scienceisromantic

[scienceisromantic]

Took me until about halfway through college before I realized “study” means “play with the material in a variety of ways until you understand it” and not just “read the assigned chapters and do the homework” and I think that probably should have been discussed at some point prior to that.

[scienceisromantic]

Mitä cybershop yrittää kertoo

[scienceisromantic]

[scienceisromantic]

the first lesson of science is humility actually. like hubris is cool but only if you can take the L

[scienceisromantic]

lab safety but the teacher just wants you to die

[scienceisromantic]

this is going to be difficult -> i am capable of doing difficult things -> i have done everything prior to this moment -> this difficulty will soon be proof of capability

[scienceisromantic]

We often talk about how science had a lot of low hanging fruit back in the day but the trade-off is you had absolutely dogshit measuring tools. If you wanted better measuring tools you either had to build them yourself or jump through like fifty calculation hoops to convert from the rate of bubbles coming off an electrode to the number of ghosts per second you thought infrared photons were.

[scienceisromantic]

Quick reminder, especially for you younger undergrads: Discipline is a skill, not a character trait. And just like any skill, it can be practiced and improved upon incrementally. Try not to get discouraged if you have a day, or multiple days, where you are less disciplined than you would like or need to be. Don’t quit. Don’t spend the next week binging Netflix because you think it’s a hopeless endeavour. Just get up the next day and try again. Each day you try is more practice, and each day you practice, you’ll get a little bit better, and that continual improvement will pay dividends in the long run.

Keep at it.

[scienceisromantic]

Hello world! I've been studying some basic concepts in math again. Apparently, I'm very good at forgetting almost intuitive information. It's starting to look more like autumn here in the southern hemisphere, I'm trying to come up with ideas to enjoy this transition between seasons, but all I have in my mind right now is how closer the dates to turn in my activies are getting. Also, I'd like to start studying English, because I really don't know basic concepts or grammatical rules about it too. So, a question came up to my mind. How did you learn English? (If it's not your mother tongue, of course) I'd love to know; pls don't be shy and share your secrets, young master haha

[scienceisromantic]

I don’t have to worry about "chemicals you can’t pronounce" in my food and my shampoo because I can pronounce every chemical flawlessly and without effort. Butylated hydroxytoluene. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Fenugreek. I am saying these out loud and laughing at you. I’m immune to all known carcinogens. I can never die. Fight me.

[scienceisromantic]

Nothing feels as good as ditching a book you don’t wanna read anymore. Sorry im not a completionist, back to the library with you

[scienceisromantic]

creepy and wet major alignment chart

[scienceisromantic]

There are many disadvantages to being a college student

[scienceisromantic]

this site definitely doesn't allow you to paste the link to any article blocked by a paywall (say, a NYT article) so that you can read it free of charge! that would be illegal and would benefit broke college students too much. it definitely does not do that. promise.

[scienceisromantic]

yooo how do u email a prof for a recommendation letter?

Hi Professor!

I am in the process of applying to ____ and they require letters of rec. I sincerely enjoyed your classes, and felt that they gave me a particularly good chance to display my strengths, such as ____ [class participation, writing, etc.] and would love for you to write me a letter, if you’d be willing. The due date is ____, and I can send you further instructions for submission later if you accept.

Attached to this email is ____, the piece of work I did in your class which best showcases my abilities, as well as my current CV [or resume]. If you agree to write me a letter, soon I will also send you drafts of my ____ [statement of purpose, personal statement, application essays, other relevant material] for my application to aid in your writing. I am also happy to meet in person to discuss this with you.

I want to stress that this application is quite competitive, so if you feel you will not be able to write me a strong letter then I completely understand - but please let me know. Thank you so much for your time!

Sincerely, ____

—

a few notes:

- you should have all your relevant materials (app essays, etc.) sent to them *at least* a month in advance to give them ample time to write the letter

- thus, your initial email asking them if they’d be willing to write a letter for you should be sent *over* a month in advance. professors are busy

- if you are applying for a really prestigious position/scholarship/fellowship, or grad school, it’s best to have at least a majority of your letter writers be professors (rather than adjuncts or post docs). ideally you’d want them to be full/tenured professors. in lots of cases, especially academic ones, *who* writes your letter matters - not just *what’s in* your letter

- the reason you send them the piece of work you did in their class that you are most proud of is to remind them of your abilities as a student and the quality of the work you produced for them. they have lots of students. sometimes they need a bit of help jogging their memory of exactly what you did in their class.

