stickynotesandstress

[stickynotesandstress]

Red Flags in Class Syllabi

Hello, here I am with another post full of advice for university and like most of my posts, it comes from personal experience. A little backstory on this: my first year of university, there was this theatre class I was in where everyone had already become friends or knew each other from high school drama festivals. We always had to do group work where we chose our own groups and I was always alone and did everything in my power to pretend like I wasn’t without the prof noticing. I was miserable and had had multiple panic attacks during or because of that class. However, I was a first year former gifted student who didn’t want to switch classes. I hit a breaking point one night when I was sobbing on the phone to my mom and she made me get up and drop the class. At that point, it was too late to register for one in its place and I am in my third year now, taking 6 courses online during a global pandemic to make up the credits so I can graduate on time. Ever since that experience, if I’ve had any major doubts about a class, I drop it without hesitation as soon as possible so I still have time to register for a new class. In fact, this semester alone, I dropped three classes and switched to new ones. Here are some red flags in course syllabi/things profs say during the first class

1. Group projects. We are in university, everyone, we are paying thousands of dollars for this and we should not be paying that much money for our grades to depend on others. Of course, and this applies to all of the red flags on the list, if the class in necessary for your degree (has happened to me a few times) sometimes you have to suck it up. Still, if you can drop the class without it messing up your degree, I would recommend it, especially right now when most people are fully online because group projects based completely online are even more hellish.

2. If a professor makes a point about how they don’t or hardly ever give As. This one is obvious. These profs like to make shit difficult for no reason and think they’re waaay more important than they really are. Most “I don’t give As” profs that I’ve had have been pretentious assholes.

3. Similarly, if a professor is bragging about how hard their class is/saying that you will likely fail. They are bragging about how bad they are at their job. They are there to teach you and if they advertise that all these people have failed their class, they aren’t trying hard enough. Also usually pretentious as fuck too.

4. If you miss more than two classes, you will fail the class. I’m not talking about profs having attendance policies, that is fine. What I’m referring to is the ones who take it to the extreme. I’ve seen syllabi where profs will fail you, despite all your other hard work, if you miss more than two classes. Like, it’s an automatic fail. It’s not worth the stress.

5. Any class where participation is worth more than 20% (and that’s pushing it). That shit is not fair to the shy students, students with social anxiety, and students who don’t like public speaking. Your work should be the basis for most of your grade, not whatever bullshit answer to class questions you come up with. I’m not a big fan of participation grades in general but to make them worth that much is not ideal (unless you’re not shy and extroverted and don’t have social anxiety, if so, I’m definitely jealous).

6. Workload. I’m not talking about amount of assignments (though if there are a whole lot, you might want to switch, you know what you can handle), I’m talking about readings every week. I dropped a class this semester because the prof said that every week we would have 60+ pages of readings a week which, according to him, wasn’t a lot. These readings for for a polisci class so it was all dense academic articles and government documents (snore) and I didn’t need the class for my degree. When you have a full class load with readings and actual assignments for all of those classes, a class assigning that many pages a week is a red flag especially when the prof doesn’t think it’s a lot. They will pile on the work.

7. Not listing all assignments in the syllabus. This is my pet peeve and I’m in two classes where we don’t know when assignments are due or what they are. This is a red flag as you need to be able to plan assignments and write dates down, especially in university. Surprise assignments and tests are the worst and set students up to fail.

8. Any time a prof/syllabus says “this class will change your life” or some variation of that. These professors are the most obnoxious people and none of the classes I’ve taken that did change my life ever told me so over and over again. 

9. Any class with busywork as homework. By busywork, I mean homework on the online part of the textbook, exercises from the textbook, stuff like that. This is high school level stuff and you don’t learn anything from it. Also because they use the online quizzes that come with the textbook, that means you have to buy a brand new textbook to get that code so there will be no money saving here. I once had to spend $200 on a LOOSE LEAF textbook (they only offered it in that format) just to use the online quizzes. The whole class was like getting in a time machine and going back to high school.

10. If your first class is full of students and your second class has significantly less, that is a warning sign that they might have picked up on something you didn’t. Take another look at that syllabus and pay close attention to the prof that class and make your decision after that. 

11. Check Rate My Professor!!! I cannot stress this enough. Some of the negative reviews are obviously people just mad they got a bad grade, but when students who got high marks are complaining, there is a problem. Take them with a grain of salt until you actually go to the first class, but make sure to read them before class so you know what to look out for. Also, in general, make sure to add your own ratings for profs while you’re there, both positive and negative because it really helps. I go to a really small school so our RMP reviews are limited so I do my best to post about each of my professors to add more. 

