#I STUCK GRAPHS IN MY ROUGH NOTEBOOK

[chaoticacademicrubberduck]

It is 5:45 A.M and you will already not believe the morning I've been having

[apathycarestostudy]

Staying Organized as a STEM Student

In general, it’s nice to be (and stay) organized. There’re a plethora of tips on how to maintain your stuff, but as a stem student, it seems like it’s all too much for me - or maybe I have commitment issues, I’m not sure, but it doesn’t work for me. So! I decided to share an organizational system so to say that took me three years to develop.

Virtual Stuff

folders for your major - organized by year by semester by subjects by ppts / assignments / extras

name everything correctly 

 (you don’t have to colour code or date them or anything extra unless you wanna)

hard to find? pin them 

(i pin my current semester’s folder + the most demanding courses separately if needed)

use bookmark manager on your web browser

how my bookmark folders are organized - engineering refs (what it is how it is why it is / past paper questions) / class (refs / books / assignment citations)  / online class links / future / internship (according to projects) / volunteer work 

save every page if you’re working on some research - even if it’s 43% useful

go through them later when you’re done amassing info and delete if you need to

(i find that i tend to need a couple lines from useless sites and then get mad that i didn’t save it)

with research:

※ spend an adequate amount of time amassing info first

※ this will help you brainstorm if you don’t have ideas, or refine the ones you got

※ record any ideas that pop up as you do since you’ll have come up with a rough draft in your head

※ if you do this before every report / assignment, you’ll save so much time coming up with a rough draft, going back and forth researching, getting stuck etc.

on google docs? more folders!

folders folders folders

separate appropriately and on an easy-to-find basis

Paper Stuff

keep everything 

even scrap paper (will be useful later)

own one spacious folder / binder for daily use

how mine is organized according to leafs - schedule / syllabi / transcripts or score sheets / important stuff from uni / review sheets collection / several empty leafs for new courses / assignments to be handed in / returned assignments /  graph paper / lab report paper / blank sheets / scrap paper 

buy those pack of cheap folders for extra stuff - if you need to hand something in a folder, to hold previous stuff once you empty main binder out, to hold extra stuff at home etc.

label the ones used if you know you can’t differentiate later

organize notebooks according to schedule (if you pair a couple courses in one notebook)

keep recurring stuff within arm’s reach of your study space

keep review sheets / formula sheets of previous courses in your binder if they relate to current courses (ex: i kept my last year’s transport phenomena stuff in my folder because i was taking mass transfer last semester)

Recording Stuff

a small notebook / planner / an app to record assignments and quizzes and exams

one is enough

write the teachers / profs / doctors information on the first day in one place

date everything please

own a pack of extra pens / pencils / a set of stationery so you never have to buy any new stuff for the semester

(i legit buy them in packs and never buy any more for the rest of the semester)

do that on a good month / when the money isn’t tight

(in the middle of vacation is my time)

write everything down 

spend a moment of time to make a formulae / questions / review stuff master list(s) 

that will help you loads later if you start from the beginning

keep recurring stuff within arm’s reach of your study space 

use scrap paper for practicing formulas / questions / review stuff - works better than flashcards if it’s repetitive, and saves time as well

The biggest takeaway from this post I would say is: doing the bare minimum is fine. You don’t need to do a whole lot to be an organized person. I can say that confidently because apparently I built up a rep of being the most organized person in my batch, and I’m just like 🤨🤨🤨

Anyways - the bare minimum is fine. If you have the little things everywhere in place, that’s enough. But!

※ do underestimate yourself

※ if not, you will lose track of your stuff

Here’s to our collective success ⁓

[sebthesnipe]

Pencils

A prompt that myself and @gilby-the-geek-girl​ decided to do a ‘write this in your style’ involving Logicality roommates and Ticonderoga #2 Pencils

You can read her’s here.

Also check out her main AU that its based in on AO3 here.

If you’re interested here are some links to my work as well:

The Collection (My Oneshots)

My Dearest Procyon (My Multi-Chapter Magical!AU)

Other works by me

Now! Lets get this party started!!!!

Logan gave a small curse as another one of his pencils broke inside his cheap sharpener. He tilted the small plastic container to get a better look inside. Sure enough, a large piece of lead was stuck inside the small cone, pressing against the razor’s edge. He wouldn’t be able to resharpen his pencil until it was removed.

