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neapolitan 🍨✨

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How to Study Smarter

We’ve all heard the term, “study smarter, not harder.” Especially if you’re an inexperienced studier, you might think that you might have to study all the material at once before an exam. Not only are you wasting your time, you’re harming your chances of actually doing well on an exam. So, how does one study smarter?

1. Don’t miss your classes- Everyone has fallen into the pitfalls of “attendance optional.” Lecture sucks sometimes, especially if it’s lecture slide heavy, but class is the time to ask questions about the material that you don’t understand or need clarification for. 

2. Set aside time every day to review all your notes- This comes down to scheduling and time management. If you’re like me, you have your classes back to back, which makes it more difficult to review directly after class. I like to schedule a time each night to sit down with my materials from the day and review them and make notations of any questions. After a while, you’ll actually know what you’re learning and retain it much better.

3. Revise, revise, revise- It helps to re-write the key points of a class or subject as a diagram. I like using a mind-map or flow chart, or color coding key elements of the topic. Then you can give it a quick glance before you go into an exam. You can check out my revisions post here.

4. Make a study group- I have a whole post on how to master study groups. You can peruse that here.

Tips:

-Use a planner to better manage your time.

- @emmastudies has a whole lot of printable essentials that I like to use to help organize revisions and effectively plan for exams. I use them all the time and put them in the front of my binder and tape them to my wall so I won’t forget what topics need to be reviewed. Check out her page for printables!

-The syllabus is there for a reason, use it to review materials and take notes from the textbook before the topic is taught in lecture. Here is my post on how to take notes from the textbook.

Resources:

How to Study Smart: 20 Scientific Ways to Learn Faster

Study Less Study Smart: A 6-Minute Summary of Marty Lobdell’s Lecture - College Info Geek

Crash Course: Studying for Exams

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It’s been a while since I’ve made a post, and I figured that these tips might be extra helpful with exam season approaching. As someone who struggles a lot with procrastination, I do everything I can to fight the urge to put assignments off until the last minute (even though I’m not always successful). 

As always, good luck! (ᵔᴥᵔ)

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“A Thread of Tips” by Shelby

• #16 is missing but to find out more tips, follow her on twitter; be sure to thank her! 😁

disclaimer: check sites and tips before using at your own discretion.

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@rose-colored-studies

#ref

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ted cruz is gonna kill a supreme court judge

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6.6.18 || I swapped out my iPhone 5c for an iPhone 8 last week and holy crap the difference in camera quality is amazing?? In the past I’ve had to turn the sharpness wayyy up but now those details just appear on their own, without any editing :0

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Hey guys, so I’m nearing the end of my senior year, and it’s been great so far! I accomplished my academic tasks efficiently and didn’t burn myself out, and I think the main contributor to my success as a student is my organization system. This system has been refined throughout my high school years, but I think now I’ve finally found the most effective methods.

Please remember that this isn’t the only organization system you can adopt; this is just the one that works the best for me, and I hope that by sharing it with you, you’ll gain a new perspective on how to stay organized as a high school student.

The first thing I wanna talk about is my notebook system, which I briefly mentioned in my Guide to Note-Taking.

My notebook system comprises three types of notebooks: the Everything Notebook, the subject notebook, and the revision notebook.

The Everything Notebook

The first stage is in-class notes. I only bring one notebook to school every day. I call it my Everything Notebook, and this is where I write down all of the notes I take in class. This way, I don’t have to lug around six notebooks where I’m only going to use a few pages in each of them that day.

Subject Notebooks

At the end of the day, I would revise my notes and compare them to the syllabus so I know where we are in the learning process. I would then transfer my class notes from my Everything Notebook to my different subject notebooks. This is stage two. I also start to jazz up my notes because I use the notes in my subject notebooks to study for tests.

