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Might screw around later and, I dunno, cry over my grades

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Ya know what? Me too.

I feel like shit I hope I wont have a breakdown in class

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:)

My school year started a few days ago, so I'm finally going to start this blog back up. I can tell that my course load for this year is going to be extremely heavy. I've already had a quiz and a test and I'm going to have four more within the next week, along with hours of homework every night.

Although... I think it's somewhat a good thing. I think this is going to force me to truly focus on school. I've been known to procrastinate and half-ass my school work, but that's not going to work this year.

Today has been a pretty lazy Saturday. I did most of my chem homework and did some packing for my upcoming move. It started raining a few minutes ago and I took it as an opportunity to take a break and read some of The Great Gatsby. I have to say, I absolutely love it so far. I can tell that it's going to be one of those books I keep going back to.

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How to study w/ mental health problems

Hi everyone! I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression a while back, and these are my tips on how to manage to be a student while also having mental health problems. If you’re struggling too much, however, please please please see if you can take a break from school- your health is so much more important than anything else!!!!! However, if you can and want to keep going, I hope these tips are useful.

1. Be realistic about what you can do

When I’m in a really bad anxious/depressive spell, things take me so much longer than usual. It’s important to take that into account when planning out your tasks, so you don’t end up with an enormous unfinished to-do-list and a mental breakdown. For example, last week, I had an essay to finish, and I spent a full day proofreading it one final time, since I could only do one paragraph at a time. Make sure to give yourself enough time and only do the tasks that are absolutely essential!

2. Know your own signs

In my case, my mental health goes up and down- I might be having a great time for a few weeks but then it’ll all go downhill again (like right now, I’m in a particularly difficult bit currently). By now, I know what signs to look out for so I know when my mental health will go downhill again, so I can prepare myself. Learn these signs (if you can) and when you notice them, either try to prevent yourself from going bad (which obvs isn’t always possible- I tried real hard this time but here we are again), or plan for when you do!

3. Make lists

For me, I can’t do anything without a list. My brain is already so off the rails that, if I don’t make lists, I will forget to do things, or maybe I just can’t be bothered. If I’m in a really bad time mental health-wise, I’ll put even the small things on there (like showering or cooking), to make sure I do them and to make me feel like I got a lot of stuff done in a day even when I’m not able to be productive uni-wise.

4. Talk to your teachers!

You all probably know this, but your teachers are there to help you, and 99.9% of the time, they will be more than happy to. If you’re going through a bad time, tell them this so they know why you’re not as prepared as usual/ they may be able to give you some extra guidance. For example, I have to write my thesis over the summer, but want to do this at home rather than in my uni town bc it’s better for me to be at home rn. I told my supervisor (insert a bunch of anxious crying from my side here), and he was incredibly nice and understanding. If (like me) you have anxiety, this sort of stuff will be scary, but I promise, it’ll be worth it!

5. Be kind to yourself

This is important in general, but if you have mental health problems, you have to accept that you’re not going to be able to be as productive as you want to be (the perfectionist inside of me died a little as I was writing it). There will be days when it feels like you’ve been hit by a bus and you just can’t do anything, and that’s fine. Just wake up every day, determined to make the best of whatever the universe has decided to throw at you. Good luck!

I hope this helped some of you- if you have any questions/ just need someone to talk to, please feel free to message me!!!

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Okay so I finished my exams!!!! And I'm really!!! Happy!!!

I also got my course list today, which is as follows:

AP Physics C: Mechanics AB (though I'm going to request to switch out and take AP Physics I instead, because it's a prereq for another class I want to take and I want to get my prereqs done ASAP)

AP World History AB

Pre-AP French II AB

AP English Language and Composition AB

AP Chemistry AB

AP Calculus BC

Honors Engineering AB

AP Statistics AB

I am actually going to die next year.

*distant sobbing*

If you have any of these classes or questions about them or words of wisdom for next year, please don't hesitate to contact me!

I also plan on going back to learning guitar over the summer, hopefully learning a bit of coding, and studying for the SAT, so there'll be a few posts about that!

Have a fantastic summer, my lovelies!

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20 important study skills/tips i’ve learned from my professors

1. start studying a week before every quiz/test. seriously.

2. watch youtube videos/ted talks on the topics you are learning about.

