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honeststudying · 7 years

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Part 6 of my Studyblr University Orientation Week.

I see a lot of people on studyblr talking about dealing with stress and anxiety over grades and perfectionism, but not a lot of discussion of being mentally ill and in university/college. So if you’re looking for stress reduction stuff, this post is not for you. This is for my mentally ill peeps.

I just want to preface this with a little disclaimer. This is based on my own experience. I have depression, anxiety, ADD and OCD. I don’t know everything. I still have a lot of trouble coping, particularly with the last two as they were only recently diagnosed. This is just meant to be a few useful tips that might help a little bit.

Go see a therapist. Even if you think you’re doing okay, it’s still good to have that support system there if you need it. Your therapist can also give you coping mechanisms that are tailored to your specific needs. They may also suggest you go on medication or refer you to a doctor who can prescribe it.

If you are taking medication, set a reminder on your phone so that you take it at the same time every day.

Set about sixteen alarms in the morning, starting half an hour before you want to wake up and spread about five to ten minutes apart. If you’re anything like me and have a lot of trouble getting to sleep, you probably have a lot of trouble getting up in the morning. This technique is a lifesaver. Also change up the alarm ~once a month. I find that my body gets used to it after a while and I just sleep right through it.

Register with your school’s disability services. Yes, your mental illness is a disability. They’ll be able to help with accommodations (this could be anything from extra time on exams to extensions on your assignments).

If you think that you might be handing in a paper late because depression is kicking your ass, message your professor at least a week in advance. If you tell them two days before, they’re not going to care. And if you end up not needing the extension, that’s okay. It’s better for it to be there if you need it.

Headphones. Everywhere. People are stupid and loud and it’s overwhelming as fuck. Wear them right up until the prof starts lecturing. Do NOT wear them during the lecture though, your prof will hate you - though you may be able to discuss it with your prof the first week. idk, maybe you have cool profs who get it.

Make a friend in your class that you can get notes from in case you can’t get out of bed. I mean this is good for anyone in case of illness in general, but yeah. Depression. Woohoo.

It’s okay if you need to take a lighter course load because of your mental health. Loads of people do it.

Related: It’s okay if you take 5+ years to complete your degree. You’ll get there.

AD(H)D friends who stim: That’s super great and you totally should. But please do not leg bounce when you’re at a desk that has all the chairs connected to it. You will shake everybody’s seat and distract them. I get the urge to leg bounce (fuck, I’m leg bouncing rn) but please try a different stim if you could. Or bounce gently. Just no earthquakes (no joke, I literally thought it was an earthquake once and was super confused why no one else was panicking. i learned nothing that day, I was so distracted).

Fidget toys are the best things ever and you can use them in lecture (provided they don’t make too much noise because your prof might yell at you for that).

Bathrooms are your new best friend for panic attacks. Hide in a stall and take a few deep breaths to calm down. There’s a lot less noise there and you’re less likely to be disturbed than if you go to a stairwell.

Breathe in for 5, hold for 5, out for 7.

5-4-3-2-1: Find five things in the room that are blue. Four things that are yellow. Three that are pink. Two that are purple. One that is green. You can substitute this with any colours you like. You can also do ones like “think of five things that start with f (and so on)” or “five tv shows that you like, four books, etc.” if you’re somewhere without a lot of colours (or in your handy bathroom stall). Repeat with new criteria or new answers until calm.

If you’ve been crying and don’t want people to know: grab some paper towels, run some cold water on them. Wipe your eyes with them. Pat your cheeks with them. It makes less of a mess than splashing your face will and I find that it helps me a lot more.

Schedule the shit out of your life. You won’t forget important meetings or things like eating dinner (whoops).

Make sure that you give yourself plenty of breaks during the day. Gotta conserve that energy, yo.

Find out when the library’s quietest and grab your books then. Same deal with the bookstore at the beginning of the year and buying your books. Please, the bookstore is scary when it’s busy. Save yourself.

Frozen dinners are cheap, easy to make, and require next to no energy. Same with cereal, ramen, and most pasta. And egg sandwiches (two eggs, hot sauce, and mayonnaise. Best thing ever.).

Great questions to ask the people who sit next to you in class: What’s your name (preface this with “Hi, I’m *blank*”)? What are you studying? Where are you from? How are you liking the class?

If you’re having trouble getting started, try for ten minutes. You may find that it’s easy to keep going after that. Or maybe you’ll need to stop but at least you’ll have gotten ten minutes of work in.

You’re doing great. This is a really hard thing that you’re doing right now, but you’ve got it.

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ashandherstudies · 3 years

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09.09.2021

And were back! Uni has started again and in half-swing. I'm entering my 5th year as a cellular, molecular, microbial biology major! This year is super exciting as I'm starting my honours thesis!!!! I'm working under a genetic counselor doing research in cardiac genetics.

As for classes, well I have none! My only two courses this semester are online, asynchronous. I'm taking Endocrinology (biology) and Solar System (earth sciences). I'm excited for both as I've always wanted to take both of them but never had the time.

Thankfully my campus is fully open, and i live stupidly close to campus so I've been able to take full advantage of the library to do some study work. I'm not looking forward to the self-discipline of online learning, but I'm glad for the schedule freedom

Outside of classes I've gotten to participate I some really cool orientation events, such as leading campus tours, outdoor movie night and trivia!

#studyblr #undergrad #university #study motivation #student #biology #orientation #student life #welcome week #trivia #campus #online #learning

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academiceve · 6 years

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Graduate School Orientation Week Experience

Hello and welcome to a new series on my blog “The Grad School Path with Academic Eve”! If you don’t know much about me, you can read the “About Me” section on my blog but I’m currently living in Amsterdam and starting my masters degree in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Amsterdam! I decided to write blog posts dedicated to postgraduate degree life and application process and answer some of your most frequently asked questions about it! So if there’s a topic that you would like me to cover in this series, please let me know!

This past week included two orientation days - a general international student masters intro day and one organised by my program! I thought I would share what these days were like because they were different from my undergraduate orientation week experience (attending and later organising them myself) so if you’re interested, continue reading!

DAY 1

International Masters Student Introduction Event (28th of August)

The first orientation week event was an introduction to student life in Amsterdam. They gave out useful books made by the student association about life in Amsterdam, as well as academics and where to find information in need of help. The event was run by students and I think most of us enjoyed the Dutch language lesson of key words + phrases! Not sure if I will be learning Dutch myself (because I’m terrible at languages) but it was fun to try nonetheless!

I was able to meet new people not only from my masters program, which was nice and we went out for lunch after the morning event! In the evening we had a social event for our masters program organised by our student organisation and I was able to meet even more new people that will be studying with me! The rest of the week I continued to explore Amsterdam, catch up with some old friends in town, purchase a bike! and await Friday!

DAY 2

MBCS Introduction Day (31st of August)

This introduction day was organised by my program coordinators! The day started of well, I didn’t get lost and found the venue easily! We were greeted by the program coordinators at a welcome table where they handed out information packets and a stress ball shaped like a brain!🧠I think that was everyones favourite touch!😊 We then gathered into a small lecture room for tea/coffee and a chat with our fellow students! It was nice to see familiar faces from Tuesday night but also meet new people!

The coffee break was followed by a welcome message from all of our program coordinators, we also had a student organisation info session about how to get involved with the association! Lunch was covered (although sadly they didn’t have vegan options available) after which we had to take photos and go on a campus tour around Science Park (it was lovely to see the building where we will be spending a lot of time at!). The tour ended at a local student bar where we had a pub quiz and met even more new people!

