sky-studies-anthro

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JKR literally wrote a manifesto against nonbinary people and trans men, and smeared autistic people while she was at it, so can y'all please stop acting like the JKR bullshit is somehow an issue unique to trans women only?

Stop acting like this isn't a community-wide issue that affects ALL trans people. Especially autistic trans people.

Our trans brothers & nonbinary siblings in the UK deserve better than this. Stop forgetting them. Stop erasing them.

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my masterpost | my studygram | ask me anything 

[click images for high quality]

[transcript under the cut]

Other advice posts that may be of interest:

All About Procrastination

How To Study When You Really Don’t Want To

Common Study Mistakes

7 Strategies to Improve Concentration

How to make your notes aesthetic

7 Ways to Power Up Your Notetaking 

Keep reading

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Unrealistic

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mental health tips i wish i’d been given before starting university

trying is much more important than succeeding

10 minutes of studying > not studying at all

being a college student is more than academics. it’s also learning how to enjoy your own company, learning and occasionally screwing up meals, wandering outside campus like a tourist, questioning your ideals and presuppositions, discovering new talents and skills for the hell of it, and SO much more. if you feel burnt out in one dimension of college life, that’s a sign to spend some time relishing in another dimension.

if you need more time, take a deep breath and shoot that email to your professor/TA asking for an extension. at worst, they say no. and don’t stress over properly explaining yourself/your situation. hell, just email them: “Hi, Professor. I need your help. Sincerely, y/n.” all it takes is that one initial reach out and the rest will follow.

failure does not reflect character. read that again. remind yourself as often as you see fit because at one point or another, you will feel like you’ve failed. it’s growing pains. once you’ve accepted that, learn to view any setbacks as a hint that you need to try a new method/approach. didn’t do well on that math quiz? don’t beat yourself up over it–instead, regroup with yourself and see which metaphorical gear got stuck in your personal learning process machine. for instance, maybe you used flash cards and that wasn’t really your style. act like a detective, not a bully.

THERE IS NO NORMAL TIMELINE FOR YOUR COLLEGE CAREER(!!!!!!). a lot of people need more than 4 years, a lot of people need 4 years, and a lot of people need less than 4 years. and every single one of those timelines are valid. the worst thing you could do is squeeze the living hell out of yourself into some rigid schedule that is incompatible with who you are and how you learn. trust me when i say u will find yourself doing the best work when u do it at YOUR pace.

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Just a reality check for anyone who might need it, 90% of being a hardworking student isn't pretty notes, it's not relaxing Mozart playing in the background to your vanilla iced late and reading Aristotle while the sun rises. It can be very easy to glorify the pretty parts of academia while looking through Tumblr and instagram and think that this makes up the 90%, but it doesn't. Especially when you get to uni/college! 90% of my study in uni is having to find 4 different sources of information to even begin to UNDERSTAND a topic before class. It's hours of study before a lecture just to keep up, it's saying no to a lot and prioritising your education.

Don't think that just because you're struggling while everyone else looks perfect that you are lesser of a student. Everyone stresses, everyone's study and notes can look messy. Your struggles are valid, because being a hardworking student is just that, it's hard.

[sky-studies-anthro]

Practical Tips for ADHD College Students

I know a few posts like this already exist, but I wanted to add my own experiences to the mix in case it would be helpful to someone else. Some of these will look familiar, some not so much.

Disclaimers: 1) What works for me may not work for you, take everything with a grain of salt and experiment, 2) These are what I’m using for a 4-year school but I imagine it would be applicable for any college? I wish I’d known to do some of these things when I was at CC, 3) I won’t pretend that I am an ADHD success story, not yet. I’m still finding my way, learning to cope, learning to thrive. It’s a process.

NOTE: This post is kinda long; if it’s too long I recommend just reading the bolded/italicized headings and only reading the ones that pique your interest :)

Sensory Issues:

Wear comfortable clothing: Screw the mentality that you always have to look your best in college. At the end of the day, feeling hot but ridiculously uncomfortable will trigger sensory issues (especially if you’re someone who is sensitive to certain materials/styles of clothing) and it will impact concentration and can cause a lot of distress. Are you comfortable in those sweatpants, pajama bottoms, baggy shirts? Cool, wear them. 

