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A Balancing Act

The countdown to the first day of my grade 10 year is 2 days.

Last week I got a call and received a part-time job offer. A small grocery store next to my school. Personally, I feel that a job is going to not only give me experience but also force me to complete my tasks (aka homework) as soon as possible. I’m not really looking to make money but, I feel that when I get to post-secondary I will most definitely need a job and it’s important to have experience.

But, this all means that I’ll need to be as productive as possible to manage to be a part of 3 clubs(after school afternoons), a sports team (mornings before school) and a job.

This means that I will have to change my study habits. Here are some of the things I plan to do...

1. Stay after school to do my homework in the school library / local library

Preventing me from procrastinating at home

2. Keeping my schedule everywhere

I have one in my planner, two in my room and another in my locker

3. Turning my phone off when I’m doing my homework

My excuse is that I might get an important notification but I always end up listening to a YouTube video while doing homework and that type of multitasking isn’t the best

4. Creating a study playlist

As to ensure that I don’t waste time in class or after school looking for songs to do work

I really want to be successful this year in balancing all these things so, if you have any tips for me please share✨

#job #highschool #parttime #study #student #study motivation #highschooljob #preib #sophmoreyear

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Preach!✨

To Those Thinking About Joining Show Choir:

Do it. It’s so worth it. Every single penny is worth a 15 minute performance.

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A reflection of my freshman year in a nutshell (+ Freshman Advice) 

Heyyyyy, it’s me againnnnn My last two posts were pretty lengthy and I really do think that they can help incoming freshman so here is it in a nutshell. (If you want more detail, I suggest reading my past posts✨) 

1. Ask For Help. Struggling in math, even though you used to be really good? Ask. For. Help. Feeling stressed and mental overload? Ask. For. help. Don’t wait till it’s too late to raise your grades, don’t wait till it’s too late to do anything about your health; mental or physical 

2. Don’t have ANY regrets. Tryout for things even if you might not make it. Don’t have the mentality of “there are three more years”. Don’t wait to go to events till junior year (trust me you will have more hw) Start enjoying high school now! 

3. It’s okay to make new friends and change friend groups. Don’t just limit your circle to freshman and drop allll toxic friendships. Don’t let people use you! And it’s okay if you don’t have a “gRoUp” yet, just find people you enjoy spending time with. 

4. It is OKAY to mess up! Just know that this is your time to grow and experience new things. It’s never truly the end of the world. Tomorrow 

5. It’s okay to cry! The workload can be stressful. Friendships and drama might be stressful. Home life. Might. Be. Stressful. Find things that help you unwind and remember that it’s okay to feel frustrated. 

6. Start thinking about post-Secondary (But ONLY a little). I knowww it’s only 4 years away but it never hurts to have an idea of what you want to do and possible post-secondary pathways. But it’s also okay to not have a single clue... that’s what high school is for. 

7. Your notes may never look like the epic studyblr ones. Your face and body may never be like the Instagram models. IT. IS. OKAY. Love Yourself💗💗💗 

8. Some days are just boring.... and nothing happens. It sucks, but it allows other days to be exciting. 

9. Do. Your. Homework.... And be nice to your teachers 

10. Try to enjoy freshman year... find things that you enjoy because there are things you will hate 

I hope this was helpful✨

#freshman advice #high school advice #ib #preib #school #student #study motivation

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Reflecting on my first year of high school pt.2 

(This is a continuation of part 1 of this post.) This year I had very few regrets. Tried to get involved in my school community and had to get used to the IB workload. As I mentioned in my last post, I made an effort to go to every event, assembly, join clubs and teams I was interested in and not just limit my networking to people in my grade. 

Extra-Curriculars

Most of the things I was involved in had some sort of interview process and application and for some reason, I didn’t hear “no” this year. I credit this to my never-ending mouth... I really do like to talk aLOt so.... I was pretty good at introducing myself and asserting why I wanted a spot in these clubs/teams. 

