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ratedbangtann · 4 years

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“Hey, you.” ~ JJK [18+]

↳ summary - Your friends made fun of you constantly for your crush on Jungkook. Except, you didn't have a crush on Jungkook - did you?

↳ rating - explicit/18+

↳ word count - 8.6k

↳ pairing - Jungkook x reader

↳ genre - college!au, friends to lovers

↳ warnings - TW// F2L, a little humour, passionate and rushed sex, fingering, unprotected sex (pls assume birth control! But wrap it up, guys), romantic sex, steamy and heated and generally just everything you want from college boy JK, right?

↳ a.n - what’s up, beauties! I was commissioned again! I hope you love this, I thought it was cute lmao. If you would like your own commision, or would like to leave a tip, please head to: https://ko-fi.com/ratedbangtann (I just lost my job thanks to corona so it's my only income right now lol)

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Winter Break was supposed to be a chance to relax, to kick your feet up and enjoy the holidays; Christmas, new year… But you spent the whole three weeks studying, as always.

“You need to learn how to have some fun,” Tae had remarked more times that you were willing to count as he walked past you sat at the kitchen island of your tiny shared apartment off campus. Easy for him to say; acting majors hadn’t been given much to focus on over the break, but you? Broadcast production was a tough major, filled with coursework and studying alongside practical work.

The only days off you gave yourself had been Christmas day and New Year’s Day, and then it was back to your old routine. You and Taehyung had made Christmas cute for the two of you, whilst all your other friends had gone home for the holidays. But you were paying rent on this place, and a Christmas away from home didn’t seem like a bad idea.

But the break was over, and lectures and seminars were starting up yet again.

“______, you gave yourself absolutely no break. How are you so eager to get back to class?” Taehyung groaned as you walked onto campus together.

“Just happy to have some company that isn’t you for a change,” you teased, earning a shoulder shove from him.

“Tae! _______! Wait up!” you heard a familiar voice calling from behind you, and soon after an arm was around your shoulder and another best friend at your side.

“Hey Jimin, how was your break?” you smiled up at him, seeing that gorgeous smile beam back down at you.

“Good, but I missed my girls…” Jimin pouted at you, then reached around to ruffle Taehyung’s curls. Tae just rolled his eyes and smirked. “You see Jungkook yet?” he asked.

“No, not yet. He’ll probably roll into class at the last second, as per usual. I haven’t heard from him over the break,” Tae rambled, missing Jimin’s tone entirely.

“No, I meant… he looks different… You’ll see,” Jimin smirked. You raised a quizzical eyebrow at him, but he just winked and returned his focus onto getting to class.

In the halls of your college campus, you split from the boys and waved them off at the performing arts department – Jimin was a dance major, specifically contemporary, and often had classes adjacent to Taehyung in the studios.

Your class however was held in one of the lecture theatres right at the other side of the block, so you walked through the corridors of chattering students, waving hellos to those that you knew from class or working on projects with other majors. Jin – Jimin’s frat leader – waved sweetly to you as he stood at the water fountain surrounded by girls wanting to hear everything about his ski vacation to Italy. Quite comical, really – like the alpha of a pack at the watering hole.

He may have been a ladies’ man at first glance, but he was a real sweetheart when you got him away from the herd. All those girls, and yet he was always very respectable, never hitting on them, simply enjoying the attention and remaining chivalrous. You smiled at him and waved back, a silent promise to check in with him when lunch kicked in.

Walking into your classroom, you weren’t expecting to see Jungkook ready and waiting for you in your usual spot in the fifth row – and you had been right. As if the boy could be on time, ever. All part of his charm, you suppose. So you slipped into your seat and waited for him, no doubt the last one in as the final bell rang out. You focussed on pulling out your laptop, logging into it and opening up a document to start your note taking.

Being a little early, you had time to scroll through your college emails like you obsessively did every day. You were so engrossed in your task, you hadn’t even noticed Jungkook walking into the room until he sat beside you.

“Hey, you,” he spoke softly as he sat down, pulling his headphones out of his ears. He always greeted you that way – a running joke from the start of college. He’d taken far too long to remember your name, and so when paired up with you on the first assignment, he fell short, simply addressing you as “you” whenever you would meet in the library to work. Now, it was almost a term of affection.

“Hey Kook-“ you started as you looked up, but your eyes widened, and your jaw dropped.

It had only been three weeks…where did all that hair come from? How was he now able to tie it back into an adorable little ponytail? And why did it bloody suit him so well? And… Oh my god, were those tattoos on his fingers?

This couldn’t be the same Jungkook, surely not? Last time you had seen him, his hair was getting longer sure, but not at all able to tie up. And he most certainly didn’t have hand tattoos, or any other tattoos that you were aware of. Jimin was the only person you knew with a tattoo…

And yet, as you studied the boy beside you setting up for the lesson, it was most definitely him. The same bunny-toothed smile and innocent wide eyes; the same all-black cargo pants with a chain and oversized sweater; the same dangly chain and hoops earring along his lobe and helix. Except with his hair like this and little tattoos to match, he looked – dare you say it – sexy…

“You know, with a little bit of eyeliner and a motorcycle, you may well be on your way to joining the cast of ‘Sons of Anarchy’,” you laughed. He grinned at that.

“Are you referring to the tattoos, or the epic man-bun?” He slunk back into his seat and smirked. “It’s not just my hand, you know…” He pushed his sleeve up to proudly show the multiple tattoos on his forearm; a skull hand, a floral design with lettering, some writing that your eyes followed to read ‘rather be dead than cool’. “More up here too but I’ll show you another time.”

“Where’s my sweet innocent little Kookie gone? I’m gonna have to think of a new nickname now…” you huffed, still admiring the black ink over his skin.

“You know I always wanted tattoos, well I got a bunch of money from family this Christmas, so I thought, screw it. If not now, then when?” he shrugged. Seemed like pretty sound logic to you, and you had to admit they were pretty awesome.

“Why this one?” you pointed at the flowers.

“Ah, my birth flower, tiger lilies. Korean meaning for them is ‘please love me’, so that’s-“

“Alright class, welcome back to the second semester. Hope you all enjoyed your break, but it’s back to work!” your professor started the class with a loud announcement, silencing Kook in the process. You’d have to get him to tell you about then more later.

*****

“Oh this one is just a Nirvana quote, I liked it. Song is called Stay Away. And the Ox is my birth year, the lilies my birth flower…” Jungkook was explaining his new ink to the group in the refectory hall, perched up on the table next to where you sat, where Jimin sat marvelling at the ink with his dance major best friend, Hoseok. On your table, Jin and Taehyung were catching up on the events of their winter breaks. Well… Jin was telling Taehyung all about his ski trip, of course.

You were just absentmindedly staring at Jungkook, sat on top of the table chatting away with Jimin. His hair was half up in that cute little ponytail, with dark tendrils falling into his eyes and framing his face. It suited him well, looked so soft and silky too. He looked so different and yet exactly the same. His sweetness hadn’t changed, his sense of humour hadn’t changed. And yet something felt different, and you couldn’t put your finger on it.

Next thing you knew, fingers were being snapped in front of your face and waking you from your little daydream.

“Earth to ______…” Jin called, still snapping. “Don’t you want to hear my epic tale of heroic skiing skills?” You pushed his hand out of your face and gave him your full attention.

“You know, fantasy’s not really my genre, Jin,” you remarked, earning an overly offended response.

“You should be kinder to your elders, young one. Especially when he’s the head of the best fraternity on campus and throwing the first back to school party of the semester this Friday that he can or cannot get you barred from, young lady!” he rattled off; of course he would never exclude you from a party, and he was only joking.

“Hey!” a voice boomed behind you, deep and fast approaching. And then said voice was sitting beside you and dumping his bag on the table, wrapping an arm around your shoulders in mock protection. “You could never exclude our fraternity sweetheart. She is the soul of every omega delta gamma event.”

“Precisely. Nice try, Jin,” you winked, turning to hug the new face at the table. “Hey Joon,” you greeted as he dropped his arm from your shoulders.

“Well then pay attention to me, _______! Instead of gawking at Jungkook’s new bad-boy get up. We get it, you want him. Now back to me please!” Oh god, this again.

“Will you shut up? I do not want Jungkook,” you scathed, lowering your voice to stop him from possibly overhearing from the next table. The others at the table giggled. “What?” you asked.

“Nothing, nothing…” Joon laughed. “So skiing, Jin?” You were grateful to Namjoon for taking the heat off you, now trying too hard to look like you were only paying attention to Jin.

“Yes, skiing…” Jin sat up straight and continued his story.

*****

“Pizza or fried chicken?” Taehyung asked as he scrolled through menus on his iPad, plopping down on the couch beside you in your apartment.

“Oooor, I could just cook?” you laughed.

“No, Miss Kill-joy… It’s been a long day of falling asleep in class and listening to Jin’s skiing trip stories over and over again. We’re ordering in.”

“Fine. Pizza,” you surrendered, flipping through show after show on Netflix. “We still haven’t finished season 3 of Stranger Things yet, feeling brave enough today?” you teased. Taehyung had always been a little too easy to frighten, and it was honestly a wonder he’d made it through the first two seasons without scaring himself silly.

“Oh god.. Uh, maybe? I’m getting pretty desperate to figure out what’s happening to Billy but like, do I really wanna know?” he didn’t even look up from his phone as he spoke, focussing on adding the toppings to his make-your-own pizza.

“If you get too scared, you can spend the night in my room with me, okay? Won’t let anything happen to my Tae-Tae,” you pouted dramatically, babying him with a pinch to his cheek that had him shrinking away from you and giggling like a child. “Oh, can I get a-“

“BBQ base, and a side of chicken wings. I got you,” he smirked. Damn, he knew you too well. “Put the damn show on, I’m a grown up now. Can handle it.”

“Tough words…” you laughed, flicking through the shows to land on Stranger Things, and hitting play.

It didn’t take long for Taehyung to be shrinking into a ball against the couch and hiding half his face behind a pillow. Poor thing, he was just too sensitive. But it didn’t mean he wasn’t enjoying it. It just meant he’d be curled up against you snoring and clutching your arm all night.

An episode in, and food had arrived. You grabbed some plates and empty glasses and created yourself a little feast on the coffee table in front of you. You figured the next episode could wait until you’d had something to eat.

“So tell me,” Taehyung started, cheeks full of pizza like a hamster hoarding nuts, “how’s the insane crush on our own adorable little bunny holding up now that he sports a man-bun and an arm of ink?”

“You’re really still on this, aren’t you?” you avoided the question and all eye contact with Taehyung, dipping your pizza crust into some ranch dressing and quickly shovelling it in so you wouldn’t have to do much more talking. But still, he pressed on.

“Oh my god, stop trying to cover it up. We all see it. Only person who doesn’t is Jungkook, which is insane, considering…” he raised his eyebrows and picked up a chicken wing, leaning back into the couch. Despite his already full hamster cheeks, he took a bite of the spicy wing.

