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STUDIERI ORIGINAL POST 1: SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND STATIONERY

Oh, the joys of buying school supplies! But of course, we shouldn’t spend too much on them, no matter how much we love stationery. After spending so much time looking for good quality supplies without having to overspend, I finally have everything that I need! No, I didn’t buy all of these in one go… I wouldn’t spend that much (lol). Some are gifts, and some had been with me for more than a year!

Here are the school supplies that I’ll be using for this school year, and hopefully, I’ll be able to keep them well until next year, to avoid spending too much.

Just a heads up- the quality of my pictures are kinda low, since use my phone in taking pictures.

I. BINDERS

I’ve used Cattleya notebooks since 7th grade, and the quality is always great. This is my first time using a binder, and it took me more than an hour figuring out how to change the fillers! (If you’re wondering how, just message me!) I bought two binders, the other one for next year if I don’t use it. I wasn’t sure if I only need one. Also bought 3 packs of fillers, for the next semester. I tend to write EVERYTHING down, and then summaries. I end up finishing one notebook in one semester. (oops)

II. ENVELOPE, JOURNAL AND PENCIL CASE

This is the first time I’m using a Limelight brand journal, and a ruled one at that… I’m quite hopeful, that this will be of good quality. Most people would say that buying a white journal is a no-no, but white is  really clean and bright, I just couldn’t resist!

Accordion envelopes are VERY important, especially when your teacher gives hand outs of your lectures. Those sheets may seem unecessary, but the moment you see your exams, you would know how important they are. What seems unimportant, becomes a big part of the test. (usually). So keep those handouts! It’s organized, and you don’t lose any paper given.

The denim pencil case is from Muji, a gift from my cousin. It can hold ALL of my pens and markers, which is a lot. And, the zipper never gets stuck. I hate it when I’m rushing to grab a pen and the zipper gets stuck. Trust me, it gets annoying. This pencil case may not be the cheapest, but it works really well. I’ve used this last year, but it’s still good as new!

III. PENS, MARKERS AND HIGHLIGHTERS

Markers, pens and highlighters are my weaknesses. I just couldn’t resist. *sob*

Stabilo Fine Point 88 (0.4 mm)- These fine markers are of great quality. I use these for making summaries, reviewers, and for drawings. I rarely write on my books. But when I do, I always use colored markers, to remember important information. They say that the color blue helps in remembering important information, which is why I bought shades of blue. For the purple ones… Well, I like purple, so why not?

Pilot Hi-Tecpoint V5 and V7- These are the pens I use for exams, and the red ones are for checking papers when helping teachers. The quality is good as well, but the paper has to be quite thick so that the ink doesn’t bleed onto the next page.

Stabilo Swing Cool Highlighters- I’ve been using this brand of highlighter for three years, and it hasn’t failed me yet. You know that one person in your class who highlights every single thing? That would be me. I always have that fear of missing a vital information, and that can be my weakness. This highlighter surprisingly stayed alive after I tortured it by painting a whole page neon (lol oops). Anyways, the quality is great, much love for these highlighters.

Muji Highlighters- These highlighters were a gift as well, and I’m impressed by the quality of this. And yes, I’m guilty of using this highlighter when doodling, and overall procrastinating (We all have those days). Some highlighters tend to be too much, and instead of wanting to read them, they end up hurting my eyes. But this highlighter has the amount of eye catching color without hurting people’s eyes.

Muji Hexagonal Retractable Pens- Hexagonal pens give easy grip, which makes this pen really nice. It’s of good quality as well. I’ve been using this pen since last year and it’s still doing great.

Pilot Super Color Broad Marker- I use this when making visual aids for class reports, and the ink is great.

Dong A Hexaplus Fineliner (0.4 mm)- Again, with the hexagonal. Whenever I’m hurriedly taking notes, I tend to have butter fingers and I drop my pen at least four times. I always need to get a grip- an idiom, but at the same time literal. I go hysterical when having to study a very difficult lesson (shoutout to trigonometry, just not my thing). Thus, my reason for always buying hexagonal pens.

IV. PENCILS, CORRECTION TAPES, MARKERS

Faber Castell Econ Mechanical Pencil (0.5 mm)- This pencil has a triangular barrel, for easy grip. I’ve always used mechanical pencil, because I hate sharpeners. They bring terrible memories of having dirt on my fingers every time i sharpen my pencil. I end up smudging them on my uniform… By the walls, that’s disgusting. The quality of this pencil is great, it doesn’t break easily, and 0.5 mm is perfect for drawing my beloved Eren Jaeger! (oops)

Orions Correction Tape- This correction tape doesn’t break easily, which is a good thing. Some correction tapes don’t budge, and when they do, the tape spills out and man, what a mess. It covers the mistakes quite well, and doesn’t leave a trace which is nice.