As he took the small pencil sharpener apart, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander. Perhaps, he could rearrange his budget to allow him to purchase some better writing utensils. Patton had already convinced him to spend some extra money on the ‘B2p’s. He had been right about them. The pens were 89% recycled water bottles, which was good for the environment, and they wrote very smoothly, which helped ease the pain that writing caused.

Carpal tunnel syndrome was far more unpleasant that Logan had expected it to be. Of course, he hadn’t expected to enjoy the tingling or numbness, but the sheer amount of pain it caused was staggering. The simple act of holding a pen longer than half an hour was something he could no longer do without the help of an anti inflammatory. His all night note taking sessions were now cut by more than half, and that was on a good night with a decent writing implement.

Surgery was possible, but it would pull him out of school for far too long, and cost more than he was willing to spend without the proper insurance. He was far too close to graduation and couldn’t afford the recovery time, mentally or financially. At least, not yet. For now, he would bide his time and push onwards towards his end goal.

He sighed as he pressed his pencil into the cleared sharpener and twisted. For now, he would make due. The pens Patton had recommended were more than satisfactory, but he only had a small budget for his supplies.

He removed the pencil and examined the now sharpened tip. The graphite was uneven, but pointed enough for his note taking, though the wood around it was rough and almost fuzz-like. It would smudge the graphite’s markings if he wasn’t careful. Luckily he was accustomed to such cheap craftsmanship and could make due with what he had.

He set the sharpener aside and took stock at the desk before him. Everything had its place. His box of untouched pencils sat perfectly parallel above his notebook, directly right of his lamp. His three subject college ruled spiral was open to a half written page, marked with a small blue tab indicating that it was on the topic of Mathematics (specifically Number Theory). Behind the blue tab, a number of tabs could be seen, neatly lined along the pages, each representing a different course. To the right of his spiral lay five sharpie brand highlights, each a different color, placed in a perfectly straight line. Every color had its purpose, just as every tab of his notebook did.

Logan could not compromise when it came to certain tools. He needed a brand of highlighter that would not bleed through his textbook pages or smudge his notes whether he wrote in pen or pencil. He needed pens that were a bit more pricey so as to ensure a smooth glide without bleeding or ink transfers. He needed index cards made of a decent caliber to avoid damage or creases. All of these things were important. Far more important than the way a pencil sharpened, or turned fuzzy or smudged when he tried to erase it.

There was no more room in the budget for any pencils better than the ones that he had and that was that. He would just have to live with the way the graphite would snap when he tried to underline something. He would have to deal with the way the lead would fall out of the faux wood, or the lines seemed muted unless he put more force behind it, which made his hands hurt even worse. It was all a sacrifice he must be willing to make. He couldn’t afford better.

He couldn’t help another small growl as he made a mistake on his graph and moved to erase it, the cheap eraser ripping through the paper. He stared at the spot for a long moment, willing himself to just leave it. It was just a small hole. He could work around it. He didn’t need to redo the entire page.

It was just a hole…

A tiny inconsequential hole…

Miniscule… infinitesimal….

UGH! Logan ripped the page from the spiral, crinkling it in his hands before tossing it into the bin next to him. Everything had its place! Everything was meant to be somewhere and a hole was not meant to be in the middle of his notes!

He pinched the bridge of his nose trying to push away the headache he could feel coming on just as his phone’s alarm began to sound. It seemed more time had passed than he had expected. Logan pushed to his feet, producing his phone and swiping away the alarm as he moved to pack up and head to his first class of the day.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Logan pushed open the door to their shared dorm, dark locks falling into his eyes as they dripped water onto the mat beneath his feet. He was silent as he kicked the door shut and began to shed his outer layers.

It was late. Far later than it should have been. Logan did not like when things didn’t go according to schedule. His second class ran long, which meant he was late to lunch, which didn’t give him the sufficient amount of time to go to the library as he had planned without skipping his meal. Which made him feel a bit lethargic during his third and fourth class, causing him to forget his bag, which had him missing his train. Which meant he had to wait forty-five minutes for the next one. Then the rain started, which was not in the forecast; which meant Logan’s ten minute walk home had him soaked through completely.

It had not been a good day.

