#college study hacks

[istudythestars]

tips for stem majors in math and science courses (spoonie + neurodivergent friendly)

hi y’all! my nameis lila and i’m a 28 year old physics and anthropology major who’s about 2 years through college (in the US)! as we’re coming up on the start of the fall ‘23 college semester, i thought i might share some really solid hacks for fellow STEM students taking science and/or math courses that i’ve basically built my college academic career on. and! these study tips are spoonie and adhd friendly! as a matter of fact, a lot of these are tips/methods that specifically work for me as a neurodivergent spoonie (i have pretty severe adhd, as well as POTS and ME/CFS), but that i think non-disabled/non-spoonie and/or neurotypical students could also benefit from using! so with out any further ado, here are my 7 tried and true study hacks for college math and science classes…

1) discover your learning style and tailor your studying towards leveraging it.

you’ve probably heard of visual, audio, and kinesthetic learning styles, but did you now there’s actually way more learning styles than just those three? i’m personally a “social learner,” meaning i learn best through discussion and socialization with 1+ other people to interact with. this could look like teaching other classmates concepts and methods that we’ve learned or discussing ideas with classmates and/or professors until i fully understand the concepts at play and how they connect and can reflect them in performing analysis and application, etc. honestly, figuring out my learning style was hands down one of the most helpful things i’ve done in college. it has allowed me to choose professors who i will mesh better with in terms of how they teach, as well as to adapt materials and methods to my style of learning in order to master them quicker and more effectively.

2) rewrite your notes after lecture, for the love of god.

this tip actually comes from my high school IB Math HL teacher, who told me to do this when i originally left high school for college. even if you think you’ve mastered the basics of the topic covered during the lecture, rewriting those notes after lecture helps really hammer in the knowledge that you’ve already established and also helps to get the wheels turning on pieces of information you might have less of a grasp on. try tp set aside at least 30 - 40 minutes after class to just rewrite your notes and try to really digest the information.

3) body doubling is one of the most beneficial things ever to be invented even if you’re not adhd, and i WILL die on that hill, thank you very much.

“body doubling” or “having an accountabilibuddy” are interchangeable terms in the adhd community that mean you have one or more consistent study buddy/buddies who you do all the homework and/or studying with in person on a regular basis, even if you’re just working next to each other in total silence. this does a couple of things. first off, it forces homework/assignments/studying to become a concrete social obligation you need to regularly show up for, rather than a nebulous obligation based on an invisible deadline. second off, it gives you 1+ partners to work out your problems concerning course topics with. third off, it allows you to build a network of peers where you feel comfortable helping each other with course material (this is especially great because it’s likely you and your classmates have different strengths regarding course content). tbh, body doubling is the other method that i, personally, have found most useful in college and i highly recommend trying it, even if you don’t have adhd.

4) teach others/your classmates the analysis and application methods you’ve learned, even if those methods aren’t 100% solidified for you (trust me on this).

the goal of stem courses is never memorization, but rather being able to understand a topic well enough to analyze a similar situation and apply the what you’ve learned creatively. this is where teaching others comes in. in order to teach others a concept and its related analysis and application well, you have to have at least a fraction of a decent understanding of these things yourself, and, further, often time in teaching these things you also learn to grasp the concepts/aanalysis/applications even better than you did before with each new teaching session. basically: teaching others is a creative way of also teaching yourself. you get the benefits of repetition, of thinking about a concept/technique/analysis and application in a new way, and of getting to apply the concept/technique/analysis and applicatioin to a new scenario each time. plus, you’ll typically make friends quickly in the process! there’s really no downside to this tip imo ;-)

5) utilize your college’s tutoring center/program(s), even when you don’t think you need to.

usually colleges have either set up a general “tutoring center,” on campus where you can find tutors for all different kinds of topics and courses available during regular hours for walk-in sessions and/or appointments free of charge or departments will hold regular weekly (or twice weekly) free on-campus tutoring sessions for specific courses. regardless of which of these options your college has, i highly recommend attending at least one tutoring session/appointment (ideally with the same tutor if/when you eventually find one you click with) every single week, even when you don’t feel like you’re struggling with the topic(s) covered in that week’s lecture. this will help you review topics and techniques covered in lecture, deepen your understanding of them, and, if nothing else, it’s an excuse to get homework out of the way while having someone else there who can help you if/when you get stuck. attending at least one session weekly also helps you get into a habit and routine of keeping up with your assignments, so you’re not left scrambling at the last minute before they’re due.

