studyist - Tumblr blog

[studyist]

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

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

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

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

The Everything Notebook

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

Subject Notebooks

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

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

Revision Notebooks

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

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

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

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

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

The Everything Folder

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

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

Subject Binders

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

Each of these binders have sections inside them:

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

Chemistry: same as Physics.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pencil Case

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

Backpack

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

Pencil case

Everything Notebook

Everything Folder

Revision notebook

Kindle

Phone

Wallet

Earphones

Calculator

Speaker

Drinking bottle

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

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

[studyist]

I hope you guys like…eventually live the life you want to live and I hope nothing haunts you for too long and I hope you’re all kind to yourselves

[studyist]

january 1, 2017 | new year’s resolutions 

1. Be happy. Fill out the 52 Lists for Happiness every week. Revel in the small moments that give you joy. Pull friends closer and cut out negativity. Meditate.

2. Love yourself. Become the person you would fall in love with. Eat healthy, exercise, sleep and prioritize yourself. Learn to accept mistakes and failure. 

3. Read for pleasure. Schedule time for it. Reading is one of the great joys of life. It’s about time you rediscover it. 

4. Make good art. Carry your sketchbook everywhere. “Do not try to paint the grandiose thing. Paint the commonplace so that it will be distinguished.”

5. Journal. Make time for it, because it is so worth it. You will learn new things, make sense of yourself, and decompress. Later, it will be so so important. 

6. Learn new things. Do it out of your own self-interest. Be open-minded, and remember that lessons can come from anyone, anywhere. 

7. Seize opportunities. Stretch your comfort zone. Do not be afraid to believe. You will not regret the things you did, only the things you didn’t do. 

[studyist]

GUESS WHAT, GUYS. i hit an insane milestone and i just wanted to do something for everyone that’s been supporting me since february! and when i say everyone, i mean everyone. 

FOR ENTRY:

reblogs count // likes for saving

each reblog counts as an entry!

mbf @studypetals

can follow @edwarddelrics for another entry

i will do international shipping! (yay!) 

ends on december 31st, 2016 at 12:00pm cst (saturday)

random winner(s) selected and notified within the week after (because i might be busy around that time) 

if reblogged from side blog, mention main blog in tags

have inbox and/or chat enabled

winners have 3 days to respond

if not, another random winner will be selected 

expanding giveaway to 3 winners

GIVEAWAY GOODIES (each winner gets this bundle): 

six washi tape designs

two copic markers

one happy planner page sticker page 

one muji 0.38mm pen 

one small/medium moleskine journal

a personalized letter from me! 

GOOD LUCK, and thank you so much for everyone’s support! i can’t thank you guys enough for everything. it’s been my favorite time here on tumblr! 

[studyist]

in honor of me reaching 25,000 followers i decided to host my very first studyblr awards! i still can’t believe i’ve gained this much support and love for my blog despite not even being on here for a year. i am so thankful for this amazing community and the lovely things that come out of it (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) thank you so much!!! ily

Categories:

best url

best desktop theme

best mobile theme

best original content

best icon

best overall

best new studyblrs (let me know if your follower count is <1000)

I will be choosing 3 winners for each category!

Rules!

reblog to enter! (likes are only bookmarks)

mbf me! (i will check~)

write the url of your main blog in the tags if your studyblr isn’t your main blog

you are automatically entered for all categories except best new studyblr under 1000 followers (send me an ask if u are!)

ends on January 4th 2017, 7pm PST -8! and winners will be announced January 6th!

Prizes!:

a new friend + my eternal love (message me!)

a follow from me!

promos!!

a spot on my favorite blogs/awards page~

i will go through your archive and reblog a lot of your posts

Disclaimer:

Winners are only chosen bc they stood out to me based off of my personal preference. The winners are no better than other entrants and it doesn’t matter what your follower count is.

I am honestly doing this to find new ones to follow! (as i’m following less than 200 ;-;) and also give props to some of your blogs!