“Considering what?” you asked curiously through chewing. He took a moment to answer, raising his finger to keep you silent and waiting impatiently while he swallowed.

“Considering how obvious you are, always staring at him when he’s not looking, always looking around to find him, asking after him. You practically swoon when he walks in a room, you laugh at all of his terrible jokes, and don’t think we didn’t all see you drooling at lunch. It’s just ironic, that neither of you realise…” he chuckled to himself, taking another large bite of a pizza slice he picked up in his free hand, practically shovelling the food in.

“Neither of us? What do you mean?” you asked, confused. Tae froze on the spot, a string of cheese latched between his teeth and stuck to the end of the pizza he’d just bitten into. It stretched and broke off from the slice, dangling comically from his lips. But neither of you laughed.

He took his time reeling in the string of cheese, proceeding to take forever to chew his mouthful, clearly stalling for time before swallowing overdramatically.

“Just meant like… neither of you notice that you’re drooling over him, y’know? Yeah, that’s it.” He wouldn’t look you in the eye, quickly shovelling another mouthful of pizza in his mouth to avoid having to speak further on the matter.

“You know for an acting major, you’re a terrible liar…” you scoffed, folding your arms over your chest as you turned your whole body to face him on the couch. “What did you really mean?”

Tae sighed. He could never lie to you, not really. You knew him too well for that, spent too much time with him to know his tells. And truly, he was a really terrible liar when it came to his friends. He dropped the pizza back into the box and turned to you, wiping his mouth on his sleeve and swallowing the latest mouthful.

“I’m just saying, we all see the way you drool over Jungkook, but like… it’s more, isn’t it? You don’t just wanna screw his brains out, you’ve been falling for him since day one when he wondered into your lecture hall like a lost puppy. We all know It, ______… We talk about it all the time. And it’s just… it’s ironic ‘cause… well….” His eyes darted up to look at you, finding your expression to be a mix of both realisation and confusion in one.

And he’d be right. How on earth had it taken someone literally telling you that you liked Jungkook, to realise that, well… you bloody liked Jungkook! How far did this thing go? How deep did these feelings sit? Have they always been there? Did they grow over time? Is it just a crush or is it more than that?

But it made sense. You had always found him cute, sometimes attractive – hell, even sexy sometimes… But most girls did, he was Jeon Jungkook. Except that didn’t explain why you always wanted him around, why you always thought of him first when someone asked about your friends, why you were often caught out staring at him by the others. There was something more… Oh god, there were feelings involved.

You snapped back to reality, reminding yourself that somehow Taehyung wasn’t finished speaking…

“Wh-why is it ironic?” you stuttered, not even bothering to deny his claims any longer.

“Because to all of us it’s also painfully obvious how much he likes you too…” he said sheepishly, slowly so as not to shock you too much.

“N-no he doesn’t,” you protested weakly. He couldn’t, he’d never shown any signs.“Oh _______… yes, he does. I can’t understand how you both haven’t realised, it’s painfully obvious to all of us. Jimin said he’d asked about you the second he got back to the frat after vacation. He always talks about you. They ask him how his class went, and he’ll reply like ‘oh yeah it was good, _____ did this, _____ did that, _____ made me laugh so hard today’. It’s adorable but Jimin said he barely talks about anything else.

“Funny thing is, you stare at him when he’s not looking, and he stares at you when you’re not looking. We laugh about it all the time, it’s kinda funny to watch. I honestly don’t know how you can function alone together in class,” he laughs, shaking his head at the image of you both automatically turning your heads periodically.

“But... He…” you shook your head trying to think of excuses for him, but you were drawing a blank.

“I mean he actually told Hobi he liked you about a month ago when he was drunk. Hobi said he was crying into a bucket and whining about how he’d never have you and he just likes you soooo much between hurling,” Tae laughed at his own impression of Jungkook weeping. You couldn’t help yourself then.

You leaned forward and slapped his shoulder, followed by another slap and another, all cushioned by his hoodie and barely enough to hurt anyway, just to annoy.

“Ow, hey! HEY! What- What’s that for? Ow!” he cried dramatically as you knelt over him, slapping his arm out of pure frustration.

“YOU,” slap, “NEVER,” slap, “TOLD ME?!” you yelled. “You knew all this time I liked him, and you said NOTHING?!” you sat back on your heels running your hands through your hair totally exasperated.

“Well I assumed you knew that at least you had feelings for him, Jesus! It’s so obvious!”

“And when he said he liked me you didn’t think to bloody tell me?!” you scoffed, indignant.

“Well he was drunk, and he didn’t remember in the morning so…” Tae rubbed his arm dramatically.

You rested your elbows on your knees and buried your head in your hands. You had to figure out what to do with this information, if you should do anything at all. God, you’d been fawning over him since Freshman year. No wonder they’d teased you about it constantly in the last few months… You felt like a fool. You hadn’t even realised you were crying until the first silent tear rolled down your cheek.

Taehyung said nothing then, pulling you to lean on him with an arm around your shoulder. He rubbed your back and kissed your forehead like a good friend should, comforting without having to say a word.

“I feel stupid, Tae…” you whined into his shoulder.

“No, sweetie, I’m the stupid one. Should have said something sooner. I’m sorry…” he held you with both arms then, feeling a surge of guilt for keeping such information from his best friend.

In your head, you tried to think of any signs you might have missed, anything at all that proved what Tae was saying. And although they’d made fun of you for liking him all this time, you knew he would never, ever lie to you about something like this. Especially not with your tears soaking into his hoodie.

You needed to do something about this. You needed to say something to Jungkook, maybe to be a little (a lot) more obvious. Either way, now that you knew he liked you, you couldn’t simply sit on this information. Time had been wasted already…

*****

You were gonna do it. You were gonna tell him, that very morning, just after class let out for lunch. You’d pull him to the side, explain you wanted to talk to him. Go somewhere quiet. Tell him the truth.

At least, that had been your plan. But the second he walked in as the final bell rang that morning and sat beside you, you lost your nerve. Now suddenly, you had to deal with butterflies attacking your insides, and an inability to act natural around him. Awesome.

“Hey, you,” he smiled as he sat down beside you, as always. Only today you couldn’t muster a genuine smile back, just a nervous half smile. And he noticed. “Whoa, what’s up?” He put his hand on yours that rested in your lap and you flinched a little from him, like his had was made of hot coals. He held his hands up, staring at you with wide bunny eyes like you’d trodden on his tail.

“S-sorry, bit jumpy today I guess…” Smooth, _______. Real smooth. “Nightmare last night,” you lied.

“Oh, I’m sorry… need a hug?” he opened his arms to you and of course, you couldn’t say no to that. So you shuffled along the bench of the amphitheatre and slotted into his arms, curled up in a little ball and tensing up as soon as his arms wrapped around you and hugged you to his chest. You weren’t sure if he could tell you were tensed up or not, but to you it was painfully obvious.

“Alright class, we have assignment marks to discuss!” your professor started his talk, and Jungkook reluctantly let go of you, letting you straighten up and open your laptop to take down your notes. But he kept his eye on you the whole time, watching with concern at your sudden stiff manor around him. Had he done something wrong?

*****

“Taehyung it’s been three days and I don’t know how to act around him anymore! Help me. You did this. You fix this,” you paced in front of his little desk in the student union, where he spent Thursday afternoons working.

“Uh, this isn’t my fault. You could ha-“ You lost your cool, dramatically slamming your hands down on his desk and leaning down to be eye level with him. He shut up immediately.

“Fix. It,” you demanded.

“Okay, okay… Uh, there’s a party tomorrow right? Jin’s party? At the fraternity?” he scrambled for ideas.

“Oh no, tell me you’re not serious. No, this is like some cheesy Netflix teen movie or something,” you groaned, pushing off his desk and pacing yet again.

“Yeah well it’s the best I’ve got, okay? So just… I don’t know, ask him to dance, get him a drink, take him to one side, talk to him. If it goes wrong, blame it on the alcohol. Yes, it’s a cliché. But clichés are clichés for a reason,” he tried to convince you, and unfortunately, it was starting to work…

“If this backfires, I’m holding you solely responsible,” you warned, pointing your finger accusingly.

“Okay, yes, fine, whatever,” he shook you off, turning his attention back to the calendar of student activities that he’d been working on for this semester. “You should wear that black dress, the one with the mesh layer. He likes that one.” Just how much info did Taehyung have on Jungkook’s little crush on you?

“Oh for god’s sake,” you rolled your eyes and grabbed your bag, stomping back to the cafeteria to find Namjoon or Jimin; anyone but your infuriating best friend.

*****

“I’m telling you, the dress was the right choice,” Tae tried to convince you as he escorted you the few blocks to the campus where the frat house was. Your arm was linked with his as if you were a couple from the 50’s on a stroll along the beach; very typical Tae.

“And how is it you know so much about which of my dresses Jungkook likes the most?” you asked suspiciously.

“Well last time you wore this was when we all met up in summer right? And we went to that club? He couldn’t take his eyes off you. He turned to me and said, ‘she looks good tonight, right?’ I just agreed and let him carry on staring while you danced with Hobi and Yoongi.”

“Oh, is Yoongi coming tonight? I miss him!” your attention was diverted to the friend who had decided college wasn’t for him, and he was going to pursue a career in DJing instead.

“Yeah he’s bringing his decks, you know how he is.” Indeed you did; always had a decent mix for any kind of party.

Turning the corner to head down the street of sororities and fraternities, you could already hear the bass from Yoongi’s speakers blaring and lights flashing in the large bay window at the front of the house. Already in full swing, then.

Inside, the whole ground floor was littered with bodies all drinking and dancing already. Looking around, you could see a few people you knew, but none of your closer friends just yet. Only Yoongi, set up with his decks in the corner of the large living room. You dragged Tae over to him first.

“Hey _____! How’s life?” he yelled over the music, putting an arm around you for a side hug and lightly bumping fists with Tae, beer in hand.

“Good, good. Seen any of the others yet?”

“Uh, Jin was setting up a keg in the other room, with the pool table in? Namjoon was with him. No idea about the others.” He took a gulp of beer, fiddling with some buttons in front of him. “Here,” he yelled, hitting the top of a bottle of beer on the edge of his mixing desk to get the cap off, handing it to you.

“Thanks! I’m gonna go find the others, say hi.”

“Alright doll, come dance later okay? I’ll play that mix I made for your birthday,” he smiled his adorable gummy smile, patting your elbow lightly and turning back to his decks, holding his headphones to his ear as he bobbed his head to the heavy bass.

Tae stuck by Yoongi’s side, catching up on lost time with him. Tae was fond of Yoongi, looked up to him like a big brother he rarely got to see. You made your way through the hordes of students into the room you expected to find Jin, and low and behold there he was feeding Namjoon from the keg. Whilst you were glad to see them, that wasn’t who you wanted to find… You wanted to find Jungkook.

“Save some for the rest, Joon!” you laughed as he held the end of the pipe.

“_____! You made it!” he cheered, hugging you with his free arm.