Muji Hexagonal Twin Markers- These markers have been with me for a year, and they’re still okay, aside from the black marker which ran out right away, probably because I used it for an exam. One side of this marker is fine marker, and the other side is medium marker. One pack has ten markers, and this comes with a hexagon case.

V. PINS, STICKY NOTES AND WASHI TAPES

EasiGet Pins- I bought this pack of pins, magnets and clips for my cork board, which I am decorating and will be posted soon. 

Sticky Notes- When we say sticky notes, one would right away think of Post-It brands. But It’s kinda expensive, so I bought an alternative brand. The smaller one is for marking the pages of my books, for review and homeworks. The other, for additional info or terms.

Washi Tapes- These washi tapes were collected over time, because I didn’t want to buy all in one go. Think of it as a reward, like buying one roll of tape for every A+ you get. I’ll be using these for my bullet journal.

VI. HERSCHEL BACKPACK

 This is a Youth Settlement Backpack, which is why it’s small for a regular backpack. It’s also a gift, because Herschel backpacks are of amazing quality and with quality comes price. Since I’ll be bringing only a binder and my pencil case for school, this is a perfect one.

That’s all for my school supplies!

Just a reminder that these supplies are only a guide on your way to success, and what matters the most is your effort and dedication in your studies. These Items I’ve bought are rewards for my grades last year. What makes buying these stuff rewarding is when you buy them after working so hard on your studies. No matter how expensive your supplies are, what really counts is your hard work. Don’t think that you need expensive school supplies to be smart, okay? Do your best!

Ganbatte Kudasai!

Love, Eridani.

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Hey guys! These are 7 (technically 8) tips on how to get straight A’s! I’m sorry for the mistakes — ONE: the tip “Some Study Methods” should actually be number 7, not number 1 hehe. TWO: in tip number 6, “Doing your homework”, it says ‘always remember tip number 6!’ what I mean is *always remember tip number 5!* STUDYBLRS — reblog this for a possible follow hehe (see tip 3). Anyway this whole thing took me HOURS. Hopefully it helps someone! ily all & good luck!

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FINALLY

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If this is the 700th tumblr post you’ve seen today, you need this post. 

Practice Scheduling

Schedule a particular task in the morning and once in the evening.

The task should not take more than 15 minutes.

Wait for the exact scheduled time. -when the schedule time is due, start the task.

Advantages: Scheduling helps you focus on your priorities. 

Focus on starting tasks rather than completing to avoid procrastination.

Use Routines

Instead of devoting a lot of hours one day, and none the other and then a few on an another day and so on, allocate a specific time period each day of the week for that task.

Don’t set a goal other than time allocation- simply set the habit of routine.

Apply this technique to your homework or your projects.

Have Daily Scheduling

When you first begin your work day, or going to work take a few minutes and write down on a piece of paper the tasks that you want to accomplish for that day.

Prioritize the list.

Immediately start working on the most important one.

Try it for a few days to see if the habit works for you.

Habits form over time: how much time depends on you and the habit.

Find Successful Role Models

Observe the people in your life and see to what extent self discipline and habits help them accomplish goals. 

Ask them for advice on what works, what does not.

Don’t replicate their ideas, come up with your own plan. 

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Feb 23, 2016 | As requested, some screenshots of my psych notes this week. 

A short textbook note-taking tutorial

I use tables whenever possible to organize materials, and as you can see I format them differently depending on the content they contain. For vocabulary and situations where I’m employing tables in lieu of columns (which conserves space), I’ll make the border white, but for tables like the ones on pages 1 and 2, I’ll keep the border there for definition.

I title each section with the subtitle given in the book and underline it, then make a vocabulary list (bolding terms), and insert my tables. For actual notes (as shown on page 4), I try to keep it as simple as I can with lists instead of blocks of text.

Afterwards, I’ll go into Quizlet and make a set of flashcards (the last image shows the beginnings of what flashcards for this set of notes would look like). I’ll cut out unnecessary content from the notes (and trim examples down to prompts rather than full explanations), and in examples like page 4, I’ll condense each numbered point and its sub-points to the section I bolded, which summarizes the general idea.

Hope this was helpful! If this is received well (gets over 100 notes, let’s say) I’ll continue to post samples and explain my note-taking methods!

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20/02/16 | in light of all the papers that need to be sent in to IB, here are some essay revision tips based on this ask we had a while back! good luck to everyone writing papers right now. you can do this.

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Sarah’s / @studeying to-do list printables! [ tag me with #studeying! ]

I was fiddling around a little, so here are just some to-do lists :-) idkidk hope you guys will use it !! (my other printables) 

Download links: (left to right, up to down)

[ one | two | three | four ] 

Thank you! 

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Productivity Cycles

It’s been a while since my last text post, so I thought it was time for me to write something again!