12. Know yourself. If you’re first year, this might be more challenging, but you know how you learn best. If all of the assessment methods in a class are things you know you struggle with (multiple choice tests, short answer tests, exams worth 60% of your grade, long papers, research papers, etc.), use your head and make the right decision for you. If you suck at multiple choice tests and force yourself to take a class where that is all you do, it will be hell. If you choose classes based on assessment method, it will help your GPA, I promise you. I get better at selecting courses every year because I learn myself and what I’m best at and I have raised my GPA (not a whole lot, but usually by a decimal point) every semester because I am constantly learning what is best for me. 

#professor red flags #drop the class #dropping classes #syllabus red flags #syllabus #university #uni #university tips #uni tips #college tips #study tips #studying #studyblr #college struggles #college hacks #uni hacks #university hacks

[stickynotesandstress]

I can’t be the only one who is most productive at night, but prefers to take morning classes to get them out of the way so I can enjoy the rest of my day...

#it sucks #uni #university #university life #university struggles #university memes #college memes #studyblr #studying #my sleep schedule is fucked

[stickynotesandstress]

Goals for the 2021 Semester

So, I kind of fell off the face of the Earth, huh? Well, I had procrastinated and put off certain things so badly that I barely had time to eat the last two weeks of November and into the first week of December. However, a new semester starts today and I am back with some of my goals for this final semester as well as my plans to achieve them.

1. Stop procrastinating!!! I’ve been working on this one since I started university and I chip away at my bad high school habits a little bit every year. For this, I’m going to continue my method of writing down every due date in my planner, writing some of the due dates down early but not all of them. That may sound odd, but by doing it this way I can space out due dates and avoid saying to myself that something actually isn’t due until two days from now because I won’t remember which ones are early. 

2. When there is a week where I have no work due, that does not mean it is a week off. This is similar to procrastination but also slightly different. The reason why I was so busy the last two weeks of November was because I had the first week off, it was Reading Week and the second week was also devoid of due dates. This semester I will take advantage of those lulls and work ahead for certain classes, though I won’t work as much as I normally would as an incentive for myself.

3. DO THE READINGS!!! Admittedly, I got better at this one last semester but I still wasn’t doing as many as I should have and it definitely hurt me when writing my final papers. I have ten novels to read for my Young Adult lit class (excessive if you ask me) but I’ve chosen not to read two and bullshit my way through discussion posts on those two. I’ve been reading them throughout the break and I’m almost done. With those out of the way, I’ll have plenty of time to do the readings for my other classes so I’m actually going to do them.

4. Participate more in classes. There are some classes this semester that now require me to speak at least once in class (wonderful for social anxiety in a Teams class full of people I don’t know and have never met since I don’t really have friends at uni). Because of these new requirements, I’ve made it my mission to be more comfortable with speaking in class. I’m one of those former gifted kids but even in my advanced classes in high school I would rarely speak unless I was very comfortable with my classmates and my teacher. It is going to be a struggle, but I’m going to try. Exposure therapy and all that.

5. Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole foods. This isn’t related to school and it is at the same time. When I eat junk food all the time, I feel like shit and when I feel like shit it does impact how I do my work. When I feel like shit, I just want to lay in bed and watch Netflix which isn’t good for any kind of productivity, let alone the massive workload of an Honours student. Last semester, I was so busy that I was going to the kitchen for lunch, finding the first thing I saw to eat, always something unhealthy, and I felt like garbage. In order to implement this plan, I will be meal prepping on the weekends and just reheat the food I’ve made in the microwave that way I can eat foods that make me feel good and be able to eat them quickly so it fits into my busy schedule.

That is about it for this semester. Most of the things on this list are things that I’ve been working towards for years and improving upon every year. Stopping your procrastination takes time and it takes practice, no matter how many tips and tricks influencers say they have to combat it and the same goes for most habits so don’t quit after a few days or weeks because it takes time. Hope everyone has a great (or at least bearable) semester!

#english lit #english honours #english lit studyblr #studyblr #back to school #uni #university #college #studying

[stickynotesandstress]

oh! another exam season mood board

#yep #exams #exams season #studying #uni #university

[stickynotesandstress]

In case anyone is wondering how finals season is going for me, after only getting five hours of sleep and laying in bed awake for three panicking about all the shit I have to do but not actually getting up to do anything about it, I finally got up and got myself a nice, nutritious breakfast of white chocolate chips and iced coffee. 