“Have I ever missed one of these?” you laughed, comfortably tucked under his arm and playfully hitting his chest.

“Touché,” he grinned.

“You guys seen Kookie?” you asked, trying to seem casual. The pair just smiled to each other, thinking you weren’t in on the joke still.

“Kitchen, I think. But have a drink with us first, he’s gonna be around somewhere. Pay attention to us,” Jin whined, clearly making fun of you again. You didn’t even argue, taking a few gulps of the beer Yoongi had handed to you. You chatted to them for a while, joining in with the chants and cheers of people brave enough to do keg stands with Jin, at least until your drink was empty, and you had an excuse to leave and find Jungkook.

The kitchen had people in too, same as every other room and the room was only lit by the flashing lights of the living room. You spotted Jungkook on the other side of the room, leaning against the worktop with a beer in one hand and his phone in the other. He was alone, a perfect opportunity to get him out into the yard, or somewhere quieter at least.

He looked so good tonight… Wet look black jeans clinging to his muscular thighs, a black shirt with red dots all over tucked into them, a few buttons undone. Necklaces dangling against the exposed skin at the top of his chest, hair down and flowing freely, showing off just how long it really had become. And his sleeves were short, showing off his new ink properly for the first time… There was no denying the attraction you felt to him anymore, that was for sure.

The same butterflies you’d been feeling around him all week were rising, frantically fluttering against your stomach as heat rose to your cheeks. You hadn’t even noticed you yet, but you could feel your hands getting sweatier.

But you could do this. It was Jungkook. Even if he really didn’t feel the same way, he would never be cruel about it, never laugh at you or yell at you. You had nothing to be afraid of. It would hurt if he didn’t want you, but your friendship would survive; you knew it.

He briefly looked up from his phone, eyes finding you. Immediately, his body stood upright, sending you an awkward smile; that was your fault. You’d been acting weird all week, ever since your epiphany with Taehyung. But you smiled back, trying to look as natural as possible.

You lifted your empty beer bottle and mouthed ‘want one?’ at him, to which he nodded. You smiled and headed to the large fridge freezer, picking out two bottles for the both of you, but when you turned back, you almost dropped them both to the ground…

A girl had wondered up to Jungkook, a prettier, popular girl from one of the sororities. She’d snatched his attention away, playfully touching his hair and tracing his tattoos with her delicate fingers. She leaned into him, her lips devilishly close to his ear. She was clearly whispering something flirty to him, his eyes widening a little and his cheeks turning pink. And then she started to nibble at his earlobe…

You caught his gaze again for a second, and his eyes widened even more. Could he see the shock on your face? The tears brimming in your eyes and blurring your vision? Could he see your knuckles turning white against the necks of the bottles in your hands?

You couldn’t watch any more, putting the bottles down on the kitchen island in front of you and hastily exiting the kitchen with hot tears starting to spill. You were gonna do it, you really were. But who were you kidding? The sight of another pretty girl, a prettier girl, was all it took to divert his attention. Tae had been wrong; he must have been.

You didn’t feel much like partying anymore…

Without stopping, you walked straight to the front door and out onto the street, disappearing from the party without so much as a wave to any of the others. You hadn’t even seen Jimin or Hoseok yet, but you didn’t care. You needed to get out, to go home. To be alone and sob to your heart’s content.

The air outside was cold, biting at your skin as you stumbled the few blocks home, wiping your cheeks and trying to hold it together until you were safely in the confides of your own home. It didn’t take long, and before you knew it you were stumbling up the stairs in your ankle boots and struggling to fit the key in the door.

You shut it behind you and leaned against it, hitting your head on the wood and freely letting the tears and the sobs rattle through you. How stupid you felt, how naïve… You just got used to the idea you had feelings for him, how dare the universe now give you heartbreak just a few days later. What kind of bullshit karma crap was that?!

You let yourself sob against the door for a moment as you found some composure, enough to realise you just wanted to get into some comfy sweats and a hoodie and eat whatever crap you could find in your refrigerator. You didn’t stop the tears but took a few steps further into your apartment, when some loud knocks rang out on the door behind you.

You jumped a little, startled by the noise and furiously started wiping the tears away. Taehyung must have seen you leave, must have followed you home to comfort you knowing that it hadn’t gone well with Jungkook. He’d feel so awful, probably blame himself for getting your hopes up or something. But he’d have the warm hugs you needed right now.

But then, Taehyung lived here. Why would he be knocking?

You stepped towards the door and opened it slightly, peaking through the crack so see who had been rasping on the wood moments before.

As if the world was playing some sick joke on you, Jungkook was stood there, his face looking sad and his fingers fiddling with each other.

What you hadn’t seen, was the way he stopped that girl at the party as soon as he saw the look on your face, as soon as he saw you dump the beers and turn. He saw the look on your face, and suddenly it had all clicked into place for him. You liked him too. And his heart had dropped into his stomach. He tried to follow you, getting stuck behind a couple of the jocks from the neighbouring frat house, and tailing behind you trying to shout your name over the heavy bass of Yoongi’s mix.

The second he saw your reddened eyes he stepped forward, pushing his way into the apartment, giving the door a kick shut behind him and cupping your jaw in his hands, using his thumbs to wipe your tears away. He smiled weakly at you, already aware that it was his fault you were crying, his fault you had left.

“Hey, you,” he said softly, his tone so affectionate, so worried and full of care as he looked into your eyes. They brimmed again at his words; they just sounded so sweet coming from him, like you were the only person in the whole world he’d want to say hello to at all.

But you stood frozen, biting down on your lip to stop a sob from erupting from your throat. All you could do was look up at him, his hands holding your face up towards him as his thumbs stroked over your cheeks. His eyes were searching yours in the silence, like he was trying to find confirmation or a sign or something, but you just weren’t sure.

But before you could even try to compose yourself enough to speak, he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours so softly, so cautiously, lingering for a second and waiting for you to push him away, to slap him or scream at him for getting the wrong idea – but he hadn’t and you both knew that.

So when he parted from your lips and looked back down at you, he saw your small smile, the tears spilling yet again, the deep breaths you were taking. In such close proximity, he could practically hear your heart threatening to beat out of your chest and feel the way your cheeks had heated up under his hands.

And he couldn’t deny himself anymore.

He leaned in again, this time with more purpose, more aggression, his lips crashing with yours only this time you were ready for him, matching his desperation, his urgency. Your hands gripped his shirt, pulling him closer. You couldn’t seem to get close enough, not even when your chest pressed against his.

Finally, after months of unrecognised feelings towards him, Jungkook was here and he wanted you. You didn’t care about anything else, couldn’t focus on anything else but the way his lips felt against yours, the way his hair felt silky soft brushing up against your forehead.

His hands slid into your hair, fingertips grazing over your scalp and adding a layer of bliss to the way he kissed you. One of your hands slip up his chest and wrapped around his neck to draw him in even more. He groaned against your lips, and if the stirring in your chest was anything to go by, you knew where you wanted this to go.

You just wanted him.

Without disconnecting your kiss, you stumbled backwards, dragging him with you through the hall of your small apartment. You stumbled together, your back hitting your bedroom door as his hand flew out to turn the doorknob for you. The pair of you shuffled into your room, Jungkook kicking the door shut once again.

His hands dropped from your hair and flew to his shirt buttons, hastily undoing them one by one as you took the opportunity to separate from your kiss to undo the zip at the side of your dress and shuffle out of the mesh over-layer and the straps of the black dress underneath. You pushed it down around your waist, breasts still hidden from view by the black bra you’d worn that evening.

Jungkook flung the shirt from his body, immediately stepping towards you again to grip your bare waist in his hands and reconnect your lips fiercely. Both your arms wrapped around his neck and you pulled him towards you as you stepped further and further back, until the backs of your knees hit your bed and you tumbled backwards with him still locked on your kiss.

Everything was happening fast, everything was heated and desperate but after so long denying your feelings for him – and unbeknownst to you, him denying his feelings for you too – you felt like there was just no time to waste.

His lips found their way to your jawline, kissing and nipping at the skin from under your ear down to your chin, and continuing down your throat. He took his time, his hands working through your hair again as you moaned under his assault on your neck. It felt so good – he felt so good. You couldn’t help your hands reaching between you both to unbuckle the belt holding his jeans up, making light work of the button and zipper soon after. You could already feel the large bulge formed in the now open crotch of his jeans, and it stirred a heat between your legs that had already been steadily building.

Jungkook’s lips travelled further down, between the valley of your breasts to mouth and bite and suckle at the fullness on display above the cup of your bra. He reached underneath you to unclasp it, while you worked the straps down and threw it to one side. His mouth immediately latched onto your nipple, his hand massaging the other as he tweaked and flicked the nub over and over again.

Your moans sounded obscene, breathy and whiny under the pleasure he was giving you. You couldn’t help the way your hips rolled up to grind against the prominent bulge you’d uncovered earlier; you needed some kind of friction now that the uncomfortable sticky feeling in your panties was only worsening.

No words were exchanged at all – and certainly no time wasted on teasing you – as the hand on your breast slid between you both and pulled the remnants of the mesh dress and the tight underdress down, both of you kicking it off to let it land in a pile at the bottom of the bed. His waist slotted neatly between your thighs and his hand cupped your sex, middle finger toying with the wet lace of the underwear you had on.

“Oh, Jungkook…” you whined, breathless and lost in the bliss of both his mouth working your breasts and his hand dipping past the lace to swirl around your throbbing clit. Hearing you whine his name was something he’d admit to only dreaming about in the past, his brain daring him to think of all the things he wanted to do with you, all the ways he could make you create that exact sound for him over and over again. It was music to his ears.

It only seemed to rile him up further, fingers moving faster and expertly toying with your clit just a little more, until he slid them down to circle your entrance and slowly push two inside you. The stretch felt magnificent, and by this stage you were already turned on enough to be able to take both with no issues.

Jungkook groaned against your breast, a wave of arousal pulsing through his veins at the way you felt on his fingers, imagining with absolute clarity just how you’d feel on his cock too. He curled his fingers and hit your g-spot with each downward stroke of his hand, having you thread your hands in his hair in desperation to grip onto something, anything.

“P-please, Kookie… Need you,” you panted, begging to feel him completely, to be totally immersed in the pleasure of him and him alone. How could he deny you of that?

He sat up on his knees immediately, pushing his jeans and boxers down to his knees and swivelling his hips to sit enough to push them off along with his black Chelsea boots. You kicked your shoes off as he did, shuffling yourself out of your panties and leaving you both totally exposed to each other.

He took a moment to turn his head back to you, to look into your eyes properly and just admire how you looked right now. Your hair was messed up, matted to your forehead with sweat much like his was. You had dark rims under your eyes where your make up had pooled from your tears and streaks in your foundation to match. Your neck was red and in places, a little bruised from his own handiwork. And he had never, ever thought you looked so beautiful.

His expression twisted into a smile, his eyes squinting and his bunny teeth gleaming in the low light of the street coming in through the window. It was all you could do to smile back, resting on your hands as he slowly crept up the bed towards you, the happiness exuding from both of you, the knowing relief you shared with each other. You parted your legs for him to slot between, letting him hover over you and slowly lean in for another deep kiss.