All in all I would say my orientation days were successful as I was looking forward to meeting people from the program and learning more about what we will be doing in the next two years! Classes start on Monday with a one week intense seminar course and I cannot wait to start studying again!✨

I hope you enjoyed this post about my orientation experience! If you would like to read more from me, click HERE to see other blog posts! You can also follow my studygram HERE for some inspiration!

#eveincollege #written #academiceve #studyblr #gradblr #postgrad #masters #introduction day #orientation #orientation week #the grad path #back to university #university #student #neuroscience #university of amsterdam

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telesun · 3 years

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- ̗ ̀ studyblr introduction ̖ ́-

hey there! the name's z, and i've gone through a few studyblrs in the last four years lol, i'm hoping that this one's here to stay.

my dms and inbox are open, so feel free to talk to me whenever :))

about me.

he/they

asian, desi (not india lmao)

just graduated high school two months ago. i've made this studyblr to track stuff i need to study for uni entry tests!

hobbies.

analog photography

kdramas and anime

rewatching winx club as a comfort show

buying old things and fixing them or trying to, at least

amateur radio

paleontology (jurassic park trilogy enthusiast)

inline skating

drawing

reading fanfics

learning german

goals.

finish the physics course i bought last month

make friends and keep them

go through all the entry test material within min. two weeks

create an adultsona lmao

get into a med-oriented university for a bachelors in surgery or bioengineering idk

obligatory studyblrs-who-i-like tag.

@lovelybluepanda @tbhstudying @emmastudies @fuckstudy @studyblrmasterposts @studyblr @stuhde @studylustre @acataemic @warmhealer @stuhde @hannybstudies @study-fox @sonderstudy @studypetals

#studyblr

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youtooshallpass · 7 years

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How to NOT waste money during freshers' week // freshers' advice series.

Freshers' week can easily end up being the most expensive week of the academic year. With events, society memberships and having to buy all the kitchen stuff you forgot to bring (you forgot sponges, by the way) it all adds up. If you're as unlucky as me, your student loan might not come through until after orientation week, so here's a few tips from me, a seasoned senior, on how to not bankrupt yourself during freshers.

Hold off on society / sports club memberships.

When reinventing yourself at university you might be tempted to rack up as many extra-curriculars as possible. Most clubs and societies will charge a small joining fee so that you can get free access to their events, however, I recommend going along and paying the entry for one or two events before committing to loading your purse or wallet with membership cards for societies you won't bother turning up to or don't like the other members. The same goes to gym memberships- try a gym out for a week or two so that you know it's within a distance you can bother to walk and you can actually motivate yourself to go to. Don't get yourself committed to a three-month minimum contract you'll not use. Don't feel compelled to join the university gym if there are other local gyms closer to your flat.

Only buy tickets for events that you're actually going to go to

Most universities offer some kind of 'Golden Ticket' that will get you into most, if not all of your student union events for freshers' week. Unless you have a liver made of steel and don't plan on getting up during the day all week, don't bother with this. Hold out until general ticket sales, which, yes, does mean risking not getting a ticket for an event, but if you're organised enough about when sales start you should be fine. Pick a couple of events you like the look of rather than having to sell all your left over tickets when you've contracted freshers' flu by Thursday (if it happened to me, it can happen to you).

Find the free food

Freshers' week is every society's best opportunity to recruit first years to their cause. However, if your university has a lot of societies, they need to compete for your attention. This can only mean one thing- free food. Look through the programme events to find pizza nights, picnics and barbecues where you can get fed for free. Obviously, I don't advocate taking advantage of the good will of societies, so don't turn up to anything you don't at least having a passing interest in. However, you might also find that student halls are having lots of events to get students socialising.

Seek out pre-owned books

...but before you do this, check that the reading list you have isn't liable to change before the semester starts. There's nothing more irritating than realising a book you've spent money on has been taken off the list. You also don't need to buy the whole reading list right at the start of the semester because, be honest, you're not doing a full semester of reading the first week. Find out what you'll need the first month and look near campus for charity shops where students might have taken old books. There might also be a facebook group for students at your uni to resell preowned books on the cheap. Your campus bookshop is very possibly the most expensive option you have, so save that for buying fresh copies of books you're likely to need for more than one semester (i.e. if you're a classicist, investing in a good, durable translation of the Odyssey is probably a good shout). You should also e-mail lecturers to ask if an older edition of a book will suffice for a class (it usually will).

Ask older students

Freshers' can often get wrapped up in FOMO-mania and get duped into buying all sorts of things that they think they need. Hunt down some older students and ask them if you really need to buy the university branded gym kit or the expensive edition of a book. They'll be able to tell you if its something they manage without or actually use.

Any questions? Ask away.

#study #studying #studyblr #money #budgeting #university #uni #uni advice #advice #university of st andrews #st Andrews university #freshers #orientation #freshers week

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vale-studies-ir · 3 years

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Hello lovely people!

It seems that life made me take a leave of absence from tumblr. Thanks to all of you who have continued to interact with my page! I'm sorry if I've missed any messages or questions in the time that I've been away. I'm back now and I'll continue to share my journey with you all...

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In order to be able to keep moving forward, I think it's important to accept the past and move on. Accept any of the difficulties that happened, and see them as moments you've gone through that have made you stronger. My way of accepting and turning over a new page will be through this post.

I haven't shared too much information about my studies and how they've been going. My studyblr was very new, and I was using it more as a means for motivation by seeing all the wonderful things people in the community were doing. Little by little, I started to make posts of my own.

So let me formally introduce myself and share my ongoing journey...

My name is Valentina, I go by Vale for short. I jumped from graduating from my BA in International Relations and Political Science in the Spring of 2018 to starting my PhD studies in International Relations the Fall semester of that same year. No break, very smart... I know. That's only just the beginning. I'm not sure how it works abroad, but here doctoral students usually go through most of their studies being funded by a graduate assistantship. This pays tuition and provides a stipend through working as a TA (graduate teaching assistant). Of course they vary across universities and departments. When I was applying to the PhD program, one of my professors advised me not to accept if I was not given funding. There are only a limited number of spots that are given to incoming students each year that will be accepted as a TA.

In March of 2018 I received notification that I was accepted into the PhD program in International Relations at my university, however, the department could not guarantee funding for me. This put me at a loss, and I spend months wondering where this was going and what I would do. Because I'm an immigrant in the US, though I've been living here practically my whole life, I didn't have too many options. My mobility is constrained.. my access to scholarships is constrained (even though I may qualify for them in terms of academics and merit, migration status trumps over all of it). I was lost, to say the least. My family can't afford to have paid for this program or a Master's program out of pocket, and I am not able to take out student loans even if I wanted to.

Regardless of this all, I still attended the incoming graduate student orientation; which surprised the outgoing graduate program director. She did not think I would show up, considering the whole funding predicament. She and the new GPD told me that they would try to find something for me. On the first day of class, I showed up, still not knowing what would become of this situation. Not knowing if I would actually get to start the semester or not. We are usually given a week to pay tuition - because of status, I am considered an international student so my tuition came out to nearly $10,000 for three courses. That day, out of nowhere, I was told that the dean of our school (School of International and Public Affairs) was looking for a graduate assistant for new projects that he wanted to work on. In the span of a few hours, I ended up interviewing with him, being told that they would let me know because there was another student they were considering, and later being called and told that I got the position. I was ecstatic. I called my parents in tears. This was actually happening; I was actually going to be able to start my PhD.