He took stock of the small apartment. Patton must have already gone to bed. The poor man had four a.m. classes. Most culinary students started earlier than the rest of the students. It was no wonder the man was so early to bed. Well, ever since Logan provided him with the optimal schedule for his ideal personal time to study/class ratio that is. It seemed to be working out for him, though Logan didn’t get to see him much anymore, which was surprisingly disappointing. The man was far too chipper, but he certainly knew how to make Logan smile.

Logan headed for his room and the attached bathroom, dropping his bag next to his desk and trying not to drip too much on the carpet. He needed to get out of his sodding clothes before he caught a cold.

Fifteen minutes, a hot shower and some dry clean clothes later and Logan felt like a new man. He checked the time. There were still a few hours before bed. It wasn’t as much as he had hoped, but he could still manage some studying.

He moved to his desk, pulling out his chair and sinking down, thankful the day was beginning to wind down. He pulled his bag closer and dug out his spiral, opening it to the page he had been working on earlier that morning and laying it out neatly exactly where it belonged. He reached for his pencil and…

He froze. His usual box of 12ct #2b cheap off-brand pencils were buried. His heart skipped a beat as he stared at what lay atop them. He couldn’t believe it. Atop those horrid, demonic, sorry-excuse for pencils lay a box of 24ct Dixon Ticonderoga premium wood #2 pencils with latex free erasers.

Logan took a moment to calm his excited heart. Before he knew it, he was reaching out with a shaky hand, collecting the box for examination. The clear plastic had been unopened, each stick perfectly preserved within the transparent packaging. Logan turned the object over in his hands, admiring its beauty as he caught sight of thick black words scrawled in sharpie on the back.

‘To Logan, From Patton. I saw these and thought of you. So, I bought them. It just felt ‘WRITE’! XD’

Logan couldn’t help but give a snort at the joke before fumbling to open the box. It almost felt like Christmas had come early as he pulled one of the pencils from its place among the others and set the box aside. He took a moment to examine the utensil in all its glory before reaching for his sharpener.

He inserted the blunted wood and twisted. Once. Twice. Thrice. He heard the sound of the graphite against metal and pulled the pencil out, bringing it to eye level for inspection.

The sharply pointed lead was smooth and crackless, forming a seamless cone with the sleek pale wood that surrounded it. It had glided so perfectly against the razor’s edge and now stood regal and polished before him. It was perhaps one of the most stunning sights he had ever laid his eyes on.

His chest tightened as his smile widened, moving to redraw the graph he had damaged earlier. He drew the lead across the paper gently, the line coming out smooth and dark. Just as it should be. He flipped the pencil in one quick and fluid motion and erased a small portion, the graphite coming off cleanly and without much force. It was satisfying and rejuvenating.

How could he have ever thought a day like this could be bad?! He had everything he ever wanted! Warm clothes, a perfectly tempered room, his desk organized exactly as it should be, and a friend who cared enough to-

Realization hit, ‘The World’s Best Pencil’ falling from his fingers and clattering to his desk (without so much as chipping the perfectly pointed tip) as he brought his hand to cover his mouth in shock.

His heart pounded against his ribs almost painfully. His other hand tangled in his still damp locks. This couldn’t be happening. He wasn’t prone to emotional outbursts. Everything he did was purposefully calculated and scheduled. How could he… He wasn’t…. This wasn’t possible…. But the evidence was building against him.

Logan Sanders was falling in love with his best friend.

Taglist:

@nightashes

[soranihimawari]

No Risk, No Reward

taglist: @kaidasen

Side notes: part 3 of this tale and well i hope you like some cafe banter and maybe some calculus problems. this was my favorite conversation(s) to write between muda, akaashi, and bokuto, lol.

next >>

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ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝟛:

18:17

To: ┌( ಠ_ಠ)┘blessed_setter keiji┌( ಠ_ಠ)┘

Frm: ಥ⌣ಥmiserablerage_muda ಥ⌣ಥ

Waiting on you guys to show up and I texted Bo-kun. He said you weren’t coming? What the hell Akaashi? It’s not my turn to babysit him

18:38

To: ಥ⌣ಥmiserablerage_muda ಥ⌣ಥ

From: ┌( ಠ_ಠ)┘blessed_setter keiji┌( ಠ_ಠ)┘

Listen, Bokuto literally begged me to have you tutor him (last minute mind you because I knew you were home right now), Hotaru-san [1/2]

We were in a practice match and he just freakin’ blurted it out of left field after  he was called out by our coach for his low grade in the trigonometry quiz this week. Then he went into his “dejected-emo mode,” and to make matters worse, he heard from Kaori-senpai archery club is going to be disbanded by the student council. He got all worked up and every time he kept missing the tosses Shuichi was giving him. Bokuto means well, and he’s a big dumbass because he doesn’t know how to properly act around you. 