You lay back down, Jungkook following to never once break your connection. His hands roamed from your thighs up to your waist, holding onto you as your lips moving in perfect unison, slower than before but still incredibly heated. You’d never been kissed like this, never been held like this or touched like this. He was making every single touch count.

You rolled your hips up against him again – a sure signal that you were ready, you wanted him – and felt his rigid length brush against your folds. Reaching between you both, Jungkook gripped himself at the base and slowly, began to push inside you. Your kiss separated just barely for him to groan in absolute gratification, lips just barely grazing yours. He pressed his forehead with yours and shut his eyes, revelling in the way you felt.

There was no denying his girth, and yet still there was no pain or discomfort to be felt. He eased himself in slowly, gave you a chance to adjust, and as soon as you started to kiss him once again his hips began to rock.

His hair fell into his eyes, descending past his ears and doused in a light layer of sweat from the heat inside your small bedroom. The pendants and necklaces he had worn that night dangled above you, swaying backwards and forward with each thrust he made. His freshly healed tattoos were now on full display to you, and you could help but to reach out and touch them.

Each thrust just felt like it was meant to be, like he was supposed to fill you this way, you were supposed to fit together like pieces of a jigsaw. You reached up to tuck his hair behind his ear, showing more of his face to you. In the dim streetlight, he looked so perfect, so absolutely stunning as he clearly became consumed by nothing other than you. You placed a hand flat against his chest, wrapping the other around his neck and bringing his lips closer to you so you could reach up for them again.

As your bodies writhed against each other, moan after moan escaping you both and being muffled by intermittent kisses, you knew right then that this was exactly how it should be. You loved him. And he loved you.

“K-Kookie?” you stuttered your voice a higher pitch than usual. His thrusts were become more dynamic with every passing second, and yet never speeding past a pleasurable roll of his hips. He struggled to open his eyes and tear himself about from his paradise, but he did so, looking down into your eyes.

“Y-yeah, baby?” he huffed, his breath laboured and voice stifling another groan. He pressed his forehead to yours for stability, keeping his hazy eyes on yours.

“I… I love you, Kookie…” you cried against his lips, another tear escaping down the side of you face. He smiled then; an out of breath, exhausted and relieved kind of smile as he continued to roll his hips into you, having you whimpering as your bit down on your lip.

“I love you too, ____…” he grinned, his eyes fluttering closed, “Oh, fuck, I love you so much.”

You threaded your hands in his hair again, bringing his lips up to yours and colliding them in potentially the most passionate kiss of your damn life, moans and whimpers included. His hand slid between you, fingertips concentrating on coaxing a delightful and euphoric orgasm out of you with targeted strokes to your clit.

With a new level of ungodly satisfaction, you couldn’t control your lips anymore and broke the kiss, just holding him close to you with parted lips and moaning wantonly as your eyes rolled back. You’d never felt an orgasm approach so fast in all your life, never felt it hit you the way this did.

Your legs spasmed and shook in his grasp, hands tightening in his hair. Your moans caught in your throat, unable to move while every muscle contracted. You couldn’t be sure of it in the moment, but Jungkook sure noticed the way you clenched and gushed around him as you came. And with each contraction dragging against his length inside you and you finally delivering a loud and high pitched moan, you brought him to his edge too.

His hips slowed and stuttered as hot spurts of cum painted your walls, more than he ever had before. He tried to keep rolling his hips, to get every last bit of pleasure he could before exhaustion took over and he collapsed next to you, head buried in the crook of your neck and chest half laying on you.

Both of you were utterly drained of energy, breaths heavy and hot against the other’s bare skin. It felt incredible. It felt perfect. It felt just as it should.

It could have been minutes, or it could have been hours that passed by, both of you simply becoming comfortable laying in a heap of sweaty nudity – you simply didn’t care. You had Jungkook now, right here with you. And he loved you.

You weren’t sure of the time, nor did you mind, but the two of you fell asleep laid together that night. Jungkook had rolled onto his back, dragging you onto his chest and pulling the messy sheet up to cover you both. With one final drawn out kiss, the pair of you lay in peaceful contentment and drifted off.

*****

Next morning, you awoke to the sun streaming directly into your eyes; you hadn’t closed the drapes last night. Your groaned and turned away from it, stretching your limbs out onto the rest of the empty bed, and- wait, empty? No, no… Had you… had you dreamt your night with Jungkook? Had he left without a word? Did he regret what had happened?

You sat upright, clutching the sheets to your chest. You were still nude, your clothes still strewn about the place; but Jungkook’s were gone.

He must have just decided to leave.

A knock on your bedroom door drew your attention away from your sadness, and a rather smug looking Taehyung wondered in before you had the chance to turn him away. He sat at the end of your bed with his arms folded and a smile you grimaced at in disgust.

“Mooooooornin’,” he teased. You wanted to kick him off the bed.

“Shut up,” you groaned.

“See? Told you he liked you! Can’t tell me that that wasn’t Jungkook I saw you naked-cuddling with when I got in last night,” he wiggled his eyebrows.

“Yeah, well I hope he had fun. He’s done a runner this morning,” you accused. Taehyung was about to object, when a key jingling by your front door sounded, the door opened and closed, and footsteps drew closer down the hallway. And then who should come into view, but none other than Jeon Jungkook sporting the outfit he had on last night and brandishing a brown paper bag with some rather ominous grease stains on, and two hot coffees in a holder. He must have stolen one of your hair ties, because most of his locks were back in a bun again save for the front pieces parted in the middle.

His face looked a picture; the deer in headlights cliché. His wide eyes darted between you and Tae, and all Tae did was smirk at you.

“Go away, Taehyung,” you flatlined, shooing him with a foot to his leg. He held his hands up in defeat and stood, walking past Jungkook and out into the hall.

Jungkook snapped out of his shock and confusion to put the coffees on your nightstand and the bag next to it. He sat down on the edge, turning slightly to face you.

“Hey, you,” he smiled, his eyes soft and adoring. He tucked a strand of your bed hair behind your ear, leaning forward to place a kiss to your forehead. You tucked your knees to your chest and smiled shyly.

“Thought you’d done a runner,” you joked.

“Could never do that to you. Just wanted to get you breakfast in bed; least I can do for making you think I was flirting with one of the sorority girls.”

“Oh, no it’s okay… I just…. Yeah, I don’t know,” you laughed at yourself, feeling pretty stupid for not even giving him a chance to push her away before you jumped to conclusions.

“Hey,” he said softly, shuffling closer to you. “I, uh… I haven’t even looked at another girl since I met you, _____. Never wanted to, I never noticed anyone but you…” he confessed, shyly looking down at a spec of fluff on your sheets.

“I can’t believe I had no idea… I didn’t even realise I liked you like that until Taehyung kinda let it slip…” you chuckled, fiddling with the ends of his hair dangling in his eyes.

“You’re welcome!” you heard Tae shout from the kitchen, clearly eavesdropping with your door still wide open. Jungkook stood up to shut it, just a little harder than average in response to Tae’s mischievous meddling and then came and sat back down beside you.

“Well, we have some lost time to make up for, then,” he smiled, leaning in for a gentle and purely loving kiss, lingering a few moments, just enjoying finally having each other. You pulled apart with a shy giggle. “But first, breakfast!” He leaned over to pick up the bag, unpacking the bagels and hash browns he’d picked up from the diner around the corner.

You watched him, just how cute and attentive he was being with you. He was the same Jungkook, always had been this way with you. But now, you knew why, and it all made sense. It all fit together.

“Yes, breakfast.”

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rachels-studies · 5 years

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5 tips after my first year of law!

Absolutely everyone will go into the first year of their chosen university degree with some idea of what to expect, but also really having no idea of what will really happen. As someone who has just finished her first year of law, I thought I’d share what I had learnt this past year.

1. Putting in even 5% effort is better than 0%, but do try as hard as possible.

This might seem an odd first thing to mention, especially in this ‘studyblr’ culture that has now escalated into massive studytuber/studygram accounts that tell us we should be studying 15 hour days, and doing all set work plus extra. Realistically, if your degree is anything like mine you may barely have enough time to do the set work, never mind extra and some weeks, even the set work is too much. Studying three modules simultaneously with lectures and seminars to prepare for as well as the set readings, and other commitments like friends, family or part time jobs, means that sometimes it's unreasonable to get everything done. This is where my first point comes in however, its better to try and do something rather that nothing, maybe skim through two readings rather than do all of them, or thoroughly read the one you think is most helpful.

I spent most of my first year degree panicking that I had not read every single set reading, annotated and made notes from them, and realistically in the end, I’ve not got less than a high 2:1 in all modules and in hindsight I can see how unnecessary it was. This all goes back to the age old adage of ‘work smart, not hard’. And stress a lot less.

2. Genuinely go to every class - even if you don’t pay attention

I hate to admit, on a studyblr of my own, that I went to many classes in both of my first year semesters where I genuinely paid 0 attention for full 2 hour lectures. This mindset applied to certain modules more than others (Looking at you, Administrative Law), but I noticed that any classes I stopped attending because I didn't like them/understand them, just made my life 100 times worse when it came to coursework or exams. Whilst you may not soak up much more information sitting in the room not listening, certain points may peak your interest and you may zone in at certain times. Again, you’re human, this is totally going to happen. Don’t feel guilty about it.

3. Most vital part of my degree teaching was seminars - do the work and participate!

I’m not sure if this was specific to how my university functions, but our lecturers were very thorough in the seminars and this is where I found that I learnt most content, not in the lectures and my own readings. Also, not only are the groups tiny (maybe 15 people), a lot of people don’t turn up so this is the perfect time to harass any lecturers on points you don’t understand.

My lecturers also used a lot of seminar content in coursework/exams, and having the notes and knowledge to use was vitally important for me in these areas.

4. Make sure you are organised in your course

There is certain knowledge you will want for your module at hand at any point, and I recommend writing it out from any module handbook you will receive at the start of the year. Personally, I write this information and tape it to an area above my desk, but I also have a ‘key information’ tab for each module on my one note. Things you will always want to note:

Who is your lecturer/module coordinator? What is their email?

How are you assessed and how is it weighted? Any due dates provided at the start of term? Any key information about assessments e.g. page formatting, how it is to be submitted etc?

Another way I organise myself for each module is by making a specification page within my one note. This means that at a glance I also have the entire 12 weeks of reading laid out, and the lecture plan for each week so I know what I should have done. You would be amazed how many students message our year wide group chat two days before deadlines asking if we have any work, or when it's due.

5. Get out of your comfort zone - make friends and apply for academic positions etc to put you ahead.

This is probably the most cliché, and the one I need to implement the most myself, but especially in a law degree this is vital. Having friends is almost self explanatory, but a support network in a degree where no one knows what they're doing is going to help on the days where you feel helpless. You need to put yourself out there on the first day, and ensure you keep up good relations with your year if possible. Our university's Law Society have our own study space, and being able to chat with your year group about coursework and exams will really help (especially if they're generous and point our areas you might go wrong!).