It all happened so fast. It all seemed so exciting. The dean seemed very enthusiastic and pleased that I would be working with him. Things eventually took a turn for the worst...

Transitioning into graduate school itself is extremely difficult. Many graduate students find themselves experiencing heightened stress and strain on their mental health. I did not give myself the space to transition into graduate school without the added stress of being a doctoral student, without the added expectations. On top of that, the dean had not had a graduate assistant before. This was new for him too. The expectations of me were blurred and my contract would only last for a year to be considered for possible renewal (the typical TA contract in my original department lasts 4 years), this led to disaster. I needed this position to continue to fund my studies, so I needed to make sure that I was on top of my work expectations. Because these expectations were unclear, the dean's secretary took advantage. It seems they were short staffed, and I was given administrative tasks that did not belong to me. I was made to come in to the office for strictly 20 hours a week. (Our contract states that we work up to 20 hours a week). If I was ever sick and missed a day, that would be added onto the hours for the next week. So if I missed a day where I was supposed to be in the office for 5 hours, I'd have to be there for 25 hours the following week. A breach in the contract, I know - but who was I, a lowly student, against the dean? This office (a shared space) was not a place where a person could focus on studying. There were students coming in and out, loud conversations occurring, and having to see if the actual student employee in charge of taking phone calls was at their desk - if not, I would have to man the phone. While I was doing administrative tasks for the dean's secretary, the dean was having me create themed presentations and CO-LECTURE with him. Me, a person who had been an undergraduate student only months earlier. I had to create these presentations from scratch and know all of the material. All of my focus had to be on this. My performance in my own classes and mental health declined quickly. I could not focus, I could not get my reading assignments done, I felt unprepared. I felt like a failure.

After a year, I realized that it was not worth to have my tuition paid for if I could not focus on my classes and was set up for failure. It took a lot, but ultimately I turned down the contract renewal. Here comes the fun part. My GPA dropped tremendously. I graduated Magna Cume Laude just a year before. I developed depression and didn't realize it; to the point where a friend practically made me go to counseling. The office manager at my actual department knew what I was going through. I had shared a lot of my experience with her. She advocated for me. Because of this, I was told that there was a student who had been awarded an assistantship for the incoming Fall 2019 semester, but had decided not to take it. The contract was going to be made for me instead, for not 4 but for 5 years since I had only come in with a BA degree. When they ran it through the associate dean's office... it was denied. My GPA was lower than the threshold. A LOT lower. I was told by the GPD - the same woman who had just started her position that said she would help me, the woman that had gone on maternity leave during that whole year after she started meaning she was not aware of the situation - that I should really take my studies more seriously. She received a very long email from me and apologized afterwards, to say the least. Nothing could be done.

I had no funding, only savings and ended up working Full Time in Fall of 2019 in order to try to pay for 1 course, that costed me a little over $3,000. Somehow, even though I strongly considered it, I managed not to drop out. By this time, the majority of the courses I had taken before had INs - incomplete grades. Two of them had automatically turned into Fs. Things were not okay.

I got a bit of a mental break during that Fall semester. I worked in a friendly environment. The office manager pulled some strings and let me work as an office assistant there... so I was still at my department, but working as staff. It was a little awkward. I'm eternally grateful to her, she became a close friend. And because of her, someone at another department got word that there was a graduate student who needed funding.

This office manager was good friends with a recently graduated phd student from our department who is now working for a different center in the university. Because she was part of my department, many of my current colleagues know her, and are good friends with her. We spoke, I rushed to get my GPA up to the 3.0 threshold and with the help of my professor's I was able to be awarded an assistantship with that center. I started in December of 2019.

Again, I was ecstatic. Things were looking up. When I went in for the first time, I immediately felt a huge difference. It was a smaller, more homey place; and a lovely environment to be in. The people there were sweet and caring. I've gotten along with the few professors I've had the chance of meeting and working with.

Where did it start going downhill? The professor that recommended me (graduate from my home department) continuously requested that I work with her. Her reason being that I got along better with her (something that I was not aware of). Because she considered herself as my friend, professional lines were horribly blurred. I found myself doing additional work for her as a "favor for a friend." She then started having us meet multiple times a week for hours - distracting from the time I needed to actually get work done. This center does not cap classes - I've had to grade for up to 400 students in one semester. The meetings she scheduled were incredibly unproductive, and I found myself having to take extra time to get the grading done. Again, my own studies were effected. The past academic year went on like this. I ended up assisting in creating a new course and new assignments from scratch.

Later I noticed that something was wrong. I was doing way more work than stipulated by my contract. She was giving me access to her courses that I was not assigned to grade for. Instead of assisting for one course in the semester (the one with the highest enrollment), I was assisting for three. This was constantly under the guise of 'friendship'. How was I supposed to reject my 'friend'? When I tried to draw professional boundaries, I was met with resistance.

My mental health declined again in the fall and I missed a few of her scheduled meetings (meetings which she said were NOT mandatory). Because of this, she decided to throw me under the bus with the director and making it seem as if I was not actually working - when I was addressing students' needs and getting grades in. This worsened in the Spring. With the help of my counselor I finally got the courage to communicate with her. Albeit through text, because she's the type of person that does not allow you to get a word in during conversation.

"On that note, there’s something I’ve wanted to talk about. I’ve been struggling with concentration and fatigue. This is something that I’ve been working on with my doctor to try to find solutions. I’ve noticed that being in Zoom meetings in general where there’s casual conversation makes it exceptionally difficult for me to focus on what I’m trying to get done. This has been problematic in the work zoom meetings. You probably have noticed I seem really quiet, that is because I’m trying my hardest to focus.

I need to be able to focus during the time I’m assigned to work as a GA. Otherwise, I must take more time to complete tasks that normally wouldn’t take up that long or just wait until the weekends to finish them. That is conflicting as I have set that time to work on class assignments and my own projects. So in the end I end up falling behind and not working well because my productivity levels are being affected."

She seemed to understand me and be supportive. Then I noticed coldness, and condescending passive aggressive texts from her part.

I realized that I could not do this any longer. I could not allow myself to continuously be taken advantage of. Both of the people I've worked for were aware of my vulnerable situation due to migration status. They both knew that it was not easy for me to pay for my studies through any other means. My studies depended on these people, and if they 'liked' me. They abused and absorbed my time to the extent that my studies suffered tremendously.

But I finally stood up for myself. I spoke with the director and she affirmed that my concerns were valid. Time and time again she assured me that my studies should always come first. She supported me. I will no longer be assigned to work with this person.

I finally feel heard.

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It's been 3 years since I started my program. A lot has happened in this time. I have a lot of catching up to do this summer if I want to stay on track and take my comprehensive exams by the end of the year. But someone finally heard me, acknowledged the wrongdoings and helped me.

Don't let people walk over you and take advantage of you. I'm learning this the hard way.

Speak your truth.

#my story #my phd story #experiences #struggles #growth #don't give up #don't silence yourself #share your story #speak your truth #long post #studyblr #phdblr #phd studyblr #phd student #gradblr #grad student #stand up for yourself #keep moving forward

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maisazs · 3 years

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The First Chapter Of Many

Hi!

My name’s Sarah and I’ve decided to create a blog to document my study journey as I enter university. I’ve been in the studyblr community since highschool and its has been one thats motivated and inspired me a lot. It didnt cross my mind to create a new one for my degree but after looking back at some of the posts I had written during my A-Levels, I realise its so precious to document it. I felt so proud and had a moment of reflection reading those posts.