#is the semester over yet #because i really just want to be able to celebrate christmas and i cant even begin that until my term papers are done #stress #studying #finals season #final exams #uni #university #university life #college #dysfunctional college student #school

[stickynotesandstress]

I honestly think my grades would be so much fucking better if term papers were more spaced out instead of having to write fifty plus pages for all of my classes in the span of a week and a half because every year when I get to this point (despite doing really well all year) I just say ‘fuck it’ and half ass it. 

#distance learning #studying #studyblr #term paper #term papers #stress #uni #university #college #university life #english major problems

[stickynotesandstress]

Harry Potter Paper is Finally Finished!!!

So some of you may know of the paper I’ve been writing for my Harry Potter class since I posted my survey about A Very Potter Musical on here and I’m happy to say it’s finally done and submitted! I don’t have a grade yet and two profs actually teach this course together which means it takes twice as long to get work back. Anyway, some of you expressed an interest in reading it so here is a copy for anyone who is interested to read. It’s only fair since without your survey answers, I wouldn’t have had enough evidence to talk about StarKid for as long as I did lol. Thank you again to everyone who did the survey and shared it, it meant a lot to me. @eliaandarahew I promised I would tag you when I posted the finished product so here you go. Enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11PEQvDqyOoyVC-chVXhNZNFRzEK779J7K4fwIUTHIUA/edit?usp=sharing

#starkid #a very potter musical #avpm #uni #university #college #studyblr #english lit studyblr #uni life #studying #term papers

[stickynotesandstress]

Hey, it’s November and shit sucks, not just in school but in the world at large. If you’re struggling to do your work and find motivation, just know you are not alone. I know term papers and exams are stressful as hell and it can get really overwhelming. Just take a breath, put on your favourite song and enjoy it with no distractions, and get back to what you need to do. Take care and we’ll survive this together, I promise it will be okay. 

#studyblr #new studyblr #studying #uni #university #college #exams #exam season #term paper #term papers #loss of motivation #motivation #reassurance #university life #university struggles

[stickynotesandstress]

Study Tip

This one is a little weird, but it’s actually helped me a lot. So if you’ve been sitting in front of your computer for hours working on school and you still have a ton of work to do, but feel like you need a break, try this. Put on the Cha Cha Slide and take two minutes to do the dance. You don’t even have to get out of your chair if you don’t want to, make it a challenge and try to do it sitting down or slide your computer chair around to the music or get up and do it if you want. Either way, after that, you’ll feel way less stressed out and you’ve been moving around a bit more to get your blood flowing again. Hope it helps :)

#studyblr #new studyblr #uni #university #college #studying #study tips #study tip #take a break #take a breath #school #school tips #cha cha slide

[stickynotesandstress]

Am I writing an entire 10+ page paper on why fanworks are just as valid and important as any other kind of creative work? Yes I am. Does that mean I get to go back through and revisit some of my favourite short films, songs, musicals, and fanfiction for class? Yes it fucking does and I love it.

#fanfiction #studyblr #english lit studyblr #studying #college #uni #university #university life #fanfiction is valid

[stickynotesandstress]

Wow, I am just blown away by the response to this. Thank you all so much for taking the time to fill out the survey, it’s going to help a lot (also some of your answers definitely made me laugh out loud and took me down memory lane). I’ve received well over 50 responses and so I’ve closed the survey for new responses. The StarKid cast members always say that StarKid fans are the best fans and all of the responses I got in a single day from so many of you just proves that again. Some people have expressed an interest in reading the finished paper, so I will be posting it for all to read once I’m done since it wouldn’t be possible without everyone who responded. Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you all so much :)

Hi everyone! I know this is kind of a long shot, but I’m currently working on a research paper for my elective Harry Potter class in uni. It’s about the fandom and how we’ve created so many different forms of media and art in response to the series and I’m focusing heavily on the StarKid musicals. If you’re someone who’s seen or who loves the A Very Potter Musical series, if you could take the time to fill out this survey about your opinions of the series, it would really save me and I would very much appreciate it. It’s all anonymous and everything and shouldn’t take you too long. Again, if you’d like to fill it out, I would be eternally grateful (it’s meant to be ten pages long so I need all the extra information I can get).