Whilst making friends isn’t vital to your law degree, merely a nicety, academic positions or placements is crucial. Whilst you are often told this is not necessary until second or third year, other first years will be running laps around you. Many of my friends have already participated in:

Course representative within the university

A month abroad to Africa to work pro-bono on Human Rights cases

Many law firms now provide first year schemes which last maybe 1-2 days and allow you to see different firms in action, such as commercial firms.

A friend of mine emailed her CV to local firms and got a 12 week placement with them, which is much more hands on than the first year schemes can provide for.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading and I really hope something in here might have been of some help!

#studyblr #lawyer #LAWBLR #studylaw #university #university goals #student #studying #study #studyspo #my experience

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teachtoconnect · 2 years

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Quick Tips for Effective Online Learning

Online learning has its unique challenges. It can be challenging for teachers to reach students and engage them in the material. For students, it can be hard to avoid distractions and keep up with the content. But there are ways to ensure a successful online learning experience for everyone involved.

It's safe to say that effective online learning doesn't look much like traditional teaching methods. Instead, it involves a lot of self-motivation on the students' part and plenty of creative thinking on the part of educators.

Effective online learning takes advantage of modern technology rather than trying to replicate classroom experiences in front of a computer screen.

Keys to Effective Learning

In general, effective learning requires the learner to be motivated and actively involved. It is also crucial for learners to have the ability to think analytically and creatively. In addition, effective learning requires that the subject matter or skill being learned be related to the person's life or work.

Tips for Effective Online Learning

You can do several things to make your online learning experience successful. The following successful online learning strategies will help you get the most out of your online classes:

Be prepared: If you're new to online learning, get familiar with the platform your online learning platform uses. Then, you won't be surprised when it's time for class. This may include video conferencing or screen sharing software and other tools for interacting with your instructor and classmates.

Use a computer that meets the minimum requirements: Make sure your computer is up-to-date and has all the required software (like Microsoft Office) installed.

Treat it like a real class: The flexibility of online courses can also be a drawback if you fail to treat them like regular classes. For example, don't wait until the last minute to do assignments or watch lectures.

Create a routine: Make sure that the time and place you select for studying are available and free of distractions. Establish a routine for checking course email, completing assignments, and communicating with your instructor.

Stay organized: Create folders that separate each class or specific topic within each class, so it's easy for you to find information when you need it. Develop a study schedule that works for you and stick with it as much as possible.

Establish goals: Set both long-term and shorter-term goals for completing your online coursework so you can measure your progress and stay motivated. Reward yourself for achieving essential milestones along the way.

Understand how you learn best: Some students like to read their course materials before lectures; others prefer listening to lectures first and then reading about them later. Find out what works best for you, especially if you are taking an online class for the first time.

Make good use of the flexibility: Online classes can be more flexible than those held in person because they don't take place at a set time and place each week. You can access lectures and other course materials at any time of day or night to make it easier to fit studying into your schedule.

Read all of your assignments thoroughly before starting any work on them: This will help you understand precisely what is required and how much time it will take to complete each assignment.

Ask questions: If you don't understand something, don't be afraid to ask your instructor for clarification — that's what they're there for! Most instructors will be happy to help via email, phone, or an online chat program like Skype or Zoom.

Participate in class discussions: Don't be shy. Get involved in discussions with your classmates via online discussion boards and chat rooms.

Pay attention to deadlines: It's easy to let assignments slip if they're not due until next week or next month, but don't fall behind! Instead, dedicate time every day or week to work on your courses.

Set up a study area: Find a quiet place where you can be undisturbed while studying. If you don't have a dedicated study area, use earplugs or headphones to block noise. Avoid the temptation to watch television or check your smartphone while trying to focus on the lesson at hand.

Eliminate distractions: The Internet is awesome, but it's also full of distractions. Close down all the other apps on your computer before class starts. If necessary, turn off your phone and put it away until class is over.

#onlinelearning #onlinecourses

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katsdsstudies-blog · 7 years

Photo

So studying. Studying with a capital S. Something we’ve all got to do for class. Something we’re not all taught how to do. Something we sometimes don’t think we have to do at all.

It’s a challenge, that’s for sure. It becomes an impossibility almost when you’re dealing with mental health issues, disabilities, and problems with socialising. I should know.

How do you study though, Kat? How do you manage to still get decent grades when you don’t sit at the front of class? You don’t take a bajillion notes? You don’t write them out by hand 24-7?

How. Are. You. Not. Failing???

Studying isn’t just about pretty notes, it’s not about writing everything by hand, it’s not about fancy playlists and colour-coordination. It’s about understanding the material you’ve got to learn and engaging with it in a way that helps you remember it.

I’ll be honest, studying for exams is impossible for me now. I just can’t do it. My memory has gone to hell after years of living with chronic pain with hardly any support. It sucks. Luckily though my course is all coursework and internal examinations. That’s the beauty of my Masters. I know it’s not the same for everyone though.

That means I’m going to do my best to help ya’ll with exam studying, class notes, revision, reading assignments and so on. Basically, anything I can think of.

Lets get started then shall we.

1. Figuring out how to take class notes in class:

Don’t bother with fancy. You won’t have the time. Your handwriting just needs to be legible to you. I cheat a lot and write in block capitals. It’s pretty quick and easier to read than my scribbled cursive half the time.

Typed notes are basically the same. Bullet points and bold titles etc… do those later when you have the time to spend on it. Hit tab for each ‘bullet point’ you’ll make in class for a specific topic, don’t bother fighting with Word or whatever other note-taking programme you use. Just use tab, then hit backspace to go back to the normal width of the document.

For subheadings, use colons ( : ) they save a lot of time and you don’t need to hit bold, italic, or underline. If you have problems with keyboard shortcuts then this is probably a brilliant idea. Use semi-colons ( ; ) for lists and fake-bullet-points-ala-tab. So much time saved.

If you know a shorthand method to take notes, use it. If you don’t, I sometimes take the vowels out of words leaving only the cnstnts bhnd. It can take a bit of time getting used to, especially when writing by hand, but it can help if you have a tutor/professor/lecturer who talks a mile a minute and flies through slides at the same time.

2. Using in-class slides/materials along with your own notes:

One thing I find very useful is printing out the slides for my classes before I get there. It makes keeping focused on whatever we’re discussing easier. Also, you can number your notes with the slide (S10 or Slide12) you’re making notes on. This makes writing your notes up later way easier.

If your lecturer doesn’t provide copies of the slides, email them. Most of the time they’ll be pretty decent and let you have a copy. Sometimes they won’t. If they refuse… well, if you can take pictures of the slides on your phone that can solve that problem. Otherwise, I’d suggest arguing the toss with them and pulling them up for being discriminatory or blocking your learning. Some might not take kindly to this though. If that fails, you can always try a class mate or record the lectures.

One thing I’ve had to do before was actually record myself reading the slides in my class out to myself. I was sat at the back and incredibly quiet with my phone almost attached to my chin, but it worked. So that’s an option.

USE. THE. HEADINGS. ON. THE SLIDES. IN. YOUR. NOTES. I can’t express this enough. It keeps your notes organised, focused and when/if you come across tests or exams, you can use those notes to study specific things way easier than if you use your own headings.

3. Re-writing those notes from class:

I’ll admit, I’m a perfectionist. A pathetic, disastrous perfectionist. If my notes don’t look right to me I will literally trash them and restart. Doesn’t matter if it’s one page or fifty. It’s a problem. I’m working on it.

I’ll give you this piece of advice though: don’t try to make your notes super fancy. You might be writing these ones out a second time, making them more consistent, organised, detailed etc, but that doesn’t mean you should go overboard on fancy. You still need to be able to use them and write them in a decent time.

I give myself about an hour or so to write or type my notes from class, including the stuff on the slides.

That hour is spent focusing on making sure I make it clear what are keywords, important terms, definitions, and names, dates, and places which I’ll need to remember or find easily later on for doing assignments.

Stick to using one or two colours. Black ink for the main notes is usually best I’ve found. Red, green, blue, any other colour in the rainbow can work for the important ones I need to notice. But be. consistent.

Give yourself breaks when writing. I know we all get into The Zone™ when writing and studying. You blink and it’s been six hours and you’re desperate for the loo, food and some water. Don’t let yourself do that. Set alarms. One hour tops then break.

The pomodoro studying method is good. 5-10 minutes breaks between study sessions.

Change up which notes you write after each break. I have the choice between disability, disability, and disability, so this doesn’t exactly work that well for me, but it is a good idea for anyone doing more than one subject or course of study. Physics then English? Excellent. Maths then Chemistry? Good, go for it. Crying then weeping? Bit too much alike but if it works.

The simpler the better. Clean notes that don’t devolve into chaos are good for our brains to look at. We take in and process information a heck of lot easier when it’s presented neatly and in an organised way than if you essentially word-vomit all over the page. This is why too much colour can be a bad thing btw. Your brain just goes ‘lol nope’ and quits on you. Problematic to say the least.

4. Where to sit in class in a lecture hall:

This depends on the way you are as a person tbh.

Do you get distracted easily? Sit right at the front. Less distractions.

Do you talk to people a lot and don’t pay attention? Sit at the front or a bit away from people. One seat space away can work for this. You can still interact but it’s a bit more awkward to lean across a seat than it is to just turn and whisper in someone’s ear.

Do you find crowds a problem? Sit at the front away from everyone or at the back. The middle tends to be full of those who want to try but get distracted easily enough that they want to socialise. I sit at the back because too many people around me is a problem.

Do you have problems with processing what your lecturer is saying? The front is the best for this. If you have problems with crowds, attention, etc, then the front does contain sides to it. If you can sit against a wall while still at the front, then it still counts and can help somewhat.

The walls also have plug sockets so win-win if you use a laptop and it’s dying.

4.1. It’s not a lecture hall so where to sit:

If your classrooms are like the ones I’m in for my MA then I’m guessing they’re gonna have groups of tables together so six-ten people can sit around them and work in groups. If they’re not I’ll address that in 4.2 next.

Get distracted easily? Sit as close to the front as you can with as limited a view of the rest of the class as you can. Focus on the lecturer who will be Right There in front of you.

You’re a talker and have a squirrel’s attention span? The front again. Hard as heck to talk to people if you’re lecturer is Right There Judging You.

Crowd issues? The back or the sides tend to be a bit easier to handle for this. The benefit of being in a classroom setting for your classes is that it’s easier to hear your lecturer than in the lecture hall. Sitting at the back doesn’t have as many problems then. Also helps if you can see the entire class just so you can keep an eye on them and Know They’re There They Won’t Just Magically Appear.

^ That helps with anxiety issues btw. Though the reverse does as well if you speak up in class. Personal preference really comes into play here.

Processing problems? The front is usually best. But so is the back amusingly. Sound travels and if you’re lecturer can project their voice then the back is actually pretty good for focusing. Only challenge is your class mates and how loud/distracting they are. Personal preference again here.

