animestudywithhme

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Damn it’s been years . But currently in my second year studying computer science at a Russell group Uni

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We are back

So I haven’t made a post in such a long time. I am back and we have less than 5 months until my A-Levels start, it is time to re-start my journey and let's reach our goals and hopefully, we can achieve the grades. 

Wish me luck. I will post my progress from time to time

#revision #a level revision #revision tips #a levels #a level biology #a level maths #study #studyblr #a level studyblr

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revision methods that actually work // studygram: alimastudies

1. Memory mind map 

Personally, this is the most effective one for me. All you need is a blank piece of paper. Pick a sub-topic that you are doing e.g in biology a topic could be immune system and the sub-topic could be antibodies and antigens. If you want you can create some questions for each sub-topic and on your blank piece of paper, using questions as a guide, write everything you know about that sub-topic without your notes. After get your notes out and check and correct with a different colour pen. Watch this video to get a better understanding

2. Flashcards

I recommend you use written flashcards, unless you have vocab or definitions in which case digital ones like quizlet is fine. You should have questions on one side and your answers on another - i’ve heard people say the answer shouldn’t be long but i find that the more detailed it is the higher marks you score in the exam - of course summarise don’t just copy from a textbook or there is no point in doing this. When you test yourself try to do something else other than reading, for example write the answer down and then check and correct.

3. Spaced intervals

No point cramming for an exam. Yes it might have got you an A* in GCSE or other lower level exams but it’s certainly not going to get you an A* for a-levels or other higher exams. Space your learning out and if you can try and revise everyday, even if somedays are just for half an hour, DO IT! It will help you in the long term. Don’t revise one subject/unit for a whole day, space it out. For example don’t revise like this: AABBCC, revise like this instead: ABCBCA or something along those lines.

4. Mind maps

My favourite revision source!!! For some reason in an exam ( i only use mind maps for essay based subjects) i can remember where i put each point on my mind map which helps me write my essays and retrieve my information more in the long term! Don’t make it boring by trying to be ‘minimal’ - ADD COLOUR !!! But to stay within limits, too many colours can make it look overwhelming and confusing !

5. Teaching someone else

Either teach your younger siblings or pretend you are teaching to an imaginary class - while it may seem crazy it works, trust me. Use a whiteboard to help you illustrate your ideas! This method will help you identify any gaps in your knowledge and you’ll truly see if you know something well enough to explain it. If you cannot explain it to a six year old then you truly have not got the grasp of it, as Albert Einstein says!

6. past papers

Honestly, this should be the last thing for your revision, unless you have not left enough time to revise all the content and you are running out of time then past papers should be the first thing you do. Do these properly, don’t do it just to see what gaps you have in your knowledge- genuinely do it as if it is a real exam. This will help you see how well you can apply the content you have memorised for an exam. It will also get you familiar with the mark scheme which will help you get as close as full marks !!!

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- Start any homework or assignments as soon as you get it! This makes your life so much easier, and it means that you don’t need to rush around at the last minute to start finish those big assignments!

- Keep a folder for completed assignments! Any A4 wallet type folder will do! Once you have completed an assignment keep it in this folder until it is due. This keeps your bag from getting cluttered with paper and you always know where your completed work is when a teacher asks for it!

- There is no need to revise 24/7! Despite what your teachers may say, there is no need to be constantly revising every day from the minute you start the class. Doing this will just make the topic boring! Look over or rewrite any notes occasionally just to keep the topics fresh in your brain. Full-on revision can begin in preparation for any exams or end of unit tests, once you know most of the information, as this is the time where you need to put your knowledge into practice!

- Figure out the methods of study that suit you! It would be a good move to first figure out what type of learner you are, and then test out a few different study methods that fit with this. Some people like to rewrite notes, others like to make flashcards, and some like to teach others. Find what works best for you!

- Keep a to-do list! This may just be me, but I find to-do lists much more effective for academic planning. These allow you to see all your assignments that are due in one place, from small homework tasks due tomorrow to bigger projects due in a few weeks, rather than being caught out by flipping forward a page in your planner and seeing an assignment you forgot about! (It’s also immensely satisfying ticking things off your to-do list)

- Only use one planner! It may seem like a good idea at the time to buy 27 2 or 3 cute planners for different purposes, but this only gets confusing in the long run and you end up having lots of empty space! I find it easier to write everything in one planner so everything can be seen at hand, and you can always colour code within if you want to keep elements of your life separate!