Friends and Extra-Curriculars 

I came into high school knowing a few people. The IB school I go to is not my local school. So, I stuck with my friends from middle school. It was the best option for me... we had lots of inside jokes, and photos and memories from the past 3 years which usually allowed me to overlook the occasional being left out and unnerving behaviour (occasional!) But, as soon as the year began I made a lot of new friends and convinced them to sit with my middle school friends at lunch. The first few weeks were awesome but, slowly my new friends began to sit elsewhere and that kind of felt weird but at the same time I wasn’t going to move from 15 people because of one person. But, a lot of people didn’t seem to like my friends for whatever reason, but I stood by them. They helped me through my campaign for student council this year. But, as soon as we got deeper into the school year I started joining more and more clubs, spending my lunches in meetings, I wasn’t ever in the cafeteria. 

It became obvious that a few of my friends were jealous and honestlyyyyyy, that is perfectly fine (We’re all competitive IB kids that just want to succeed, and I had to keep in mind that they tried out for these teams as well. Some of them had better grades, better work ethic than me and for some reason, didn’t make it). But I still made an effort to invite them to school events and talk to them, but midway through the year they actually started voicing their concerns and making it obvious that they were jealous. Whenever they did see me they would ignore me (this was like a group of 15 people) but, if they ever wanted me to do something for them or help with homework they would act like it was all good. Honestlyyyyyy, I didn’t really notice or care cause I did have other friends I talked to especially in clubs. I had older friends who would help me with homework, give me advice on my friendships and high school in general. I didn’t have time or care for these FakE fRIenDs because I spent all my time (when I wasn’t doing homework) doing what I loved and being involved at school.

By the end of the year they tried to start some drama, but I officially cut my ties with them.... It feels good because I’ve found friends that would comfort me through that situation and helped me get through. My biggest regrets this year was holding onto a toxic friendship for so long, not asking for help as soon as possible in math and science and honestlyyyyy I think that I still could have been more involved in the arts community of my school 😆. 

We’ll see how it all goes next year✨

#ib #highschool #highschool advice #freshman #freshman advice #reflection

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Reflecting on my first year of high school pt.1 

Heyyy, it’s been a pretty busy summer so far. Summer school, prepping for back to school, late night Netflix binging (I’ve finished watching over 6 seasons of different shows😆), and job searching. It feels like a great time to reflect on my first year in high school and how everything went this year. 

Overall this was a good year! I had very few regrets. One of my biggest challenges was the schoolwork (mainly math and science) which usually came easily to me. Even though I was slightly struggling with the IB workload I still intended to get involved in my school community. Most of the kids in my grade didn’t join lots of extracurricular as and stuff because they were concerned about their schoolwork, or because “[they] can do it next year”. But, I’ve never had a problem with managing my time, doing more things motivates me to not procrastinate. My goal was to have very few regrets. 

This year, I was elected onto my school’s Student Activity Council, I got into DECA (A business case-study competition club), got into Model UN, Show-choir (We placed 2nd at nationals) and was selected for my relay for life committee (raising money for cancer, it’s an amazing organization that you should donate to💛). 


I made an effort to go to hockey games, school events (More forced cause I was on council😂), but also worked hard to be involved and make friends no matter what grade. 

It’s funny, it seems my goal was to be as social as possible. Amid my busy schedule, I was still able to manage an A average. But, most of my friends complained that I didn’t seem to have time for them, and didn’t have a life. 

 (I’m going to continue this in another post✨)

#ib #highschool #study motivation #studyspo #reflection

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Studying Masterpost. It’s still summer but, still got the b2s motives in my mind

hey guys!!!

so this entire past month has been extremely, extremely stressful for me because i had so many exams and i only realised how hideously unprepared i was for them on the day before the exam, which was really really awful. so in the middle of september i created a studyblr to keep myself motivated + get some helpful tips from the studyblr community on how to go abt studying for tests. the results proved to be super helpful and ive resolved to keep running this blog for as long as i can, because it really helps me stay motivated and i’ve already learned so many things from the community, despite the fact that i’ve only been here for around a month.

but anyways, i decided to create this masterpost in order to help others stay motivated + keep studying not only well but also properly i.e. not necessarily studying for exams but life in general, if that makes sense.

