kenziestudiesx

[kenziestudiesx]

How to Take Notes: from a Textbook

(Be sure to change the post type from link to text post when you reblog, if that’s what you want to do)

This method is best suited for textbook or article notes, and is a version of revised notes. It is also well suited for books you plan on returning to the bookstore or books you have rented, as it does not involve writing directly in the book itself.

First, you’ll need to find a notebook, and the pens you like the best. My favorite notebooks to work with for note-taking, especially for my “revised” notes, are the Moleskine, hard or soft cover, in size extra large. For this specific class (Intro to Gender and Women’s Studies), I decided that lined pages would suit my needs better. For my math, engineering, and science classes, I usually opt for squared paper, as I draw in lots of diagrams and graphs.

My favorite pens ever are Staedtler Triplus Fineliners, so even though they show through the pages a little bit, I still choose to use them. I just love the way they write. I usually write out my notes themselves with a Pilot G2 05 with black ink, as it writes with a finer line and doesn’t bleed through quite as much.

I usually try to set up my notebooks about a week or so before class starts, that way it’s ready to go on my first day of class.

You’ll want to start off by setting up your notebook. On my first page, I put my course code for my university, as well as the course title.

Next, and this is perfectly optional (I just like the way it makes the book look, especially at the end of the semester), I include some sort of related quote to the course. For my engineering courses (which are related to my major), I put a different quote at the beginning of each section. But as this is a two-month long course during the summer, I opted for one quote by Mohadesa Najumi at the beginning of my book.

Next I set up my table of contents and include a page with basic course information. As this course is all online, my course information just included the start and end dates of the course, what time content is posted and on what day, and the name of my professor. For my usual courses, I will include the days of the week the class meets on and where, TA names and contact info, as well as posted office hours for my professors and TAs and tutoring hours either in the library or in the College of Engineering.

Next is one of the things I’m most proud of.

While I religiously use my Erin Condren planner to map out my days, weeks, and months, I have found throughout my college experience that including monthly views for the months my class ranges has been helpful. This way, there’s no sifting through the multiple colors I have in my planner, and everything related to that class is in the same notebook.

On this calendar I include start dates of the class, the end date, the dates of exams or quizzes, assignment deadlines, office hours, etc.

For this course, as I just started a few days ago, I don’t have a lot of dates or information, so my calendars are still very empty.

Next up I go to my weekly overview. At the beginning of each week, I set up a weekly layout, and I include a list of assignments, tests, quizzes, tasks, projects, etc that need my attention throughout the week, and I place the days I plan on doing them or the days they need turned in onto the weekly layout.

Now you’re finally ready to get into taking the notes.

Gather your book, some sticky notes, and your favorite pen or pencil.

I color code my stickies so that the “revision” process later goes a bit smoother. In this case, I’m using blue to denote something interesting, intriguing, or thought provoking, greenish-yellow to represent the facts or important concepts, and pink for important vocabulary words and their definitions.

Read the selection once.

As you read along the second time, write notes on your stickies, and place them in a place of relevance directly on the page in the book. Just make sure you don’t cover up anything you need to keep reading.

Now, once you’ve read all the material in questions (you can choose to break it up however you want, but since Chapter 1 was assigned for the week, I’ve elected to break it into chapters), carefully remove your stickies one by one and lay them out on a flat surface. This is when having a separate color for vocab can be helpful, as I sometimes put all of my vocab at the beginning or end of a section, especially if the section of reading was particularly large.

Organize your stickies in an order that makes sense to you, and use this order as your basis for transferring those notes into your notebook. The order you choose can just be lumping them under similar headings. Some classes even lend themselves to a nice chronological order. Whatever you choose, just make sure it’s something that will make sense to you when you come back to it in the end.

Okay so up there I wasn’t following my own advice, I just thought I would include the picture because my handwriting looks nice…

Now organize the stickies!

Now you just start writing everything from the stickies into your notebook. I like to take each category or subgroup and put them in the book on the facing page, then put them back in my textbook as I finish with each post it.

Moving on to the next category.

Before you know it, you’ve written all of your stickies into your notebooks.

Now you’re revved up and ready to go. You can either keep going and make a note summary page (which I’ll show you next week), or you can leave it. These will also be helpful when reviewing for tests and quizzes. You can highlight or underline, or use even more stickies (which is what I usually do) as you review.

Well, that’s all I have for you right now. Happy studying!

(To view this post on wordpress, click here)

[kenziestudiesx]

Hello fellow nerds!

A new school year is approaching, and since I have to nail my A* this year I put together a masterpost with helpful links and tips that I have gathered throughout my school years. Good luck this year: you´ll do just fine!