TLDR: just lecture Bokuto about sin cos and tan today. 

18:40

To: ┌( ಠ_ಠ)┘blessed_setter keiji┌( ಠ_ಠ)┘

Frm: ಥ⌣ಥmiserablerage_muda ಥ⌣ಥ

…? Bokuto’s always been the kind one Keiji-san. Did Bo-kun actually catch feelings for me? Or are you just being snarky with that? 

18:41

To: ┌( ಠ_ಠ)┘blessed_setter keiji┌( ಠ_ಠ)┘

Frm: ಥ⌣ಥmiserablerage_muda ಥ⌣ಥ

ISTG AKAASHI-BOKE! YOU BETTER OPEN THIS WHEN YOU GET HOME! >..< 

                                                   After reading Akaashi’s essay of a text, I propped open my thermos and began drinking the warm tea in hopes of hiding my grin. Oh no, is Bokuto starting to catch feelings for me? Oh crap! I thought. This can’t be happening, bonk that noise. Let’s do some calculus homework!  

I nodded my head back and forth like an Etch & Sketch. I then took out my notebook and calculus textbook in order to prep my mindset for trigonometry tutorials. 

Once I got into my studious rhythm, I had thoroughly solved two limit equations where one answer yielded “the limit does not exist,” and the other was just a graph of a function, f(x) = x3 − 3x + 2.

I saw a hand reach out for my parfait and I smacked it away.

“Oww,” Bokuto yelped. “I was just going to taste one spoonful Hotaru-chan!”

“You’re late Bokuto,” I mused. “So no parfait for you!” 

I picked up my spoon and took another portion into my mouth. The blueberry tartness made my facial muscles contract into a slight pout. I was humming along to the cafe playlist absentmindedly when Bokuto pulled out the chair across from me and sat down. We sat in silence for a few minutes as I let him settle down post-volleyball practice. He took out his notebook and without even thinking, he leaned into my personal space bubble. I had to lower my gaze away from his because I had one final equation to complete before I could devote some time to a proper tutoring session.  

“Are you going to be ok Hotaru?” 

“Yeah, why do you ask Bo-kun?”

“...,” he paused for a moment before continuing; his silver hair was being swayed by the air vent on top of our table. I smiled gently because I know Bokuto usually has trouble with trying to say many thoughts at once but he does have a particular sweet tooth (i.e. he loves lemon ice pops on a spring morning; appreciates me coming to all the volleyball matches especially if Nekoma’s captain is involved (and the fact that he kept the friendship owl-origami Akaashi and I made for him on his birthday last year). He had a hard time communicating properly, but his body language telegraphed to me that what Akaashi’s text said was true. 

“If this is about the archery club being dissolved by our student council, then don’t worry ab-”

“I do worry about you because you’re the coolest captain our school’s ever had!” 

“Coming from the captain of the volleyball club that sounds more like an insult.”

“You don’t mean that, right?” His eyes were darting all over the place and suddenly, I wished I hadn’t said that aloud.

“Bokuto, of course I don’t mean that, but have you or Akaashi ever come to any of my tournament matches?” I closed my calculus textbook after I had copied the last problem in pencil in my notebook.

“No, we haven’t. It’s not like we can pick and choose when our matches are either.”

There was a silent rage building in the back of my mind and maybe now wasn’t the time nor the place to say this to my friend, but he needed the reality check since he’s the ace.

“Kotaro, please hear me out as a fellow captain first then as your friend second.”

I closed my notebook and stuck the spoon inside my parfait glass; I pushed the dessert toward his side of the table and he began to pick at the whipped lemon-zest flavored cream.

“OK, Hotaru. I’ll listen, but man! This whipped cream is amazingly refreshing!” 

I chuckled at his childlike wonder when it came to beautiful and photogenic desserts. Wait a second, has Bokuto always seemed this handsome in the evening sky? Oh, oh no. I thought. I shook my head in order to tuck those nsfw thoughts away in the back of my mind. I took in a deep breath and on my exhale, I started to stare into the space behind his head where the window to the outside public was. 