- Find things to help you destress! School can be stressful, especially around busy periods like exam time. It is very important to have something that helps you to relax. This could be watching an episode of a Netflix show, going for a walk, doodling or just scrolling aimlessly on tumblr! Ideally, find something that is completely unrelated to studying to clear your mind!

- All-nighters are never worth it, especially the night before anything important! You’ll just feel worse the next day, and you can’t expect your brain to function as well if you haven’t had any sleep! If possible, try to finish your revision in the early evening, do something relaxing and then go to bed at a reasonable time before an exam as this will be much more effective than cramming into all hours of the night!

- Study smarter, not harder! You’ve probably heard this before, but doing 3 hours of targeted revision where you are fully engaged in what you’re doing is way more effective than doing 8 or 9 hours where you are just passively reading!

- Always ask for help if you need it! This can be hard sometimes, but it is much better to ask the teacher than to be confused for the whole year. If you don’t want to ask in class, check if your teacher runs a supported study or has office hours where you can go and chat with them one-to-one!

Remember that everyone has different methods that work for them, so these may not necessarily be the best methods for you. It is up to you to figure out the things that work for you! Getting good grades requires a lot of hard work, stress and dedication, but it is definitely possible if you are willing to work for it and eventually you will be able to achieve the results you’re capable of! I hope these have helped, and I wish everyone the best of luck for the next school year!

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Reblog if you are a Computer Science blog

Trying to find more people related to my major to follow (will follow with my main account @senwe)

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11.11.18| The Elon Musk Time Management Strategy (StudyBLR)

So this week has been very busy for me. I've been trying to balance my time this week by reading many blogs and articles about Elon Musk. Seeing that I have mocks in two weeks, I have to be more time efficient.

Although I might have not been as a efficient as I wanted to be I have made some improvements

Here is how productive i have been this week in terms of using the app forest ( not everything was clocked using this app but most was )

I'm still trying to get my uni application sorted out and I hope to get it sent off maybe this coming week. As mocks are coming up I have been revising slowly in order to ensure that I do not burn out . My computer science project on the other hand is completely stressing me out as I have plans to finish it before December but I've barely touched the surface of it.

In terms of studying this week, I did a recap on neuronal communication and transport in plants for biology .

For maths I did many A2 differententiation questions and i hope to get integration questions done this week.

For computer Science , i have started learning and making notes on the internet whilst trying to finish up my notes for communicational methods .

Overall it has been a good start and I hope to get more done this week in order to be prepared for my mocks the weeks after

If you have any productivity tips time management tips or studying tips that can help please send them my way .

Thanks for reading

#a levels #a level maths #a level biology #a level studyblr #revision #studyblr #study #study tips #scientific study tips #anime study tips #study motivation

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4.11.18 | Starting Slow / Half term is over

So this is all new to me . I have always wanted to start a blog of some sort. Helping me keep track on what i did daily / weekly and if i was keeping on top of my work . Overall helping me become more productive

So here i am . Today i started off slow . Seeing that Half term is over and sixth form starts up tommorow , i arranged my things. Did a little bit of my computing coursework as well as finishing up my maths homework .

But i was lazy and i everytime i said i wanted to start one i never continued as a result . However today i want to change that .

Right now before i go to sleep , i plan to mark the biology past papers i did as well as finishing up some of my computer science past papers i planned to finished .

Yeah so pretty much today was slow .

With this blog , i will try to post at least weekly , talking about the things i did that week. Hopefully be released every saturday.

If you want mme to post pictures of the work i did that week , i wouldn’t mind ( but hand writing is pretty atrocious)

Thank you for reading and i hope you stick around

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4.11.18 | Starting Slow / Half term is over

So this is all new to me . I have always wanted to start a blog of some sort. Helping me keep track on what i did daily / weekly and if i was keeping on top of my work . Overall helping me become more productive

But i was lazy and i everytime i said i wanted to start one i never continued as a result . However today i want to change that .

So here i am . Today i started off slow . Seeing that Half term is over and sixth form starts up tommorow , i arranged my things. Did a little bit of my computing coursework as well as finishing up my maths homework .

Right now before i go to sleep , i plan to mark the biology past papers i did as well as finishing up some of my computer science past papers i planned to finished .

Yeah so pretty much today was slow .