6) if you have accommodations, request access to record lectures. if you do not have accommodations, ask your professor if you are allowed to record lectures. IF YOU RECORD LECTURES, DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW THEM!

okay, so first up for my fellow spoonies and neurodivergent peeps: when you apply for/renew your accommodations, make sure that “recordinng lectures” is on your MOA (memorandum of accommodations), because so long as it is, your professors legally cannot deny you permission to record lectures without risk of themself and the college being sued for an ADA violation. also, make friends with a classmate and ask them to record lectures and send them to you if/when you are absent (let the professor know that you’ve asked this classmate to record and send you the lecture if you are absent)

now, if you aren’t disabled, a spoonie, and/or neurodivergent, you aren’t guaranteed permission to record lectures. however. ask the professor if you can have their permission to audio record lectures (be sure to also let them know that such a recording would be for personal use only and that you don’t plan on distributing the recordings). i’ve found that many professors don’t mind you having an audio recording.

even if you aren’t an audible learner it can be really useful to have these recordings to review at a later point. oftentimes reviewing lecture recordings can be useful if you glazed over and missed a section of the lecture and/or if you can’t remember what a professor taught during a section of a lecture.

7) last but not least, on a related note, if you have accommodations, also request access to your professor’s lecture notes. if you don’t have accommodations, check if your professor posts their lecture notes for students to use.

having your professor’s notes can be extremely useful for review purposes, but they can also help you understand where your professor is going with course content and what they want to stress as important.

[salsascribbless]

remember if you ever want to read an article for free and the subscription ad prevents you from reading the entire article DO NOT

Reload it and immediately turn off your Internet access (data/WiFi if you are using a phone)

Reload it and click the 'X' next to the return icon on the top left of your window (if you are on desktop)

Reload the page, type 'Ctrl+ A' and 'Ctrl+ C' and paste everything onto an open document

this has worked for me 97ish % everytime hope this works for u too

[dxmxuse]

A few things ive been doing recently that help manage my adhd

Not sure if this will help anyone but i've made a list of things ive been working really hard to do to help manage my adhd and general inability to be a functional adult:

Make reminder posters! Get on canva and create personalized posters to put around your room/house to help remind you to do daily things like take your meds, feed pets, take out trash, etc.

Keep a junk notebook! Anything you think of that cant do immediately write it down. If its important it'll help you remember it, if not it saves you from getting distracted or making impulsive decisions. (This is especially helpful if you tend to get distracted when studying!)

CLEAN AS YOU GO! Whether its taking a cup out of your room every time you leave or washing each dish immediately after use. If you can develop this habit it keeps your space so much cleaner!

Have two laundry bins: one for worn but not dirty things and one for dirty things. It limits what ends up on your floor!

Make use of bins. I have several around my apartment that I use for things that dont have a home. Once those bins are full, I go through them and discard or find a permanent home for them.

Don't study/work at home. Even if it means buying a $5 coffee just so you can sit in a spot and effectively work, its much better than getting so behind on tasks you get overwhelmed.

It takes some work to develop habits and im far from perfect with all of these, but if I can do these things even 3 days a week it makes a huge difference!

[heretohelpsstuff]

Things that got me through college.

These are a list of habits and practices I did in college to keep up on work and get good grades.

Notes

Keep two notebooks for each class.

One that you take notes during class and it can be as messy and I typically only use one color pen and highlighter to keep up with even the fastest teachers.

The second notebook you use after each class (or as soon as possible) and this is for your pretty detailed notes. Try and use active recall questions to make sure there is no gaps in your understanding. I also would try and write it in my own words to make it easier to remember.