“I’m the only member of the archery club left in Fukurodani, Bokuto. All my third year senpais graduated in our second year. You and Akaashi were always so busy and dedicated to your own club that you even got to be in the top five aces of Japan. I’ve been to every single match I could because I was able to finish my practices early enough to catch some of the highlights on the evening news.

“You never asked me once when my tournaments were or what the awards ceremonies were like. Akaashi is equally as guilty because you’re always together with the club or hanging out with other teammates during away training camps.” 

“Well, those were trips arranged by our coach and managers, but that can’t be helped. Are you angry at me? What did I do wrong?”

“Ko, please listen to me first and you didn’t do anything wrong. I can’t stay mad you (or Akaashi) forever, but I need to say this so you can understand what is making my voice sound bitter.”

He folded his arms over the table and leaned forward almost as if he wanted to receive some sort of praise but with his stare being more obvious now, I had lost my train of thought.

Bokuto is many things to the outside world (loud, kind, ace, etc), but for right now, I needed to level with him as a captain and set aside our mutual friendship for once. When this conversation would cease, would he still want to give it his all on his court? Will my emotions cause me to lose my sense of pride as an archer or worse, his and Akaashi’s camaraderie?

“The student council told me that when the inter-high games start up again for volleyball, I was given a month left to clear out and organize the archery club belongings. My mornings are spent alone on the target fields, Kotaru. I set up and clear out an hour before classes begin because I know the other sports teams need the space. 

After my meeting today,  Kaori and Yukie saw me sauntering off into the faculty office to let our maths-sensei know what had occurred minutes prior. That’s why Kaori asked Akaashi about me and when I heard you were having a rough day too, Akaashi told me you were going to meet here like we always did for our tutoring sessions.”

I closed my spiral notebook with a solemn face. Bokuto, who is usually brash and fearless was eerily quieter since his voice was softer than normal when he spoke to me.

“I didn’t know you practiced alone in the mornings, if I did, then maybe I would have texted Shuichi or Akaashi to help you. Hell, even if I would have woken up too.”

I reached out to place a hand on his right shoulder to show I had appreciated the gesture, but I pushed my calloused fingertips on to the knots that were forming there. Being an ace is tough work, but being an archer has left my hands “unpretty” with calloused fingertips. 

“Did you or Akaashi know that I’m in the top three inter-high archers for our prefecture? Did you know that I have fired nearly three hundred arrows since we gained club captain status?” I inquired. “That’s almost the same amount as spike tosses Akaashi practices with you in like the last four years alone.”

I felt the sting of my own angry tears glaze over and even if Bokuto was maybe three hours overdue for another deject-mode, he got all mopey again because I invaded his personal space bubble without meaning to. He was able to relax a little bit while the tensed knots loosened; I noticed he was looking at my right hand because it was swiftly tucking away pens into my messenger bag pocket. I released my firm grip off his shoulder when he reached out to hold my hand in his. 

If this were a shojo romance, maybe this would have been an amazing meet-cute idea to introduce the main couple. However, Nanase Ohkawa did not write my life with the parliament of owls, although Cardcaptor Sakura was the only magical girl manga I truly loved. I actually was more interested in reading more horror manga at this point in my life since I was a fan of early 1930-1950s monster films (cira the Twilight Zone reruns on YouTube) nowadays anyway.

“Your hands are rough,” Bokuto stated in an empathetic tone.  “They’re pretty though. I like how they feel calloused from your bow. Do you want me to hold your hand?”

Smooth as hell, this one, but thick headed when it came to trigonometry, I thought. I shrugged my shoulder and extended my other hand to him.

“I have two hands, Bokuto,” I said. His laughter shook through his entire body. Two of us can be as sweet as we wanted because we were too stubborn to admit that maybe, just maybe, we might actually like each other in the same way as when someone hands you a warm cup of hot chocolate on new years’ eve. 

“Can I walk you home like this?” Bokuto raised our linked hands.

“Of course, but first, I need you to tell me what the difference is between sin, cos, and tan.”

[biopsychs]

physics doesn’t have to suck: how to enjoy and do well in your required physics classes

As someone who doesn’t intend to take a physics class ever again, I was relieved when I walked out of my second semester physics final. That said, physics doesn’t have to suck or drag your average down. 