~ staying motivated + focused

coffitivity

download the forest app

chrome site blocker

self control app

try the pomodoro technique

pomodoro printable

getting back on track

guide to staying motivated

an excellent post full of great advice

lots of great advice from an a levels student

masterpost full of motivational quotes

how to avoid procrastinating

100 reasons to study

how to study like a harvard student

motivational movies/shows

types of learners [what method of learning works for u]

motivation for harvard students [and basically all other students]

~ staying organized

5 habits of organized students

set up a bullet journal [1][2][3]

keeping school notes organized

use dropbox to store important files

masterpost on organizing schoolwork

a super awesome n helpful video tutorial

how to organize ur desk

how to study space

study space guide

study space tips and guidance

guide to study guides

atracker - track ur time and stop procrastinating [mobile app]

minimalist organization

masterpost on time management

time management tips

how to be productive

how to use a planner

effective planning system

~ note-taking

notability [ios app - best note-taking app imo]

note taking overview

cornell method

summary foldables

fastest way to take notes

simple, creative note-taking

how to make ur notes look pretty [infographic]

how to make ur notes look pretty [video]

taking notes from textbooks

taking notes during lectures

for: maths [1]

for: history

how to make mind maps

great supplies and stationery u could use to keep notes pretty and organized

what is visual note-taking?

how to: visual note-taking

what are sketchnotes?

how to: sketchnotes

masterpost on note taking methods

~ research techniques

how to google effectively

use google scholar as an alternative to google

one of the best websites for research [esp. while doing science projects at the last minute…i would know]

alternative to wikipedia

find books in nearby libraries

openlibrary [ebook library]

online journal search engine [find scientific publications]

~ essay writing

guide to writing a great essay

HUGE general writing masterpost [including essays]

a huuuge essay writing masterpost

how to write a university-level essay

how to connect ur points and ideas: transition words

editing checklist

advice: college application essays

improve ur vocabulary 

check the readibility of ur essay

website which grades ur papers and essays

~ free online resources & courses

openculture 

mit opencourseware 

the open university 

coursera 

khanacademy

codecademy [how to code]

memrise

study geography

online calculator

maths masterpost

amazing maths + general knowledge site [u must check this out!!!]

maths cheat sheets

mathway [solves any maths equation]

website that balances chemical reactions for u

study guides for many subjects

windows apps [not all study-related, but useful anyways]

more phone apps for productivity

list of great apps every student must have

crash course: psychology

crash course: world history + world history 2

crash course: anatomy and physiology

crash course: astronomy

crash course: big history

crash course: chemistry

crash course: biology

crash course: literature

crash course: us history

crash course: economics

crash course: us government and politics

crash course: intellectual property

crash course: ecology

free ebooks [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

masterpost of free ebooks

~ languages

memrise

duolingo [20+ languages - very fun and interactive]

lang-8

thesaurus

reverse dictionary [1]

learning vocabulary

how to learn any language

HUUUUUGE language masterpost [so many languages and resources]

literature masterpost [for english - reading something other than textbooks is important yo]

english literature for college students [masterpost]

english literature: sparknotes

english literature: cliffnotes

english literature: shmoop

english literature: crash course

english literature: novel guide

no fear shakespeare

self-studying languages

spanish: advice

spanish: getting started

spanish: vocab

spanish: grammar and spelling checker

french: advice

french: getting started

french: vocab

french: grammar and spelling checker

french: masterpost of amazing resources

japanese: getting started

korean: masterpost of amazing resources

~ survival tips + advice

how to study for ANY subject

10 mistakes when studying

101 study tips

studying for a test

general study tips

how to study

how to survive high school

how to survive college

college survival masterpost

things to avoid doing

college: applying for scholarships

giving presentations

improve ur handwriting

resume cheat sheet

productive + relaxing afterschool routine

productive study breaks

emergency life hack: send last minute assignments after the last minute without getting into too much trouble

~ mental/physical health

the thoughts room

the dawn room

the quiet place

it will be okay

international suicide hotlines

iphone feature [to use in case of emergency]

emergency chat [mobile app]

sleeping tips [1]

dealing w insomnia

bedtime calculator [1]

stress management

how to reduce stress

staying calm during exams

grief masterpost

list of happy things

motivation for when ur not feeling so good

~ stress reliefs

clear ur mind

healthy study snacks

mug cake masterpost

smoothie masterpost

salads masterpost

more study snacks to boost brain activity

creepy sites

taylor swift tumblr replies

draw cool neon things

musical sea creature

watch a cool dream

watch any tv show/movie

just shower thoughts

poptropica [so underrated, my favourite game site, it’s for kids but it’s so entertaining and so much fun]

