ningstudies-blog

[ningstudies-blog]

it’s the start of a new year and many of you will be starting your jc 2 years (yikes), so i thought y’all might want sum solid, unorthodox tips to help you out. coming from someone who really isn���t naturally gifted and worked really hard and got straight a’s, i really think i can empathise with a lot of y’all out there - also i did HELM, so some tips might not be applicable for those taking science subjects heh

start strong, finish stronger: don’t burn out at the start of the year, but don’t take it too easy either. start staying on top of your work and consult your teachers if you find any major holes in your understanding. start revising proper about halfway into the year (or a month earlier if you’re scared)! 

consult your teachers: i found it super helpful to write out essay plans for content-heavy subjects and ask my teachers to read over them; even if they don’t give the best comments, the act of writing essay plans gets you into the right mindset! 

find your rhythm: get into the groove of studying. find a routine that works for you and follow that. the a level year gets really tedious and boring, so you just have to get into the flow, and accept it for now! trust me, once you buckle down and just really DO IT, it makes things much easier. 

failure is part of the journey: don’t be disappointed if the results don’t show immediately. my rankpoints went from 50+ to 80+ and i ended off with a 90. i was never a top student during my exams, i was always decently average. if you honestly put in the hard work, the universe will give you what you want! 

take a break every once in a while: no one can study for a whole year straight. especially when it comes down to the difficult periods, like prelims, block tests, common tests, and the a level period itself, you must take a break. for me, i scheduled a rest day where i wouldn’t do anything or go for a hike, or go out with my friends! when you do go out, don’t think about the fact that you have an exam - it really helps you reset and feel more motivated and rejuvenated to continue.

figure out WHY: for me, my WHY was because i wanted to prove to myself that hard work pays off. for you, it may be a specific school, a specific result, etc, etc. figuring out why you’re doing something really helps you get over the shitty feeling you get while studying. making a vision board with quotes and your goals can help too, and that’s what i did - it’s the board that i saw every day leading up to the exams.

BONUS: if you have the extra cash, purchase the forest app! i think it’s free for android users. you plant a tree in your phone and if you use your phone the tree dies. it really helped me stay away from my phone while studying.

upon writing these i realised that these were pretty generic, but this is the kind of advice that really inspired me when i first started my a level journey! if y’all like this maybe i’ll write more specific posts for my subjects, maybe GP.... good luck babes! x 

[ningstudies-blog]

How to get straight A’s in college. Seriously.

Yes, even if you’re taking the maximum credit load. Because if I can do it, you can do it too. Note: My credit load also included a handful of honors courses. 

Side-note: I’m going to be a junior (how??) and an RA (!!!) in the fall. Life moves fast. College moves faster. Anyways, 

Here are my top tips: 

1. LOOK AT THE SYLLABUS AND WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN. This is step number one, and it’s not up for debate. If you do this, there’ll be no surprises, and if there are: point it out to the professor (a simple, ??? this wasn’t on the syllabus ??, usually works). Also, you have to check and see what constitutes as an A in that class. Sometimes it’s a 90, sometimes it’s not. (a 96 was an A- in one of my classes last semester. I’m so serious.)

2. Get a calendar. Not a planner. One of those giant calendars with puppies or something on it and write down everything you have to do for the month. Put it above your desk. This helps A LOT because you can see everything you have coming up for the next few weeks, instead of jus playing it day-by-day. 

3. It is OK to use ratemyprofessor. Sometimes it can be really helpful, but pay attention to the more in depth reviews that talk about what the homework, tests, quizzes and projects are like (instead of “her lectures are boring :///) 

4. Sit in the front of your class. You’ll be more likely to pay attention and less likely to scroll through instagram. (by the way, mine is @parissdb :) It also grabs your professors attention, so even if you’re shy, they’ll at least know your face.

5. Do that extra credit. A lot of professors offer it in the beginning of the semester, and hardly anyone does it because no one’s thinking past tomorrow. It may be what saves you in the long run. 

6. Figure out your best method of note-taking. For me, it’s good ol pen and paper. It helps me remember everything. Some people prefer typing it out. This is beneficial bc it makes it easier for you to find exactly what you’re looking for. (Thank you, command + F)

7. Put your effort into the percentages. If an assignment is worth 1% of your grade, do it well, but don’t exhaust yourself. It’s 1%!!!! If it comes down to it, spend more time studying for that exam that’s worth 30% than the group project worth 20. 

8. Please. Stop studying what you already know. We’re all guilty of it. It makes you feel better knowing you have chapters 1-3 down, even if you don’t know 4-7. The key to studying is to learn what you don’t know. 