Stim toys: Love yourself, buy (or make!) stim toys and bring them to school. Can’t speak for CC because I didn’t use stim toys when I went, but at my 4-year school everyone is too busy drowning in deadlines to notice you squishing thinking putty or using a fidget cube under the table. 

Try different stim toys: I used to get caught up on trying to make the more popular stim toys work for me when they didn’t, so I had to experiment a bit to see what worked. It’s not always as simple as cubes, spinners, squishy toys, etc. If you have issues with texture you’ll want to really experiment, especially with things like putty, squishibles, etc. to see what is comfortable and what isn’t. But there’s a big ol’ market out there!

Headphones/Earplugs: The single most helpful sensory detail for me was always bringing my headphones to campus. I get easily overstimulated in uncontrolled situations with lots of different sounds. I make sure my volume is enough to block the noise out, but the songs I choose in these instances are usually familiar, so they don’t provide too much new stimulation when I can’t handle it. I also keep earplugs in my backpack for exams.

Studying/School Related:

If possible, leave your house: This has been one of the hardest changes I’ve had to make because I’m an introvert and genuinely prefer being home. But I’m starting to learn that my ass will not do work 9/10 times when I’m home. Too much to do, too many other things to get done, lots of fun distractions, and cats! So many cats! Unfortunately cats won’t take my exams. I’ve found that the library is okay, but for me small cafes worked much better. Armed with my headphones, some coffee, and an atmosphere that caters to silently getting work done, I’m able to focus longer, and to focus on what I really need to.

Note-taker: Admittedly I’m talking out of my ass on this one, because I haven’t yet done this. But that’s exactly why I want to stress getting a note-taker. My college life would be infinitely better if I’d done this when the semester started; instead, my notes have gaps where I couldn’t concentrate, or couldn’t process what was being discussed, etc. 

Other accommodations: Accommodations for ADHD differ depending on the college, but some of the common ones are: note-takers, silent exam spaces, assignment extensions, and use of tech such as recorders, speech-to-text software… If you’re like I was and are worried that you’re asking too much asking for accommodations, remember two important things: 1) Accommodations exist to level the playing field, not to give us an edge, and 2) YOU PAY FOR THIS SERVICES. That huge, overwhelming tuition bill with all those “extra fees”? You’re paying for these services already, might as well take advantage of them!

Talk to your professors: This part is truly terrifying for me, but I’ve started opening up this semester to my professors and it has made a difference. The professor for my hardest class actually has a son with adhd so she understood and was even able to provide me with some resources that would help. At the very least, it made my professors aware of my struggles and aware that I wasn’t just being lazy, which calmed my RSD a bit.

Organization: Staying organized is important for any college student, but especially for those with adhd. We lose things a lot, and if things aren’t in obvious, constant places it becomes so much easier to lose or forget where we put things. That being said, your ‘organized’ will probably not be other peoples ‘organized’. For example, I use my Ipsy bags for organization. One holds any writing utensils, flashcards, and post-its, another holds anything medical-related, etc. It seems a bit cluttered and disorganized to other people but it works for me. So try keeping things in the same spot if possible, but remember that finding what organizational structures work for you might take time and effort. If your school has success coaching, I highly recommend it for this purpose! Which brings me to the next point.

Success Coaching: Most colleges offer some kind of program like this, though names may differ. Success Coaching is designed for students of any academic level in order to help them get and stay on track. My college offers study skills, schedule planning, test prep, time management, help navigating campus resources, and a whole host of others. And the people doing the coaching are usually grad students who’ve been through the process. They’re typically trained in working with students with adhd, because that tends to be a significant portion of their students. They’re also just really nice to talk to. Almost like a therapist, but not quite.

Really forgetful? The best thing you can do is change your environment, not try to change yourself. You probably won’t be able to stop your brain from forgetting your notebook at home, but you can get a five subject and keep it in your backpack at all times. Same with folders. Keep losing pens/pencils? Just get a fuckton and shove them in a pouch in your backpack in the beginning of the semester. I’m not kidding when I say I have at least 20 pens and pencils in mine, not including the glitter pens and highlighters. 

Planners: Many people have said that it will take time to find just the right planner for you, and they’re correct. The planner I use right now is 8x11 with wide boxes. Some prefer smaller planners, others will use planner apps or just the calendar in their phone. You’ll have to mess around a bit to see what works for you, but you do have options!