In addition to my class notes, I include material from my teachers’ notes that they might not have elaborated on, as well as points in the syllabus (I’m currently taking A2) that were only glazed over briefly, or not at all, in some cases. (Note: this does not mean they completely skip a chapter or topic; it’s more like they missed a few bullet points that should be in my notes but aren’t. An example would be if we’re learning about phenol reactions and the teacher forgot to mention the use of FeCl3 as a test for phenol.)

Revision Notebooks

Stage three comes a little later, when exam week is just around the corner. Essentially, I rewrite and improve my notes from my five different subject notebooks into a single revision notebook or binder. (Recently, I’ve opted for a revision notebook because they’re lighter and easier to carry around.)

Because my teachers don’t always teach in the order of the syllabus, the first thing I do is organize my notes according to the syllabus. I would then fill in any other missing gaps in the material that hadn’t been filled in stage two.

When compiling material for my revision notebook, I use as many sources as possible: my own notes, my teachers’ notes, youtube videos, online sites, and my favorite, the mark scheme! I add in some answers from past papers (explanations only, so no calculations) mainly to secure marks. It’s safer to memorize definitions straight from the mark scheme than from the textbook or from handouts. I also do this to ease my memorization, especially for topics that require lengthy explanations. It’s a lot easier to remember the 6 points I need to explain the principles of NMRI than to remember everything in the four-page handout my teacher gave me.

Folders and binders are essential to organizing your papers. Some people keep a single accordion folder for all their papers, but for me it’s just too heavy to carry around all the time. The same goes for subject folders that are brought to school every day.

Instead, my binder/folder system comprises my Everything Folder and my subject binders.

The Everything Folder

The folder I carry with me to school every day is this A4 folder I got from Tokyu Hands. It has 5 pockets, one for each day of the week, so all the papers I receive on Monday will go behind the first divider, and so on.

Some people also keep blank papers in their folders; I don’t because my school has its own lined paper and graphing pads that I keep under my desk that I use if a teacher asks us to do an assignment on those papers. If I do work at home, I prefer to just use a plain A4 paper or a legal pad.

Subject Binders

At the end of the week, I’ll sort my papers into my subject binders. Sometimes I’ll keep some papers in the folder if I think I’ll be needing it the next week. This usually only applies to worksheets because all my teachers’ notes are available on Google Classroom, so I can access them even if I don’t physically have them.

Each of these binders have sections inside them:

Physics: 1 for handouts, notes, and tests, 1 for Paper 4 (Theory), 1 for Paper 5 (Practical Planning). I included extra tabs to mark the different topics in the handouts section.

Chemistry: same as Physics.

Economics: 1 for Paper 3 (MCQ), 1 for Paper 4 (Case Study and Essay). A lot of my Economics material is online, though.

English: 1 for Paper 3 (Text and Discourse analysis), and 2 for Paper 4 (Language Topics, which includes 1 for Child Language Acquisition, 1 for World Englishes). Past papers, handouts, and notes all go under their respective topics.

Mathematics: I just keep everything together because I never revise math and just constantly do past papers.

This makes it easier for me to revise each subject because I can just take one binder with me instead of a messy folder with everything just shoved in there.

I keep a magazine file for each of my A-Level subjects (English and Mathematics are combined). All my textbooks, revision guides, and subject notebooks are kept here, so if I need to revise one subject, that’s the magazine file I’ll take out.

These magazine files prevent any small things (like my book of flashcards) from being shoved to the back of my bookshelf, or materials from different subjects from getting mixed up.

In my senior year, I mostly plan using this app called Edo Agenda. It syncs across all my devices for free and has all the features I need: a to do list to organize tasks, monthly and weekly calendars to organize events, a journal to organize notes and memos.

I used to bullet journal regularly, but it takes too much time during weekdays, so now I just bullet journal for the therapeutic effects it gives me, and I use an app for organizing tasks and events. Sometimes at the end of each week, I’ll transfer my tasks to my bullet journal and then decorate the page, but again, this is just for its therapy.