After each lecture make flash cards (either online or physical) and have these for anytime you have free time you can quiz yourself.

Scheduling

Plan out your day!

Use some kind of calendar and time block every hour of your day. Plan out when you are gonna study, eat, sleep, free time all of it. This will help you make sure that you are making time for yourself.

I typically do this on Sundays for the whole week and it keeps me from getting decision fatigue while keeping you productive.

Study daily

Even if it’s just for 20 mins make sure you are keeping up your knowledge.

Try different study methods on different days. Flash cards for all your classes Monday. Going over your past quizzes Tuesday. Practice questions Wednesday so on so on. This can be personalized to your schedule.

Take care of yourself

Make sure you are eating sleeping and spending time with friends.

Call your family and old friends

Take yourself out for coffee or to the movies

Also make sure you are exercising regularly however you like to.

Do things ahead of time

I literally wrote down all my due dates as the day before to give myself a day of cushion just in case.

Never plan to study right before the test. What if you sleep in late or something comes up? Always study ahead of time.

Get to know your professors

Go to there office hours and ask questions in class.

Professors have hundreds of students that don’t care about their class. I have found typically professors love having students that actually care about their subject.

When I’m taking notes I write down anything confusing to ask at office hours

Get out of your dorm

You are paying thousands of dollars for college you are allowed to exist and study anywhere on campus.

Study in the library or the cafes anywhere you like.

Explore campus find cool places to hangout.

Feel free to add your own!

[simplestudentplanning]

22 Reasons To *NOT* Drop Out of Uni

Edit: I noticed that some of these reasons seem superficial, but I created this list with the intention of helping non-intrinsically motivated people feel like uni isn’t this huge obligation they have to do (even when it is). It’s supposed to give them a reason to wake up in the morning feeling excited for school. Some people just aren’t motivated by reasons like, “to learn new things,” or “to change the world,” because those reasons aren’t personal to them. They have to feel like they’re not wasting their time doing this 4-year process. This is especially true for people that were forced to go to school due to their parents, outside expectations, and other similar reasons! For others, that aren’t forced to go and truly want to expand their knowledge, sometimes just have bad days and need a little extra motivation to get them going!

It's finals; I get it. We're all burnt out and/or discouraged, but sometimes we all need a little reminder of why we're doing this.

You can read these as affirmations, write them in your notebook, or say it out loud. Whatever works for you, just do it.

Some of these might work for you, some might not. Just find a reason to keep going when you feel unmotivated.

Note: I will be updating this post occasionally, so feel free to drop some suggestions!

I will finish my degree so I can be the first _____ in the family.

I will finish my degree to get my dream job.

I will finish my degree so I can make MONEHHH.

I will finish my degree so I can provide for my family (current or future).

I will finish my degree so I can live my dream life.

I will finish my degree so I can show everyone who ever doubted me that I did it.

I will finish my degree so I can make my family proud.

I will finish my degree so I can make _____ proud.

I will finish my degree so I can make myself proud.

I will finish my degree so I can be a role model for kids.

I will finish my degree so I can destroy the patriarchy.

I will finish my degree so I can show little girls that you can be a successful [insert job title] as a woman.

I will finish my degree so I can show little boys that you can be a successful [insert job title] as a man.

I will finish my degree so I can show kids that you can be a successful [insert job title], regardless of your gender.

I will finish my degree so I can say "I told you so" to _____.

I will finish my degree so I show my [role model/mentor] I did it.

I will finish my degree so I can prove everyone wrong.

I will finish my degree so I can prove everyone right. (This is for you people who have families with high overachieving standards.)

I will finish my degree so I can make Karens feel stupid when they ask me a question about the field I studied.

I will finish my degree so I will never have to work in fast food/retail again. (This is for you my poorly-treated customer service peeps.)

I will finish my degree so I can be the breadwinner and will go home to my spouse wearing a pink apron saying "I love cooking for my [insert future job title] with a 6-figure income <3.