Anyways, as mentioned, this blog will revolve around everything university and degree life. I’m so excited to embark on this journey! There were many ups and downs to get where i am but I am beyond happy to announce that I’ll be studying biomedical science over at my first choice uni!!!!

Funny personal thing regarding this uni is that it was never my first choice. I had seen it a few times whilst on the highway before but it has never occured to me to check it out before. But one day, my head of department in college had suggested the uni and said nothing but good things about it. I can be rather stubborn and if i had set my mind for anything, I’ll work for it. But I thought there can be no harm in me checking it out. It’s not like i had secured a place at my then first choice uni since i havent even done my AS yet. It’s safe to say it was love at first site?! I navigated through the website like a madman trying to find faults in anything,something. I was so impressed with the programmes they offered as well as the number of partner universities. One of the partner uni is my dream overseas school, by the way! So that was definitely one of the main deal breakers for me. Besides that, the facilities as well as the things offered for students were really eye catching. Yes, love at first sight but it did take me some time to properly consider it and have it become my first choice. Weighted the pros and cons between all my desired unis anddddd here I am. A student at what was eventually my first choice, doing the degree in the her dream field.

Only after getting accepted did I find out that one of the people who inspired me to be where I am right now is an alumni there too. And then, I found out that two fifths of the doctors who’ve ive been working with are also alumni of the same uni. I knew from there onwards that I definitely chose the right uni. Because I have immense respect towards these individuals and to be in the same uni feels pretty good. Once again, my guts are never wrong haha.

I have been rather unfortunate to be starting uni, one of my biggest milestones yet, during a pandemic. I believe theres always a silver lining behind everything so im positive about this. Anyways, orientation is set to be online. Classes on the other hand, as for now, no news yet.

i start uni in 2 weeks!!!! so excited but scared as to how it’ll all work out since its most probably gonna be online for awhile.

This is the start of something new. I pray things will go smoothly and that i’ll be surrounded with good people.

Till my next post,

see ya!

#studyspo #studyblr #medblr #biomed studyblr #biomed #biomedicine #biomedical #biology #cheimistry #physics #alevels #a levels #a level maths #a level chemistry #a level biology

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hippocampus-studies · 5 years

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Hi maybe this is random but im in college and i am so stressed and anxious. How do you overcome study anxiety and the fear of failing. I feel so scared of doing badly and being stupid that i cant do anything sometimes. It feels like a self fulfilling prophecy. Any advice would help thanks✨

Hey!

I’ve dealt a lot with study anxiety over the years, and I know what if feels like to be paralyzed with the fear of failing. It seems like the cycle is pretty universal: you’re scared that you’re going to fail so you have trouble starting whatever you need to do which just makes you more scared and anxious than before. It’s something I’m still trying to work through, but I have some things I’ve picked up that have helped me.

Have realistic expectations of yourself

Fear of failing has a root in perfectionism. I think college is especially rough for perfectionists because the unfortunate truth is just about everyone fails once or twice in college. I’ve done so more times than I care to admit, and what I’ve realized is that it’s really easy to fall into all-or-nothing thinking about classes. Being 100% perfect and “on” all the time is not realistic, nor is it helpful to completely shut down when things begin to get difficult. Finding some sort of middle ground is not always easy, but I promise it’s achievable. For example maybe you have a bunch of things you need to get done today but they’re all difficult and you can’t figure out which one to do first, and the next thing you know it’s 8pm and you’ve gotten none of them done. Next time that happens, try to rank your to-do list in terms of what needs to get done right away, and what tasks are easiest/fastest to do. Start with the easy tasks to get momentum and then try and do at least one of the urgent tasks. That way even if you only get half of your to-do list done that day it still ends up being more than if you hadn’t started, and it’s likely that it’ll seem more manageable at that point.

Reach out for help

College has the deceptive ability to make you think that everyone around you is doing fine (especially if you’re in a competitive major or program) but I promise that you’re not the only one of your friends or classmates that is feeling this way. If you have peers in your life that you feel comfortable talking to about this, it can be extremely helpful to know that you are not alone in how you’re feeling. My only caveat is not to fall into what I call the Stress Olympics, which is where you and your stressed-out friends go around and try and compete to see who is the most stressed/under the most pressure. It’s not a helpful thing to do, and while venting to a trusted friend or friends can be great sometimes, if you catch you and your peers trying to one-up each other to see who is the most busy or who has had the least amount of sleep, you’re just going to end up making all of yourselves more stressed and worried than when you started.

It’s also worth it to talk to professors or school counselors. A lot of colleges offer counseling/life coaching, and most of them have been trained specifically to help with student-oriented issues (test anxiety, overcoming perfectionism, etc.).

Talking to professors can also be helpful! Most have had students that have felt overwhelmed by the workload or the subject matter, and most are also much more likely to work with you in terms of extensions for papers, extra tutoring, etc. if you go and talk to them in person. I know it’s really scary, (I still get nervous every time I go to office hours if I’m being honest) but most professors genuinely want to see you succeed in their class, and the more you’re open with them the more they’re willing to work with you.

Organization!

Okay I know there are about a million organization masterposts on studyblr so I won’t go too much into it, but there a couple things I’ve found to be very helpful. I’ve noticed that I end up getting more overwhelmed when I find dates for exams and projects creep up on me unexpectedly, so I have a set of calendars printed off (just from google, nothing too fancy) and the only thing I put on them is when all of my quizzes and exams are, when my projects are due, and other relevant dates for the semester (holidays, days off, etc.). I check it once a week when I put my weekly schedule together so I’m never caught off-guard by quizzes and exams that are a couple weeks down the road.

The other thing I do is make sure all my papers for my classes are organized. I have a pending box on my desk, and every couple of days I go through the papers in them and either recycle them or put them in a binder for the respective class. That way all my study material is in one place, and I’m not sifting through other classes when trying to study or work on a paper, nor do I lose papers at the bottom of my backpack.

Take care of yourself

Another thing that can lead to the paralyzation of procrastination is burnout. Taking care of yourself is incredibly hard in college, but it’s also one of the most important things you can do. Self-care usually falls into three broad categories:

Physical—this is usually what people think about when it comes to self-care: eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep. The important thing to remember is that physical self-care looks different depending on the person. Not everyone has the energy to work out every day, and some people need more or less sleep than others. The important thing to do is listen to your body, especially when it comes to sleep—neuroscientists have shown that sleep is imperative for cognitive function like memory, so I would always advise getting the extra few hours of sleep instead of trying to cram in a little more studying.

Mental—taking care of your mental health is one of the most important things you can do to avoid burnout, but I also think it’s one of the hardest things to do. Humans are not machines; we cannot be switched on 24/7, and we need time to do things beside studying or working. My advice is to try and do at least one thing a day that you would classify as taking care of your mental health, whether it’s taking a 20 minute study break to watch rip vine compilations on youtube or taking an unplanned nap in the middle of the day. If you have some sort of a creative outlet like drawing or singing or cooking, it’s a great idea to try and carve out a little bit of time every week (even if it’s just half an hour) to express yourself creatively.