Use a computer? Walls. Sit by the walls. Attach yourself to them. Those plug sockets are precious, rare creations and you will Fight To The Death For Them.

4.2. In a classroom where it’s single tables, ala American-style classrooms:

Sorry to say but I have limited experience with this sort of set up but I’ll do my best.

Distraction issues? The front, near the middle if you can. You can focus on the board right in front of you and on the lecturer right there with it. Also you’re pretty close to the door so Freedom Is Close And Easily Accessible.

Talkative squirrel? Front again. Maybe closer to the door. Scoot your table away from others a bit (before they get to class or when everyone is sitting down, try not to make it obvious; someone will be offended otherwise). Your lecturer will catch you chatting away if you’re at the front. They always do…

Crowding/anxiety? Sides, front to back. Closer the door the better. Right at the front can be Problematic with the whole people-are-staring-at-me-oh-god thing, but the back can be the same because oh-god-they’re-turning-to-look-at-me-while-I’m-talking. Sides are a little of both but at lease the exit is closer.

Processing issues? Just go with the front. Anywhere along the front. First two rows. The middle might be best but not always. Don’t sit near the door. Sit on the opposite side of the room to the exit. You might be the last to leave class, finishing a note or packing your stuff. Don’t rush unless you have to. It messes up your brain too much otherwise.

Computer? I’m not sure if this is allowed in American classrooms but if it is, plug sockets or sit away from the windows. You can manually control your screen brightness then and the light from the windows will force you to keep it bright and waste battery life. The Darkness Is Your Friend.

5. Reading assignments and note taking:

Not gonna lie, I hate reading assignments. They’re usually boring and I’m forced to read articles that use far too many fancy words and waffle so much my brain dribbles out of my ears. It’s an attention and a processing problem. That said, here’s some tips I’ve developed over the years.

Scientific papers, humanities, etc: Read the introduction and conclusion. This is where most of the info is anyway. The introduction tells you the purpose of the research, the background, what the researchers wanted to figure out/learn and what methods they use to do so. The conclusion tells you what they found out, some of the issues they had and future research ideas. Only look at the middle if you have to or want to for curiosity. Otherwise, give it a quick read and leave it be.

Literary criticisms and such: Start with same approach as above. Introduction and conclusion. Notes on the main things from both. Then read the rest. One read through first. Put it down, go away and do something (make a drink, eat a food, go for a walk, whatever). Then come back to it. Be ready with a pencil.

Underline things you think are important as you read through. Don’t use the highlighter. You’ll decorate the page otherwise. Once you’ve been through it once, go through it again. Underline the things you think are really important a second time. Those things you highlight.

Make notes on the things you double underlined and highlighted. Those are gonna be the important things. The rest is bonus material.

Stories and poems: break it down.

5.1. Stories:

Lets start off with the story. Find out the setting, the characters, the history of the time the story is written, things about the author etc. Make a poster or something visually easy to read for this. It’ll help you focus when you’re reading the story.

Read the story through without stopping to make notes. You need to have it in your head first before you go back to make notes on it. Remember to take a break when you’re done as well.

Pencil time. Underline important things, phrases, quotes you might use later.

Go through it again. Underline those Uber Important Things. Then hit it with your hightlighter.

Asterisks ( * ) are good for if something is a major point, or you have A Thought about it. You can put it in the story then reference it in your notes. *1 *2 *3 is how I do it. Page numbers are a good idea to include as well at the end of each notation.

5.2. Reading Poems:

And now onto poems. They’re a bit more difficult. Figure out the structure first. Is it a set of rhyming couplets? Freestyle? Does it have a set number of verses? Does it have a refrain? These are things you should notice immediately.

Put that information into a poster or at least write it down so it’s easy to read. Tables are a good idea.

Learn a little bit about the poet. Have they written other poems? Are they like this? Do they have a similar theme? Is there anything out there about the theme of this poem? This info can help a lot when considering the structure and meaning behind the poem.

Focus on individual verses. Make a note as you go of your instinctive response to each verse, to the refrain (if it has one), to the flow. This can help you in an exam when you have to explain or include your own thoughts on the poem.

Look at the language used. Is it polite? Is there a crassness to it? Does it seem modern or is it Pride And Prejudice in poem form? This all connects to structure and intent.

Use a dictionary and thesaurus when looking at the words used. Sometimes a poet will use a word that has a very unique meaning No One Knows. You might assume the meaning you know for that word is what they mean. Dictionary and thesaurus is a must for poetry analysis imho.

For notes on poems and stories, break it down: structure, setting, author, characters, important quotes/phrases… these are things you might have to compare to other poems/stories later on.

It’s good to put these in a very visual form.

If you’re comparing multiple poems/stories: big. ass. poster. table. It’ll save you so much hassle I s2g.

6. Exam studying/revision:

The notes you’ve made throughout your class/term/course will be useful here. The difference is you’re not going to be able to memorise all of them.

That’s where flashcards, summary sheets and tables come in handy.

6.1. Using flashcards:

These are small and force you to keep to a point.

Give each one a specific title – definition, structure, researcher name etc – and bullet-point your notes on it.

If you manage it well enough you should be able to get several points into a single bullet-point using keywords that’ll trigger your memory and association with the more detailed notes you’ve taken in the past.

Don’t put too much info onto each one. If you have a lot of stuff for a specific topic – for example, professional practice – then it’s better to use several flashcards than it is to shove it all onto one and find it a mess of information you just can’t process.

Look at them whenever you have the time.

Waiting for the bus? Pull ‘em out.

On the bus? Yeah, got time there to kill.

Lecturer is late? Sod it, go for it.

Can’t sleep? Maybe not… warm milk or hot cocoa and dark room would probably be better.

6.2. Summary sheets and tables:

Summary sheets should be one-sided, simple and clear. Don’t bother with fancy, but do bother with neat.

Capitals for headings and subheadings. Don’t use more than one line for each heading (seriously, you don’t have the space to use 16pt font on the paper at this point).

Keywords should be clear and easy to notice. Not eye-popping colours but something that is noticeable compared to black text. Red, blue, green… these work well and are easier to see.

If you’re colour blind or have issues with coloured text then change the font, angle of writing, capitalisation etc. Anything to make those keywords stand out.

Tables are brilliant for comparing lots of things together. Research articles, poems, stories… all of them. A3 sized posters are some of my favourites to make. You can have colour and such on them because they’re meant to be aesthetically pleasing and also noticeable.

All the tricks you can use for summary sheets and flashcards work for tables as well. They’re not meant to be super-detailed things. You need to be able to look at them and basically get a cliff-notes version of the material.

Okay so, this is the end.

Questions? If you have them then send them my way. I’ll answer them no problem.

Advice needed? Same as above.

Anything you want me to address or give tips about? Message me and I’ll make another post of tips and advice.

Question not related to studying? That’s fine. I’ve done and lived through enough in my life that advice and help is something I’m always willing and happy to provide.

Hope this has been helpful to ya’ll though!

#Study #Studyblr #Study Tips #Tips #Aesthetic #Studyspo #Studyinspo #uniblr #mental health #social anxiety #studying when mentally ill #studying when socially anxious #social problems #mental health issues #katdsstudies stuff

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angiewang19 · 4 years

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freshman year @ cmc: academic tips

Course Registration: Getting into courses is a SHITSHOW, but if there’s a will, there’s a way.

1. Talk to people. Listen to your FYGs. You don’t need to listen to all your FYGs. That can be overwhelming. Pick a FYG you trust and vibe well with. They’re committed to helping you, so that’s one reliable resource during this overwhelming time. Befriend other not-freshmen (especially folks with similar academic interests) and interrogate them about courses they’ve loved/hated. Ask for helpful people’s numbers or friend them on facebook immediately after you chat with them (24-hour rule: friend them before they forget who you are). However, they aren’t obligated to help since they aren’t your FYGs (note: being helpful takes time and energy), but you want to have options for people to call when you don’t know what to do.

2. RateMyProfs. Corroborate word-of-mouth advice on RateMyProfs; it’s decently reliable. Read the criticism and praise mindfully: pay attention to reviews that discuss specific strengths/weaknesses of the professor and teaching style. Obviously, ignore reviews where students are writing from a place of bitterness. For example, ignore if the reviewer is pissed about a hard class / getting an unsatisfactory grade. Also, ignore if the reviewer says the professor is a “great person.” Being a great person doesn’t mean they’re great at their job (of course, there are many great professors who are also great people, and vice versa). Generally, your life is a lot easier if the professor is wickedly good at teaching the concepts because (theoretically) it’s relatively straightforward to be a good student (there’s honestly not a whole lot to complain about if you’re comfortable with the material). That’s compared to a more problematic situation when you are forced to understand material from a professor who sucks at explaining stuff, regardless of whether they have a charismatic or repulsive personality. So... if you pick professors who are good at their jobs, here’s the best case: if they’re a great person, being a good student will allow you to (almost effortlessly) develop a good relationship with them. And here’s the not ideal, but not terrible case (and also unlikely case, since most professors are awesome on all fronts): if they’re an asshole but good at teaching you probably won’t even need to go to office hours and interact much but still earn a satisfactory grade. Also, on RateMyProfs, the perceived “difficulty” of the professor is worth paying attention to. The big asterisk is that it’s important to realize college students think about the difficulty of their classes compared to previous classes they’ve taken (aka for freshmen, the benchmark is their high school classes). Thus, this metric is somewhat subjective for ratings on first-year classes because that depends on how hard high school was for the individual writing the review. But if the reviews universally say the professor/course is mind-blowingly hard or easy, it’s worth keeping in mind.

3. Use hyperschedule.io to organize your life. Think about 8 a.m. classes (not that bad tbh) and how you want to schedule your free time. I personally find it hard to have 1 hour blocks of free time; I get nothing done. I need 2.5+ hours to hunker down and complete a task from start to finish without feeling unnecessarily rushed (like feeling panicked). 12:15-1:15 is the craziest time in the dining halls. If you get out of class at 10:50 am, you can catch an early lunch, where everything is stocked up. Or if you get out of class at 12:15 and don’t have another class until 2:45pm or later, you can catch a later lunch, a more quiet dining experience but fewer options (but you can still find something you like if you pick the dining hall wisely).