You may have noticed that some days, you’re really productive - speeding through readings, super inspired on your essays, and completing all your assignments. On other days, you work, but it’s not quite the same. And then some days, you don’t want to get out of bed, and you feel sluggish and unmotivated. You might get frustrated and wonder ‘why can’t I be productive all the time?’ 

Here’s the thing: Most of us aren’t built to work 24/7. Productivity levels often fluctuate (sometimes quite wildly, if you’re anything like me). 

Find your productive days. These vary from person to person, depending on your work and activity schedule. My most productive days of the week are Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.

Find your unproductive days. Just like people have productive days, most of us have days where we’re less productive. For me, my productivity dips on Thursday, hits a low on Friday, and starts to go back up on Saturday. 

Take into account factors for productivity. My productivity levels take a hit on Thursday because sleep deprivation from school tends to build up at that point in the week, and it doesn’t really recover until I’ve gotten more sleep on Friday night. By identifying these factors, you can better address them (I try to get more sleep earlier in the week so I’m not a wreck by Friday). 

Schedule your work strategically. Be realistic! Divide your work so that challenging assignments fall on productive days, and save lighter work for slower days. Try to avoid heavy work loads on less productive days to save yourself the potential frustration. 

Find the most productive hours of your day. Lark or Night Owl? Maybe somewhere in the middle? Sometimes we don’t always get a choice in terms of when we work - jobs, extracurriculars, or classes might force you to work at unfavorable times (I’m quite used to the 11PM-1AM homework shift, thanks school!). But most of us tend to cycle in terms of energy levels and focus throughout the day. Knowing when you’re the most productive is very helpful for when you do have free, unstructured time on your hands. Again, schedule wisely! Save demanding tasks (that challenging problem set, a history essay) for peak hours and others (working out, running errands, cleaning, etc) for slower hours. 

Above is a graph of my productivity - I’m pretty clearly a morning person (tragically forced to work primarily during the evening ;_;). You can make your own graph for free here.

So yeah! Hopefully this was helpful, and I should really write more posts. 

~ Ellie

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my bullet journal set up

hey guys! i get a lot of asks about my bullet journal so i decided to make a post about my set up and how i use my bullet journal! feel free to send me a message/ask if you have further questions :)

note: i took these pics a while ago it just took me a while to put this post together so all the dates will be kinda old:)

pic 1: materials

these are all the materials that i use. pictured:

muji dot grid journal

love love love the paper and this was only $5.50 at the muji store in nyc!! :’) the only thing i would complain about is that it’s not that durable bc im clumsy and i always throw my things around and im worried this will rip apart on accident

crayola marker 

because i’m super cheap and im not ready to get mildliners yet so i just use this old marker for colored accents

muji 0.38 gel pens

my favorite things ever. hands down

uniball signo 207 pen

i like the gel in this pen but holy it skips SO much. it’s really annoying and i can’t believe i’ve dealt with it for so long bc im almost done with it now…this pen used to be my main pen before muji but now i just use it for a “bold” effect

sticky notes

these were cheap (found them in my house) and i like the color pop it adds

white out

definitely necessary bc i always mess up; i think i’ve used it on every page lol:)

not pictured: my stabilo pens. i hadnt used them to set up my bullet journal initially but not i use them for color coding.

i also included my symbols legend. i almost forgot about this because i don’t use it that much since i’ve memorized all the symbols in my bujo, but i just keep this index card on hand in case i have new symbols to add.

pic 2: table of contents

simple table of contents. in hindsight i wish i put this on a right-hand side page like most books are supposed to start so that it would start on an odd page (if u get what im saying?) but thats okay. if i have a lot of lists together, i would group it under one listing.

pic 3: yearly overview

most people just like to put a 12 month calendar with color coded dates for their yearly overview, but i chose to do a calendar and a list describing each thing i marked. this was super helpful for me because i forget everything so i knew i needed a description for all my markings. left side is a 6 month overview with color coded dates circled (see legend in first pic) and right side is a list view of each month with dates and event descriptions under each month.

pic 4: monthly overview 

im gonna start with the right side, because that’s the page i set up first. i’m not very happy with the neatness of this page; i wish i left more room for the daily events list on the side! anyway, this page is set up like my yearly overview page, with dates circled and explained on the side. the difference is that i chose to put more specific short term events like deadlines, tests, and appointments. in the bottom left i put goals and tasks that span the entire month, which i wouldn’t be able to include in my weekly spreads. 

the left hand page is for any useful notes, monthly tasks, or is simply a goals/planning page. as you can see, i planned a club meeting on this side, and also wrote down some random notes. 

this was my first monthly overview page and im not v happy with it; next month i will definitely leave more room for the events list and have more of a focus on my goals.

pic 5: weekly spread

i’ve experimented with this a lot in my old bullet journals and previous pages, but this is my favorite way to organize my week (as of now) because it looks good and i save a lot of time not worrying about perfect calligraphic dates or nice straight lines or cute drawings.