Social—whether you consider yourself to be more introverted or extroverted, spending time with people you care about is imperative to avoiding burnout. Finding friends in college can be hard, but I know that a great way to find people with common interests is to join clubs—specifically clubs that aren’t about your major or career. I’m in a voter advocacy club despite the fact that I’m a STEM major that will not academically benefit from being in the group. What’s infinitely more important is that I have a time once a week where I get to talk with friends about a subject that brings me joy and passion without ever bringing up my major or classes. Finding a group like that, whether it’s a friend group or a club or an intramural sports team, is going to help you in the long run far more than that extra hour of studying a week.

Just get started

This is the hardest thing on the list, in my opinion. The reason that studying anxiety can lead to procrastination is the mindset that you have do whatever you’re doing perfectly or it isn’t valid at all, and I can’t put into words how important it is to try and break that mindset. Just starting something, even if it isn’t perfect, or even if it’s starting to study later than you’d rather, is so, so much better than doing nothing. The moment you try and start doing what you’re doing, even if it isn’t perfect, is the moment you start to beat the perfectionist/procrastination mindset.

It’s easy to fall into the anxiety➡procrastination➡working too hard to make up for what you missed➡burnout➡procrastination cycle, but one of the best ways to break out of it is to not be too hard on yourself if you get anxious or procrastinate. Remind yourself that you’re human and you’re allowed to be imperfect. If you make mistakes or procrastinate along the way, make sure to speak gently to yourself—being unnecessarily harsh with yourself is only going to hurt you in the long run, and one of the best things you can do for yourself is to do your best to be kind to yourself.

These are just some things I’ve picked up over the last couple of years. If anyone else has something I missed please feel free to add it, but otherwise keep ur head up bby!! College is hard but I promise you’ll get through it 🌱

#i know how ur feeling anon i've been there before #but you're not alone and you can get thru it !!#my stuff #study #studyblr #studyspo #motivation #study motivation #studying #college #university #mental health #also I'm always around if you want someone to talk to :)

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cyclicstudies · 6 years

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So after getting the chance to catch up with some friends from high school, I realized I needed to reassure myself, like yes Sy you’re not lame for never going to a college party once this entire year. And even at college, you’re going to meet so many people who just socialize differently, and everyone’s ways of having fun are insanely cool~ Here’s how I got through my first year at college!

You really don’t have to go to a party. I didn’t b/c I was just really afraid of going without a group of pals I 1000000% trusted. The alternative? Grab a few friends and have a movie night in your dorm! My super close friend from middle school actually had a roommate who invested in some type of projector, and it just sounds AMAZING. Of course, dog-piling on a twin-sized bed with your laptop streaming Netflix is just as fun and hella cozy.

Orientation week still gives me war flashbacks. After the first two days of forcing myself to talk to people, I figured it just wasn’t me and I didn’t want to come off as inauthentic (my brain goes into interview mode when I’m forcing myself to make friends with very random people-- no clue why). Your safest bet is to go for small talk during that awkward week, and then really get to know people in your classes. It’s easier forming bonds with people you see consistently anyway. Plus you’ll have a new study buddy system.

Not sure how to start a convo? No worries-- I absolutely suck at it. I always cringe when I’m just randomly going up to people and saying “hi I'm Sy what’s your name?” I mean, it makes sense to do that, but then it might just lead to awkward small talk. If you’re looking for other ways to start a convo with someone, maybe offer a compliment! It makes everyone happy and there’s so many ways the convo can take off after that.

Studyblr pals-- study groups are very fun. I personally feel like I can get super open and honest, both in terms of how lost I am on the subject matter and like sometimes even losing my mind and having real talks about what the heck I’m doing with my life LOL-- it’s honestly how I made some of my closest friends so far this year.

Follow through with dinner plans! It’s literally so easy to just text someone and be like “hello my dear, are you up for dinner at [insert your fav dining hall]??” Cute lil anecdote: everyone in my Spanish class was freaking out about this online homework system process, so after I helped a girl out, we just randomly decided to get food together. So guess what? We always made sure to meet up in front of our dorm hall 5 min before dinner once a week-- she’s such a sweetheart and honestly one of the few people I was able to open up to so quickly.

While we you’re on the topic of food lol, try getting breakfast with a friend from your first class of the day. Sure, it’s tempting to just run out ten minutes before class so you can grab a bagel on the go, but I swear doing this breakfast date at least once a week will feel amazing!! You’ll get to enjoy the first meal of the day and walk into class all energized for participation.

Consider joining small clubs! Hey y’all, I am hella shy, and I easily freak out when a club is like the size of a lecture hall (ahem pre-med societies). That’s why I joined a small singing group for beginners at my university, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made! Everyone had such unique stories to share and I felt so loved and recognized-- I really wouldn’t have met these amazing people otherwise!! And guess how much more bummed I would've been!!

Wanna have fun at 2am before finals? Grab pizza and cry over how insane life has been! Another great bonding experience-- great for the bullet journal

And most importantly, be you! Everyone’s just as timid and nervous and whatever, even if some people are better at hiding it than others. The more you convince yourself that y’all are all on the same boat, the easier it’ll be to actually have a real convo.

Thank you my dudes this has been a PSA from yours truly ✌🏽

#studyblr #long post #guide #helpful tips #ref #socializing #social life #college #friends #making friends #mine

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optomstudies · 6 years

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new year’s resolutions ideas masterpost

Hey everyone! Here’s a masterpost of resolutions to give ou a bit of inspiration! Make this year one of change and improvement! Best of luck!!

Remember that it’s always best that you take these ideas and make the goals specific to you by making them SMARTER:

Specific - no ambiguity

Measureable - it’s quantifable and trackable

Action-Oriented - there are steps involved

Realistic - it’s something within your reach if you apply yourself

Timebound - there’s a time limit to motivate you to reach it

Economical - it shouldn’t be at the expense of your personal, financial and social wellbeing

Rewarding - it’s meaningful to you and gives you deep satisfaction

e.g. not just “become thinner” but “lose 5kg in 10 weeks by doing moderately-vigorous exercise for half an hour 5 times a week so that I can fit into my favourite dress again”

Health, Fitness and Beauty

“maintain fitness and healthiness”

lose [X] kg of weight in [X] months

reduce/cut out junk food from your diet

eat healthier main meals

join the gym / hit the gym at least [3] times a week for 52 weeks

hit a step count of [10000] every day

eat 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables everyday

eat more fresh food / cook your own meals [6] days a week

eat out a maximum of only [once] a week

gain [X] kg of weight and maintain it for [X] months

quit smoking / heavy drinking

meditate every day

stick to your morning and night skincare routine

stop blowdrying and start air-drying your hair more often

try to drink only [1] coffee everyday

finally master the winged eyeliner

be a bit more experimental with your makeup

try rocking that [purple lipstick] look

dye your hair a beautiful colour

wake up before [9am] every day

get [x] hours of sleep every night

Life Fulfilment and Happiness

“live life to the fullest” - whatever that means to you personally

say yes more often to party invites

try joining a new hobby club e.g. photography, yoga, painting, etc.

stick to your habits for more than 90% of the days in the year

try not to stress about [family, school, work, etc.]