Printables: Oh man I love printables so much, but a lot of the time I find that they’re more trouble maintaining than my adhd can handle. You can find a ton on tumblr, free to download and print, and some very beautiful packs for sale on etsy. Right now I use a monthly budget printable and one for studying terms/definitions. Sometimes the adhd mind needs something pretty and different to cling to, so I try to switch things up every so often.

Color-coding: This absolutely will not work for everyone (I’ve seen people say color-coding notes gets the hung up on the coding and not the notes, and I can definitely see that happening). For me, I use color-coding in my planner. Each class gets its own color. This keeps me from seeing a page covered in the same color of ink or pencil and mentally blocking it out. Gelly roll has the most amazing glitter pens!

Test prep: Will vary depending on the person and how they learn best, but for me I’ve found that no one method will work on its own. I have class notes, typed notes, hand-written flashcards, flashcards on quizlet. I won’t pretend that it’s easy; it’s fuck-all time consuming and sometimes I don’t have energy for it, but depending on the class I usually need a combination of at least two different methods to work. This is definitely something success coaching can work with you to figure out!

General Life Advice (that will impact college):

Get on a sleep schedule: I don’t even care what your particular schedule is (because it’ll vary person to person) but just get on one. Much easier said than done, because our brains never want to shut up at night, but lack of a consistent sleep schedule will mess with your concentration, focus, hypersensitivity, etc. 

I’ll just do this later…: is the adhd monster talking. What even is later? Does it exist? Sometimes I have to tell myself “nope, we’re doing this right now!” Doesn’t always work, but I try my hardest to do things in the moment if executive dysfunction isn’t at my door.

Develop a support system: This can be difficult because sometimes making and maintaining friendships with adhd can be hard, and sometimes family members aren’t very receptive or supportive. But a strong support system can make all the difference in the world! If your current friends don’t understand the extent of what you’re dealing with, send some resources their way and you might be surprised how fast they get in your corner. But sometimes people without adhd just don’t get it. If your college has a meet-up for students with adhd like mine does, this is a great place to meet like-minded students who understand what you’re going through and can provide support and advice! 

I’m going to stop this here because it’s already too long, but I hope this is helpful to someone and I’d love it if you could add your own tips as well! 

[sky-studies-anthro]

August 23, 2021 - day 12

Today I

Caught up on reading (as I will be doing all this week lol)

Worked on readings for design thinking

Started rough draft for design thinking essay

Responded to prompt from sustainability in nature and city

That quilt you see in those pictures there? I made that!!! I’m so proud of how it turned out!! And the colors go so well with my room! It’s a perfect size for wrapping around my shoulders as I work.

🎧 Listening to: the lakes (original version) by Taylor Swift

📖 Reading: The Sixth Extinction

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𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒚 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒊𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔

use two notebooks when taking class notes (one for in class and one for at home) the one for class, make it messy with footnotes and subtext. the one at home, make it neat (these are the ones to study off of; easy to read and short)

quizlets or kahoots

write down your plans for the week

put effort in your projects (trust me, it’s worth the time)

make school life feel cliche and try to romanticize things (it works)

when you’re studying, rewrite your notes to match your own words

relate the information to yourself and your life. if you have chalk, draw math formulas on pavement, match your physics to life situations, randomly say history facts when relevant

study in shorter intervals and take a decent amount of breaks (ie, 30 minutes spent studying with a 15 minute break; don’t go on the internet during that break)

have a routine. study for a period of time in the morning or study before bed (do this every day; even on the weekends)

stay hydrated; drink water or tea (not to much coffee)

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My young college dudes, let me tell you a thing.

Your professors owe you a syllabus.

There's a lot of stuff that varies a bunch from school to school and professor to professor, but a syllabus is a vital document for each of your classes and the professor should provide you with one. If the professor DOES NOT provide you with a syllabus, or if the syllabus is outdated or contradictory here is what you do:

Ask your professor for a syllabus or for an updated/corrected syllabus.

If they do not give it to you, you complain to their department chair. If they ARE the department chair, you complain to the dean.

The reason that a syllabus is important is because it is your contract for the class. It is the document that the professor can hold up and say "you knew you were expected to do this thing, it is in the syllabus" and that YOU can hold up and say "you don't get to give us this assignment, it is not in the syllabus."