1. Learn ´em languages

Learn terms and glossary in Quizlet.

Learn a language for free on Duolingo.

Learn a language for free on Busuu.

Oxford Dictionaries.

Games and fun activities for English learners.

Irregular English verbs.

2. Do your research

Google scholar.

Scholarpedia.

You can learn anything (KhanAcademy).

Didn´t listen in class? (Crash Course).

Simple Wikipedia.

Learn littérature without having to read it (SparkNotes).

Wolfram Aplha.

TED.

Open 2 study. (Online studying) 

Free college courses.

3. Learn how to write like a God

10 practical tips for writing better exam essays.

Writing an essay.

Harvard writing resources.

Writing application essays.

Writing a personal statement.

Genre characteristics.

Writing a literary analysis essay.

Answering essay questions.

Get feedback.

Bibliography maker.

What is the word you´re looking for?

4. Oh yes sweet reading

8 tips to remember what you read.

How to read Shakespeare.

Effective reading and note-taking.

How to take notes while reading.

Note taking tips.

170 free textbooks.

1000 free textbooks.

5. Get your studying and organization game on

Time Management

Get your school life in order with organization.

Reach your goals.

Goals worksheet.

Finding information on the internet.

Using sources.

Get a hold on mind mapping.

How do you learn best?

Sound without music (Such as cafes).

Make flashcards.

6. Stress and anxiety management because school is stressful

Coping strategies.

Stress reduction tips.

Stress relief for students.

Managing test anxiety.

Dealing with test anxiety.

Self help: Keeping calm.

Introverts in college.

Coping and calming down. N.1

Coping and calming down. N.2

Do nothing for two minutes. 

7. Go get ´em tests

Study skills for test taking.

Study tips for finals.

Multiple choice exams guide.

The seven days study plan.

15 steps to success.

How to prepare for a test.

Checklist for essay tests.

8. Classroom participation - because teachers love that shit

Active listening.

Classroom discussions.

Presenting projects in the classroom.

Preparation before class.

Participating tips.

9. Software and pages for us nerdy kids

Openoffice and Libreoffice.

Dropnote.

Google docs.

EverNote.

Prezi (Fore presentations.)

Calculator.

Grade calculator.

Grammar check.

Staying focused for Mac, Chrome and Firefox.

Plagiarism check.

Best apps for students masterpost.

Homework help.

10. Yo! Take some time to care ´bout yo´self

100 000 stars.

Workout masterpost.

Movie masterpost of masterposts.

Self-help masterpost.

8Tracks.

Learn and do yoga.

Voulenteer. 

Learn to play guitar.

The thoughts room.

Disney games because hell yeah.

[kenziestudiesx]

Don't start classes for another month but with as much as I'm taking on, reading up a bit now definitely isn't gonna hurt.

#studyblr #study notes #studyspiration #study motivation #chemistry #notes

[kenziestudiesx]

Don't want to go to lab? Send your dog instead! (He puts up with so much)

#studyblr #studyspiration #chemistry #biology #studyspo #study motivation

[kenziestudiesx]

It’s Ya Girl’s College Scholarship Masterpost

Hello internet civilians! As some of you may or may not know, my name is Dana and I am a high school senior that is ALWAYS on the prowl for trying to get to college for as cheap as possible. I’ve come across 1000′s of scholarships that I simply don’t qualify for, so I thought “hey, why not share these with random people on the internet that don’t know where to start?” You asked the question and only answers you shall receive.

Please remember to credit me for this masterpost because I spent a lot of time and energy on it :)

PLEASE ALSO REMEMBER THAT A SCHOLARSHIP IS WORTHLESS IF YOU DO NOT APPLY FOR IT. 

SO DO NOT JUST SAVE THIS POST IN YOUR DRAFTS AND NEVER USE IT. ACTUALLY WRITE AN ESSAY OR FOUR

Scholarship Databases:

fastweb.com

cappex.com

http://www.uncf.org/

http://schoolsoup.com/

http://www.tuitionfundingsources.com/

http://hsf.net

https://www.collegeboard.org/

http://apiasf.org/

http://hispanicfund.org

www.maldef.org

www.supercollege.com

www.finaid.org

www.collegeispossible.org

www.mach25.com

http://chegg.com

www.HBCUmentor.org

“Big” Scholarships That Cover: Tuition, Room Board, Books, or Full Scholarships

Gates Millenium

Posse Foundation

Coca-Cola Scholarship

AXA Scholarship

Dell Scholars Application

Ron Brown Scholarship Program

Burger King Scholars 

Horatio Alger Scholarship

Questbridge

Voice of Democracy Scholarship

Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship

Hertz Foundation Graduate Scholarship

+ 111 Full Tuition Scholarships to Universities!