practice mindfulness each day

schedule 1 mental health day each month for disconnecting and destressing

travel to [country] this year

travel to every continent this year

take more road trips

explore your home city

read a self-improvement book

learn to love yourself more

don’t beat yourself up when things don’t go to plan

actually be the girl/guy in those tumblr aesthetic posts

Family and Friends

keep in touch with your college/university friends

get back in contact with your high school friends

spend more quality time with your family

call your parents at least once a fortnight

make X number of new acquaintances online this year

join a club and make at least one new friend this year

Academic and Career Goals

get a 4.0 GPA / get straight As / get a D or HD WAM for the year

apply for X number of scholarships this year before [deadline]

learn conversational [language] by the end of the year

aim to get your research published in a journal

revise once a week for your finals

form/join a study group

read [100] books this year

revamp your study space and make it a place for learning

get into your dream university

graduate from high school/university

pass all your exams this year

raise your grade average by a whole letter

improve your handwriting

apply for X number of jobs by [March]

go to at least 5 networking events this year

rewrite your resume/CV

get a promotion or a raise

get accepted into an internship

Financial Goals

track your spending and create a budget to take control of your finances

spend less money on expendables and non-essential items

spend less money out with friends

save money for travelling overseas

save up enough money for a car

spend less on buying new makeup e.g. only buy new eyeshadow when you hit the pan

Organisation

“be more organised”

stop coming late/forgetting about dentist/doctor/optometrist appointments

get all your [scholarship/job] applications in before the deadlines

“stop procrastinating”

grow a full forest in the Forest app

hit [20] pomodoros a week

clean your room (finally)

Volunteering and Charitable Acts

save enough to donate at least $[X] to charity this year

do a giveaway

sponsor a child through a charity

join a volunteer group

Creative Goals + Hobbies + Miscellaneous

set a goal for your hobbies, whatever they may be!

make your own website

buy a domain name

practice a musical instrument every day

watch 10 tv series this year

expand your music taste and spectrum

get drivers’ licence before starting college

get your book published

get [1000] hits on your fanfiction

hit [1000] reblogs on a single tumblr post

get X followers in a month

hit ‘000 followers

post to [instagram] once a day/week/month

make a [studyblr] post once a day/week/month

enter a photography competition

draw every day

paint every week

write a song

press [100] flowers

etc

Enjoy! Feel free to add to the list and personalise the resolutions!

#mymp #studyblr #studyspo #study tips #university #high school #college #hermionegoals #educatier #morningkou #emmastudies #etudiance #studyplants #obsidianstudy #highlighteurs #studyblrs get real #kpopstudynet #small studyblr network #optomstudies

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honeststudying · 7 years

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Hey y’all! So this is the first post of what I’m calling my Studyblr University Orientation Week. For the next week I’ll be making a post a day filled with all sorts of university advice, similar to what you may get from your university’s orientation week but minus all of the glam and attempts to impress you with how amazing your new school is. The subjects will range from what to expect out of dorm life, to how to cope with mental illness, to how to deal with your first day of class.

This first post is partially inspired by a post that @academicsapphic made about a month or so ago called “Things I Would Tell My Freshman Self.”

So to all you little university freshmen, here’s some things to expect from your first year or so of university (based on my own experiences as a History major)

The debate over written vs typed notes will be overdone and drive you up a wall. Different things work for different people in different majors or in different courses. You will get tired of people telling you that you are taking notes wrong and will want to break your laptop over their head or shove your notebook down their throat. You won’t though. Good job.

You will have a class that you absolutely hate. It could be because of a terrible professor or boring material or annoying classmates, whatever: you hate this class. You never want to go to it and you suffer through your coursework for it. Depending on how bitter and petty you are, you will either do the minimal amount of work required and just pass the course, or you will work crazy hard and get a 90% just to spite them all.

You will have a class that you absolutely adore. It could be that the professor so clearly loves the material that it makes you love it or it could be that it’s an elective that you weren’t expecting to love this much. You will find the work easy and interesting and be able to get it done on time without a problem.

You will stay up until 3 in the morning working on a research paper in tears, hating it, your professor, yourself, anyone that comes to mind. You will be running solely on panic and will be anxiously chugging water and shoving junk food in your mouth just to stay awake.

The library will send someone to talk to your class about research for your papers. They’ve sent the same guy to every single one of your other classes. You’ve seen him fifteen times in the past year and he’s said the same thing every single time. You still don’t know how to do good research.

You will get sick and miss two weeks of class because you feel like you’re dying. Catching up on work will be hell and you will question why you’re doing this.

You will miss class because of period cramps. You’ll think to yourself that it’s a stupid reason to miss class; your friends all push through and go. It’s not a stupid reason. Some people have worse cramps than others.

You will miss class for an actually stupid reason. You’ll know that it’s a stupid reason while you do it. Keep these to a minimum.

You will begin to notice that some people don’t care about class but still show up. They typically sit in the back and talk all class. You will wonder why they bother to show up if they’re not going to pay attention. Ignore them. They will disappear after first year (mostly).

You will hate everyone who sits in a left-handed desk with a laptop.

You will get way too into a television show/book/movie series/podcast/etc during finals.

You will be excluded. You will feel like you don’t belong and like you’re all alone here miles and miles away from home.

You will be included. You will feel like you’ve come home and found a second family even if you have to be separated from your first one.

You will hate the science students who take arts courses because they have to but spend the entire semester bashing on how stupid the professor is and how useless the course is. You will want to turn around and yell at them. You won’t.

You will love the science students who take arts courses and take it seriously. You will love them even more when they think you’re a genius because you understand the course and they don’t.

You will be the arts student in a science course and remember why you did not take science. It’s the math. Maybe that’s why the science students are so cocky: they have conquered the great evil and know how powerful they truly are.

You will have friends from all sorts of different majors and be amazed by how smart they all are. They are all doing things that you could never do. You will not know this, but they are thinking the same thing about you.

You will learn that different people really do have trouble with different things and it wasn’t just that you were stupid in high school. The zoology major that you thought was so smart for knowing how to balance an equation will ask you for help with their essay and you will find out that they’re struggling solely because they didn’t do any research before beginning.

You will have a professor that you absolutely love and adore but the rest of the class hates. You will wonder why the entire semester, only to find out afterwards that it was because they were too stupid to listen to what she was saying.

You will have a professor that you absolutely hate but that everyone else adores. You will never understand it.

You will wonder if the boys notice that they only ever hate the female professors.

You will have a TA that is the bane of your existence and who will take off marks from you for no reason other than that he didn’t like you. You will think about how much you dislike him often.

You will have a TA that puts all other TAs to shame. You will miss them after the semester’s over and you’re stuck with the TA from hell.

You will learn that the Freshman Fifteen is real and it will happen to you and that’s okay. Eating healthy is good, and your body will thank you when you put an apple into it after eating nothing but fries for two days, but it’s also okay to go and grab chicken fingers from the dining hall at ten at night because you’re stressed about your paper that’s due tomorrow.

You will meet amazing people from all different walks of life and learn more about yourself and the world than you could ever believe possible.

You will think that you are the stupidest person in the world. You will think that there is no way that you can do this, that you should just quit and go home now.

You will think that you are the smartest person in the world. You will look at a mark that you worked hard for and think that of course you can do this, you were silly for ever doubting yourself.

You will fail a course. It’s okay. Buy a bunch of junk food, cry and feel sorry for yourself for a bit. But then it’s time to keep going because

You will do this. I believe in you.

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bonduniversity · 7 years

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How to Make Friends - From a Perspective of an International Student

If you are someone like me who came here without knowing anyone at all, you know you need to make friends. Even if you came here with friends from home, you still probably want to make new friends, from all over the world.

If not, you miss half of the fun being overseas!

BUT HOW?

Here is what I did, and I am happy with the result (find me in the pictures, if you can :D).

How to Make New Friends at Bond?