So I will most likely follow a lot of you~

again, thank you so much and good luck! ♥

[studyist]

hey pals!! i haven’t done one of these in a whiiiiile, but i start my spring semester in about two weeks so i figured i would make one about how to prepare for a new semester!

my original posts | studygram | my 8tracks

making your schedule

so, hopefully you’ve already decided what classes you’re going to take, and even if you haven’t, i find that there are a few things i like to do before the semester starts so that i’ll be able to make sure i can handle it!!

one thing i learned recently to do is to rate all of my responsibilities (classes, extra-curricular activities, job, etc) out of 5 based on difficulty. so, for instance, my physics class, which has two lectures a week and a lab once a week (a 4-credit course) would, most likely, be a smack-in-the-face 5/5. on the other hand, my PE class (fricken exercise and toning) would be a 0/5 (no out of class assignments, a 50-minute class twice a week).

make sure you’re not taking back to back classes!! please!! it is so stressful feeling like you’re going to be late to a class because another went over by even a few minutes. my school does scheduling so that there’s a ten-minute break between all time slots and that’s still really strenuous for me. 

make sure you have enough time to eat, pal. i don’t know how other (read: bigger) schools do it, but my tiny school doesn’t let you take anything out of the dining hall. plus, it’s so much more fun to have time to sit down and talk with your friends – it’s also a really great way to destress in the middle of the day!

don’t overload. seriously. overload at my school is 19 credits and honestly the only reason you should be taking 19 credits a semester is if you’re graduating early (but you should have brought credits in so there would be no need) or you’re at a credit deficit (don’t….do that). so like. don’t overload. it’s really bad for you omg

textbooks!!!

don’t make the same mistake i did my first year and buy every textbook brand new!! here are some resources for free textbooks online + by the way, slader.com has answers to pretty much every textbook on the planet!

free textbooks

more free textbooks

medical textbooks

science + math books

business textbooks

classic lit + references/study guides

planning/bullet journaling

using a planner and/or bullet journal is honestly the best thing you can do for yourself. i only use a planner (which works for me enormously because i like to plan according to due dates and the calendars already set up for me work better than anything i could come up with!) but i’ve heard that bullet journals are a great way to keep lists and everything you have to do in one place!

i am currently using a 17-month ban.do planner and i love it to pieces; it’s an easy way to keep all of my assignments in one place. i also keep a separate journals for to-do lists!

intro to bullet journaling (this is the official website!)

studyign’s bullet journal tag and masterpost

another masterpost on bullet journals

free printable planner

jammin’ on your planner (read: organization tips)

setting goals

setting goals for yourself is really, really important if you want to make sure you don’t end up the typical college student: in the library at 3am the day something is due, chugging coffee like your life depends on it and typing so frantically you think your fingers might fall off.

long-term goals may seem scary at first, but if you set short-term goals in order to help you accomplish those long-term goals, it’s easy as pie!

set due dates for yourself, i.e. if you have a big essay due in two weeks, maybe have a first draft done in a week so you have the rest of the time to edit it (and maybe you’ll even finish early?)

setting goals is also important for when you hit that inevitable middle-of-the-semester slump. it happens, and sometimes you can’t get out of bed for your 8 am class, and that’s fine, whatever; but don’t make it a habit. maybe make it a goal to only miss one meeting of each of your courses?? (wink wink)

make a to do + doing + done board (i made one of these last semester and although as the semester went on i had a tough time keeping up with it i found it really helpful!!)

use your bullet journal/planner to help you with these goalsss!

forget how do study?

i know i always forget how to do anything related to school over the month-long break between semesters because i essentially become a couch potato, so here are a few posts with study techniques/resources/etc to help you readjust!!

general study masterpost (includes such resources as help for essays, ways to get motivated, and tips on how to study when you suffer from a mental illness)

how to take notes in your lecture when your professor speaks so fast and you can’t keep up

creating your own study guide!

please, for the love of the powers that be, learn time management (you’ll thank me and yourself) + pomodoro technique!!

taking a language this semester?

no fear shakespeare (this is mostly for me tbh)

apps to help you study!

…don’t stress! take care of yourselves!

everyone gets so stressed out they can’t breathe every once in a while, so here are some things that could help 

color mandalas

study playlists

my yoga masterpost

meditation exercises

how to eat healthy this semester amid all the stress

understanding anxiety (this one was really, really helpful for me!)

ok free rice is my L I F E (feed ppl and improve your vocab?? what else could u want)

studyign’s “little happy things” post – take a step back from whatever’s stressing you out; maybe even take a break entirely from it!

guided relaxation (i literally love this website so much)

all in all, just take deep breaths. i know school is important, but it’s not everything. one D does not mean you’re a failure. heck, one F does not mean you’re a failure. it’ll be okay.

printables

one thing that the studyblr community is just chock full of is printables to help you plan and to help you study. here are a few that i like to use!

daily planner, essay planner, assignment planner

revision pack!!!

for my literary friends, poetry terms

so! many! free! printables!!!