With this blog , i will try to post at least weekly , talking about the things i did that week. Hopefully be released every saturday.

If you want me to post pictures of the work i did that week , i wouldn't mind ( but hand writing is pretty atrocious)

Thank you for reading and i hope you stick around

#a levels #revision #studyblr #a level maths #a level biology #a level studyblr #a level study tips #study anime #study motivation #study tips #aesthetic

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study motivation tips !

honestly, i haven’t been feeling 100% into school recently. my grades aren’t where i want them to at right now. no matter how many assignments i ace, my grade will stay the same. BUT when you’re feeling down, encouraging others usually results in you feeling better so that’s what i’m gonna do !

think about your why - why are you in school ? who do you do it for ? what are your goals and what do you need to do to achieve them ? i’m in school because it’s a big reason my family and i immigrated to the united states. i’m doing it for the future so that i can provide a comfortable life for my kids and parents when the time comes. it’s different for everyone, but keep yours in mind.

give yourself a refresher. sometimes, you just really need a break. your mind and body are tired from everything. give yourself time and treat yourself even if it’s just a movie night with friends.

surround yourself with motivated people. when i hang around complainers and people who just want to go out all the time, i never get any work done because my mindset is “school is stupid, i should just be having fun.” BUT if you surround yourself with people who prioritize their studies, work towards their goals, and are driven, they can be a good influence on you.

set goals. make sure they’re realistic and attainable. they can keep you on track and build up higher standards for yourself. list short term goals (grades) that will help you achieve long term goals (college).

don’t study too much. you will burn out and eventually be tired of anything related to school. there’s nothing wrong with balance, but know yourself well enough to not tip the scale.

set up a pleasant workspace. i know not everyone can have an area completely dedicated for studying, but it does help a lot of people. if anything, just make sure the area is clean and well lit. have enough space for your laptop, books, etc. light a candle or get an aromatherapy diffuser if you like. customize it to become a place you look forward to being in.

change things up. try out new ways to decorate or take your notes, fill up your bullet journal, etc. most things get boring after a while. strive to improve and adapt as time goes on.

make sure your health is in check. stay hydrated. eat some healthy snacks. exercise and stretch a bit. do your skincare routine. make time to do whatever gives you energy and peace.

you > success in school. obviously, everybody wants to do well in school. there is absolutely nothing wrong with putting your time and effort into your academics. that being said, remember that you are a human being before you are anything else. do not push yourself over the edge just for the grade.

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For those who are struggling right now

Life is the most difficult exam

Many people fail because they try to copy others . Not realizing that each person had their own question paper .

If you feel like your behind others , you are not . Everything happens within due time

just know

Don't Give Up

You havr got this!

#study motivation #study with me #like4like #study #a level #studyblr

[animestudywithhme]

About Me

Age -17

Subjects at A level - Biology, Mathematics and computer science

Dislikes : Giving Up Easily

Interest: Anime(I mean alot) , Boxing, UFC

I plan to document my A2 Journey from Rags To Riches

[animestudywithhme]

Day 0/100 - The Beginning Of Something New

I have decided to start this challenege in order to boost the amount of work i do daily and also keep track of what i do daily .

Today so far , i have done a set of maths questions and i have done a bit of computer science coding for my NEA Project.

Seeing that my first day starts properly tommorw , i havent really done alot as i am slowly trying to ease myself in . I plan to wake up tommorow morning at 5am as i have no school and do my daily tasks and do some extra revision . i also plan to finish my 4th personal statement draft.

I am new to this so please , give me ideas on what i should post .

Wish Me Luck .

#a level studyblr #studyblr #study tips #study motivation #100 days of productivity #a level biology #a level maths #a level revision #a levels #a level #study #study anime #revision #study with me #like4like

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If your doing your a-levels. Please help me fill out this survey

#a levels #a level maths #a level results #a level revision #a level biology #a level studyblr

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How to become a good student (again) 3: Yearn for friendship - not worship; not debasement

Hello, fellow ex-good student!

‘tis done! This beast just got longer and longer, so I decided to cut it down a bit for the sake of readability. But let me know if there’s something that was too vague - the nuance might have got lost in the editing process.

Alright, let’s get down to business (to defeat! The Huns!)! So, if you’re an ex-good student, I’m pretty sure that you know this static in your head, right? Whenever you really need to do something but you just can’t get up and do it, so you keep procrastinating even though you hate it and keep scrolling and scrolling or gaming and gaming and feel more and more guilty?