1. write the date neatly in a bolder pen. i use a 0.7mm uniball pen. 2. underline it with a mildliner or a pastel marker. i use a light pink crayola marker. 3. list tasks, events, and notes in a thinner pen. i use a 0.38mm black muji pen. 4. put future tasks on a sticky note and transfer to daily task lists as necessary

pic 6: test schedule

sometimes, having a scattered list of dates and tasks in my bullet journal is not enough, especially when it comes to studying, because i often get distracted by less important immediate tasks, instead of my long term study schedule. this test schedule is super helpful when i have a lot of upcoming tests so i can see what dates are coming up and when i should take time out my schedule to study!

i made a chart of the next three weeks, listed everything i have to study for, marked the dates of the tests, and shaded in every day i was going to study for. this is definitely something i would recommend if you are a visual learner and you’re super forgetful (like me!!)!

pics 7&8: daily task format and symbols legend

after experimenting with a lot of daily task list formats, i like this one the most. i also included my legend last because most of the symbols are only ever used in the daily task lists.

if you’re new to bullet journals, a circle is usually used for events and a box is used for tasks. a “migrated” task means the task was not completed, but it has been moved to be completed on a different day.

for those of you who are familiar with bullet journals, you may notice some symbols that i use that aren’t bujo standard:

water droplet/apple/moon

these are health trackers. inside each symbol, i evaluate each aspect of my health respectively

water: # of cups of water

apple: nutrition. i just put happy or sad faces based on how satisfied i am with my nutrition that day.

moon: # of hours of sleep

colored boxes

these are priority indicators. i include these within boxes when i have a lot of tasks to do, and i like them bc they keep me organized while keeping my bullet journal minimalistic.

i use the eisenhower urgent/important principle to prioritize. you can read more about it here, i might make a post about it soon!

and that’s all! that was a reaaally long post so im sorry if you just had to scroll through all that, but i tried to be helpful based on my experience with a bullet journal. if you take away anything from this post, it’s that i experiment a lot with the style and format, which is actually one of the reasons i love the bujo system. i hope you found this post helpful! reblog or like if you did, and feel free to ask questions in my inbox!

happy studying!

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FEED YOUR BRAIN

You can’t expect to get the best out of yourself if you don’t nourish your body properly. Adding these foods to your diet will benefit your study and lifestyle in general, trust me

HEALTHY OILS olive oil, avocado oil, peanut oil etc. — Healthy oils are high in antioxidants such as vitamin E and they boost your memory. FISH sardines, salmon etc. — Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which improve memory and focusing! COFFEE — Caffeine wakes you up but don’t overdo it: 60 ml per day (the equivalent of two espresso) or less is enough to keep you alert, too much caffeine causes insomnia and anxiety and we don’t want that. Don’t like coffee? Try apples instead! EGGS — A source of energy, they contain proteins and choline (also called “memory vitamin”… the name speaks for itself!) CHERRIES — By adding cherries into your diet, you’ll get better sleep, since they’re high in melatonin BANANAS — I’m not kidding when I say I eat a banana a day. They contain magnesium, potassium, folic acid, vitamin B6 and more. What are you waiting for? Go eat a banana, your brain will thank you! NUTS & SEEDS walnuts, almonds, pistachios, sunflower seeds etc. — Their nutrients reduce stress, boost memory and help your cognitive functions in general DARK CHOCOLATE — Contains antioxidants, magnesium and flavonoids. It stimulates blood to flow to your brain and lowers blood pressure AVOCADO — Avocadoes are filled with healthy fats, magnesium and lots of vitamin E. it regulates blood pressure and improves blood flowing resulting in general brain developement and stress to decrease. BERRIES blueberries, strawberries, acai berries — another food that should never miss in your diet: being high in antioxidants and flavonoids, berries actually do improve your memory and focusing a lot! LEAFY GREENS lettuce, spinach, kale etc. — these are loaded with magnesium, vitamins, iron… force yourself to eat at least one serving per day (but if you can eat more, then go for it!) BROCCOLI & ASPARAGUS — these guys are full of folic acid (1 cup = 2/3 of your daily value). Be sure to have your daily dose of folic acid, as it helps relieve stress and depression. ORANGES — full of vitamin C which is good for your immune system and also helps relieving stress OATS — oats will boost your serotonin levels, consequently boosting your mood. i personally recommend whole-grains TEA — green tea is good for focusing and stress relief, but you know what’s even better? black tea!

tips

1. eating colorful is the easiest way to a more healthy diet (same-color foods often share same nutrients) 2. if you’re a picky eater, try disguising tastes with seasonings, spices (and everything nice) or by combining them with foods you like 3. drink water!!! at least 1 L per day!! carrying a bottle of water wherever you go is the trick! 4. plan ahead + prep your meals!! thereby you will avoid that unpleasant “i don’t know what to eat” situation (which often leads to eating junk food :// ) 5. make your grocery list before going to the supermarket!!! pros: less time wasted, won’t get distracted by other things you don’t need to buy, know ahead how much $$ you’re gonna spend 6. ALWAYS check the expiration date of products you buy + know when to consume your fruits&veggies

RECIPES

Tbh, when it comes to study snacks im a very lazy person (plus in my world time is money and i hate wasting precious study time) so i usually eat rather simple dishes. Then, what do i prep when i feel more creative?