A syllabus is NOT just a list of assignments. Your syllabus should include:

Information about required texts.

Contact information for your professor with preferred contact method noted by the professor.

The grading plan for the course (ten quizzes adding up to a thousand points? Two exams, a final, and class participation for 100 points? Three weighted exams? Attendance as 80% of your grade?).

Schedule for major exams/assignments.

The professor's late work and attendance policies.

The add/drop and final withdrawal dates for the class.

The professor's office hours.

The extra credit policy, if any.

A general description of the course and how you can expect the term to go ("there will be twice-weekly video lectures, a monthly knowledge quiz that is ungraded, weekly discussion boards, two major exams, and one research project" "attendance is mandatory and will be a large portion of your grade; there will be two exams and a final" "students will be expected to complete three small research papers and one long essay, as well as take monthly quizzes").

A general description of the types of assignments/exams you'll be completing ("weekly discussion board, 400 words minimum and two responses" "100 question multiple choice exam covering chapters 4-9" "timed essay" "3-5 page essay on subject")

Your professors SHOULD also give you a schedule of assigned readings/lectures/homework with due dates so that you can plan out your term, but that is less important than the syllabus. The syllabus is for your benefit, it is your shield from professors doing random shit like deciding that "actually now the midterm is half your grade" three weeks before the end of the term.

Giving students a syllabus in a timely manner is one of those things that professors HAVE TO do. They don't get to be wishy-washy about it. If you get to the second week of your term and you do not have a syllabus (with the proper dates for your term verified by the professor!) in your hot little hands you should either be complaining to the dean or dropping the class.

I know that dropping a class last minute fucking sucks. I know that scrambling to find something to fill the hole in your schedule or to get your minimum units is extremely shitty. But trust me, it is SO MUCH WORSE to have a professor who changes their schedule or their requirements at will if you don't have a document that you can use to say "this is bullshit."

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new hobbies to try out during covid ✨

During COVID, I definitely feel a lot of boredom and also feel like I’m wasting a lot of time. Therefore, here are some suggestions of hobbies you can try out! You might also have your own interest, which can be history or science, so I would 100% support you to do research and read about them! 

Some more hobbies to try out:

🚴🏽‍♂️Stay active: swimming, running, working out, yoga, hiking, biking, skateboard 🎨Creativity: film-making, painting, origami, drawing, doodling, comic strip creating, photoshop, digital art, DIY, music making, song-writing, knitting, playing new instruments, acting, calligraphy, reusing and recycling materials, redesigning and decluttering your interior 🎧Communication: blogging, writing, podcasting 🧘🏻‍♀️Mental health: journaling, meditation 🧠Mind: chess, coding, puzzling, researching, online volunteering, enrolling in an online class, selling your old stuff online, learning a new language, listening to audiobook and podcast

QOTD: What hobbies do you have?

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25% is better than 0%. trying a little is better than not trying at all. eating a protein bar is better than nothing. using dry shampoo is better than not showering. cleaning one section of your room or house is better than not cleaning any of it. writing a paragraph of your essay is better than not starting it. whatever you can manage today is okay. you can try again tomorrow. little steps are to be proud of.

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You guys have been asking what the process for closing up excavation units. Please keep in mind that it does differ from site to site, and this is just a rundown of the protocols from this project.

Step 1: line the unit with plastic sheeting. This is so that anyone digging in this area in the future will be able to know exactly where we left off. It also makes it easier to remove the backfill dirt if they decide that they want to continue excavating in a future season.

Step 2: fill the unit with dirt. We generally try and designate an area for keeping all of the dirt we remove (after it's been screened for small artifacts). The dirt will always have a higher volume than what you took out because it's no longer compact and compressed. You can see footprints because we stomp on it to try and pack it, if we don't do this the units will sink and there will still be a depression which can collect water or break someone's ankle.

Step 3: slightly overfill the unit. You want around 10 centimeters of extra dirt on top, because all the stomping in the world won't stop the dirt from sinking a little. Congratulations, you are done with this field season. Go cry in the shower.

[sky-studies-anthro]

A brilliant metaphor.

Follow Ramona Flour on twitter @RamonaFlour