sticker printables ooo (these require sticker paper - or just regular paper and tape?)

your very own habit in 21 days!

why the heck not here’s another printables masterpost

[studyist]

If you’re someone who takes the most pride in their academic achievements, getting good grades is one of the most important things in your life (Note: Having achievements outside of the academic realm is still incredibly admirable, and I encourage all people to excel in at least one aspect of their life that is non-academic). Especially if you intend to pursue higher levels of educations (i.e. graduate school, medical school), it might even be pertinent that you get high marks all throughout your college life. This can prove to be a daunting task, especially if you’re not fully comfortable with your major or program from the get go. Here are my top 5 tips for getting good grades your freshman year of college…

1. Start reading up on your course subjects before the term starts. AKA hit the ground running. I can’t even put into words how important this is. Whether you’re in General Chemistry, Intro to Psych, or Film Production, getting a head start on your readings the week before classes begin will boost your ability to recall introductory information during the first few weeks, setting you up for success as long as you stay ahead of the curve the whole time.

2. Go to office hours. You might be in a massive first-year lecture hall with two hundred other students. If you don’t sit in the very front of the class during lecture, you might not make it to your professor before the herd of other eager students to ask them for clarification on a topic covered during class. If this is the case, the only way that you’re going to get personalized help is to attend office hours. Yes, it may be somewhat inconvenient (especially if you have other commitments during those times), but it the long-run it can really help to boost your grade if you’re able to get your specific questions answered. Not only will it probably boost your grade, but you’re more likely to establish a meaningful relationship with your professor, and that can really help you when you’re applying for scholarships or internships later on.

3. Study. Study. Study. Yeah, duh. I mean to make studying fun. Don’t make it out to be this insufferable chore, because (while it very well may be), having that mindset makes it even more challenging to get through those long sleepless nights. Do whatever you have to do to make studying bearable. Some people use pomodoro, some people use pizza. Some people buy pretty stationery that motivates them to study (me, me, me). Some people blast tunes at 2am (which might irritate your flatmate). Essentially what I’m trying to say is, find a study system that works for you and make sure you do it frequently enough to be successful in your classes.

4. Make sure other aspects of your life are in order. One of the most common explanations that students have for not being able to get high marks are personal troubles. Whether they be financial, or familial, or friend-related, your situation outside the classroom plays a very big role in your overall success. Most college campuses have a counseling or psychological services office that helps students get through loss, stress, depression, and a myriad of other troubles that may hinder personal and academic success. If you’re not keen on talking to fully grown adults about your issues, trying turning to friends or peer counselors. Although they may not be professionally trained to deal with the kind of issues that you might face, they are potential support systems nonetheless, and having that support system firmly established can mean the difference between success and failure. Note: Your mental and physical health are much more important than grades on a transcript. If you find yourself dissociating, losing motivation, or have just not been feeling happy at all for longer than a couple of weeks, I would consider confiding in a mental health professional on campus.

5. Do not, under any circumstances except emergencies and special events, procrastinate. This kind of ties back to #1 on the list, and it’s simply the most important piece of advice that I could give you. Procrastination is a student’s kryptonite, and it’s so easy to do with all of the distractions that exist today. At some point or another in your academic life, you’ve probably procrastinated. Most of my friends from high school procrastinated. And while I may be generally better about holding off on doing assignments, I still find myself occasionally procrastinating unintentionally. Procrastination inhibits your ability to encode information because you aren’t able to space out our encoding over a longer period of time, and are instead forced to cram as much information as your brain will allow in your head the night before you’re supposed to recall it on a big test.

I’m probably going to do a Part II on this particular topic because I have a ton more tips to share on how you can improve your chances of getting good grades. If you don’t want to miss a single notification, follow my blog here! Have a wonderfully studious day!

[studyist]

Ahh congrats on getting into your dream school!! My dream school results come out Friday and I'm so nervous omg :'^)

Oh my god thank you!! I really hope you get the decision you want

[studyist]

I’M THE FRIEND

IM SO HAPPY BECAUSE MY FRIEND GOT ACCEPTED INTO COLUMBIA UNKVERSTIY LIKE BYE IM YELLING IM SO HAPPY 🗣🗣🗣🗣

[studyist]

“but what are Hillary’s POLICIES?”

So I got tired of not seeing any news on HRC’s actual positions because every single media outlet is busy fact-checking Trump’s latest Twitter tantrum, and decided to look some up.