FRUIT SALAD (easiest snack ever tbh everyone can do this no matter how bad u are at cooking)

all you need is

love

fruit of your choice

(optional) cocoa powder / cinnamon / lemon juice

what u gonna do now

wash the fruit, peel it (if needed) and then slice it

put everything in a bowl and it’s good to go

BUT if you want, you can add cocoa powder, cinnamon or lemon juice for extra flavor. use your creativity, (almost) anything can work!

i love fruit salads bc they’re healthy, easy + quick to make (not to mention super delicious)!! here you can see one i made w/ strawberries and cocoa powder

FRUIT PARFAIT (another easy option, but a more creative one *sunglasses emoji*)

all you need is

fruit (u don’t say)

oat bran

yogurt

what u gonna do now

wash, peel and slice the fruit

grab a tall glass/mug/whatever and make the first layer with fruit

then add the yogurt for the second layer

third layer is going to be the oat bran

depending on the height of the glass/mug, you may go on w/ the layers

this is optional but you can add toppings if you want to make it look even cuter (and yummier)

what i like about this big bad boy here is that it’s SO fulfilling!!

BAKED PUMPKIN SEEDS (for my savory lovers out there)

all you need is

pumpkin seeds

thats it. thats all u need

what u gonna do now

take a pan and cover it with baking paper

place the seeds on the paper and cook in the oven for 20 mins at 200°C

done!! B)

super simple, isn’t it? and guess what? they actually taste like popcorn!! no lie!!!

BAKED ZUCCHINIS

all you need is

zucchinis!

lemon juice

pepper

what u gonna do now

wash and slice the zucchinis french fry style

put them in a bowl, add lemon juice + pepper and mix all well together

cover a pan with a sheet of baking paper and place the seasoned slices

cook in the oven for 20-30 mins at 200°C, flipping them over when they’re half done

now you have a more healthy and tasty version of french fries to eat while studying!

(on a side note: you can’t even imagine how painful typing ‘zucchinis’ was to me)

OATMEAL BANANA COOKIES (my fave!!)

all you need is

oatmeals

a banana

cinnamon or cocoa powder

what u gonna do

peel and slice the banana

smash the banana w/ a fork in a bowl, then add the oatmeals + cinnamon/cocoa powder and mix

cover the pan w/ your trusted baking paper. using a spoon, place the mixture on the paper forming little circular shapes (they don’t have to be perfect)

cook in the oven for 20 mins at 200°C (remember to flip them over at the 10mins mark)

let them cool off for 30-40 mins and they’re ready to eat!

these take quite a bit but you can prep them before starting to study, then you do your revision/practice while you wait for them to cool off and finally you can take a break + enjoy them!

more recipes

10 smoothie recipes healthy study snacks 22 healthy snack ideas 10 healthy snack ideas (vegan) snacks for students 1 2 (!!!!) frushi (fruit sushi!!) recipe muffin recipes 1 2 black bean wrap caramel cashew chocolate cookies (gluten-free) 10 healthy pancake recipes 2 ingredients pancakes (!!!!) easy cheesecake (vegan) avocado + tomato toast w/ balsamic drizzle

more links

my food tag staying healthy in college minimalist baker the domestic geek fablunch cheap lazy vegan food masterpost by @studiyng stay sated whilst you’re motivated by @areistotle how to save money on food by @studybudyblr 10 study snacks by @saturdaystudying

pictures credits: { 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 }

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when ur teacher looks at u

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A Stash of Tiny Study Tips

STAYING MOTIVATED

Create realistic goals: get ___ grade on next ____

Manageable let down; get back on track

Keep track of grades: focused, know where stand, no surprises

Start small

Low risk confidence builders

Take time to relax/give self rewards

Days off, breaks, rewards

All work & no play =/= living

Little organization goes a long way

Reward achievements!