1. Make the most out of Orientation Week

It’s the perfect time to meet new students who are just as keen to make friends.

Bond Orientation Week is packed with fun activities and it gives you heaps of opportunities to start a conversation with someone who can potentially be one of your closest friends. You can talk to the people nearby in the queue for registration, for example, or introduce yourself to those who are also in the Campus Tour.

The point is: Everyone is new, timid, and secretly hoping to make friends. Therefore, whoever is willing to start the conversation is always welcomed.

So, just go to all the events at Orientation Week and start talking.

2. Get to know your classmates

Whatever class you are taking, you will have classmates. They are the ones you are likely to see every week for around four months, so it makes absolute sense to try to make friends with them.

Short breaks in classes, group projects, in-class interaction, outside class catching up, just to name a few cases where you can start building the friendship.

Because you are taking the same class, you are probably going through similar pleasure and pain, if any; then you don’t have to worry about not having a topic.

3. Join students societies (or go to gym classes)

I would be genuinely surprised if you can’t find a student society at Bond that aligns with your interest. Once you’re a member of one or more student clubs, you will be invited to many group gatherings and fun events. All you need to do is showing up with a big smile, an open mind, and be ready to make friends.

Student societies are a good place to make friends who will have mutual interests with you, so you will always have topics to talk about. Isn’t it great?!

Even going to the gym group classes can make a different - Trust me on this because that was how I did it.

I met a German friend of mine while waiting for a yoga class. She later introduced me to her international friends circle and these people became some of my closest friends (those in the first picture at the beginning of the post).

So, what did I do exactly to make friends with her outside the yoga class? You know, just start the conversation by asking “is this the right place for yoga class?”, and “Hi, my name is xxx”, “do you often do yoga?”, “where are you from?” etc, and you are on the road!

4. Make friends with your flatmates or hall neighbours

Unless you live in the middle of a forest by yourself, you are likely to share a house or a corridor with some other human beings.

Sure, you are not always lucky to get flatmates who you click with. However, until you get to know them, will you know if they are your type of friends and vice versa.

If you live in the unit either on campus or off, it’s likely that you share a common living room (e.g. some accommodation options at Bond) or at least share a corridor.

If you live at Bond, you will definitely have other students as flatmates or neighbours. Besides, there are resident fellows, tutor fellows and recreational officers who organise all sorts of events where you can interact with other students who live in the same hall.

If you live in a unit off campus and by yourself, you will at least have neighbours who share a corridor with you. Say hi to them when you run into them on the corridor; if you are comfortable (or brave enough), you can knock at the door with some biscuits and introduce yourself. Your neighbour might just be the type of people you want to be friends with – you never know!

Lastly, just a couple of principles I personally think are very important in making new friends

1. Make sure you catch up with the friends you just made

It might be easy to talk to students at Orientation Week and get their Facebook, but to really make friends, you need to put more efforts and catch up with them after the first encounter. You can start by sending a message on Facebook and organise a coffee catch up at Bond Library, and let the friendship grow.

2. Be-open minded about the differences at all levels

You’re likely to make friends with people from all over the world (at least I hope you do – that’s the whole point of being overseas), it is essential that you’re open-minded about different practices, traditions, mind-set etc. that you are not used to in your own culture. You might not necessarily agree on these differences, but least show some level of respect like you would expect from others.

3. Don’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself or to be embarrassed

This is probably the most important principle for me personally.

Coming from an Asian culture where it puts an immense focus on the concept of “face” (partly refers to one’s reputation) and not to stand out, the most difficult part for me is to actually start a conversation, to make myself visible (stand out) from the crowd. Sometimes, I end up making a fool of myself by maybe saying the wrong thing. Most of the time though, it turned out to be OK and I made new friends (happy face).

So, don’t be afraid, just make the first move and enjoy making new friends!

Have fun!

Till the next time, (future) Bondies!

Please follow us on Tumblr for more on studying at Bond and living on Gold Coast.

Cheers!

Jenny FAN

#study abroad #study in australia #university #college #bond university #gold coast #australia #queensland #university in australia #international student #orientation week #making friends #o-week #orientation #studying overseas #study #studyblr #exams

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bi-stronomer · 7 years

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Apps Masterpost!

Hey everyone, I've seen a few apps masterposts going around and instead of a huge list of every app someone might find useful, I thought I might talk a little about the apps I currently use or have used in the past! All apps are free except where otherwise noted.

For the computer:

Momentum- This is the one that you’ve seen on every other studyblr that gives you a pretty picture and addresses you by name when you open a new tab. It also encourages you to set a main goal for the day, and write a to-do list!

f.lux- Subtly changes the colors in your screen when the sun goes down to protect your eyes from harmful blue light that can affect your ability to go to sleep easily.

Background noise:

RainyMood- Work while listening to a soothing thunderstorm. Available for free at the linked website, or as a payable app ($2.99 in the Google Play store)

Coffitivity (Computer, iOS, Android)- Work in a bustling coffee shop without having to actually go to the coffee shop. You can choose to listen to a morning rush, a lunchtime buzz, or a university café for free, and there are a few more options if you want to pay.

Ambio (Android)- This is billed as a sleep sounds app (and I've used it for that) but it features a variety of pre-made mixes as well as the ability to create your own mix from the many available sounds, so you can listen to exactly the sounds you want.

Note taking:

OneNote- I've been using OneNote as my primary notetaker for years. I can handwrite or type my notes, type equations, draw diagrams, insert screencaps and images, change pen color, and organize all my classes into separate notebooks (and organize them even more within the notebooks). Plus, my notebooks back up into my OneDrive automatically, so I don't have to worry about losing them if something happens to my computer, and I can even access them through the OneNote app on my phone!

Evernote- I just started using Evernote this semester (it's what my research advisor uses and has all of her notes on) so I'm still figuring this one out, but I like how easy it is to share notes with others. You can also tag pages into multiple different categories, set reminders, and the app automatically backs itself up on the internet (you make an account that all your pages save to).

Calendars & Scheduling:

Google Calendar- I use Google Calendar for all my social events. I can set reminders for a specified amount of time so I don't forget an event and run late, color-code, and if I put in a location, automatically go to Google Maps so I don't get lost.

Timetable- You can put your entire class schedule in here, along with assignments and exams. It automatically reminds you of exams a week before and of assignments the day before (though you can adjust the reminders to your preference), as well as reminds you when you have class, and it automatically mutes your phone when you're scheduled to be in class.

MyStudyLife- Same idea as Timetable, it keeps track of your class schedule and assignments. I had both apps on my phone at once and ended up liking Timetable a little better, but you should try both and see which you prefer (though if you're an Apple user, I think Timetable is only on Android)

Health (Physical and mental):

Plant Nanny (Apple, Android)- Get reminders to drink water, and water your own little plant at the same time! Each time a plant matures, pick out a new one and grow a whole garden!

Fitbit- Physical fitness app that helps you track your daily exercise, sleep patterns, and set goals for your fitness (though you do need one of the physical accessories to use the app)

Spot On- Period tracker app from Planned Parenthood. I recommend this one specifically because it includes a wide variety of birth control options, and is free of assumptions about the user's sexual orientation or gender identity. It also lets you track your symptoms, and reminds you to keep on top of whichever birth control method you're using.

Medisafe (Apple, Android)- This app reminds you to take your medication! I like it because you specify which medications you take and when, creating a virtual pill box instead of just a generic "take your meds" reminder.