9. Learn how to study. (Yes, it’s actually a skill that has to be learned.) I’m the biggest procrastinator I know, especially when it comes to studying. But I’ve found that studying 2 days before an exam usually does the trick for me. I create a master study guide during day 1 and study it all on day 2. Depending on what time the exam is, I may review on the morning of day 3. 

10. SAVE SOME TIME FOR FUN ffs. Seriously. You don’t have to study 24/7, and I don’t know about y’all but my attention span was not built for that.

I might add more to this later, or make another post because I could give these tips for ever and ever. But hopefully this helps someone out there. 

Be sure to check out my college tab here:(http://thesoontobenewyorker.tumblr.com/tagged/college) and follow me on instagram @parissdb (https://www.instagram.com/parissdb/) for more stuff. :) 

[ningstudies-blog]

this post is part of the student guide and the technology mini series

One of my goals next year is learn how to use technology more effectively in order to stay productive and organised. Thus I thought it could be helpful for me as well as you guys to make this post - a masterlist of different websites, apps and extensions that will make your life as a student that little bit easier. I’ve sorted these by purpose rather than device, so that whether you’re looking for a note-taking program or cooking ideas you’ll be able to find something useful. 

Plan / Organise

Todoist: Beautiful and powerful project manager and general to-do list 

Any.do: Simple, flexible and well-integrated task manager

Carrot To-Do: Motivational and simple to-do list with personality

Pocket: Save articles, videos and other digital content to read later

Pinterest: Collate and sort inspiration into image-based ‘pinboards’ 

Swipes: Easy task manager that focuses on what’s really important

Trello: Well designed and intuitive project planner / manager

Clear: Minimalistic and beautiful to-do lists

Focus: To-do extension with inbuilt focus timer

Manage Your Schedule

My Study Life: Organise your class schedule and homework tasks

The Homework App: Very pretty and highly functional class schedule and homework tracker

Calendly: Schedule appointments with others using this availability tool

Google Calendar: Simple and smart scheduling app

Glass Planner: Combined, distraction-free calendar and to-do list

Lanes: Simple tasks, calendar and pomodoro timer in new tab

Plan: Gorgeous planner with productivity analytics

Handle: Simple planner and to-dos with email inbox integration

Take Notes

Evernote: Save and sync short multimedia notes ( +Penultimate: Handwritten notes that integrate with the Evernote app )

Notability: Create longer handwritten notes + annotate pdfs

Paper: Lightweight app for beautiful and intuitive notes and sketches

Google Docs: Crisp and collaborative word processor with automatic integration with Google Drive

Outline: Highly organised digital multimedia notebooks

Coggle: Create simple mindmaps

Mindly: More complex and beautiful mindmaps, although more expensive

Day One: Keep a digital journal

Store Files

Google Drive: Store various file types in a cloud-based program

Google Photos: Back up and organise your photos / image files

Focus Better / Manage Time

Forest: Focus for 30 minutes to grow a cute virtual tree

Flat Tomato: Pomodoro timer with additional time management tools

Tide: Simple and attractive pomodoro timer + white noise

Pomodrone: Minimalistic pomodoro with goal setting and analysis tools

Pomello: Desktop pomodoro that integrates with trello for easy task management

Noisli: Simple background noise for focus + relaxation

Be Limitless: Analyses how long you spend on different websites and offers productivity suggestions

StayFocusd: Block access to distracting websites while you work

Timewarp: Gentle reminders to stop using distracting sites

Be More Productive

IFTTT: Automate processes that use multiple apps for higher efficiency

Toby Tab Manager: Manage tabs to avoid overload + up productivity

Tab Snooze: Snooze tabs until later

Infinity: New tab extension with bookmarked pages, to-dos, notes, etc.

Spark: Smart email inbox manager to stay organised and save time

Inbox: Another email organiser designed by Google for Gmail

MyScript: Handwritten, intuitive input makes calculating quicker

GistNote: Highlight web content and sort highlighted material

RefMe: Quickly and automatically create bibliography references

Spaces: Collaborate with groups easily in this shared-space program

XKit: Tumblr extension that makes tasks such as reblogging and tagging faster

Improve Work Quality

Wolfram|Alpha: Data engine / tools makes knowledge easy to access

Grammarly: Powerful editor / grammar checker improves writing quality

DataShine: Conduct research with mapped UK census data

Wikipedia App: Get lost in this treasure-trove of information

Revise Well

Quizlet: Smart flashcard program with collaborative fucntionality

Memrise: Adaptive revision for learning languages and other vocab

FlashTabs: Flashcard in every new tab you open helps you revise consistently 

Duolingo: Learn / revise languages via this interactive and fun program

Khan Academy: Do practice tasks and take prep courses for the SAT and other tests - great way to efficiently revise maths !!