Keep balance with exercise, clubs, friends

2h/d: friends and exercise

Remember that hard work pays off

Isn’t a breeze to try to get a 4.0 GPA; but it’s possible

You’re smart enough and can achieve it

90% there with these tips, 10% is just pure hard work

Only chill on weekends

Monday-Friday: school mode

Have time for some fun

If work as hard as should during week, will need weekends to blow off steam

Be self-motivated

Grades can matter, not everything, but follow through on what needs to be done

Not most important part of college but underperform? You will regret it

GPA cutoffs exist and matter to employers

College is full of distractions and opportunities

Nobody will hold hand and the work will suck but all the prouder of yourself to be

Suck it up, buckle down, get it done

If think need break, probably don’t

Turn off the little voice

Realize not alone in questioning ability

Avoid people who tend to burst bubbles no matter what 

Physical triggers to stop

Incentive to get something done when know have something else during the day

Don’t have a gaping abyss of study time

Work has to get done, in the end

Books, examiners, and especially your future self isn’t going to care about your excuses for not doing the work

Take the first step

It will almost be fictional how hard you thought the task was going to be

Just keep going because you simply can’t afford NOT to do anything today, nonzero days

Leeway, don’t give your perfectionism control over your life

MUNDANE HABITS

Sleep! Think and function, mind & body

CAN sleep if keep up with coursework instead of procrastinating

Will miss out on some fun stuff

Need to stay awake in class

Figure out what need for full speed

Stay relaxed

Stay physically healthy

Diet and exercise

1 hour exercise during week

Weekends off

Traditional breakfast not necessary if value extra sleep

Systematic habits: neat, prepared

Master material

Look for real world applications

Learning is a process: be patient, don’t expect to master off the bat

Designate study area and study times

Do trial runs

Practice tests

Ask a TA to listen to your oral performance

Study groups

Don’t copy other people’s psets and solutions

BEFORE SEMESTER

Spiral bound notebook, can color code with folders/etc if need be

Lecture notes: front to back

Reading notes: back to front (if fall behind on)

Seminar notes: mixed in with lecture notes, different pen color/labeled

Outline format

Bullet points for everything

Same NB for one set of class notes, separate notebooks for all classes

5-subject notebook

Midterm and exam material in it

Mesh sources, study guide

All study material from week/month in one place

Pick the right major

Indulge in favorite hobby feeling

Pick professors & classes wisely

Take a small class

Pick classes that interest you so studying doesn’t feel torturous

Want to learn

GRADES SPECIFIC

Prioritize class by how can affect GPA

More credits: more weight

Work enough to get an A in your easy classes: take something good at

Don’t settle, don’t slack off, don’t put in minimal effort to get that B/C. Just put in a tiny bit more effort to ensure A

Will have harder classes and need to counteract

Take electives can ace

Anything but an A in an elective is kinda mean and an unnecessary hit for your GPA

FIRST DAY/WEEK/HALF OF CLASSES

Get to know teaching style: focus most on, lecture/notes

Pick and follow a specific note taking format

Outline

Date each entry

Capture everything on board

Decide productivity system

Google Cal

Todoist

Agenda: remind meetings, class schedule, important dates/midterms/quizzes/tests, no homework 

Always wanted to be prepared

Rarely last minute

Have plan, stay focused

Homework notebook

Good redundancy

Study syllabus

Know it thoroughly

Plot all due dates after class

Penalize if fail to abide by

Study the hardest for the first exam

Seems counterintuitive

Hardest/most important test

Pay attention to content and formatLess pressure: just need ___ on final to keep my A 

Easy to start high and keep high

Go into crunch mode at the beginning

End softly

Get plenty of sleep, exercise, and good food in the finals days before the exam

DURING SEMESTER: PEOPLE

Get to know professors: go to office hours, care about grades/course/them

Easier ask for help, rec letter

Get to know interests and what they think is important

Figure out their research interests, 60% of their job is research

Learning is dynamic

Discussion helps

Get feedback early when not sure what doing

Take comments constructively

Consistent class participation: ask questions, give answers, comment when appropriate

Understand material

Find a study buddy in each class: don’t have to study with

Somebody can compare notes with, safety net

Pick somebody who attends, participates, and take notes regularly

Make some friends

Participate as fully as can in group activities

Be involved

Learn – not be taught

Be punctual

Good impression, on human professors

DON’T BE LATE

Skipping class =/= option: It’s “cool” to get attendance award

Make all the classes: it’s hard to feel confident when missing key pieces

Get full scope of class, everything will make a lot more sense and save a lot of time in long run

Mandatory class: higher graduating cumulative GPA

Go to class when no one else does/want to show up, reward

Get to know professor, what’s on test, notice, r/s build, material not in reading

Unless optional and super confusing professor

Sit in one of the first rows

Don’t fall asleep

Fake interest if you have to

Tutors

DURING SEMESTER: THINGS TO DO

Take notes! Provided is bare minimum, accessed by students who aren’t attending lecture

Based on lecture and what read –> test; it’ll be worth it

Write it down

By hand

Bored? Doodle instead of going online

Read all assigned–even if need to skim

Seems cumbersome and maybe impossible

Figure out what’s important

Look at the logical progression of the argument/what’s important/what trying to prove

Understand everything that you do read–even if don’t read everything

PIck 2 examples from text per topic

Complete course material on time

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL DAY BEFORE IT IS DUE

Begin as soon as possible

Sometimes it’s just straight up impossible

Have it look attractive

Library doesn’t just mean = study

Social media in the library is still social media

Confusion is terrible

Read other textbooks, review course material @ another uni/by another professor, google the shit out of it