Sworkit- Personalized video workouts. These are designed to be quick, fairly easy workouts that fit into your schedule, and you choose which ones you want to do based on your own fitness goals.

Viridi- Relaxing app where you curate your own succulent garden while calming music plays in the background.

Podcast Addict- I. Love. Podcasts. They're a really good way for me to chill out for a bit, and I like to listen while doing other tasks like laundry or cleaning (though be warned- some of the audio dramas out there are incredible and you may get sucked into Podcast Hell like I have. Feel free to ask for some of my recommendations to get you started!)

Fabulous: Motivate Me- Got any habits you don't like? Want to form new, better habits? Fabulous lets you choose a goal (like a better sleep schedule or drinking more water), and then lays out a plan for you to actually achieve the goal. Along the way it gives you encouragements when you succeed, and updates the plan based on your progress.

Headspace- Guided meditation app; good for just getting out of your head, even if you just do some deep breathing.

Other:

Pocket- I get sidetracked by interesting articles a LOT, especially if I'm doing research for a paper. Now, I just send the article to Pocket and get on with my work! That way, I don't have to keep the tab open forever, and I can read it when I have time on any device that has the app installed. Once the article has synced onto the device, you don't even need internet to read it (which means it's really good for airplanes or places with bad service).

Mint- This is a finance app that lets you track all of your accounts in one place. You can see where you're spending your money each week and set a budget for yourself down to specific categories like coffee shops and groceries. It also reminds you when you have bills due!

Your school's app!- Check your app store to see if your school has its own app. Usually, it's a place where you can check school news, get alerts, look at maps, and get various other campus resources. Trust me, it's an incredibly useful tool.

So, like I said, this is by no means a comprehensive list of all the apps and websites out there that students might find helpful, but I’ve tried and liked all of these and thought they might be useful to someone else!

#studyblr #studyspo #masterpost #apps #my post #resources

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kaitstudy · 7 years

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Hi there! My name is Kaitlin and I’m in a sorority!

I don’t see many (if any at all) posts in the studyblr community about greek life and i wanted to change that by making a post about it!

Disclaimer: I’m talking about sororities in the US, I’m not sure if greek life is a thing outside of the US but this is what I know from my experience!

What is a sorority?

a sorority is a group of women that all share the same values, who participate in charity work, sisterhood events, and other rituals. When you are in college, sorority girls are called ‘collegiate members’ and when you graduate, you become an alumnae.

What do you do in a sorority?

There are so many things you do in a sorority! After you rush and join a sorority, you bond with your sisters at weekly formal meetings, sisterhood events, dances, formals, charity events (on and off campus) and many more!

Some of the things I’ve done in my sorority are lip synching contests (for our charity), whale watching trips, retreats to the mountains, and themed dances with other sororities and fraternities!

Can I be in a sorority and still have good grades?

Absolutely!! I got a 4.0 while participating fully in sorority life! Sometimes it isn’t easy (greek life is a significant time commitment) but my sorority has facebook groups just for girls in different majors and we are required to have a certain amount of study hours to be able to participate in activities as well as being eligible to attend formal at the end of the semester!

My sorority (as well as many others!) reward their members’s good grades in different ways! For every A we get on a paper/exam, we are entered in a drawing for gift cards at our scholarship banquet, as well as weekly “smarty pants” awards and special recognition at events! You can even get a scholarship pearl to show everyone how your hard work payed off!

We also had study sessions where our sorority reserved a room or two in the library near finals to group study!

Why should I join a sorority?

Sororities are not only about sisterhood, but they also get you involved in your school and community and are incredible for networking!

There are many executive positions you can take in your sorority that look great on resumes (for example, if you’re an accounting major, you could be a financial vice president or if you want to pursue event planning you could be social charwoman or public relations vice president!)

When you join, you immediately gain anywhere from 60-200 new friends/sisters! Rushing as a freshman, it felt really relieving seeing girls I knew around campus and in my classes that I know share the same values as me!

What is hazing? Will it happen to me?

Greek life is cracking down very hard on hazing, so you should not worry about it. Hazing is when members of an organization make uninitiated/unofficial members feel degraded, embarassed, less than, or uncomfortable at any point in order to be allowed into their group. An extreme example of this would be forcing people to drink excessive amounts of alcohol. A mild (but still fully punishable) example would be prohibiting new (uninitiated/unofficial) members from wearing apparel/accessories that have their sorority’s greek letters on them before being initiated

Greek organizations can be put on probation, be banned from recruiting, or even have their charter pulled (meaning they no longer exist on that campus) for hazing.

What kind of commitment does a sorority require?

greek life requires a significant (but not overwhelming) time and financial commitment

your first year (while you are a “new member”) is when you pay the most “dues” due to new member fees, but I have many girls in my sorority that pay for their entire sorority dues and fees on their own. Many sororities have payment plans for girls that need them. There are also scholarships specifically for sorority girls to help out! Each sorority has different amounts for dues.

Sorority life also requires a good amount of time. There are events that you are required to go to, and a lot of sororities go by a point system for activity. If you don’t make a certain amount of points, you could be barred from going to other events such as the big formal at the end of the year or be ineligible to do certain things like taking a little sister or participating in recruitment. I have had sisters, however, that work 4 days a week and graduate with 2 degrees and still make it to events and are present in the community

In my sorority, school is always an excuse to get out of an event (say, if you had an evening class and couldn’t make it to a sisterhood; not if you can’t make it to the weekly formal meeting because you have a test the next day and put off studying til the last second).

Sorority life isn’t for me, I’m not very girly/outgoing/extroverted/social.

Hey friend, did you know that not every sorority is like they are in the movies? Yes, some are more preppy than others, but there are groups of girls for just about everyone! Every sorority has their own type of girl in it and are all slightly different from one another! I have a twin sister who I thought wouldn’t want to join greek life because she isn’t super girly or very popular, but she went through recruitment and found the perfect girls for her that are just as sweet and funny and academically minded as she is! They might not be the most popular house or the sisterhood that has the best parties or the most gorgeous house, but they were absolutely perfect for her!

Every sorority is different from campus to campus. One sorority we have on my campus has almost completely different girls than the chapter from the state college next door!

I’m trans/I identify as a girl, can I still rush?

from the Lambda 10 Project’s fraternity & sorority Trans guide:

research the fraternity/sorority you are interested in. fraternities and sororities are more than just a party hook-up; they are guiding principles and ideals that are paramount to being a part of the organization. find an organization that fits with your morals and ideals/ research organizations that are gay friendly. these groups are generally more accepting to trans applicants. you may want to start your search here

get to know the current members of the organizations you are interested in. these members can give you more information and will most likely let you know if their chapter is trans-friendly

if invited to join or begin the membership intake process, remember that you are no different than any other person in your position. if you feel uncomfortable in any way, let a member of the organization know

I’m still on the fence about joining. What should I do?

Well, there are lots of things you can do! I personally recommend going to your university’s recruitment/rush orientation! There are girls from all of the different sororities that disaffiliate (don’t wear their letters, don’t tell the girls which sorority she’s in, etc) and act as counselors for the girls that are interested in joining a sorority! They answer a lot of common questions and also talk about recruitment/rush!

please feel free to ask/message me about any questions you might have about sorority life, recruitment, life as a new member, or anything else related to greek life! I am incredibly in love with my sorority and greek life and would be more than happy to help!

please let me know if there is any interest in me making more posts about sorority life, such as a guide to recruitment or what life as a new member is like / what to expect / big sister/little sister things!

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