plant personality quiz

cookie clicker

make cool colourful silk

make virtual sand art

fake tweet generator

fake text generator

listen to calming sounds

huge masterpost full of fun stuff

~ music

ghibli music

coffee shop blues

classical music masterpost

masterpost of studying music

classical vocal music masterpost

cute nostalgic piano music playlist

my favourite instrumental playlist of all time

my studying/instrumental playlist collection on 8tracks

i think that includes most of the best resources i could find!!! feel free to message me in case 1) any of the links are broken, 2) u want me to add on to something, 3) u have a suggestion for a masterpost [i would love that so go ahead and ask if u do] or if u just wanna talk! also, feel free to reblog and add ur own comments/resources. hope this helped!! 

- mli

#study #study motivation #ib

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Summer of Improvement ✨

I have previously posted a text on plausible summer plans, and this is a post that focuses on the study part of summer, aka what to study during summer, how to prepare for studying during summer, and to devise a study plan.

What to study during summer?

Review: If your courses continues for more than a year, it is very important for you to look at last year’s work

This includes going through you test papers (tests, finals and more) to figure out the chapters or concepts you are unfamiliar with

It’s also very important to review subjects thoroughly like Math and Science, because they require a strong foundation to continue

Preview: the best thing to read is your textbook

it is an important foundation of knowledge that may help you to catch up (or even get ahead of everyone else) in classes

you don’t want to prepare every single thing (e.g. all the handouts, assignments or even lecture notes from others), otherwise you are gonna lose interest during class thinking that you know everything already

You should read your textbook using active reading (like SQ3R), so as to find out the main points, difficult areas, and areas that you can think of some questions

Note those questions down

Try to annotate your textbook

Or outline them if you have the time

Make flashcards to summarise the chapters so you have an idea of what’s going to be taught next year

Do some simple practice questions (e.g. those included in your textbook to test your understanding)

Remember you don’t have to know all the concepts and force yourself to understand everything, it’s enough to mark those difficult areas down so that you can pay more attention regarding those parts during class

You can also prepare a question booklet for all the classes and have a collection of questions you want to ask after school starts

Preparing for studying during summer

If you have your textbook list, purchase your textbooks as soon as possible (I usually bought them right after the end of the previous academic year)

Go to your teachers/lecturer to ask about what should you be studying during summer, you may ask about:

The topics that most students have difficulties with

The topics that are essential and fundamental to understand other topics

Or the chapters that your teachers think you fail to grasp well in the previous year

You may email them or just find them during their office hours

Go to your school website or anywhere you can find your course syllabi and areas to be examined (for next year) - this will give you an outline on what you should specifically focus on

Devising your summer study plan

One of the major problems about studying during summer is that your schedule tends to be very flexible, and that makes it difficult to estimate the amount of time you have for studying

So it’s very important to be honest with yourself, and try to schedule a suitable amount of stuff for each day

For example, i tend to schedule two hours of study per day during summer. It’s not a lot of time but it definite helps.

Try not to squeeze your summer studying into one week or two, it never works well. The best choice is to study little by little.

You may also set a fixed time to study everyday, like 6-8pm in the evening. If that’s the case, try not to hang out during that time and save it as your own study time

Summer Study Plan Printable

This is a very simple version of summer study plan that I currently use for planning the events I have during summer, online courses I intended to take, and books i want to read, as well as things I want to review and preview for the next academic year.

If you are interested, you can download the pdf version here for free.

I personally first plan on these printables, then schedule the tasks using a monthly planner (I use iOS calendar, so I just click print for the month of July and August. It has all my scheduled events and appointments on it so i can estimate the amount of free time I have).

From my personal experience, summer study helps so much because it really does allow you to be more confident with yourself during class (so you can actively participate), to be ahead of others and to increase your curiosity to learn during the semester. I was a super average student before and ever since I started studying during summer, I became one of the top students in the next academic year. It’s definitely worth a shot, especially for people who tend to think that they have already put so much effort yet were still unable to get the desired grades.