Review

Do not wait, do throughout semester

Exam prep

Ask for model papers, look at style & structure, thesis, how cite

Get old tests

Look at type of questions (detail level and structure)

Can solve old exams cold

If give out paper exams in class: probs won’t repeat questions, focus more on concepts but still learn the questions

Have class notes and psets down cold

Do all the practice problems

Read through notes a few times; rewrite into a revision notebook

Highlight major topics and subtopics

Different highlighter for vocab terms

Overall picture, go from concept to detail

Look at overall context and how specific idea fit into whole course

Ideas, don’t memorize all your notes

Better understand = more able to use and manipulate info and remember it. Understand = manipulation.

Charts, diagrams, graphs

Lists

Practice drawing labeled structures

Flash cards for memorization

Every school requires some degree of grunt memorization

Say it aloud, write it down

Get friends to quiz you

Self-test: severely challenge self, have a running collection of exam questions

Explain difficult concepts to your friends; force yourself to articulate the concept

Never pull an all-nighter

Do not spend every hour studying up to the exam

Eat, shower, sleep

Don’t wait until night before exam to study

Prep takes time even if reviewed throughout semester

Ask about format–don’t ask the professor to change it for you

Law of College: it will be on the exam if you don’t understand it

Ask professor, internet, textbooks

Night before exam

Jot what want to remember/have fresh

Read through in morning/before exam

Physical prep

Sleep, have test materials

Day of exam

Don’t cram every single spare minute

Go to bathroom before exam

Never miss an exam/lie to get more time

You won’t be any more ready 2-3 days after when supposed to have taken it

Slay exam. Get A. 

WEEKLY 

Friday morning: go through each syllabus, write down in HW notebook

All hw during weekend; study/reading assignments during week

Save everything

Divide big tasks into small pieces to help propel self

Standard study schedule: block off lectures, labs, regular commitments

Note the weeks that have assignments and tests that will require extra studying

Don’t oscillate too heavily every day with study times (i.e. don’t study 2-3 hours for weeks and then 10-12 hour days right before an exam)

Eat and sleep to make more extended work periods liveable and enjoyable

DAILY

Set an amount of time would like to study every day

Try to study most days

Avoid vague/zoned out studying –> waste of time

Do a little bit daily but don’t let studying be your whole day

Review notes: 30mins/day, each class from that day

Look at important ideas/vocab

Prioritize new vocab because language is most fundamental and important tool in any subject

Circle abbreviations and make yourself a key somewhere so you don’t forget what the hell that abbreviations meant

Check spelling

Rewrite/reorganize notes if necessary

Format of ideas is just as important as the concepts themselves, esp. when it comes time for exam review

This helps you retain the material so you’ll be ahead next time you walk into class

Chance to ID any knowledge gaps that you can ask about for next class

Keep up with reading

Skim text before lecture or at least main topic sentences

Jot down anything don’t understand; if lecture doesn’t clarify, ask the professor

After lecture: skim again, outline chapter, make vocab flashcards

Highlight similar class and lecture notes

will definitely be tested on

Review and make study questions

Study

Disconnect from anything irrelevant to study material: help focus and your GPA

Don’t limit studying to the night

Study whenever, wherever between classes

Variety helps focus and motivation

Especially if tired at night and can’t transition between subjects

Try to study for a specific subject right before/after the class

[allaboutstudyblr]

hi, how to study smart?

Hi!

To be honest, I’m not sure you could call the way I study “smart.” But basically, this is how I study in a nutshell:

Do assignments/problems, review lecture notes, complete exam study guides. Don’t wait until the last minute because that’ll overwhelm you.

In classes like my anatomy class where my professor posts a study guide that goes along with the book, I do one of two things: 

1) I’ll print it out in 1.5-space/double space and write in information by hand. I like this because I am physically writing things down rather than typing them, which I find helps me learn better.

2) Since my study guides are given to me in the form of a word document, I’ll add comments (Ctrl+Alt+M) with the answers to the questions/prompts. This way, when I’m reviewing before the exam, I can see the question and try to answer from memory, then hover over it and see the answer I wrote.

Assuming my class has 3 or more exams (and hoping that one of them is dropped…), I overstudy for the first exam in particular. From this first exam, I can then better gauge what kind of exams the professor will give in the future. For example, one of my professors usually pulls questions from the book that weren’t assigned as homework. He would also tell us what kind of questions would be on the exam, so I make sure to look at the questions in the book that weren’t assigned but are of the type he said would appear. 

Talk to people who had your professors in the past and ask them about his/her exams. Also make sure to pay attention in class for what to focus on, as professors will sometimes tell you. 

Notecards are your best friend.

Study with classmates as long as you know that you guys will ACTUALLY study. 

Don’t study while distracted.

