I was a top student in America.

"When a charged particle enters a uniform magnetic field, you first need to determine the direction of its velocity... This question is quite convoluted."

At 10 a.m., in downtown Chicago, at a temporary AP test center.

Li Ao sat in the third row by the window, resting his chin on one hand, his pen tip hovering above a major question on the AP Physics exam.

The early June sunlight shone brightly, almost blindingly so.

The air conditioning in the exam room was very strong, and the vent was directly in his direction, making the draft paper on the corner of the table rustle loudly.

During the recent Memorial Day holiday, Li Ao maintained an extremely regular schedule.

I run and do strength training in the morning, study SAT reading and grammar during the day, and take turns studying AP physics, chemistry, statistics, and computer science in the evening.

By using the term "learn by analogy," he could naturally connect a series of similar questions to each example he solved, and figure out the underlying question-setting logic.

After reading a chapter, use abstract thinking to extract the basic concepts.

While each science discipline has its own knowledge system, the basic logic of "definition - theorem - proof" is universal.

This time, he didn't resort to the "sea of ​​questions" approach.

Five AP exams plus the SAT—it's unrealistic to cram in several feet of review materials.

He simply thoroughly understood the examples in the book, ensuring that he could independently derive the solution to each problem, striving to truly integrate the knowledge.

For example, in physics, American exam questions often start by setting up a bunch of real-life scenarios before mixing mechanics, electromagnetism, and calculus together.

When encountering a problem about the distribution of charge on a circular ring, you are first asked about the electric field strength at a point on the axis, then you are asked to deduce the electric potential using integration, and finally you have to determine the change in velocity of the ball after it is released.

Memorizing formulas by rote can only fool you for the first question; you'll be completely lost for the rest.

Fortunately, he has the advantage of abstract thinking, so figuring out these physical images is not difficult for him.

Let's turn our attention back to the exam paper.

Li Ao disassembled the force diagram on the draft paper, clearly marked the direction of the magnetic field and velocity, and casually wrote down the relationship between the Lorentz force and the centripetal force.

"Eliminate the radius first; the period and speed are irrelevant..."

Having finished the final unit conversion, he put down his pen and let out a soft sigh. "This AP physics isn't so hard after all."

He flipped the paper over and checked all the calculation steps and units again to make sure they were correct.

A familiar semi-transparent notification immediately popped up in front of me:

[Learning... Intelligence +0.1]

【Intelligence: 113.1】

Li Ao's gaze lingered on the string of numbers for a moment.

While others spend a year studying AP courses, he mastered them in just a few weeks.

The recent intensive study has boosted my intelligence rapidly, but after mastering the basic content, repeatedly practicing similar question types has yielded increasingly lower returns.

Fortunately, I'll be going to UIUC (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) for a math summer camp in a few days.

At that time, you can not only spend time in the university library, but also attend classes taught by university students, and you will be able to learn even more new things.

He glanced at the clock on the wall; there were still a dozen minutes left before the exam ended. He simply got up, handed in his paper, and went out to catch a ride home.

On his way back, he casually dialed TySean's number to congratulate him.

Tayshaun has secured a full basketball scholarship to the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS).

This school has a solid NCAA Division II team, which is quite strong and would be a very good fit for Tayshaun.

Right now, that guy is probably already practicing with his new team.

In the recent Greater Chicago tournament, Wyndham High School was eliminated in the quarterfinals, losing to the eventual champion, DePaul College Prep.

With the season over, players like Tayshaun and Darryl, who were about to graduate, naturally left the team to attend university.

These were all Li Ao's "clients." Thanks to his college application planning, they successfully escaped the Southern District and left. Before leaving, they all slipped him some money as a token of their gratitude.

Li Ao didn't stand on ceremony and accepted all the fees, since these were consulting fees he earned through his own abilities.

With the bonuses from a while ago and the deposits recently made by several soon-to-be 12th-year students who came to him by reputation, he has accumulated a considerable sum in his bank account, which can be considered as laying the foundation for his college tuition in advance.

……

Meanwhile, in a detached house in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood, Ms. Brown was squatting on the living room floor, helping her daughter Emily securely close her last suitcase.

As a single father, he was naturally happy to see his daughter get into one of the top universities in the United States.

But the thought of her going to live alone more than a hundred miles away tomorrow, leaving her all alone at home, inevitably made her father feel a little reluctant to let her go.

"Once you get to school, remember to go to the student services center to double-check your documents." Brown stuffed a stack of printed papers into a folder, then added, still not entirely reassured, "Also, don't just keep the emails about the IFT waiver program on your phone; it's best to print out a paper copy for backup."

"Okay, Dad."

Emily rolled a few T-shirts into her backpack, her tone exasperated, "You've mentioned it four times this week."

Brown adjusted his glasses, automatically ignoring his daughter's complaints, and continued with his instructions:

"One of my students is also going to UIUC for the math summer camp. You can get to know him if you have time. We're all around the same age, so it'll be good to have someone to look out for you."

"Is it that exceptionally talented student you mentioned?"

"Yes." Brown nodded, his tone becoming serious. "He's not only good at math, but he's also a master at application planning. He was a huge help in getting you the offer this time."

The girl laughed: "Didn't you say he also plays basketball?"

"Yeah, right." Brown recalled his experiences over the past few months and couldn't help but sigh. "A perfect score on USAMO, an absolute key player on the basketball team, and he also managed to understand a bunch of complicated application policies. I've been teaching at Wyndham for so many years, and this is the first time I've seen someone this capable."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "If you run into someone at UIUC, you can get to know them better. You're new to the area and won't know anyone, so having a reliable person to help you is always better than figuring things out on your own."

"Okay!" Emily stuffed the folder into the side pocket of her suitcase, then turned back to remind her, "After you drop me off tomorrow, drive carefully on your way back to Chicago, and don't worry about school all the time."

"Don't worry, it's none of your business," Brown said defiantly, but his hand involuntarily reached out and checked the zipper of the suitcase again.

……

The following day, at the Chicago Greyhound bus station.

Li Ao, carrying a slightly worn sports bag and clutching his train ticket, stood at the station entrance saying goodbye to his grandmother.

Originally, Liu Guifang insisted on escorting him all the way to UIUC.

The old lady had rarely traveled far in her life, and she was very worried when she heard that her grandson was going to take a long-distance bus more than 100 miles away by himself.

Li Ao had to use a lot of persuasion to finally convince her to stop.

After all, he's over seventy years old, and the back-and-forth travel is too much for him. Plus, it's not easy for him to take long leave from his part-time jobs at the church and laundry.

Before he left, Principal Smith and Teacher Brown called him one after the other to encourage him to give it his all at summer camp and try to win a spot to represent the national team.

Sam, Ryan, and other friends from the seminar also sent text messages to say goodbye.

"Grandma, go back now. Eat on time, and don't forget to take your insulin. I'll call you as soon as I'm settled in to let you know I'm safe and sound. I'll be back in a month."

The bus pulled into the station, Li Ao waved goodbye, had his ticket checked, boarded the bus, and found a window seat.

The doors closed, and the Greyhound bus slowly pulled out of the station.

The Chicago street scene outside the window kept receding.

The South Campus, Wyndham High School, the stadium, the library, and even that stuffy Room 306 were all left behind.

Meanwhile, on the UIUC campus, more than 100 miles away, a group of the nation's top high school math competition students are arriving one after another.

The fierce competition for the MOSP (Mathematical Olympiad Summer Camp) Black Belt group has only just begun...

……