(1) How to enjoy physics: Adjust your attitude. Physics is so cool if you actually think about it. Your attitude will dictate your experience. (2) But physics is so hard: Change the way you study and don’t give up. I did better in university physics than in high school. The content was way more difficult but it was my studying methods that made the difference.

This post is split into 3 parts: Introductory physics (very basic physics, that unit of physics you had to do in a lower level science class), high school physics (physics from an algebra-based perspective), and university physics (calculus-based physics and labs). (Obviously these overlap a lot but I needed to organize this somehow)

INFO IS UNDER THE CUT B/C THIS POST IS RIDICULOUSLY LONG

1. INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS

Skills you should master that will greatly help you now and in the future

Converting between units

What all those symbols actually mean

Interpreting what graphs mean

Scientific notation

Know how to do algebra fairly well (esp. rearranging equations)

Khan Academy is a great resource for introductory and high school physics.

Start every question by stating all of your known and unknown variables. Write down which variables you have and which ones you need. Then, you can easily figure out which formula you need.

Make sure you’re actually understanding the concepts behind everything; plugging numbers into equations will only get you so far.

Rearrange formulas to equal the variable you need before you substitute your known values into the equation.

Use your knowledge of physics from your own experiences. Don’t overthink. Just try to picture what would happen if, say, a ball and a feather were dropped from the same height.

2. HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS (ALGEBRA-BASED)

(Everything from part 1 applies, esp Khan Academy)

Pay attention to in class demos.

Draw free body diagrams whenever you can -- they can be annoying but quickly being able to visualize all of the forces acting is an important skill

Ask your teacher for help or clarification if you need it! You won’t always have the opportunity for one-on-one help, plus your teacher may mark you a bit easier if they see you’re really trying.

Know trigonometry well! In fact, if any of your algebra skills are weak, be sure to review. Don’t let basic math hold you back -- you can do this!

Your first step for any problem should be to write down any known variables or numbers and then the variables you need to find.

Work with a study group (just make sure everyone else is as committed as you are, otherwise studying with others won’t help). People think in different ways and you’re bound to find a solution eventually -- and less likely to give up if you can’t do it.

Get all the part marks. Write down your variables, a formula that could be applicable -- anything that might earn even half a mark (teachers are a lot more forgiving than you think)

Double check your final answer. Ensure you have the right units and ask yourself if your final answer makes sense.

Don’t give up! A big mistake I made in high school was giving up the first time I couldn’t figure out a question because physics was hard and I would never understand it. No excuses! Ignoring a question won’t help you answer it when it comes up on a test. Figure it out on your own or get help.

3. UNIVERSITY PHYSICS (CALCULUS-BASED + LABS)

(Note: Some university physics classes are algebra-based. My university is dumb and forced me to take difficult, calculus-based classes.) 

(Again, most things from part 1 and part 2 apply here as well.)

A) Lectures, studying, finals, etc.

Pay attention in class and write good notes

My physics lectures were boring but trying to catch up by reading my textbook later was so much worse

Your lecture notes may not make much sense at first but later on you’ll be able to tell which concepts were stressed by your prof

Draw any diagrams your prof shows you (or take a picture with your phone if you’re lazy). Be sure that the diagram is complete and don’t forget about labels. Don’t worry too much about neatness as long as you know what the diagram is supposed to show you.

Keep all your notes in one notebook: Use one colour for writing regular notes, another colour for circling formulas or starring things you don’t understand,  and be sure to write the date down for each lecture and leave space if you fall behind during the lecture (you can always copy someone else’s notes later)

Get a good textbook!

Talk to older students and see if the textbook was helpful for the class. If it’s useful then actually use it! If it’s not, find a good textbook to use! 

Do lots of practice questions

My profs tended to go over more conceptual ideas in class and didn’t do many examples.

Try to do a variety of questions! This will tell you if you actually understand the content or if you’ve just memorized how to do certain questions.

Work with other people on assignments (and join/start a group chat for your class)

I had online assignments due every Friday at midnight. My friend and I would meet up on Wednesday or Thursday to work through most of the assignment together. If there was a question we didn’t get, there would always be someone in our class group chat wondering the same thing and there was always some smart physics student that would be a bro and explain how to approach the problem (on another note: don’t leave assignments till the last minute)

Group chats are also great if you miss class or can’t remember when the cutoff for the midterm is

If you don’t understand something get help before it’s too late. 