Eat beforehand or bring snacks.

Make sure your study space is well-lit, is clear of clutter, and doesn’t have people/things that distract/annoy you.

Check that you have sufficient time to really get into studying! If you don’t have that much time, perhaps just grab some notecards to reinforce some small things.

Start early.

Seriously, start early.

[allaboutstudyblr]

How to study effectively and have a great school year

A few weeks ago I uploaded an evaluation of my study habits during the first semester of 2015 and, since then, I have received a few messages from people that have the same or similar struggles.

The purpose of this post is to help those people with the mistakes that are not easily fixed. I will approach other common mistakes and bad habits, too.

So… How to study effectively and have a great school year?

1. Have a progress journal, not a planner.

I have spent way too much time trying to keep up with a planner. One hour every Sunday trying to figure out what to do during the week, only to have my entire schedule messed up by a single event.

Instead, try to create a more effective system:

For homework, projects and other things that you have to present to the teacher: try to do everything on the day you are given it; if you can’t, write it on a post-it note, stick it somewhere in your room where you’ll see it and make sure to finish it within a week. Sounds extreme, but it’s actually the best way to get things done.

For personal goals, things that require constant effort or that need to be done on a daily basis (self-studying a language and exercising, for example): literally graph your progress. Every week, write down what you need to do on a piece of paper and draw seven squares next to it. Colour a square whenever you finish the task. 

2. Stop obsessing over perfection.

Getting your perfectionism under control doesn’t mean you have to start bs-ing your academic life. It means your notes have to be neat, not pretty. It means you have to give your best, but not freak out when irrelevant things go wrong.

I get we all want our notes to look like the ones we see on tumblr, but we need to understand that spending three hours summarizing a 50 minute lecture is not reasonable. Your blog aesthetic is not more important than your education.

Don’t be so hard on yourself. I used to think this was a quality, but being so anxious you puke and crying for a whole afternoon because you messed up a little bit is counterproductive and unhealthy.

3. For real, don’t be so hard on yourself. Have some self-esteem.

I have lost count of how many times I cried/felt bad because I wasn’t as smart as others or because I didn’t do well on a test. I’ll not even go into why this is unhealthy.

Don’t waist time you could be using to improve yourself to depreciate yourself.

4. Be reasonable and have control over your life.

Sure, we’re young, but this doesn’t mean we have to be immature. A lot of mistakes I made were due me not taking action and waiting for others to notice wrong things and fix them for me.

If you are mentally unstable, go to a doctor asap. Have daily moments of introspection and seek help when something feels wrong. You have to take care of yourself, this is nobody else’s job.

Same for your physical health.

You shouldn’t be drinking so much coffee and you know that. Stop.

You should be eating healthier and you know that.

You should be sleeping more and earlier and you know that too.

Don’t wait a small problem become a big one to take action. Fix things as fast as you can, always.

Stop neglecting yourself.

5. Some final tips

Don’t hate any of your teachers. Do your best to like all of them, pretend for a while if you have to.

Don’t skip class just because you think it’s not important. I lost a lot of important classes because I thought I would be able to study the subjects by myself.

Exercise often.

Don’t ignore your doubts, you’ll probably have to deal with them later.

ASAP is your new goal. Do everything as soon as possible.

That’s it. If you are too lazy to read the entire thing, I can sum it up for you: quit being a baby, grow up and fuck off.

[allaboutstudyblr]

A Visual Learner’s Guide to Textbook Note Taking

Read the textbook before taking notes. The purpose of note taking is to synthesize information, not writing every fact that comes your way. Reading the book first allows you to discern what information is useful and what isn’t.

Don’t take traditional notes. In other words, don’t just write your note down the page with bullet points and whatnot. It’s a good way to organize information (at least, while you’re taking them), but it doesn’t make use of spatial memory. And since everything looks the same in rows, it’s harder to pick out specific points so you’d probably be better off just rereading the book.

Make use of space. Don’t just write down the margin. Make webs, boxes, bubbles, anything to help you further organize information. By doing it on paper, you’ll do it in your head.

Doodle. Seriously, do it. Draw pictures, sketch diagrams, make silly stick figures saying silly things. It’ll give you a sense of context and drawing it out will make you remember it longer.

Use arrows. You probably already do this. It helps flow your notes for your eyes and brain.

If possible, use color. Not only does it make your notes more exciting, but you’ll be able to associate and organize information better mentally (e.g. color coding “Ferdinand” and “Frederick” in AP Euro notes so you don’t mix up the two). It’s preferable to use a color scheme so your page of notes doesn’t look as if a unicorn barfed all over it.

Insert personal thoughts. Be weird. Weird things are easier to remember.

[allaboutstudyblr]

Script.

I don’t think I can post the next week,my brain is dead.I just finish my first internship(Johnson & Johnson）this Saturday and finish four missions for Nestle.Still four missions left.