#11 || Link to my Study Tips Series - I post once a week here! (strive-for-da-best) 

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Chapter 1: The Beginning ✨

Hey,

I started this tumblr to write down my highschool experiences. Studying, My extra curriculars, just things that happen. I set out to make my first year memorable but, realized that I needed an outlet to share my excitement and aswell my troubles.

Something that you probably don’t know about me, is that I talk ALOT. I’m very social. Yet I found myself afraid to share, unsure what to write. Am I a studyblr? What’s my purpose?

This is my journal. My diary. An outlet. Hopefully something to inspire others aswell as I continue my journey and write new chapters.

#new beginnings #highshool #pre ib #new

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My goals for the summer:

Learn how to...

Code

Type (I know I'm ashamed lol)

Study

For grade 10 math

For grade 11 math

Get...

a job

Any advice for pre-ib math??? 

#pre-ib #summer

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Tumblr Resources to Get You Through the School Year!

Hi guys!! Thank you all so much for your support!!! Happy 250 (EDIT: I SPENT A DAY ON THIS AND NOW IM PAST 300) and hope you all have a great start to the month! The community is more welcoming with all of you - I haven’t faced negativity from anyone at all. None of these are my posts - but they’ve helped me out a lot. With that said - let’s get started:

For bujos/planners:

This is one of my side blogs, and has tons of inspiration for weekly and monthly spreads, as well as a few aesthetic ideas and how to start one. I update this constantly.

How to start a studyblr - Studyblrs with creative fields

Lighting (for photos)

Study spreads

Planning your month

Printables (the same as some used down there but in a different category):

Weekly printable

To - do printable

Cornell Notes printable

Back to school printables

Daily Planner  @theorganisedstudent

Weekly Planner II @theorganisedstudent

Essay Planner @theorganisedstudent

Assignment Planner @theorganisedstudent

Assignment Tracker

Novel Notes

Plot Diagrams

Correction Sheets

Grid & lined paper

Weekly schedule for studying

Printables masterpost

Exam printable & how to use it

2018 Calender set (by my QUEEN @emmastudies)

For students:

Exams & Studying:

Exam revision guide

How to beat different types of procrastination

How to deal with a crappy teacher (this has to do with studying ig)

Study tips!! (its a masterpost)

Exam Printable & How to Use it

Exam & Homework tips

Coping with hell i mean exams i mean hell

A cool studying outline to try

This is my favorite thing and it’s when to use certain remembering techniques

Correction Sheets

Memorization tips for different learners

Weekly study schedule

More sites to use in normal studying routines

How to study smarter and not harder

Study smarter II

Exam printable & how to use it

Self discipline 

Study methods

Hoe tips for school and studying

Studying masterpoint

Tips and tricks to studying

Study tip - so easy

How to stay organized to study

Note - Taking:

Lecture notes

How i set up flash cards (these are nice to study from but be determined to finish setting them up)

Nifty highlighting idea (this post is so old)

Highlighting idea that i actually use

How to take Cornell Notes

Cornell style notes printable (gridded)

Notebook paper (grid & lined)

Tips for pretty notes!!

How to take notes

Notes for different classes

Life, man & general school stuff:

Back - to -school guide

Things I learned as a college freshman

Get ORGANIZED

Textbooks are expensive so here’s some free ones…

Tips for working students that sound extra but may work for u ily don’t overwork urselves

Masterpost for motivation and stuff

Get ur life together again bc haha i stay organized for like a day anyway

School supplies that u should have just to stay minimal

Grad school tips

Organization masterpost

Productive afterschool routine

30 websites to kill boredom

Back to school masterpost

Get confident in presentations

Overcome procrastination

Succeeding in school masterpost

For bad days 

For bad days II

A GOOD MASTERPOST for getting ur life together 

General school tips 

Free online courses

GOOD POWERPOINT TIPS

Sites to learns stuff

More learning stuff sites

Dealing with a trashy class

Study resources masterpost

Summer Productivity

Summer life tips

PLEASE READ THIS THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT MASTERPOST 

Honest guide to college 

University tips

SCHOOL MINDSET

What to do on Sundays

Back to school masterpost

Useful things for going back to school

How to clean your house

Cute self care tips!

More self care tips

Plant care tips!