Well, it might not be the most immediate analogy, but for this post I want you to consider that what connects you and your subject of study is essentially a relationship and that this static is (among other things) an indicator of how screwed up your relationship is. Just like with real people, your relationships with subjects can either

prosper and bear fruit (me & Creative Writing)

become cold and distant (me & French)

or, worst of all, turn sour and actively harmful. (me & PE, back in school)

Now, nobody likes to hear that they’re relationship-ing wrong. And it is true that different approaches work for different people. But here are the counter-productive relationships that I’ve personally ended up in and I’m gonna show you how I got into and out of them, so you can try to do the same. Maybe it’ll help you lift that static from your head.

Side-Note: Always remember that, since your subjects are just that (subjects), and not real people, you are the only one who can actually mend these relationships and, conversely, you are the one who screwed them up in the first place (probably with good intentions, though).

So, we’ll take them in this order:

1) Overeager Debasement

2) Undereager Debasement

3) Worship

(Oh, and in case you wanna catch up:

Masterpost 

Part 1

Part 2)

1) Overeager Debasement

What is it?

The desire to do everything, perfectly, at the same time, right now. Not to limit yourself to just one field of study, but to master them all, to reign supreme above knowledge, to keep your mind wide open to new possibilities, similarities and contradictions. You overvalue your own capacities and undervalue the needs and difficulties of your subject. (also refer to the first post for this)

How did you get here?

(read picture from right to left)

So. Many. Possible. Reasons.

it’s a cage. The idea of doing just one thing for the rest of your life scares you and you feel imprisoned at the thought of it

you know that you could be outstanding if you applied yourself

you know that you could be even more outstanding if you became accomplished in multiple fields

you want to find connections between fields nobody’s ever considered before

you feel like you’ve wasted your last few years and need to catch up to others

you’re afraid that you’re not good enough

you’re afraid of being ignorant

you’re arrogant

No matter the reason (I’ve gone through them all), people caught in this state of mind shovel more and more onto their plate. And then wonder why they can’t swallow it all.

What do you think you’re doing?

A labour of love, most likely. You think you love languages and sciences and athletics and programming and cooking and hanging out with friends and being alone and so you just want to do it all! You don’t want to limit yourself! You don’t want to lose any time! But there’s just so much and you have so little energy and ugh, if only I wasn’t destined for greatness, then I could relax like other little people, but no, I need to keep pushing! In every! Direction! At the same! Time!

I know your delusion. I’ve been there. You imagine yourself to be that one perfect friend who gets up at 6am, watches the sun rise, does yoga, eats a healthy breakfast, goes for a quick run, comes back home, answers all correspondence, is artistic for a few hours, then scientific for a few hours, then social for a few hours and ends the day with tiny masterpieces in each area, goes out with friends or family to grab a healthy dinner and goes to sleep, happy and balanced :)

Well, you know what, my starry-eyed friend?

What are you actually doing?

You’re the mental equivalent of a social butterfly. You’re being fucking disrespectful.

You’re always on the run and never able to really commit to anything, because you’ve already scheduled something else afterwards. You’re shallow, deluded, that one friend that always comes in running, screaming “Besties  ~ ♥” and everyone shifts uncomfortably in their seats and smiles a painful smile and humours you, because they know you mean well, but they also know that you know nothing about them.  You’ve never been there for them ever, but always expect them to be there for you. Whenever they want to talk about themselves, you nod and then proceed to about yourself and your plans and “ohmygosh, this is so nice, we need to meet more often ~ ♥ “. But at least you mean well, so they’ve agreed to keep it simple and on the “The weather is nice today”-level with you. 

But here you are, wondering why you’re not making any progress. Mysterious.

So what do I do?

Well, you need to go from this:

To this:

How? More on that below.

2) Undereager Debasement

What is it?

This stage is what happens when you notice that your lofty ideals from Overeager Debasement cannot be fulfilled. You turn bitter, hateful, cold. You think you’re a failure, you think you were too soft. Instead of wanting to be friends with everyone, you now want to rule over everyone, fuck what they want.

You’re burnt out. You’re done. You just want to get through these stupid classes and catch a goddamn break, goddamnit.