Also, tired of stories about 26-year-olds complaining that they can’t get behind Clinton because they don’t know what she stands for, and also have no idea who Ralph Nader is, even though these frickin’ kids are only two years younger than me and also Wikipedia exists

But anyway. Hillary Clinton! Actual positions!

Guys, there’s so much to love.

We already knew she wants harder regulation on the megabanks, right?

Not as hardcore as Bernie wants, but in the same direction?

Turns out she bundles that with a bunch of provisions to support and protect credit unions!

Seriously, I love my credit union. And they’re tiny and responsible and don’t secretly open millions of accounts in the names of unaware users.

Universal quality pre-K for every kid!

Paid medical leave and new-parent leave. Not just for new moms, either. Regardless of gender.

Funding childcare centers on college campuses for student parents!

omg you guys, her plans for addressing autism. Note the total absence of the word “curing.” It’s all about “providing support” and “early diagnosis” and “improving access” and “increasing opportunities.”

She’s full of specific plans for Alzheimer’s research and treatment

Including supporting stem-cell research

You know how otherwise work-ready people sometimes get stuck as unpaid caregivers when a family member becomes sick or disabled? Well, Hillary wants to give those people credit where credit is due.

By which I mean, tax credit

And Social Security benefits

and you know the horrific unnecessary price hikes we’ve seen on EpiPens and various livesaving drugs? Think that oughta be a crime? So does HRC.

Plus she supports emergency imports of similar treatments from other countries (the ones with quality safety standards, obv) if that’s what it takes to save lives

Hillary stands with Planned Parenthood

Supports more funding for VA mental health treatments

And better training for police on how to de-escalate when they’re called in on a crisis situation

Seriously, she’s coming at mental health from all sides, it’s fantastic

Her rhetoric about the police also hits better training to deal with implicit bias

Comprehensive background checks for gun buying!

Close the Charleston loophole

End the special legal protections that gun manufacturers get when the rest of the manufacturing industry doesn’t

eyyyy, btw, guess where Sanders fell on that issue?

that’s right: this time Clinton was the one dragging Bernie to the left

Solar panels!

I mean, clean energy in general, but “solar panels” is the shiniest part

Automatic voter registration

AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION

No more harried every-four-year drives pleading for everyone to register, even if it’s inconvenient, even if there are serious barriers in your way

No more “welcome to the polling center, whoops, looks like you were registered but it got thrown out on a technicality and nobody told you”

Automatic voter registration!!

Raise the minimum wage to $12/hr

Still not the $16/hr we’d have if it had kept up with inflation since the ‘70s, but a big improvement

I’m not even in a minimum-wage job and this would still give me a raise of at least $320/month

and obviously the tipped minimum wage is a national shame, well guess what, HRC wants to do away with that

Fewer loopholes and more taxes for the super-rich, including the Buffett Rule and a millionaire tax

Hella infrastructure investment plans: covering our roads, bridges, airports, dams, public transit, and Internet access

She’s planning to upgrade our 25 most costly freight bottlenecks

Did you know our country had a cost issue with freight bottlenecks?

Because I had no idea

and this happens over and over with her policies

things you didn’t even know were things

but Hermione Rodham Clinton has already looked up the statistics, talked to the experts, and written the ten-page memo

and listen, voting for HRC for no other reason than to keep Trump and his tax-evading business-bankrupting employee-stiffing racist sexist across-the-board-hateful loose-cannon general inanity out of office is completely legitimate –

but if I never see another “why don’t we know more about her plans?? it is a hopeless unsolvable mystery for the ages!” post again it will be too soon.

[studyist]

[studyist]

[studyist]

I made everyone positive/motivational wallpapers for CAS! I snap them to you @mypkindness | 7/? | In the Heights

[studyist]

What Makes A Monster And What Makes A Man

This is my EPQ short film!!!! I’m so excited to share this with you. I would love it if you could like the video and comment your thoughts so I can use it as evidence in my presentation. Thank you so much!!! 

dftba xx

[studyist]

Serif and Script fonts

Please, like or reblog if you download it

Edition - Sudestada - Arenski - Qaskin white - Valkyrie - Dita sweet - Damion - Cotillion - Zefani stencil - Debby - Exodus - Hermione - Kino 40 - Onyx - Old script

[studyist]

I made everyone positive/motivational wallpapers for CAS! I snap them to you @mypkindness | 1/? | Hamilton

[studyist]

For whoever wanted me to make a post about my fave pens!

(Sharpie, Pilot G2, PaperMate InkJoy, Uni-ball Signo 207, and Pilot B2P)