Scholarships

(**Some May “Prefer” Minorities, But That Does Not Mean You Should Still Not Try For It**)

http://blackstudents.blacknews.com/

May/June 2015 Scholarships

http://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships/articles/the-2015-scholarships

http://blackstudents.blacknews.com/opportunities/

Scholarships for Minorities: White House Edition

LGBT Scholarships

Buick Achievers Scholarships

Cultural Diversity Scholarships

50 LGBT Scholarships - 1 Application

50 Top Scholarships for 2014/2015

National Association of Black Journalists

7 Prestigious Undergrad Scholarships

The Jackie Robinson Foundation

500+ Scholarship List

Masterlist of College Minority Scholarships

4 Scholarships That Are Easy To Apply For

Do Something Campaigns

Need help on Scholarship Motivation?

HOW TO WIN A SCHOLARSHIP: FROM A GIRL WHO’S APPLIED FOR 300+ AWARDS

12 Tips on Winning Scholarships

Skip these 6 Scholarship Errors

Students with Average Grades Can Win Scholarships!

4 Ways To Make Your Scholarship Essay Stand Out

Get Rid of Student Loans!

How I Got Rid of 60k Student Loans in 3 years By Living in a Hotel

10 Steps To Minimize Loans

Minimize Student Loans

Know How Much Student Loans To Take 

Paying For College

Miscellaneous Articles That Are Good Reads

Out-of-State Colleges That Offer In-State Tuition

5 Myths About Financial Aid

How To Negotiate A Better Financial Aid Package

How To Read A Financial Aid Letter

How To Deal With A Low SAT Score

Great Schools That Accept Low SAT Scores

How To Demonstrate Interest in a College

I Told Harvard I Was An Undocumented Immigrant. They Gave Me A Full Scholarship.

Credit: @jesussbabymomma

[kenziestudiesx]

Currently working on my lab for biology, which I am I really interested in because I love genetics. But then moving on to my research paper for English. Fun. On the other hand my boyfriend got me succulents because I have been sick and super stressed. 😁

#studyblr #study notes #studyspiration #biology #homework

[kenziestudiesx]

Quick Tips for Answering Multiple Choice Questions

1. Read question and underline what it’s asking you. 2. Cover the answer choices (a, b, c, d) with your hand and try to answer the question yourself, without any help. Seeing the answer choices will just confuse and distract you. 3. Use the Process of Elimination:      - Eliminate what is obviously a wrong answer     - Now only focus on what’s left. Now you won’t pay attention to the wrong answer choice and it won’t distract you anymore.  Note* Strongly-worded answer choices are rarely the right answer! See example on the picture :) My econ professor told us a few of these- you still have to study, but these techniques makes it easier for you to find the right answer among all the wrong ones that distract you.   ** If you have any more tips you’d like to share with us, Submit them to me and I will post them and credit you, of course, or comment below!  ?

[kenziestudiesx]

Got some Muji pens yesterday (ignore the books on my floor.) I got the .38 and I'm not sure how I feel about them, but I went ahead and ordered the .5's along with some midliners today. Otherwise I love the colors and how smooth they are. 😍

#studyblr #studyspo #studyspiration #muji #muji pens

[kenziestudiesx]

So I'm in English class and my professor is playing some video with some guitarist on the projector while everyone is just talking about random stuff. Also I had a good lunch. 👌🏻

#studyblr #studyspo #study motivation #studyspiration #english #college

[kenziestudiesx]

The walk to class. 👌🏻

#studyblr #studyspo #studyspiration #college #campus

[kenziestudiesx]

Sometimes I'm unhealthy for lunch on school days...🙄😆

#studyblr #studyspiration #studyspo #english #reading #college

[kenziestudiesx]

Spending most of the day writing a 5 page essay about renewable energy (ugh) I also have to organize my math for my binder check Tuesday and research some stuff for my human disease project in Biology.

#studyblr #essay writing #english #studyspo #studyspiration

[kenziestudiesx]

Pens. Pens everywhere.

#studyblr #studyspo #study motivation #study notes #notes #biology

[kenziestudiesx]

When you take your puppy to work just to make her dog happy. 😂👌🏻

#aussie #Australianshepherd #dog #puppy #cute animals

[kenziestudiesx]

We have a dog at the clinic that looks like a meme.

#meme #dog #puppy #funny

[kenziestudiesx]

When work is slow so you turn the cat into a shark.

#made with tumblr #gif #cat #bored #cute #funny gif #funny #funny cats

[kenziestudiesx]

Can someone tell me why there wasn't a flag though? It was an obvious face mask.

#dallascowboys #cowboys #philidelphiaeagles #eagles #eaglesvscowboys