4. During course registration: don’t panic.

5. Nepotism is a thing. People get into classes because they have a relationship with that professor (so use this fact to your advantage as time moves forward). But, if you don’t get into a class that you really wanted to get into and have never interacted with the professor teaching that class:

a. submit a perm. it’s a tweet. be concise. don’t just say the class “works for your schedule,” but think about the specific reasons you want to learn from that professor. a perm that combines the prof’s engaging and effective pedagogy (lecture / discussion / a textbook the prof authored / project) with your interest in the content of the class is an unstoppable perm (think: if you are drawn to just the content of the class or that you have to do the course bc it fulfills a GE, your profs can be like, go take it somewhere else bc there’s almost always a class somewhere in the 5c’s with empty seats that’s covering similar material, if content / satisfying GEs is all you care about) .

b. send a follow-up email immediately after, and make your case more thoroughly. flattering words (that aren’t excessive) about the prof don’t hurt. talk to people who’ve taken the class to extract specific, once-in-a-lifetime classroom experiences that you can allude to in your email. finding alums of a class is easier than you think. ask around. you did sign up to go to a college with a sense of community. use it.

c. if no response from the prof or a response along the lines of “i can’t guarantee anything,” be ready to show up to class on day 1. even if the prof responds with a gentle no, showing up to the first class isn’t a bad idea. if at the first class, they are firm that they have no more spots and no questions asked, then unfortunately the case is closed (it’s a sign to take another course that interests you AND you can try again next semester). but if they don’t provide a definitive “no,” you can keep trudging forward, following the steps below.

d. at the end of day 1 class (i don’t recommend talking to the prof at the beginning of the class because everyone is anxious), talk to them. make your case again. be friendly. you aren’t entitled to a spot in their class, so don’t act like it.

e. if still nothing decisive, at this point you’re fighting a war of attrition. the prof doesn’t really care. nevertheless, you persist: do your homework diligently, show up to office hours, always go to class, sit in the front if you can. stay hopeful because this is the window where people are “shopping around” and often are dropping classes.

f. if the prof is consistently unresponsive, keep going with this strategy mentioned in part (e) until the add deadline. i always have told myself: if you make a point that you really want to learn, the professors love that, and they really can’t stop you from doing that. unless they’re really unreasonable / difficult or there just aren’t enough seats in the classroom, they’ll let you in -- at the end of the day, it’s their job to impart their knowledge to the next generation of eager thinkers.

Academics: it’s not always pretty, but it’s fulfilling if you do it right.

1. People say freshman fall is a throwaway semester, and I’ve seen academics get tossed to the side. Yes, use the time to adjust, make friends, and have fun. Respect yourself and the transition you’re making. But hold yourself to a high academic standard. I say this because most of us experience some level of impostor syndrome upon our arrival at (a top liberal arts) college. After a few months, we may feel like we belong socially, athletically, extracurricularly, and culturally, but in my opinion the most important aspect of college life is feeling like we belong to the intellectual community. While genuine self-confidence is the most powerful force to conquer impostor syndrome, a bit of external validation (aka grades) can go a long way in making you feel empowered and confident (also why people commit to colleges that give them merit aid -- it’s a form of external validation to prove that they belong at that college, intellectually).

2. First 3 weeks: don’t party too hard (or don’t go out at all, if cold turkey is easier than tempering the alcohol and fun). If the professor assigns textbook reading even though she lectures in class, do it. As concepts are covered in class, do the corresponding practice problems. Go to every office hour, even if you have, like, 1 clarifying question. The first few weeks of the semester is always when everyone is running around --adjusting, partying-- because there aren’t looming projects and exams, but the first 3 weeks are the most important weeks of the semester. Academic coursework in college builds on itself, and having a commanding grasp of the first few weeks of the material will ensure success later on. You can always stop reading the textbook and stop going to office hours if, after 3 weeks, you find it redundant or unhelpful. Think about this analogy: when driving a car, you have to push the gas pedal relatively hard to accelerate your car a tiny bit, but it is effortless to release the gas pedal. The car will slow down immediately. Go hard in the beginning; you can always chill out. In contrast, when you realize during week 4 that the professor’s way of explaining things is convoluted and then you turn to the textbook or tutors, your experience catching-up will feel hard and not very fun.

3. Preview the material before you go to class, pay attention in class (SIT IN THE FRONT ROW and ask questions in class, this alleviates any confusion immediately which saves time in the long run), and then review the material after class. Everyone is so scared of learning through repetition and memorization (especially in Western educational institutions, there’s this paranoia and fear about busy/rote work), but even at a top educational institutions like cmc/pomona/mudd professors are going to ask you to memorize stuff. Prof. Sarkis (linear algebra professor!) has always said that to speak a foreign language (understand linear algebra!), you first have to memorize the basic words (definitions/proofs!) in order to construct sentences (discuss complexities in linear algebra!). So if they make us do it in math (which doesn’t seem like a class that requires students to memorize crap), then every class has an underlying set of vocabulary, and you should know it like the back of your hand. Memorize by frequent repetition -- tip: schedule your (p)review habits around your classes (preview, go to class, review immediately after; rinse and repeat), which holds yourself accountable and establishes routine. Every time you do a cumulative review of the material after class, you should review the material so thoroughly that you’re prepared to take the midterm if it was the following day. This discipline will save you time when you prepare for and take the actual test. Since most of the stuff is already in your head, midterm studying will be easier. That’s a no-brainer. During tests, I’ll make the argument to you through proof by contradiction: if you choose to not memorize stuff and instead “reason” through it on the test, you waste time. So, why not just memorize the theorem or fact and save yourself time and mental energy?

4. Use the QCL/CWPD. They get paid. You get help. It’s a win-win! If there are a bunch of people available to tutor a subject: in the beginning of the semester, shop around. Try different people (perhaps present them the same assignment) and see who works best for you. Book appointments ahead of time. Planning is important -- anticipate a problem set or paper, and assume that you will have questions (okay, so if the pset was easy, you might not have direct questions about the pset, but the act of doing the pset forces you to engage more with the material, so you will probably have questions about the material itself), book an appointment before your favorite person gets booked up (unlikely to happen, but still, certain time slots with your person can be competitive). Tip: if you schedule an appointment 24 hours before the pset is due, that will motivate you to get the pset/paper done in advance of the meeting so you can check stuff with the mentor/consultant. This will force you to not do assignments last minute, which makes them a lot more enjoyable and interesting!

5. Go to Office Hours. If professors go over psets during office hours, make sure you try to solve the problems prior to attending. Learning and truly understanding material is NOT a spectator sport. You have to actively participate! Don’t show up to just get the answers. It shows, you aren’t learning as much, you aren’t pushing yourself to reach your full potential, and you aren’t getting your bang for your buck in terms of expensive tuition. If you don’t have questions about the material, ask professors about their lives. Did you know that people’s favorite topic to talk about / write about is themselves? It’s also a privilege that we get to interact directly with professors; that’s not the case at most top institutions. Showing up means you care (I have gone to many office hours, and it’s obvious that nobody else shows up because it doesn’t directly benefit their pursuit of earning a good grade). If you have a borderline grade at the end of the semester, being a regular attendee of office hours will bump your grade up.

6. Midterms. The word “midterm” sounds more stressful than “test.” Yes, they are weighted more heavily in college than they were in high school, and to guarantee yourself an A at the end of the semester, you must submit decent work for each midterm/project/assessment and for the final exam. This is speaking in terms of the A cutoff listed on the syllabus, which is usually 95+. So a final grade of a 93 technically won’t guarantee you an A but that doesn’t mean the prof can’t or won’t bump you up, but this is case-by-case and thus unreliable. Often, with 1-2 midterms, a final, and some free participation/homework points, there’s some wiggle room. That’s the truth, but you should never tell yourself that, since you will likely slack if you persuade yourself with that truth.

a. advice as your scramble in prep for your first midterm: study your hardest for your first midterm! you don’t know what to expect, and you shouldn’t expect an easy test (philosophically you’ll always be disappointed). prepare for the hardest exam you can imagine, and then if the exam is easy, well, that’s a lovely treat and you probably just knocked it out of the park. the material covered on the first midterm lays the foundation for the rest of the semester, so if the first midterm goes well, you’ll have an explosive amount of confidence moving forward.

b. nevertheless, the whole “midterms aren’t everything, they are an arbitrary measure of self-worth, and you have wiggle room moving forward” is a good reality check when your first midterm doesn’t go as planned -- which is frequent, since you’re adjusting to a new teaching style and often a totally different discipline of study. after a less than ideal first midterm, know that your overall course grades are more volatile in college than they were in high school, and that should be an empowering fact. your grades will change for the better if you’re willing to put in the work. doing well on the next midterm/project/paper can virtually erase any previous screw up, if you’re willing to put in the work (see the pattern?). what does a willingness to put in the work entail? you have to commit to working harder than you did before (even if you already thought you were operating at your max, you can push yourself harder!) to perform the way you want. that means being generous about your time: don’t complain about how much time you spent on a pset or at office hours. the newsflash is that understanding concepts thoroughly takes time, focus, and discipline. in fact, you might need more time than your peers, so quit comparing or internalizing that other folks are breezing through the class. they might be, but it’s in your best interest to assume that they are also grinding just as hard, if not even harder, than you to get the results they are hoping for.

7. Finals: in high school, it was really hard for final exams to change your grade for better or for worse, but in college, finals are powerful! If you want to raise your grade and you’re willing to put in the work, finals are the IDEAL opportunity (life hack: if you think of your work as opportunities rather than obligations, you will be happier).

*make a plan* (channel elizabeth warren, who has a plan for everything). think about each course that you’re taking, and classify it as situation (1) or situation (2) -- see below. make a list of everything you’d like to get done before the exam; this act helps you visualize which classes have more work. allocate time accordingly, and prioritize, prioritize, prioritize. prioritization takes bravery. do you really need to spend an afternoon, 1 week before finals start where time is still plentiful, studying for an exam in a class that you have a 98%? yeah, it’s always scary to leave stuff off to the last minute (at least for me), but it seems like you can probably cram for that exam the day before. since you understand the concepts, you’re just refreshing your memory. it won’t be too painful. more pragmatically, one week out before the craziness, the course that’s borderline A-/B+ is probably on the forefront of your mind. not groundbreaking, but worth noting: the only way to reduce stress about that class is to do something about it! in this case, study! use the 1 week before finals start, where time is still plentiful, to work though conceptual blips and re-teach yourself challenging material (this should not happen the day before the exam, so make time for it well in advance). trust me, that will make you feel accomplished.

key mindset: you will feel more steady/calm in the days leading up to the exam if you already have a good grasp on the major concepts and just have to fill in some minor gaps.

situation (1): in the most ideal world, you knock it out of the park for each midterm/project -- and the final exam/project will be chill. this is for 2 reasons: a) most pragmatically, you can afford to not do as well and still get an A. you’ve bought yourself extra wiggle room, and b) philosophically, the strong work you’ve consistently submitted throughout the semester shows that you have a solid grasp of the material, so that final will just come down to some focused memory-refresh.

situation (2): that ideal case is most often not the case. a rough midterm happens. that’s life. my advice after being in this situation every semester: midterms provide some indication of your understanding of the material (unless you have another metric, which is great!), so review those mistakes and make sure there are no conceptual gaps there. you’re going to have to go through everything discussed in class with a fine mesh sieve and ask yourself -- do I really understand this, or do I need to spend a few more minutes/hours hammering this concept out? (you shouldn’t be doing much during finals week anyway, so “I don’t have time” is not an excuse). it’s going to feel a bit more like catch-up (aka hell, as mentioned earlier) the days leading up to the final exam, and you’re probably beating yourself up about why you aren’t finding yourself in the circumstances of situation (1), but stop feeling sorry for yourself and start grinding. it is 11/10 worth it when you get that A!

sleep and eat during finals. take breaks. make sure you are crystal clear about when you’re supposed to be and where for your exams. last minute changes are all too common, so clarify logistics before everything gets crazy. then you can spend all of your time doing the important thing -- studying.