And you WILL get through. You’re too proud to do anything else. But you don’t really care about any of it. You just want to make it.

How did you get here?

If you were a good student, you probably heard at some point or another that you were “different” and that your complex and mysterious ways were not understandable and definitely not achievable for your average classmate.

Most people who tell you this mean well. A few want to make fun of you, but most actually do mean it as a compliment. But they don’t know how dangerous it is to hear it again and again, because regardless of whether it’s true or not, you start to believe it. You start to believe that somehow, you have a higher calling, a higher standard. And you start to long for that day when your high standards will be met - when you will go to that one mysterious class where everyone is just as eager as you are, where the “Oh, captain, my captain!”-teacher will spark a fire in your brain that will never go out and when your ominous “gifts” can finally be put to good use for the prosperous future of mankind.

And you work.

And work.

And the class never comes. You feel the weight on your shoulders when teachers talk of “high expectations”, you feel it crush you a little bit every time your friends tease you about your genuine fear that you might not get an A, that you might lose it all, that your “gifts” could disappear and you’ll be stranded and useless and you put in the hours, you work your ass off to keep that high standard, all in the hope of having that one miraculous class that never comes.

I realized that that class would never come when I entered university.

University, I’d told myself, would be my Arcadia, my Eden, my academic paradise where all my hard work would be rewarded! Instead, I only found more drudgery, more incompetent professors, more disinterested students and even more bureacracy. To say that I was “disappointed” would be putting it very lightly.

I became disoriented and disenchanted. I realized that I could get through most classes with half-assed effort, I was hardly ever challenged, I floated along and hated every second of it. I blamed my boring teachers, the imperfect system, the teachers who had given me hope only for me to watch it crash and go up in flames.

What do you think you’re doing?

Being badass, cool and detached, most likely.

You dream of yourself as a master and your subjects as slaves. They bow to your will, they dance to your tune, you command them with the snap of a finger.

“Look, you slave of the system”, you say, lying on a velvet sofa, “Look, at how it hardly takes any effort for me to pass these classes! Look at how I spend my time doing things I actually like and that are actually worth it, unlike these stupidly easy classes taught by stupidly incompetent professors in a stupidly screwed-up system! Look at me, being edgy and drowning in self-hatred because I can physically feel myself gliding off the rails that made me so “special” and becoming one of the average people in the masses, haha. Ha. Ha. Screw academia, but still give me good grades, amirite?”

I know your delusion. I’ve been there. You imagine yourself to be that one perfect friend that never studies for classes, comes for three lectures per semester and still manages to get perfect grades because everything you do in school is, like, so five years ago. That one friend who has read all the classics in their spare time, has conquered and enslaved all the knowledge actually worth knowing, will quote obscure Polish philosophers you’ve never heard of and plays the piano with a perfect pitch. They’re the wisest, most culture-non-conforming people you know - they’ve been up until 5am, wandering the streets and drinking vodka from a bottle while forcefully pentrating the mysteries of the universe all by themselves until they finally fall asleep on a park bench and awake with an epiphany about Klein bottles. They’re “special”.

What are you actually doing?

Caring more about appearing “special” than actually trying to be “special”, that’s what you’re doing.

But, look, what made you so “special” and “different” in the first place was not a “calling” or “gifts” or the fact that you wrote good grades and were destined for greatness.

Here’s a handy chart I’ll use later - you were lucky enough to fall into the green zone, lucky enough to be born with an innate respect and a love for learning. That’s what made you “special”. That’s what made you succeed. Not pressure, not warped ideals and certainly not the fear of failure.

But somewhere along the way you forgot that and only focussed on the results. You started to believe yourself to be so special that everybody else should cater to you. The fancy titles, the awe-struck looks, the “You’re so amazing”s and the “The genius of a decade”, the planned Nobel prize speech and the prestige, the dream others had lovingly created for you and you had slowly absorbed and warped as your own? It got to you. Hell, it got to me. And it became more important than learning itself. Somewhere along the way, you and I, we became an arrogant and lazy assholes.

You looked down on your easy courses and homework and instead of recognising how lucky you are, doing it in a minute and a half and then putting in the extra work on top to dig deeper and to maybe contribute something of value and fun, you threw it aside with a snide remark as beneath you. Of course it wasn’t fun. Of course it wasn’t challenging. You never even tried to make it either.