CliffsNotes: Cram easily with summary guides and test prep - also has really great guides to popular and classic literature ( +alternative )

Kahoot: Fun and highly useful group revision games / competitions

Stay Healthy

Waterlogged: Track your water intake and get reminders to drink more

Drink!: Drinking reminders for your web browser / laptop

Sleep Better: Track your sleep and dreams + set smart alarms 

Good Morning Alarm: Very pretty alternative to Sleep Better

Take A Break: Reminds you to take a break while online

Habitica: Track / manage your habits in this fun game

Productive: Powerful and well designed habit tracker with many features

Streaks: Alternative to Productive - prettier and better interface imo

Streaks Workout: A version of Streaks designed specifically for working out

Seven: 7-minute guided workouts to keep fit quickly

Zombies, Run!: Motivates you to run by playing a guided ‘zombie escape’ game as you do

Charity Miles: Raise money for charity by running, walking or cycling

Lumosity: Fun and personalised brain training ( +alternatives: A | B )

Manage Mental Health

Headspace: Quality guided meditations on different topics

Pacifica: Simple and daily stress / anxiety management tools

Smiling Mind: Meditations designed to improve mindfulness

Live Independently

My Fridge Food: Enter ingredients you have, get recipes you can make

SafeTrek: Stay safe while out alone via easy alerts when in danger

Penny: Track your money / spending and see how you could save

Honey: Save money by automatically applying promotions when shopping online

Konmari: Organise your belongings by minimising what you own

Roadtrippers: Plan road trip routes around America easily

Stay Entertained

Flipboard: Automatically collate articles from all over the web into your own personalised digital magazine

Quartz: Get current new in an interactive, easy-to-digest manner

Medium: Read short and engaging essays on a variety of current topics

Netflix: You know the deal

Whichbook: Find a book you’ll love with this detailed search ( +Bookling: Motivate yourself to read more and track your progress )

Letterboxed: Review films and create lists of favourites, to-watch, etc.

Goodreads: Like a book version of Letterboxd

QuizUp: Competitive trivia app

[ningstudies-blog]

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Epitome of Art Trash

[ningstudies-blog]

3:11 [productivity] truth be told, nothing makes me productive unless i’m willing to just ‘DO IT’ but some things do get me going(no pun intended)those being books…books in bed…books in coffee shops…books everywhere basically! 

[ningstudies-blog]

✨ more journal pics on my ig : dearwritten ✨

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Spring themed coffee date 🌿

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whap notes on greek history!

[ningstudies-blog]

11 questions ☆*:・ﾟ

Tagged by: @whenstudyblooms

Rules: Post the rules, answer the 11 questions, then make up 11 new ones and tag 11 people (or however many you want!) to answer them.

how did you come up with your username? → ning is half of my chinese name! 

what is your dream career? → starting a lifestyle brand is the dream

what animal describes you the most? → can’t think of any rn oh no

what’s the best thing about the studyblr community? → USEFUL MASTERPOSTS

oh no! you’ve been transported to an island! what’s the first thing you do? → figure out whether i can live there forever or not hehe

if you must listen to 1 song for 100 hours, what song would it be? → nothing, omg, i can’t!! maybe riptide by vance joy

current favorite stationery? g2 0.38 black pen hehe

yay! you’ve been given the privilege to live with someone for 1 week! who would it be? → i’d rather have the house to MYSELF hahaha!!

best time of the day for you? → i really like evenings, cos it’s usually really quiet and calm 

what is the hardest subject you’re taking/will take right now? → quantitative reasoning when we start the sem next week sighs

would you rather never be sleepy or never be hungry? →  i would rather never be sleepyyyyyy then i would be able to do so muchhhh

i’m in the middle of orientation week right now so i don’t have time to make up 11 new questions so i’m going to tag @roshstudies@study1ng and @study1ng to answer the same questions!!

[ningstudies-blog]

Just today I reached 100 followers! I never thought I’d get even 30, and I’m super thankful and extremely grateful for all of you.

Here’s a list of blogs I follow- all of which are absolutely incredible.

I realised partway through making this list that it’s extremely long (or long for me, at least) and so I’ve put it under the cut!

Keep reading

[ningstudies-blog]

《30072017 • Last week of July • 🎧 : Forever Young - Bumzu x Han Dong Geun》

When your body is in winter but your bullet journal is in summer. // inspo: @studyingmood 

taken from my ig: ttsudys

[ningstudies-blog]

Journal Series: just a few pages from my Alaska/Washington/Canada travel journal featuring some of my favorite souvenirs: gem stones, a dream catcher, polaroids, ticket stubs, pressed flowers, and more! I’m missing the cold summer weather already! xx

[ningstudies-blog]

But a chair, sunlight, flowers: these are not to be dismissed. I am alive, I live, I breathe, I put my hand out, unfolded, into the sunlight. —

Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale (via bookmania)