3. get lots of sleep! sleep helps you process the day’s events, including what you learned.

4. write out your notes. it’s proven that handwritten notes help you learn better than typed out notes.

5. don’t just read what your professor gives you. find academic journals, books, etc. that correspond with your subjects.

6. read the news! especially in the social sciences/humanities, connecting concepts with current events helps you understand and process more easily.

7. exercise! this doesn’t have to be going on runs or lifting weights, it could even just be going for a 20 minute walk. just get your blood pumping, it’ll help you focus.

8. study at your desk. it may be tempting to study in bed, but your brain connects your bed with sleep, so you’ll get tired more quickly.

9. reviewing notes doesn’t have to be something you sit down and do for an hour. skim through them and test your memory while eating breakfast!

10. expand your study time throughout the day to avoid burnout. for example, rather than studying for 5 hours straight, study for an hour here and there in between your activities.

11. make your notes organized and easy to read, but not distracting. bright colors and flashy notes may seem better, but can sometimes distract from the purpose of the notes.

12. use apps such as quizlet. this way, you can go through definitions while waiting in lines or walking to class.

13. it’s more important to know concepts rather than facts. for example, you should be able to take what you know and apply it to different situations, not just the situation the textbook gives you.

14. just because the professor doesn’t require you to read textbook, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. it helps explain concepts in a different way than your professor, and a lot of times hearing two different explanations for the same concept helps you understand it.

15. read in advance. read the textbook before your professor begins going over the chapter, so when he/she does, you can easily follow what they are saying.

16. do any extra credit work that comes your way. even if you don’t need the extra boost now, you might later.

17. go to class!! if you always skip class and show up at office hours completely lost on the concepts, they’ll laugh in your face. they’ll take you 100x more seriously if you show up.

18. however, if you are sick, take a day off. it’s more beneficial to you in the long run. 

19. learn how to say “no”. if you have an 8 am the next day, don’t stay out until midnight with your friends. 

20. don’t stress too hard over quizzes. if you expect them to go horribly, they will. you got this.

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I feel like deathhhh. I'm studying for my Calculus final and I feel like I've been staring at the same question forever, so I'm taking a quick break! I really do enjoy math, I just feel like I'm letting stress get to me this year, which really sucks. On the bright side, I discovered that the little bay window up in my room is absolutely perfect for studying! It feels so much better than sitting in the middle of my dark room like a supervillain plotting my next evil plan. Anyways, happy studying, my lovelies!

(I feel like my handwriting got even worse. I didn't even think that was possible.)

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Omigosh, tysm! I'm really excited to be a part of the community!!

Hiya!

I’m a sweet lil high school baby and I never have motivation to do anything! So I’m making a studyblr!

I always feel inspired when I see studyblr posts, so I figured it would really help if I made my own. It is finals week for me, which means I won’t be posting much school stuff after a few days, but I am trying to learn French and I want to start learning some other stuff over the summer, so I’ll post about that.

A few things you should know:

I’m a female and I use she/her pronouns

I’m bisexual, and I might fangirl about pretty people on here (with my studyblr posts. Don’t worry; this blog won’t have a bunch of unrelated posts, I might just mention things along with the pics)

I’m 15 and I’ll be going into 10th grade next year. I’ll post my course list when I get it tomorrow

If you have any courses that I have or you have any questions about them FEEL FREE TO ASK/TALK TO ME. I WOULD KILL FOR AN ONLINE STUDY BUDDY.

I’d also like to make it clear that there is one main thing about my blog that will be different from a lot of the studyblrs I’ve seen: it will be very very messy. I have horrible handwriting. I do not organize my notes. Like, at all. It might get better, but I make no promises. I’m a straight A student and my messy notes have worked just fine for me so far, so there’s a very low chance of it changing.

THANK YOU FOR READING! ENJOYYYY!!!!

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Hiya!

I'm a sweet lil high school baby and I never have motivation to do anything! So I'm making a studyblr!

I always feel inspired when I see studyblr posts, so I figured it would really help if I made my own. It is finals week for me, which means I won't be posting much school stuff after a few days, but I am trying to learn French and I want to start learning some other stuff over the summer, so I'll post about that.