- the reason you send them your other application materials (personal statement, statement of purpose, CV) is so that they have information to draw from when writing your letter. they know what you’re passionate about, what you hope to do in the future, other experience you have, and can use this information when writing your letter

- on a similar note, this is also why you’d want to list the strengths you displayed in their class

- basically, you want to give them as much information as you can about your strengths, goals, and intentions - give them prompts they can use to write your letter

- the bit at the end about asking for a “strong letter” is important because some professors can only write you mediocre letters (e.g. “this student was always on time to class and gave their undivided attention during lecture” - what does this tell admission committees? well, it tells them that the professor has nothing positive to say about your *academic* abilities and so they’re resorting to other strengths. it’s a polite way of saying “this student was okay, but not spectacular in any notable way”. big red flag for admissions committees.) if all you’re going to get is a mediocre letter, you might as well not get a letter at all

- if the professor you ask accepts, then be sure to send them polite reminders as the date approaches. (i usually send a reminder at the 1-month-till-due-date mark when i send the other application materials, and then again at the 2 week and 1 week marks, and, if necessary, every day after the final 3 days leading up to the due date

—

i know this was a lot, but i remember being in your shoes and being completely lost when it came to applying for stuff so i know how daunting it can be. i figured i’d just throw all this information at you to be of as much help as possible.

for reference, i’ve applied to graduate programs, fellowships, and scholarships. i have been accepted into several of the top 10 graduate programs in my area, as well as received multiple scholarships and a fellowship, and received honorable mentions for some of the most competitive fellowships in the US. i have also worked with the admissions committee at my graduate program to organize multiple informational events for those interested in applying to graduate school and, in the process, have learned a lot about what makes a strong application.

so while you should absolutely take my advice with a grain of salt (different circumstances call for different standards), i do have quite a bit of experience with applications and what makes a strong letter of rec.

i hope this helped! best of luck with whatever you’re applying for :)

[scienceisromantic]

first of all, i'd like to give it up to the writers of my science textbook for getting me into this chemistry shit. it is WONDERFUL yall. cool shit all around. it's like. I don't know. the whole periodic table and the amount of information u can get from this tiny little block, a letter and some numbers. the equations that all look so nice. but i want to do experiments!!! im tired of watching videos of the reactions!!! let a girl do stuff!!!

[scienceisromantic]

Back to school guide!

Organisation

2018 student planner

how to set up a bullet journal

setting up a digital bullet journal

mossery co planner review

planner brand recommendations

bullet journal spread ideas

bullet journal decoration hacks

whats in my bag

my favourite stationery

back to school basic supplies

how to improve your handwriting

balancing study and work

2017 monthly planner printables

2018 monthly planner printables

my september downloads (phone + desktop wallpapers)

Productivity

productivity and time management applications

how to remove distractions

types of procrastination and how to deal with them

google chrome new tab options for improved productivity

10 small ways to improve your productivity

applications to block websites

no distraction writing applications

100 days of productivity challenge 

how to focus in class

how to stick to a schedule

how to stay alert

how to build self-discipline

how to organise for exams

Motivation

what to do when you’ve tried everything

how to gain back motivation

motivational monday printables

how to stop avoiding studying

what to do when you feel exhausted before studying

how I stay motivated

tips on maintaining motivation

how to start a studyblr

how to set up a studygram

dealing with competitive people

how to bounce back from ‘failure’

Studying

applications for students

how to take effective class or lecture notes

how to take notes from a textbook

studying printable pack 

my note-taking method

my notebook system

how to write faster

how I organise my binders

good habits to implement

how to study (my method)

how to organise a colour code

how to memorise information effectively

how to memorise quotes

how to use flashcards

how I reduce waffle and narration in essays

tips for essay writing

how to find out where you’re going wrong

how I prepare to study

different ways to study

how to annotate a book/novel/etc

how to get ahead in school

studying as a visual learner

how to practice and present a speech

mindmapping apps and extensions

how to deal with online classes

how to study a language

apps to write without distraction

Self Care

how to improve your sleep schedule

how to study when sick

over-coming self doubt

dealing with stress

how to balance studying and anxiety

how to balance studying and depression

apps that help with depression

ways to reward your productivity

my favourite tv shows

ways to use empty notebooks

how to be more sociable

Printables

weekly study schedule

note-taking printables (dotted, grid, lined, cornell method)

exam revision printable pack (revision checklist, formulas + definitions sheet, essay + project planner, weekly schedule)

week at a glance

organic chemistry printable

100 days of productivity tracker

literary techniques 

my Etsy shop (lots more printables! use ‘student10′ for 10% off any purchase)