I will finish my degree so I can provide for my seven [or insert another number] cats.

[luthiest]

02.14.23

happy valentine’s day to all who celebrate,,, 💌💌 i have midterm papers due this weekend but i also have an anime convention im going to that’s been in the works for a while :’) i’ll let y’all know if i prevail

🎧 : no surprises - radiohead

[slavic-roots-western-mind]

The V for Ü trick

I only recently discovered that you can type in v to get the letter ü when typing in the pinyin for chinese characters.

[mossy-studies]

few days ago i recieved a green light on proposal for my bachelors thesis - i will be writing on phenomeon of urban exploration with focus on architectural conservation

my current schoolwork:

b2 english testing (that will be the easiest)

finishing my czech baroque essay depiction of a good death in art of czech baroque: paintings and graphics

interpretation of lear and cordelia by ford madox brown

aside from not posting for a whole semester - i got a museum job (which i adore more and more every day) and i was in italy for a few days, which was great, we visited in florence, lucca and pisa. i might post some photos from it later, i have about 450.

[artist-diaries]

Hey guys, I know its been like 2 and half weeks since I've been active on here and sorey about that. I'll explain everything later but, I felt like this is too important not to share.

Did you guys know the IRS has a site for students with learning modules and assessments design to teach you the basics of understanding/filing taxes?

I don't know how good it is but I plan on going through EVERYTHING today so I'll let you know. As someone without really a foundational understanding of how taxes work, this feels like a good resource to share.

Designed for students but it doesn't seem like there's anything stopping ANYONE from just going on here and learning. It look approachable and easy to understand, with links to explain tax jargon and 14 learning modules.

Is it weird to be excited about this? I am genuinely happy to have found this tbh- here I was prepared for a day of slogging through different websites explaining complicated financial terms and this is just here.

I really hope you guys take a look, because I am kind of amazed this just exists in the world and I- at 24 have never come across it or heard any of those dumb financial gurus talk about this.

https://apps.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/student/

Let me know if the link doesn't work, and please please pass this knowledge along. I feel like I've stumbled on a goldmine here.

[youngadulthacks]

Consistent study each night will help keep things fresh in your memory.

[college-hacks]

Ok guys I know some of us are commuters to college and some travel fairly long distances so here's some tips!!

First things first is that you need a good backpack that has lots of room and is sturdy to last you a few years

You are an hour or two away from home so carry some medications like ibuprofen, pepto pills, allergy pills, etc I personally use a round pill organizer with compartments that screw together so it doesn't take up much room

Also a small first aid kit with some bandaids of different sizes, triple antibiotic ointment, the pill thing, pads/tampons if u have periods, a brace for any joint u have issues with (if applicable), etc

I try to bring my own snacks so I'm not stuck paying vending machine or fast food prices for a bag of chips

Carry everything you could need for class. I have my laptop, charger, a 5 subject notebook so I don't accidentally bring the wrong notebook on the wrong day, a pencil case with black pens, colored pens, highlighters (love the erasable ones), 1 or 2 sharpies, etc

I also carry ear buds, a phone charger + brick, mini stapler, tape, and anything else I might need for the classes I am taking

Give yourself about 15-30 extra minutes to get there, especially during construction season because u never know what construction could pop up

Buy the parking pass, I know it's expensive but good luck finding parking outside campus parking lots

Or don't, one of my friends said if she gets caught once a week and pays for the ticket it's still less than the parking pass but that's ur own risk

Make sure your textbooks are in your backpack before you leave. You do NOT want to be an hour away from home and find out your reading your textbook in class and it's sitting on your desk

Bring a mask even if your campus doesn't require one. When the person next to you is coughing all class you will probably want one and you can't just slip out for 10 minutes to walk to your dorm

That's all I have for now but I'm sure I'll think of more because I'm writing this on my lunch break :) have fun at college this summer/fall

[smart-academic-solutions]

Academic Tutors' Study Hacks 101

These practical tips are designed to boost efficiency and effectiveness in your academic endeavors.

Effective Time Management:

Prioritize tasks based on importance and deadlines.