(And don’t get me wrong: I honestly do think that the education system as it is right now needs MAJOR reforms. But right now? It is what it is. And instead of making the best of it and doing what you once loved so much, you succumbed to societal pressures you found yourself unable to fulfill and said “meh”. You cared so much about the fame and the title that the relationship itself didn’t matter.)

But this isn’t the master-slave relationship you imagine it to be. It’s a trophy-friendship. Once upon a time, you got on really well with this person and other people loved your friendship. You fell in love with the ideal, with their connections, their money, their prestige, their name on a CV, and you stuck around just for that. You valiantly ignore the reality of the state of things between you two and take them out only when absolutely needed, only when things are this close to falling apart and so you keep walking a fine, fine line. Whenever a deadline approaches, you shower them with attention and love and, gingerly, they open up to you and you see a depth and complexity to them that astounds you and makes you think “Imagine! Imagine how much more I could have seen if only I’d started earlier?” But the moment the crisis has passed, you toss them aside once again.

Because this is enough to make your name. You may not remember much about these nights or about the person at all, but the only thing that counts is that it will fulfill your “special” prophecy and make you a legend, right?

Well, always remember this: (read picture from right to left)

You’re not “special” if you made it to university. You’re not “special” if you’ve made your name.  It comes down to a simple choice: do you value appearances over integrity or the other way round? Do you dare to look like a fumbling idiot again when you start something new? Is the “appearing like an idiot”-part more important to you than the “learning/creating something new”-part?  Have a think about it.

3) Worship

“Alright”, you’ll say, “Alright. I get it. So I’ll treat my “friends”/subjects with respect and integrity and I’ll take all the time and concentration I can bestow upon them, just as I would upon real friends. But do you want me to be like, uh - like…

What is it?

“…like one of those anime characters that lives only for their dream and gets up at like 6am, does the thing, talks about the thing, breathes the thing, goes to bed, dreams of the thing and then wakes up at 6am to do the thing?”

(Google: Did you mean Hinata Shouyou?

Yes, yes, I did, google.)

Well, no, I don’t want you to do that. See, that’s the other extreme and unless you’re an anime character, chances are that it won’t work out for you. 

How did you get here?

Personally, I was caught in this trap for a loooooong time. Anime offered me a new way of relating to my passions that neither my family nor my school had ever shown me: unabashed obsession. I wanted to be perfect. I wanted to be obsessed. I wanted to give myself up to a higher ideal, something above human consciousness, something that would endure. I wanted to, well, get up at 6am, do the thing, talk about the thing, breathe the thing and so on - “the thing” in question being, of course, studying. I made elaborate plans, complicated lists, study-plans that shift on a daily basis and cover all grounds, I wanted to study for two hours before school, wanted to repeat lessons, wanted to give myself up to knowledge, made cool covers for my notebooks, made mock exams for my friends to use, planned to focus on each continent for a month and study it, planned to listen to one new composer each day, planned to go to the museum every week, planned to analyze Sherlock Holmes and think just like him, planned to - you get the idea.

I wanted to be like this:

What do you think you’re doing?

Being but a humble servant to the eternal workings of truth. Knowing thou art unworthy, yet suffering the perfection of study.

I wanted to go from 0 to 100, I wanted knowledge and wisdom to transform and deliver me, I wanted to feel enlightened, I wanted to feel my brain burning, pushing frontiers and breaking through to new horizons, I wanted to elevate myself to touch even the lowest levels of truth. I wanted to do something noble, something worthwhile, something that could never be critisized and would always be valued, something with eternal meaning that would echo through the ages and I wanted to be even the tiniest cog in the machinery of mind.

What are you actually doing?

Being, quite simply, an idiot.

This is one of my favourite quotes (David Wong):

“There are two ways to dehumanize someone: by dismissing them, and by idolizing them.” 

The same goes for studying. As shown above, studying won’t work out if you do not treat your subjects with respect. Conversely, studying also won’t work if you continue to idolize it as work beyond all work and reproach, as the only true calling, as the realm of the genii and by self-flagellating yourself and repeating “I’m but a humble servant in your kingdom of reason and will never reach where you are, but will spend all my time trying to reach you.” 

Why? Because by saying “I’ll never reach you or be worthy of you”, you’ve already sealed your fate. Some students (no matter how well they actually perform) are stuck thinking that they are stupid and incapable of doing well. Others think that the trick is in the preparation and they undergo complicated rituals of finding exactly the right study spot, exactly the right study drink, exactly the right study time, etc. in the hope of channeling the connection between their godly subject and themselves, but it never turns out quite as glamorous as they’d hoped (once again, speaking from experience).