A few things you should know:

I'm a female and I use she/her pronouns

I'm bisexual, and I might fangirl about pretty people on here (with my studyblr posts. Don't worry; this blog won't have a bunch of unrelated posts, I might just mention things along with the pics)

I'm 15 and I'll be going into 10th grade next year. I'll post my course list when I get it tomorrow

If you have any courses that I have or you have any questions about them FEEL FREE TO ASK/TALK TO ME. I WOULD KILL FOR AN ONLINE STUDY BUDDY.

I'd also like to make it clear that there is one main thing about my blog that will be different from a lot of the studyblrs I've seen: it will be very very messy. I have horrible handwriting. I do not organize my notes. Like, at all. It might get better, but I make no promises. I'm a straight A student and my messy notes have worked just fine for me so far, so there's a very low chance of it changing.

THANK YOU FOR READING! ENJOYYYY!!!!

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ESSAY WRITING AT DEGREE LEVEL: THE BASICS

when i started my undergraduate literature degree my writing was no way near up to scratch. my punctuation and grammar was all over the place, i didn’t know how to properly structure my essays and as a result my ideas were often all over the place. in the second year of my degree i made it my priority to work on this and spent HOURS trying to improve my writing. it took time, a lot of patience and there was a lot of frustration (especially since it wasn’t reflected in my grades until my third year). but, eventually, it really paid off. it’s important to acknowledge that being able to write well can take time and is often not something that comes naturally, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get there in the end.

here are a few things i learnt:

first things first, sort out your punctuation and grammar. these are easy marks to lose and it’s just a matter of practice. firstly, to find out where you’re going wrong go and talk to someone. universities often have writing sessions or one-to-ones aimed at tackling problems like these. this is where you can show them your essay and they can guide you through what you need to improve on (having someone else point out your common mistakes can be really helpful). secondly, find yourself a copy of hazel hutchinson’s how to write great essays and dissertations. this book was my go-to during second year. it covers everything from structure, to punctuation and using secondary sources, so it is a great way of figuring out the basics. another one i’d recommend is my grammar and i (or should that be ‘me’?).

once you’ve got that down, begin to closely read academic essays and secondary sources. whilst these are great means of research, they are also super useful for seeing what an academic essay should look like. take note of the way they structure sentences. what do their introductions look like and how do they shape their ideas? by the end of your degree your essays should essentially be shorter versions of these so it’s a good idea to use them as a base for your own writing.

essay structure: throw out your a-level paragraphs! when i first started my BA, i thought each paragraph was expected to contain a point, evidence and explanation (p.e.e. as it was taught to me in school). what i later learned is that, although this is to some extent true, starting a new point every paragraph makes the essay sound choppy and the argument can be stunted and undeveloped - especially as you’ll be writing longer essays at undergrad. rather than doing this, i ended up making just one or two points throughout the essay and spreading this across a few paragraphs each time, using two or three bits of textual evidence, close analysis and lengthy explanation to develop my argument.

writing is about rewriting. it’s rare that your writing will be as good as it can be after the first draft. try and finish your essay a week before it’s due (although this is not always possible), have a few days off and then look back through it. at this point, i normally print a hard copy, take a highlighter and read it through slowly, highlighting anything that sounds out of place or could be explained further as i go. this way, you can go back through and tighten things, make your sentences smoother, and ensure your argument is as clear as it can be.

finally, and most importantly, don’t  -   try  -  to  -  look  -  fancy. i can’t stress this enough. too many students think they have to use big words and complicated sentences for their work to sound clever and “academic”. that’s not true!! the most important thing is to be clear and concise. show your intelligence off in your argument, not your writing. your tutors want to be able to understand what you’re saying and for it to be easy to read, so don’t panic if you think your essay sounds too simple or “dumb” because you haven’t used big words - it doesn’t!

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Still waiting for my exams to just,,, end,,, so I can watch Captain Marvel!

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made little mistakes here and there, but when don’t i haha :’-) happy new year everyone! i hope 2018 is going well for everyone so far <3 (taken from my studygram)

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started a new journal

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solutions // chem

check out my studygram!

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Integumentary system review. Remember, making your notes pretty doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get good grades. #studyblr #studyallure #mine #study

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Visiting my sister this weekend— I’m trying to incorporate a little more softness into my life right now.