I track this. It鈥檚 like 10 hours a day, so literally a lot of my waking hours. But we need to redefine what phone use is and how productive it can be. I don鈥檛 think anyone can really blame us for texting because it鈥檚 a very human thing to be social.

What鈥檚 been your biggest academic disappointment?

Grade 11 English. I loved the course content, but I didn鈥檛 achieve what I put into the course and that was crushing because that was a point in time when my anxiety for applying to (post-secondary) schools was top tier.

What do people not understand about top scholars?

There is a very big nerd stereotype that I want to dismantle because I think it really harms students and leads to bullying. Top scholars can be super-outgoing and social. Yes, they sacrifice time to do studying, but they also spend a lot of time just chilling with friends. I think having an amazing social circle was the reason why I got 100 per cent.

Daniel Furlan, 18

Father John Redmond C.S.S. (Physics, Chemistry, Calculus and Vectors, Advanced Functions, English, Biology, Law, Religion); heading to University of 海角社区官网(life sciences)

How does one get 100 per cent in English?

I鈥檒l let you in on a bit of secret: usually for advanced placement courses they鈥檙e considered much harder than academic courses, so toward the end, they don鈥檛 round up your average, but they give you a bonus. I achieved an average really close to 100 already and (100) was guaranteed with my bonus. I鈥檓 also really passionate about English. I read a lot of literature on my off time.

How do you fuel a study session?

Sometimes I drink coffee and caffeinated drinks. And I take a nap every now and then. I鈥檝e also trained myself to fulfil responsibilities, especially mentally strenuous ones. And it can be really difficult to discipline yourself to the point where you feel satisfied doing the things you find the least rewarding.

How did the pandemic impact your academics?

The pandemic actually kind of helped me with my studies because it boosted concentration and I was able to really study independently. The pandemic had a huge toll on a lot of people鈥檚 mental health, and that was probably one of the greatest tragedies in this whole thing, but I guess it kind of empowered me.

Your favourite time waster?

Swimming and reading. I spend so much time reading that my parents have to, you know, tell me to get off my book.

What do people not understand about top scholars?

Attaining high averages is an objective requiring a lot of dedication, perseverance and attention. There are brilliant students out there that don鈥檛 do so well in school because they don鈥檛 have the opportunity to do well. And high school performance isn鈥檛 the only metric that can measure how successful a person will be in the future. Also, some people presume that students like me are conceited about the amount of knowledge we鈥檝e learned in high school. To that, I say the more I learn, the better I understand my limitations and how little I know in the grand scheme of things. I think it鈥檚 far more productive to acknowledge that we as human beings are bound by not only the dimensions of space and time, but also the dimension of ignorance. And it should be humbling to keep striving to learn and accomplish more.

Madelaine Kukovica, 17

Bishop Allen Academy (French Immersion, Psychology, Business Leadership, Writer鈥檚 Craft, Families in Canada, Challenge and Change in Society, Religion); heading to U of T (languages)

How does one get 100 per cent in English?

A lot of hard work and a lot of motivation.

How do you fuel a study session?

Lots of snacks, a can-do attitude and a great playlist.

Do friends ask to copy your homework?

No. My friends have the same motivation to succeed, same drive, so we help each other out, make notes together, study together. We鈥檙e proud of each other when we find success and hold each other accountable and push ourselves to reach our individual goals.

How much time do you spend on your phone?

Hard to judge. I used FaceTime and Spotify. I found myself not being on social media as much when I had a lot of things to do. One of the key things is staying busy, and not just with school, but with extracurriculars. When I had a full schedule I was way more productive than when I had a lot of free time, and I was on my phone less.

What鈥檚 been your biggest academic disappointment?

There鈥檚 always that test you study for and you don鈥檛 reach your goals. I know a lot of people, their parents put a lot of pressure on them. And I鈥檝e been really lucky that the pressure is often internal. My parents are supportive and encouraging, but they don鈥檛 ever pressure me to get a certain grade. They鈥檙e often the ones telling me to put things into perspective. So I think when you do have those disappointments, because they鈥檙e inevitable, it鈥檚 so important to have family, to say, 鈥業t鈥檚 just a mark, it doesn鈥檛 define you. You鈥檒l do better next time.鈥�

What do people not understand about top scholars?

One of the most important things a lot of people don鈥檛 understand is its more about a mindset than an ability. I think people are quick to just chalk it up to being really smart. But you know, there were a lot of classes I didn鈥檛 know much about the subject going in. So smart can only take you so far, and that鈥檚 where the importance of being driven and disciplined comes in.

Chaewon Lim, 18

Senator O鈥機onnor College School (Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, English); heading to U of T (engineering)

How does one get 100 per cent in English?

I was close to my teacher. We would talk after class and she would give me good feedback. I think it would be significantly harder to get 100 per cent if I had just left as soon as the bell rang. Also, I don鈥檛 believe I got 100 per cent on my own effort: from my parents raising me and teachers from other years teaching me very well, a lot of good factors matched up.

How do you fuel a study session?

I don鈥檛 use caffeine. My parents make good meals. I tend to switch up subjects frequently. And another big thing is I am quite conscious about my sleep. I would strictly stop everything once my alarm rang at 10:40 p.m. and try to get exactly eight hours of sleep.

Your favourite time waster?

Video games. And scrolling through YouTube: Everybody鈥檚 guilty of it.

What鈥檚 been your biggest academic disappointment?

Math competitions. I feel like I never perform as well as I want to.

What do people not understand about top scholars?

Anybody looking at the list would think that these people are like mega-geniuses who are born special. I don鈥檛 really want to play into the stereotype of academic nerds with no social life. The pressure of people thinking you鈥檙e smart kind of gets to you sometimes.

Eilis Sheahan, 18

Father John Redmond C.S.S. (Calculus and Vectors, English, Chemistry, Physics, Advanced Functions; Religion); heading to Queen鈥檚 University (engineering)

How does one get 100 per cent in English?

Honestly, this is a question my parents have asked me, too, and I don鈥檛 really have an answer. This year, in English, it was just a lot of listening to the feedback that my teacher would give me and then implementing that and going above what they expected. In English, there were more assignments that are lower weighted, so you can get your mark up in certain areas if you wanted to.

How do you fuel a study session?

I鈥檓 a big tea drinker. I also find going for a walk midway through really helps.

How did the pandemic impact your academics?

In some respects it made it easier because rather than tests, there鈥檇 be assignments so you could look at your notes or you鈥檇 have a longer period of time to complete things. But the actual learning online was a lot harder, like staying motivated, especially when we had quadmesters and you鈥檙e sitting there staring at your screen for two-and-a-half hours.

How much time do you spend on your phone?

I probably spend three hours a day. A fair bit of it I spend on social media, like Twitter. And honestly, I waste a lot of time looking through my camera roll looking at cute pictures of my dog.

What鈥檚 been your biggest academic disappointment?

I wasn鈥檛 academically that strong of a student until I got to Grade 7. I just never really applied myself. I remember distinctly getting a C on a geography test in Grade 3 and being, like, I鈥檓 just not going to try anymore. (That changed because) I just discovered subjects that I really enjoyed learning about.

What do people not understand about top scholars?

People think it comes down to just the student and their study habits. But a lot of my success is owed to my teachers and them being so enthusiastic about the subjects they鈥檙e teaching. My math teacher, she really loved calculus, she really loved functions. To have a teacher that鈥檚 so enthralled by their subject, really draws you in and makes you want to learn.

Answers have been edited for length and clarity.