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfc_touEC5HLoHPNUIMTl7ukkeoMZmOLiqw0EyD23PW5EqSqw/viewform?usp=sf_link 

[stickynotesandstress]

Hi everyone! I know this is kind of a long shot, but I’m currently working on a research paper for my elective Harry Potter class in uni. It’s about the fandom and how we’ve created so many different forms of media and art in response to the series and I’m focusing heavily on the StarKid musicals. If you’re someone who’s seen or who loves the A Very Potter Musical series, if you could take the time to fill out this survey about your opinions of the series, it would really save me and I would very much appreciate it. It’s all anonymous and everything and shouldn’t take you too long. Again, if you’d like to fill it out, I would be eternally grateful (it’s meant to be ten pages long so I need all the extra information I can get).

 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfc_touEC5HLoHPNUIMTl7ukkeoMZmOLiqw0EyD23PW5EqSqw/viewform?usp=sf_link 

#starkid #team starkid #starkid potter #avpm #avps #avpsy #a very potter musical #a very potter sequel #a very potter senior year #harry potter #fandom #darren criss #joey richter #lauren lopez #joe moses

[stickynotesandstress]

For those of you doing all your courses online this year, how do you combat/relieve eye strain from staring at your laptop for 8+ hours a day? I have bluelight blocking glasses, I’ve had them for years, and without them it’s definitely worse but even with them by the end of the day my eyes are just throbbing and stinging in pain. I swear to fucking god, my vision is going to be permanently damaged because of this shit and that fact alone is pissing me off. So yeah, any tips would be much appreciated because right now, I’m in pain almost constantly.

#online class #online classes #distance learning #online course #online courses #studying #studyblr #uni #university #college #eye strain #new studyblr #english lit studyblr

[stickynotesandstress]

Well I’ve reached the point in the semester where I’m no longer waking up at 8:00 a.m. to get all my work done by 5:00, but instead rolling out of bed at 11:00 a.m. and working for two hours, taking a break (if you can call it that) and returning to my work at 11:00 p.m. and working until three in the morning. And they said online college would be nothing like in person classes...

#studying #staying up all night #staying up too late #staying up late #studyblr #new studyblr #english lit studyblr #college #college memes #uni #university #university life #college life #online classes #online class #distance learning

[stickynotesandstress]

Ah, nothing quite like procrastinating doing an assignment by doing another assignment that isn’t due for weeks. I’ve now trained my procrastination to work with me instead of against me.

#procrastination #procrastinating #uni #university #college #studying #studyblr #new studyblr #english lit studyblr #study #school

[stickynotesandstress]

The Group Project Rant #1 (I just know group members will disappoint me in the future so yeah)

I have this group project that is due in literally 3 days and I got a text last night in the group’s chat that one of our group members has dropped the class and there are now only 3 of us working on it. We can’t have an extension and one other member of our group definitely gives off the vibe that he’s going to fuck us over and not do his share. So it’s just me and one other girl working on a twenty minute presentation that requires enough material for four people to work on it. So basically, once again, FUCK GROUP PROJECTS in university. Also all our classes are online so it’s very easy for people to weasel their way our of doing work compared to if we were in a classroom. I’m an Honours student and I need to keep up my GPA and two major projects in this class depend on this group and I am pissed. My grade should not depend on other people’s effort (or lack thereof) and these people definitely shouldn’t be allowed to gain a higher grade in the course based on the work I’m doing. Ugh. I’m so done. This is my own personal hell. 

#university #uni #college #studyblr #new studyblr #english lit studyblr #group project #group projects #group projects suck #i hate group projects #i hate group work #rant #group project rant

[stickynotesandstress]

28. 10. 2020 // 16/100 Days of Productivity

Today I had a list of things to get done and I did the first three on the list and after finishing making up an extensive bibliography that required a bunch of different types of sources (aka hell), I took the rest of the day off and didn’t finish my readings. And you know what, I stand by what I said in something I posted yesterday: productivity and trying your best looks different every single day. I still got lots done, I just made a to do list that was waaay too ambitious (as usual lol). I also bleached my hair today (I’m split dyeing it and I have long-ass hair so I’ve decided to split the task up so it doesn’t feel too long even though it will take 6+ hours no matter what I do) and watched a bunch of episodes of a show I’ve already seen. I’m going to call that self-care instead of the not-ideal coping mechanisms they are. I could always have worse coping mechanisms and that’s what I tell myself every time I dye my hair instead of dealing with my issues. Anyway, I’m off to listen to my Halloween playlist and work on my original writing for once.

#100 days of productivity #productivity #studyblr #new studyblr #english lit #english lit studyblr #english lit student #uni #university #university life #college #college life #studying #studies