Organizing your school supplies is just as important as organizing your papers and notes. With a more organized backpack and pencil case, you won’t waste time looking for your things at the bottom of an abyss.

Pencil Case

I don’t find it necessary to bring so much stationery to school unless I plan on making notes at school (usually during revision week).

Backpack

Because we’re already in the revision term, I don’t really carry a lot of things in my everyday backpack, just the following:

Pencil case

Everything Notebook

Everything Folder

Revision notebook

Kindle

Phone

Wallet

Earphones

Calculator

Speaker

Drinking bottle

A pouch with things like a hairbrush, pads, and lip balm

And that’s all for now! I hope this post will help you organize your school life (if you haven’t already) or at least provide some useful insights on some ways to stay organized as a high school student.

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Attention studyblrs!!!!

Hey there fellow studyblrs, my dashboard seems so empty and I need some motivation to study now.

Dear studyblrs/lawblrs/langblrs, kindly reblog so that I can check and follow you guys…

Thank you and have a happy cheerful day. 😊

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3.16.18 || F Scott Fitzgerald’s writing writing style is On Point ™

#kenzie i went down your blog looking for good spread layouts and i find this! #this is so choice i love it #god gatsby was a good book

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I was tagged by @thatstudyblr-aesthetic !!!

Name: chase

Star Sign: aries but i am of the firm belief that no stars define me

Height: 5′5.5

Put your music on shuffle. 6 songs: hallelujah by p!atd, killer queen by queen, carry on by fun, my eyes by the lumineers, fat bottomed girls by queen, save me by queen

Grab the book nearest to you and turn to page 23. What’s on line 17?: there are no books in the living room and i don't want to get up im cozy sorry

Ever had a poem or song written about you? not that im aware of!

When was the last time you played air guitar?: i don't know! :0

Who is your celebrity crush? john boyega and oscar issac!

What’s a sound you hate? shouting... deep voices shouting mostly, in general voices that are deep and carry make me uncomfortable. when a man yells oh boy do not dig that

Love?: my dogs misc snorts, yawns, grunts she's so cute when she's vocal

Do you drive? i do not! ill get my permit soon

Last book you read? well the awakening in english, but im currently reading "it"

Do you like the smell of petrol? actually yeah i do! if it gets *too* strong no but yeah!

What was the last movie you saw? it 2017 for the second time with friends!

What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had? spring of my freshman year, i woke up where my back was in incredible pain. i was essentially immobilized for 4, 5 days i think? :0 then had surgery in december

Do you have any obsessions right now? a bit of an obsession with all mcelroys content

Do you tend to hold grudges against anyone who’s done you wrong? yesssss and I need to work on that! im sensitive and i hold grudges

In a relationship? yes with rhys!

I’m tagging: anyone, i don't rlly have followers on this blog (which is fine, i have never put forth the effort)?

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February monthly spreads 🌸🌹🌷🌻🌺🌿 Went with a pinkish floral theme this month!!!

Also my bedsheets matches the theme 😂 using some original stickers I made too :-)

Hope you guys are having a great February :-) chat with me or ask me anything anytime!! 🌞

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1.29.18 || since the semester ended I don’t have school today and wow I have not had a weekend so laid back in forever

ig: kenzie.studies

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the fact that people dont consider game of thrones as “cringey” of a show as doctor who or sherlock is literally just because of how many men are obsessed with it. thanks for coming to my ted talk.