Be prepared with specific questions. It’s hard for someone to help you if all you can say is that you don’t know anything. Go to your prof, TA, tutor, etc. 

I found my profs to be super nice about everything. They just want people to be excited about the subject they teach!

If you’re just stuck on one thing there are tons of resources online! Just be specific in what you’re googling and check out resources that other profs have posted online.

Understand the math before you start doing questions

Know the basics of derivatives and integrals

It’s super important to be able to draw a rough graph of the first, second, etc. derivative when all you are given is a graph of the original function (i.e. drawing the graphs for velocity and acceleration when given a graph of displacement)

But don’t ignore the conceptual stuff

This is why a good textbook is important!

Plus you can get part marks for some questions by stating whether one value should be higher/lower than another value, even if you can’t figure out the calculations -- and you can check your answers this way.

For example, it’s pretty important to know what magnetic flux density is before you can calculate it’s value

When studying for tests, don’t just assume you know how to do a question.

Looking over the solution for a problem and actually completing the problem are two very different things. This is the biggest mistake I’ve made when studying physics.

Understanding the solution is only one step in actually being able to answer the question. Looking over solutions is lazy studying if you’re not even trying to do the work. Start the question. Glance at the first part of the solution if you’re stuck. Keep going from there.

For first year physics classes, you really shouldn’t skip over any parts of problem. Yeah, rearranging that formula might look easy but can you actually do it? Practice makes perfect.

If you have a midterm coming up that tests material from a few weeks ago, be sure to do questions from the older units. The content might look familiar but just because you could do a question 2 weeks ago doesn’t mean you can do it now.

Don’t leave your studying till the last minute.

Get a planner and carve out enough time to do practice questions every few days. Trying to catch up on four chapter’s worth of problems is not fun and won’t work very well. Plus, you don’t just have to know how to answer questions. You have to be able to answer questions efficiently.

B) Labs

My labs were very different each semester.

First semester content included kinematics, relativity, forces, momentum, work, etc. The labs were super boring but super easy. For most labs we used motion detectors and a program called logger pro to collect and graph data. Lots of carts.

Second semester content included light, energy, radiation, magnetism, circuits, etc. The labs mostly involved bread boards and wires.

Regardless of content, some general comments on labs are...

Labs won’t always follow lecture content. Apparently that’s too difficult to organize.

That said, get your prelabs done. Properly, if you can. If you don’t fully understand a prelab question, ask your TA once you’ve handed it in. This will save you so much time.

Find a good lab partner. Not sure if there’s a trick to this but just try your best. And be a good lab partner too!

Make note of how strict your TA is with sig figs and error calculations. There’s no sense in losing a few marks when you could stay an extra 15 minutes and do the work properly.

Eat some food and hydrate before your lab -- you never know when your lab will take you 3+ hours to finish.

If you’re not sure if your experiment is working ask your TA. Trying to complete the lab with incorrect data is difficult and your TA will probably make you repeat the experiment anyways.

I hope this post was helpful! I struggled with physics in high school (my worst class) but it ended up being one of my best classes in university (A’s both semesters). The content was way more difficult but my studying habits and test-taking methods were what made the difference!!

Feel free to add additional advice to this post!

My Other Posts:

AP lit tips

high school biology

organization tips

recommended reads

reminders for myself

using your time wisely on public transport

what i learned from high school

[chaos-with-wings]

#100daysofcode

Day 4/100

[02/24/2019]

Well today life kinda happened. I was super exhausted because of family stuff. So I mostly cooked and cleaned. But hey I learned a new dance that utilizes belly dancing for core strengthening. Also fell slowly in love with lipsticks.

I didn’t really code much today! Although I did start learning about files in Python. Not too deep into it but at least I started something.

Ehh. Not the best day but minor progress.

Btw I did take a picture of a very rough initial sketch of my planned database in PostGres

Like I said very rough sketch. I love me purple pens. Also I pretty much write everything on graph paper. It’s a habit that has stuck during undergrad. It’s pretty difficult finding grid paper notebooks so I collect any chance I can.

I don’t know how much progress I’ll make tomorrow tbh. Sundays are mostly chores day and I want to clean up stuff on my desktop and work on my grad school app and scholarship applications. Tbh I want to start on creating a couple of tables for the database.