English:

A handy list of words to fit into ur essays

How to write an article like a journalist

Words to replace over-used words

ESSAY STRUCTURE IDEA this is in bold so u losers don’t miss this bc it’s not just for English u nerds

Get gucci while reading and be an active reader

Get gud reading them academic articles amigo

Words to replace “the author or whatever shows…” bc that is baby writing and i accidentally used that on an essay and i failed so

Novel notes

Plot Diagrams

Reading Lists

Literary techniques (what themes, personifications, metaphors are etc)

Discussing in English

How to top a literature class

Literature class masterpost

Strong/weak verbs

More essay tips!!

MLA format - a how to

ESSAY GRADER.

How to avoid essay cliches

Chemistry (I’m taking chem so i have a few resources aha)

Da terms on exam papers

Chemistry resources masterpost

Cute periodic tables

Study chapters

History/Social Studies

How to write a history paper

AP world history powerpoints masterpost

Math 

General tips

Resources

Understanding math masterpost

Test Prep

PSAT I

PSAT II

ACT tips!

100 words for the SATs (start studying early!!)

Thank you so much for the support! I couldn’t have done it without all of you. A simple reblog or like will help others see these tips, and will be very appreciated. I hope these links work - feel free to message me with questions and other links!! A possible part 2 might come out at the end of august, and one for languages!!!

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Freshman year goals...

- Good grades

- Real friends

- School involvement

Sadly, it’s really not as easy as it seems....

#secondsemester #preib #freshman #studyspo

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Examssss are overrr

Completed my first semester exams. I’m acctually pretty proud of what I got on the exams. Now semester 2.

Does anyone have any tips for studying for Geography, English and French?

#preib #studynotaesthetic #studyspiration #study notes #highschool freshman pre ib

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Music review… literally studying for all my finals atm✨

#study motivation #studyreview #study notes #preib

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Last minute,science research paper touch-up✨

#science #study #study motivation #pre ib

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Love these tips <3

Tips for Exams (Mostly Mathematics)

So it seems I’ve taken a fair few exams. I’ve had a variety of different types. I’ll try and give some pointers on what works best for me but generally how you tackle exams is a personal thing. 

GENERAL

-Beforehand, know how long your exam is, how many questions there are, whether there is a choice of questions and whether you are allowed a calculator  (and of which type).

-Know your bookwork. Well, as much of it as you can remember! Some modules have so much bookwork in the exam that if you don’t know at least some of it you won’t be able to get the top grades. (I class bookwork as definitions, theorems, proofs, examples that you’ve seen before). 

-Look at exam papers from previous years if this is possible for you. Some lecturers repeat questions. Some stick to the same order of questions each year. But don’t rely on this. I’ve had a lecturer change up the order of questions a few times. 

-If the lecturer provides feedback on exams from previous years, read it. It often includes some hints and tips and highlights the places where most students go wrong. Sometimes feedback can be disheartening though, if the lecturer is harsh, don’t take it personally. 

-Remember that structure is important. Make sure your answers flow mathematically. If you have time, explain your steps in a few words. Some methods require a little bit of written explanation. 

-If you get the opportunity to see the marked scripts of exams you’ve done previously, go and see them, especially if they are your first ones. You might have made mistakes with the way you structure your answers so it is good to learn how to write mathematics better. 

-If you can’t remember a formula, explain what you would do with the formula if you had it. Same goes with if you can’t get something to work. Write out the method as a last resort. I’ve picked up a few marks by doing this. 

-Check whether you are given a formula sheet. If you’re stuck, look at it. Sometimes you’re given vector identities that might help. If you’re not given a formula sheet, write formulae that you struggle to remember down straight away. 

-In Statistics, when you need a certain statistical table, look at the contents page of the tables book. You don’t want to be wasting time flicking through all of the pages to find the one you need.

-Make your graph sketches neat, and label them. They don’t have to be perfectly accurate but they have to let the examiner know that you know what that graph should look like.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

-Know if it is negatively marked. You don’t want to be randomly guessing if you get deducted marks for incorrect answers. 

-Skip questions that are taking too long. Multi-choice exams usually have short time limits. 

-If you’re stuck, look at the answers they have provided. Sometimes you can work backwards and rule options out. 

-If it is a definition question, read the options very carefully. 

-Remember that some multi-choice exams have a ‘none of the above’ option.