This is because you cannot force a true friendship if you think yourself unworthy of it. It will always be worship. 

And why are you worshipping? Because it takes the pressure right off of you. This always annoyed me about some of my fellow students. They treated becoming a good student as this miraculous and unlikely event that only happens to the #blessed. I insisted that “no”, it could be done. “Yes”, it was hard work, but ultimately absolutely doable. But now that I’ve been in their shoes? I understand. Admitting that you could have done it anytime implies failure on your part for not having done it. By saying “Oh no, it is so very complex and divine and a lowly worm like me could never hope to crawl in its shadows”, you shift the focus away from yourself and onto the thing itself. 

But this is a synthetic, manufactured relationship with a partner that does not even exist. It is, at its heart, a kyaa  ~ I hope senpai notices me! (๑♡⌓♡๑) - kind of relationship. It’s idolizing not a person’s true character, but their appearance, their aesthetic and the values that they represent for you. It’s not really listening to what they’re saying, but warping their words so they fit into your perfect idea of them. Just, unlike with undereage debasement, you do not play pretend that everything’s fine and secretly hate the other person deep down - you honestly idolize them to heaven and back, so you could never possible reach them. You’re using them to fill in the holes in your own personality.

And that … just isn’t fun? I dunno about you, but treating studying as something that must be done perfectly with exactly the right pen and the perfect face-mask after the right smoothie and in the right lighting by a window overgrown with ivy and with perfect concentration from the first moment and unwavering, knightly passion and exact planning from 6am to bedtime all because I know deep down that I will not be able to fulfill these ideals and thus don’t have to feel bad about not reaching them just … isn’t for me. I don’t like my relationships to be all overstructured and “perfect” and high maintenance like that.

I want my friendships and my studying to be authentic. And that means that sometimes it’s messy and sometimes it’s hard and sometimes it’s quoting Keats while lying on the floor at 2am in the morning and chugging milk out of a carton, but it’s real. I truly do understand this longing to make studying look pretty and like a magical realm, because when you’re in the flow that’s really what it feels like. But the beauty comes along with the practice, not the other way round.

No, but honestly - what do I DO then?

Y’remember Hippogriffs from Harry Potter? That’s how I imagine my subjects. Approach them carefully, honestly, maintaining eye contact and as equals and they will respect you. This scene:

This scene is what I’m talking about.  If you were in a worship-state, you would only admire them from afar, gushing over how beautiful they are, but sad that they would never deign to even look in your general direction. (think of all the subjects you thought would be way too difficult for you) If you were in a debasement-state, you’d either try to make friends with all the hippogriffs, hopping from one to the other and forming no bond with either or you’d “tsk” disdainfully and try to force them to obey you against their will. (*cough* Malfoy *cough*)

If, however, you’re in the green, there will be mutual respect between you and you will be able to fly.

So what does it mean to be in the green?  It means not to do any of the above, obviously, so 

take your time for and invest brainpower into each and every one of your subjects - be a good friend. Be there. Listen. Even if they have crazy ideas at 4am in the morning. 

appreciate your subjects and know that they are more than the teacher who tries to get you to know them. Sometimes, some people just have a really shitty PR department (especially maths)

don’t think too much or too little of yourself. You can do amazing things, but that does not give you the license not to do amazing things anymore, rest on your laurels and expect others to applaud you for it. 

some relationships take longer than others to build, but getting to understand someone who puzzled you from the first moment and challenged your beliefs will improve your own personality as well (side-eye at PE. Yes, I love you now, you crazy athletic bastard)

do it for the sake of the relationship itself, because you enjoy their company. Results are presents which, although very much appreciated, should not be the main motivator to keep you going. This essentially means that you should think of studying as hanging out with a friend - already makes it seem so much more inviting and way less daunting, does it not? (Logic and I, being saltmates. Real friends judge other people together)

be aware that all friendships go through rocky patches and some subjects might take a while to warm up to you or you to them. But if you think that it’s worth it, then you gotta power through that. If you don’t think it’s worth it, you gotta be brave enough to say good-bye. 

Look, what I’m actually saying is … be Souma Yukihira from Food Wars.

