Age doesn't matter: an open mind does.

What you study is more important than how you study. Students are subordinate to materials, much like novice cooks are subordinate to recipes. If you select the wrong material, the wrong textbook, the wrong group of words, it doesn't matter how much (or how well) you study. It doesn't matter how good your teacher is. One must find the highest-frequency material. Material beats method.

As you stumble and learn, stumble and learn again, resolve to talk to yourself as if you were your best friend. So no "What a #?%$@ idiot!" when your BFF smashes an egg on the floor, m'kay? Be cool, like the Fonz.

It is possible to become world-class, enter the top 5% of performers in the world, in almost any subject within 6-12 months, or even 6-12 weeks.