-There is not as much emphasis on the structure of your answers since it’s usually one of those sheets that’s marked by a computer. Only you has to understand the workings out. 

-Make sure you have enough time at the end to fill in the answer sheet. 

-Make sure you use the right equipment (you might need a pencil to fill in the answer sheet etc) and also an eraser might be useful.

-If the exam includes multi-choice and written parts, do the written bits first because if you run out of time, you can quickly guess the multi-choice. 

QUESTION CHOICE

-It is usually easy to work out which topics each question will be on from the content of the module. But don’t rely on this. Some questions mix topics. Don’t completely ignore one topic - I’ve had friends who’ve shot themselves in the foot by tactically revising to avoid a topic only to have it come up at the end of a question they could answer. 

-I liked to quickly read all of the questions first and then decide which ones I was going to do. It was no point me doing Q1 if I could do the other questions more easily. 

-Read the rules. Sometimes the exam is best 4 of 5 questions count etc (so you could do all 5 and the best 4 will contribute towards your grade. Sometimes it’s the first 4 questions you answer that count 

-If it’s the first option of the above point, sometimes it’s better to just focus on 4 questions and make them as good as possible instead of doing the 5th. Generally if you’re confident in the 4 you’ve answered, focus on making them better in the time you have remaining. If you’re not, and you can’t add anything to them, do the 5th. 

LONG EXAMS

-Don’t be afraid to go to the toilet if you need to. Even if you don’t actually need to go, sometimes getting out of your chair can help (if you have lots of time of course!) You might also get an idea, such is the way maths and inspiration go together. 

-Have a water bottle, stay hydrated, especially if it’s a hot day. 

-Wear comfortable clothing. Bring a jacket, but make sure you know the rules on keeping it on the back of your chair (we weren’t allowed). 

-Personally, I never left an exam early, even if I still had an hour remaining. You might remember something that you’d temporarily forgotten. 

-Take your time, read questions carefully, as time passes don’t get sloppy with showing your method. 

-You don’t have to do questions in order. For me, I started with something I was very confident with to get me going, which wasn’t always the first question!

-Be aware of the time. Trust me, 3 hours passes incredibly quickly. Don’t let the length daunt you. 

-Be organised. Say you leave space for a question you can’t do, and you go back to it and figure it out, make sure you tell the examiner what page in your answer booklet you’ve continued the question on. 

-Eat before (and maybe after). Especially if there’s a long walk from where you live to the exam location. If you can have food in the exam, it might be worth it. I liked Jaffa Cakes because they’re not noisy to eat and don’t smell. 

I think that’s all I can think of. I’ll add to it if I remember anything else that I found useful. Feel free to add to this!

#exam tips #pre IB #studyspiration

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What I need right about now

Final Exam Tips

If you couldn’t tell by the things I’ve been reposting lately, finals week has arrived. My first exam is at 8am tomorrow (wish me luck), and I wanted to share some tips and things I’ve learned over the years. Most of this applies to both college and high school, but everyone’s method is gonna be a little different. You do you boo. 

Self Care

This is super important. It may seem like you don’t have time to worry about these things but your body is just as important as your mind. Nurture it. 

Make your bed. Every morning. If you have to wake up early to give yourself more time, do it. Someone somewhere once said “the state of your bed is the state of your head.”

Brush your teeth. Floss if you can. I know it’s a pain in the ass but it’s literally 2 minutes of your time. 

Put on chap-stick. Bring it everywhere, to all your exams, leave some in your car, in your pocket. It’s never fun to have chapped lips. 

Wash your face. Morning and night, depending on skin type, etc. This is super important to wash away all of the dirt, makeup, and toxins your skin is exposed to. It also helps to wake you up and get you started. And if you’re anything like me, stress breakouts are always a possibility.

Moisturize. Your face, your arms, your legs, etc. A good facial moisturizer and body lotion can do wonders for your skin and your mood. Do a face mask too, if you really wanna pamper yourself. 

Keep your space clean. Where you sleep, where you get ready for bed, and especially where you study. This goes back to making your bed, your surroundings play an important role in your mood and state of mind. 

Eat Healthy. Don’t skip meals, your brain needs good nutrition to function. Take it easy on the sugar, you might be on a high for a little while but the crash is real. 