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some journaling ideas

quote of the day / song of the day / thought of the day

what you’re looking forward to this month / year

goals for this month

spreads or lists for favourite films / shows / music albums / books

favourite film / show / music album of the week or month

ongoing projects and work to keep track of

to watch / to read / to listen to list

wishlist

places to visit

letter to your future self / letter to your past self 

movie tickets / concert tickets / polaroids / receipts / stickers / stamps

self affirmations

playlists

five years from now 

tattoo ideas

things to study / learn more about

favourite quotes / lyrics / poems

achievements / accomplishments / places you’ve been and things you’ve done and when 

calming / grounding senses ( favourite sounds, smells, textures, and more )

support websites / phone numbers for reference

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me not doing any of my homework and waiting until the last minute knowing damn well it’ll stress me the fuck out and negatively impact my grade

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(header insp @acadehmic)

Compared to other subjects, math is sometimes very daunting because most of the content isn’t memorization, it’s understanding and applying

Figure out what type of learner you are: this sometimes doesn’t seem very important, especially for math, but it’ll really help with understanding concepts. There are 4 types of learners: auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and reading/writing. Focus your studying efforts on you type of learning and it will really help with the level of ease that you learn and study with

In class

Pay attention: should go without saying, but there’s really no way to learn easily if you don’t pay attention the first time the material is being taught to you. Engage yourself in class by asking questions and taking good notes. If your teacher allows it, recording your lessons can be helpful for auditory learners.

Take good notes: one of the best ways to engage yourself in class is to take good notes. In math you will always want to write in pencil (seriously, don’t do math in pen-whenever I try it takes 4 years off of my life). Trying to do your math notes in pen in class will just make it so much harder for you. Also, make sure to write down any practice problems your teacher does. Write out step by step instructions for the first few problems if you think you’ll forget the process.

At home

Make sure you understand: not understanding mathematical concepts is deadly, especially in higher level math classes. It’s not enough to be able to plug in numbers when told exactly how to do it, but you need to understand how you got to the solution. Learning this can be tricky, so you might need to go to a teacher or a tutor or a friend if you really can’t grasp it.

Memorize what you need to: this means formulas, proofs, laws, anything that you just need to know.

Make review sheets: I find doing this so helpful in understanding concepts. I just make a quick outline of the section with a brief rundown of how to solve each type of problem. I like to do this while looking at my textbook, but making review sheets from memory is a really great way to study. These can be as in depth as basically redoing your notes or as basic as something you jot down quickly on a notecard.

How to study: studying for math is actually not that hard compared to other subjects. To study, all you need to do is do practice problems (a lot of them). Your textbook probably provides a lot of extra problems (and hopefully a key with the answers) for you. Once you understand the concepts this is the only really useful way to study.

Note what you got wrong: after you’ve done some practice problems, write down every single thing you did wrong and why. It might seem like overkill but not only does it prevent you from making the same mistakes, it helps you understand why you made them. The goal is to have all the previous mistakes you made eliminated when you do more problems.

Study a little bit every day: this is the holy grail of math tips!!! Studying a little bit every day will relieve so much stress off your shoulders when it’s the day before a test and you don’t even know what it’s on. Do 15 minutes of problems a day and you will be so much stronger in math, I can almost guarantee. (This 15 minutes can be time spent doing math homework, you don’t always have to do extra!)

Keep practicing topics even after you move on: this is actually something I never do and I regret it every! single! time! The worst case scenario is that you completely forget something that you’ve learned before, which is decidedly not a good thing. Make sure that doesn’t happen to you by not stopping practicing something after you move on. because trust me: in math, nothing ever goes away for good.

Some more stuff

Know how to use your calculator: graphing calculators are truly a lifesaver. and knowing how to properly and efficiently use them will save so much time and stress. From not knowing how to do trig functions to incorrectly putting in scientific notation, not using a calculator correctly can also be a huge pain. Thant’s why it’s super important to know how to use it when you need to.

Look at online resources: if you don’t understand your teacher or you just need a bit of extra help quickly, looking online is your best bet. Some great math websites and apps are:

khan academy

ixl

art of problem solving

mit opencourseware:

Ask for help if you need it: going to your teacher for one-on-one help can be really helpful if you’re struggling. Tutors as well can be really beneficial when you’re having trouble. There’s no shame in having a tutor or getting extra help; do what you have to do to get the grade you want