Break down study sessions into focused intervals with short breaks.

Use tools like calendars and planners to stay organized.

Active Learning Techniques:

Engage with the material actively through discussions, self-quizzing, and summarization.

Experiment with various learning styles to discover what works best for you.

Strategic Note-Taking:

Develop a system that suits your preferences, such as Cornell method or mind mapping.

Condense information and focus on key concepts rather than verbatim notes.

Optimal Study Environment:

Find a quiet and comfortable space conducive to concentration.

Minimize distractions, and consider incorporating background music or white noise if it aids your focus.

Healthy Lifestyle Habits:

Prioritize sufficient sleep to enhance memory consolidation.

Maintain a balanced diet and incorporate regular physical activity to support overall cognitive function.

Incorporating these study hacks into your routine can pave the way for academic success. Remember, everyone's learning journey is unique, so adapt these tips to fit your individual needs and preferences. Here's to unlocking your full academic potential!

[caffeinatedkylie]

Please hit me with any and all tips for implementing/maintaining structure as an exclusively online student!

I have a little more than two months off before I start my next session, and I’m nervous. I’m an undergrad transitioning from a fairly unstructured earned enrollment path (submit all coursework by the end of the session, no discussion posts/participation component) to a much more traditional program and schedule (weekly due dates, participation, live office hours), and I’ll be enrolled full time.

I struggled with the self-paced nature of my previous courses, so I’m honestly excited for that element— but I also work 30 hours a week, and my previous ability to knock a course out across a few long Saturdays means I haven’t actually figured out yet how to effectively balance work with my academic demands.

I have a dedicated workspace in my house, and I’m fine tuning it to keep it both free of clutter and equipped with everything I need to be productive and successful. But workspace aside, I feel so unprepared. If you’re an online student with solid systems in place, I would love to hear from you!

[daisy-books]

I found the most amazing app!!!

It’s called habit tracker by Davetech Co., the app with the dark pink icon on the App Store.

LET ME TELL YOU WHY IT’S SO GOOD

first of all, it gives you all kinds of statistics (perfect day streaks, average percentage of habit completion, etc.) and graphs visually showing your data under each habit’s section!

It’s also highly customizable! You can set personalized notifications with your own motivating messages, choose the colour and icon for each habit, choose what days of the week/month you want to track each habit, and even choose what type of graph you want to represent your data!

Finally, it’s not even pay-to-use! There are no ads, and you can have up to five habits for free!! If you get the full version for 7.99* or 4.99* yearly, you get unlimited habits, which I’m absolutely going for soon because of the quality of this app… but even if you’re using the free version, it’s so nice!

*CAD

10/10 would recommend!!

[craftytimetravelbouquet]

HOW TO DEVIDE YOUR TIME BEFORE AN EXAM

[simplestudentplanning]

How To Organize For School

Planner/Agenda/Calendar

Purpose: To track important dates (e.g. deadlines, test dates), and set reminders

To-Do List

Purpose: To break down big tasks into smaller, manageable steps so it doesn't feel as intimidating to start a major project.

Study Space

Purpose: To find a place where you can study in peace.

Reminder: Make sure to keep it clean, organized, and simple (i.e. Don't put too many things on the desk, like decor, or you will most likely get distracted.)

Binders/Digital Folders

Purpose: To differentiate your course work/notes.

Extra Tip: Use a file folder instead of separate one-subject folders to avoid losing important papers.

Label

Purpose: To avoid confusion.

Extra Tip: Use different colours for different subjects.

Time Blocking

Purpose: To stay on track and establish a routine.

Extra Tip: Use a digital calendar so you can see notifications on your phone.

Minimize Distractions

Purpose: Very obvious, but to get work done.

Extra Tip: Get an accountability buddy that will help you not get distracted by being beside you while you work.

Ask Questions ASAP

Purpose: To prevent any confusion, and avoid late email replies by your professor.

Regularly Check Emails and Communication Channels

Purpose: To stay informed about announcements, changes in schedules, and important information regarding your course.