Drink. Water. Lots of it. I’m terrible when it comes to this, but I find that keeping a refillable water bottle on me, one that’s easy to take quick sips from, helps a lot. You need to be hydrated in order to function properly. Drink juice to help you stay awake if you’re not a fan of coffee or tea (Idk why but this really helps). 

Stay active. Keep moving, get that blood circulating. Whether it’s running, yoga, or a walk in the park, the movement is sure to clear your mind and get those endorphins kicking. 

SLEEP. 7-8 hours, ideally. No all-nighters. Don’t even think about it. I limit myself to one all-nighter a semester, and never on the night before an exam. Your brain works to learn and memorize at night, so get your rest and study in the process.Take catnaps between study sessions if you get tired during the day, but don’t sacrifice that sacred sleep for a few extra hours of studying that will haunt you the entire next day. 

Studying

Now that you’re all zenned out, you can fill your brain with all that dope knowledge. 

Go to review days. Your teacher should explain what’s on the exam and what she expects of you, and if you skip you could miss out on important details like room and time. It may seem like skipping gives you more time to study, but you’ll be at a disadvantage in the end.

Summarize. Outline/summarize/prep class content expected on the exam. Being able to summarize content and place it in an order that makes sense shows understanding, and it’ll help you figure out what you need to work on most.  

Find study stations. Coffee shops, the campus library, bookstores, diners, you name it. Study anywhere but home, at least not alone. I sometimes crash at my friend’s place and we’ll have silent study sessions, keeping each other in check. 

Use a time management tool. I use the app Forest, or the chrome extension. When you use the timer, you plant a tree or a bush and it grows until the timer is up. I like it because when I use it on my phone, I set the timer for 25 minutes and I can’t exit the app or the tree dies. On chrome, you can blacklist certain websites that distract you, and if you visit that website during your study session, the tree dies. Don’t kill trees people. 

Prioritize. What exam do you have first? How prepared are you for it? Which exam will be the hardest/are you least prepared for? Use your sessions wisely and focus on the material you don’t know as well. 

Method. What works for you? Are you an auditory learner? Record your notes and listen to them in the car or while you work out. Kinesthetic? Rewrite your notes, make models, etc. Visual? Find good pictoral representations of your content and try drawing diagrams. It’s super important to find a study method that works for you, and everyone’s is gonna be a little different.

Come prepared. Buy pencils, scantrons, and erasers beforehand and come to your exam with everything you need (i.e. calculator). Hand lotion, chap-stick, and deep breathing are great ways to calm yourself before an exam. If you’re religious - pray, spiritual - meditate/center yourself, non of the above - have faith in yourself and your abilities. 

Dress comfy. If sweats are the way you roll, then go with it. If you feel more productive dressing a little nicer, have at it. 

Trust yourself. Stop second guessing yourself. Trust in your work. Honestly, we doubt ourselves way more than we should. Don’t underestimate yourself, love. You show that exam who’s boss. 

Celebrate. You’re done! Congrats on another exam finished, another day slayed, and another semester behind you. 

#freshman #highschool #study motivation

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Proud class of 2021✨

hello there high school class of 2021! freshman year is nearing, and i hope you’re all ready to tackle this new adventure!

Purpose

Inspired by thy upperclassmen @hs2017, @co2018, and @co2020, we have decided to create a space to connect fellow members of the class of 2021. Here, students will be able to bond, become friends, help each other, share experiences, and grow!

Perks of Being a Member

a cool tag for your posts so we can reblog them! (#co2021)

you’ll be on our members’ page!

a bunch of new friends :)

How to Join

please be a member of the class of 2021! you don’t have to be part of the class to follow us, but members must be graduating high school in 2021!

follow us @co2021

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fill out this form

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After Applying

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if you have any questions, just send us an ask!

tagging some other ℅ 2021 blogs to get the message out ;) @julstudies @mathemantics @virtuositystudy @thatstudentbee @chrissiestudies @denistudies @studylovess @laurasena @lolastudiess @thecaffeinatednerd @nikostudy @lilymichelle @studygirlskyler @bujowithmere @mcchi-studies @assiqns @senestudies @banillastudy @kankenstudies @studyruels @thestudyofash @wilstudies @idkstudies​ @calligrapheur​ @modernstudies

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