Food Wars is a crazy and at times pretty pervy manga/anime, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t also one of the best pieces of fiction I’ve ever consumed and if Souma isn’t one of the most admirable main characters I’ve ever encountered.  

The relationship between him and cooking is filled with trust, love and equality. He trusts his cooking skills, because he knows that they have spent a long time together - cooking won’t let him down and he won’t ever let cooking down by stopping to look for ways to improve.

That doesn’t mean, however, that he’s always deadly serious - he loves to play around with cooking and to try ridiculous new things. He never forgets the joy that even the simplest form of cooking brings him. 

There’s one great episode where he puts his life as a chef on the line and someone fearfully asks him what he’d do if he lost. He shrugs and says he could become a lawyer or a teacher or something. So while he loves cooking profoundly, he does not worship it and he knows that there are other relationships he could build up if he had to. He just …doesn’t want to, because cooking is his bff. 

He loves to take on challenges to see how far he and cooking have come -

- and he takes challenges very seriously -

- but takes it even more seriously if he loses -

- and nonetheless knows that they are stronger for the challenges they have faced together. 

So, yes, this is what it means to be in the green. Cherish your friendships, hang out together, be honest, funny, clever, curious and you. 

You’ll be surprised at how much fun the two of you will have, now that all the pretensions and pressures are gone. 

Just …hang out and have fun.

(and maybe watch Food Wars!, because damn, Souma is the MVP of my inspirational heroes)

Have a great day and I’ll see you in the next (and hopefully shorter) part 4 :)

[animestudywithhme]

I’M IN SCHOOL AND I’M GONNA SHARE MY STUDY TIPS

before I get started, please reblog/like if you find this really helpful

my country held 3 exams for schoolers, one exam before you finished elementary school, one before you enter high school and one before you graduate from high school. Basically, the third exam is one of the biggest out of three. The exam is used for colleges/universities entrance and those who get excellent results will receive scholarships.

In my country, the third exam is taken by the 17-year-old students or Form 5 in every state in the country. ((idk what grade are you in when you are 17 in your countries)) my country doesn’t use the grading system. The exam consists of 9 subjects and above. and the “must passed subjects” are the Malay Language, English and History. If you get A+ for history, automatically some universities will offer you to study Law.

So moving on, my study tips 1. Find your suitable time to study. Some people tend to study in the morning to memorized things easily but for me, I study at nights since I’m a night person (DAMN I SLEPT WHEN I WOKE UP AT 4AM TO STUDY HISTORY))

2. Listen to calming instrumental whit average when you’re reading. If you’re feeling sleepy or almost dozing off, try to listen to 2-3 songs, that’ll help you fresh than before.

3. Eat many brain food ((I recommend you to eat raisins, but don’t eat too much it contains alcohol[good] to help the brain to memorize matters))

4. DO LOTS OF PRAYERS. We all have different cultures and religions, and try to find the right path and seek for you God’s helps. But DO NOT DEPEND ON YOUR GOD only. Without hard work, there’ll be no success.

5. POWER NAP. My recess period at school is from 10 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. and I usually sleep at the time. 5 minutes before the teachers enter the class, I’ll go to the toilet and wash my face and do stretchings. It’s helpful to me.

6. To those who have class in the evening, I suggest you sleep for 30 minutes from 1-2 p.m. It’ll make you fresh the whole afternoon and help to reduce a headache too.

7. HELP WEAK FRIENDS. What I want to share here is helping weak people in subjects you’re good in will help you to improve from time to time. Plus, the knowledge used by the person you have helped may be going to other person and it’ll keep spreading. In addition, not just you who can improve in learning and academics, but people will appreciate you and you may receive good karma from it.

8. Do calculate subjects in the evening.

9. DO NOT STUDY LAST MINUTE especially subjects that require you to memorized facts like history and literature.

10. Have faith :)))))))))) and back to the 4th point

for those who curious in what subjects that I take, I’m in social-science class which consists 4 elective subjects which are account principle,physics,chemistry and additional mathematics&&5 core subjects which are The Malay Language, English, Modern Mathematics, Islamic Studies and History. AGAIN. If you find this helpful, do reblog/like

[animestudywithhme]

your life can look so different, so much better, in just a few months. keep going.

[animestudywithhme]

You can’t ever win if you’re always on the defensive, to win, you have to attack.

Light yagami