College midterms and finals are really rewarding! Since you have fewer of them, the adrenaline rush and stress is real. For me, high school was more a slow burn with a million tests happening simultaneously, but college workflow is more like short bursts of craziness with hearty breaks. You’ll be exhausted at the end of each stressful climax, but it feels fulfilling when you have a comprehensive understanding of the material.

8. Group studying: don’t do it. Much of learning is actually a lonely activity. I can’t speak for everyone, but here’s my personal experience: group studying is fun, but I reach record-breaking lows in productivity when I study with others. However, I consistently find myself in a state of flow when I’m isolated and have literally nothing to distract me. In my ideal world, I would sit in a room with no furniture, just white walls and a desk in the middle. My laptop would just disappear when I didn’t need it, since that is a major procrastination tool for me. In our realistic world, my preferred study spaces are the 4th floor of the library, South Quad study lounges (if people don’t collaborate in there), or the Reading Room (I do get pissy and will call people out or pack up my stuff and leave if I hear whispering). The sole purpose of convening a group of classmates should be last minute regurgitation of general concepts. Explaining concepts to another human is helpful review. But if you are your best critic, you can also just teach the air or the wall and get feedback from yourself about your understanding of the material? At the end of the day, you know yourself best, and you are able to be the most honest/brutal with yourself about your understanding (think fine mesh sieve analogy mentioned earlier). I also believe that group studying is only helpful when I have buddies who have a similar level of understanding as me. Otherwise, I feel overwhelmed because I can’t keep up with the discourse or I end up being the tutor. As discussed earlier, being helpful takes time and energy, and usually the week before a midterm is busy and tiring.

9. Studying: I like writing on blank paper! Try it. I feel freed, both literally and symbolically, when there are no lines on the page. I do all of my homework and study guides on printer paper.

9.5. Basic truth, but worth stating: Put your phone away, and put your laptop away when you clearly don’t need it. Often, I tell myself I need to look something up on my laptop, and 30 minutes later I’ve totally forgotten what I was actually supposed to be doing on my laptop. Also, you don’t need to respond to text messages and emails immediately! If it’s an emergency, people will call, and you can hear your phone ring even when it’s put away (or even better, they’ll find some other way to get a hold of you). At a minimum, I’m assuming you check your email/phone twice a day, so you won’t ever run the danger of accidentally ghosting someone; you can afford to not check your email or texts when you’re studying. I always think about my elementary and middle school years and how I was much more focused back then. Also, during that time, I had a phone that wasn’t all that interesting and didn’t use my laptop. Coincidence? I think not.

10. Always carry a folder with some scratch paper in it. Take the cover sheets from the printer (I take other people’s cover sheets as well, since everything left on the printer is fair game). Sometimes everything is a jumble in your head, and writing it down on an unimportant piece of paper allows all the thoughts to just pour out and organize themselves. In linear algebra we called our scratch paper our PSMS (private safe math space). In this space, we don’t feel the pressure of writing out a perfect proof or solution on our first try (newsflash: it’s impossible). It gives us freedom to think and try things out. Then once you get all of the thinking done with arrows and exclamation marks and things crossed out, it’s easy to put everything together in an aesthetically pleasing and logical way.

11. Grades: have the discipline to not discuss grades with your professors. If you focus on the material and the process of understanding the material, they will love you! And that love will help you earn satisfactory grades. Among all of the professors I’ve had, they share a universal hate in discussing grades (some will tell you that explicitly in the syllabus or whatever), but just don’t be that person. This semester in math we were fully banned from discussing grades and honestly that made me learn the material a lot more voraciously. Here’s a reassuring note that will hopefully persuade you to not worry about grades even more: after finals, professors will try their best to give you what they can. People say that they’re always pleasantly surprised when they see their transcript. You must give your professors a reason to give you the benefit of the doubt -- that means enjoying the process of learning cool new things and kicking ass on each of your midterms!

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studyblr-lawisintheair · 8 years

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Things Top Students Do

1. They don’t always do all of their homework.

In college, homework assignments generally make up 5-20% of your grade, but can be the biggest time-suck for most students. Yes, working problems is one of the best ways to turn new concepts into working knowledge, but a large majority of those problems that take you hours and hours to work through, you’ll never see on an exam.

2. They never “read through” the textbook.

Per time spent, reading the textbook is one of the least effective methods for learning new material. Top students use the examples and practice problems, but otherwise use Google, lecture notes, and old exams for study materials.

3. They Google EVERYTHING.

It’s like an automatic reaction. New concept = go to Google for a quick explanation. Don’t think just because your professor gives you a textbook and some examples on the blackboard that you’re limited to that information. You have a massive free search engine at your fingertips, so make use of it.

4. They test themselves frequently.

Testing yourself strengthens your brain’s connections to new material, and gives you immediate and clear feedback on whether you know something or not. Bottom line, repeated self-testing significantly improves long-term retention of new material.

5. They study in short bursts, not long marathons.

Studying in short bursts tends to help you focus intensely because you know there is at least a short break coming.

This also fits in nicely with our Ultradian Rhythm, the natural activity/rest cycle of our bodies, which makes studying continuously for multiple hours on end counterproductive.

6. They reverse-engineer solved problems.

It’s one thing to follow and memorize a set of steps to solve a calculus problem. It’s an entirely different thing to understand what a derivative is, be able to take derivates of complex functions, know when to use the chain rule vs. the product rule, etc. The problem with simply following the steps the professor provided, or the textbook outlines, is that you’re only achieving a surface-level knowledge of the problem. Top students, instead,take solved problems and work backwards, from solution to question, asking “why.”

Why did this get this value? Why did they simplify this expression? Why did they use that type of derivative rule?

By following this process, you begin to understand the interconnections of the concept, and how to directly apply that to a problem. This “working knowledge” of a concept is key to performing well on exams, especially on problems that you haven’t seen before.

7. They don’t own a highlighter.

Highlighting anything = unengaged reading. If you want to note something that stands out, underline and write a corresponding note to go along with it. Or better yet, write yourself a note summarizing the item in your own words.

8. They sleep–a lot.

The daily routines of top performers, in any field, are characterized by periods of intense work (4-6 hours per day) followed by significant quantities of high-quality sleep (9 hours per night). You see this trend in top violin prodigies and chess champions, as well as elite athletes. The idea is to alternate periods of intense work with rest, so that you create tons of new connections in your nervous system, and then allow adequate time to assimilate those gains.

9. They engage themselves by asking questions.

What happens if I tell you, “Thomas Jefferson almost single-handedly drafted the Delcaration of Independence in 1776.”?

You might say “Hmm.. that’s interesting”, try to remember it for later, maybe even write down a note or two.

But what if I ask you, “Who was Thomas Jefferson?” What changes?

You start searching your memory, sifting through images of old guys, founding fathers, thinking about the Declaration of Independence. You come up with your own narrative, and then realize that you have gaps.

When was he around again? And why was he so important?

You’ll probably find yourself going to Google to fill in the gaps. Through that process your learning will be much more deeply seated in your brain than anything your history teacher ever told you about him. That’s the power of asking questions.

10. They make the best out of lecture.

Yes, your professor sucks. Yes, lectures are boring. Yes, it’s either too fast so you can’t keep up and miss all the important stuff, or it’s way too slow and you start zoning out because you already understand everything.

The best students look at this this way: I’m going to be there no matter what, so what’s the best use of my time while I’m in the classroom? Ask questions, bring the textbook and look stuff up, focus on the important practice problems to copy down in your notes, try to anticipate what the professor is going to say, make note of anything they put emphasis on as a potential exam topic. All of these things make the time you have to spend in lecture more productive and engaging. And that’s less time you have to spend studying later on.

11. They over-learn.

School is hard enough, with the amount of studying and homework you have to do. And on top of all of that Facebooking you have to get done? It might seem ridiculous to suggest learning more than you have to.

What!? Are you insane!?

But this is precisely what top students do. And paradoxically, they end up spending less time trying to understand how to do homework problems, andless time studying for exams because of it. Because when you “over-learn” past what’s presented in class, you build a better framework for the subject.

Think of trying to remember some details about Abraham Lincoln’s life. You try to remember the dates of the Civil War, or what he said in the Emancipation Proclamation. You study the same facts over and over and over again… but it’s just boring, and you quickly forget. But what if you knew his whole life’s story? About how Lincoln suffered from bouts of depression, and his relationship with his wife suffered? You start to learn that the dude was human, and you start to relate to the things he did and the struggles he went through. Now you’ve constructed a story in your head. And studies show that humans learn best through stories. So yes, it’s more information, but your brain knows what to do with it now that all those random facts are linked together. More learning, but less rote memorization and struggling to remember random facts.

12. They immediately study their exam mistakes.

Most students get their exam grade back, flip through to see if the professor made any mistakes they can argue about, and then promptly shove it into their notebook, never to be seen again until the mad scramble at the end of the semester to study for the final.

Instead, top students ignore what they got right, and use their mistakes as an indicator of what to improve on.

13. They’re busy with work and side projects.

Yes, to do well in a course, you need to focus and put in the hours. But like many geniuses throughout history have shown, involvement in a diverse set of subjects, activities, and skill sets keeps you active, and provides you with a rich and diverse set of mental models to pull from.

Also, as they say, “If you need to get something done, give it to the busy person.” If you stay active in multiple areas, you don’t have time to procrastinate, and are forced to be efficient with your study time. This generally translates into quicker learning and better performance throughout the semester.

14. They use lecture as a detective mission.

Though completely unaware of this fact, your professor has tells. Yes, like in poker. Tells during lecture will hint at particular types of concepts and problems that will be emphasized on the midterm or final exam. The best students pay attention to topics professors spend a seemingly inordinate amount of time on and make note. Chances are you’ll see something related on the final.

15. They don’t wait for motivation to strike.

Motivation comes and goes, but studying for a degree requires persistence and consistency. Just like Olympic athletes train even on their worst days, the best students figure out how to get their coursework done when it’s the last thing they want to do.

16. They practice under test conditions. The old adage “practice makes perfect” isn’t totally true. Deliberate practice under the right conditions, with the correct mindset, is more like it. Instead of reading through all of the lecture notes and redoing old homework problems, top students make themselves practice exams, and rehearse their exam performance, under time pressure and in similar conditions (no notes, uncomfortable chair, quiet room, etc.) to what they’ll see on test day.

17. They use old exams.

Professors aren’t the most inventive folk. Along with coming up with lecture material and departmental responsibilities, they’re also primarily concerned with research. So typically midterms and final exams more or less look alike for similar courses year-to-year and even across universities. Because of this, old exams are a gold mine of opportunity for figuring out what problems you should be able to solve and study from.

18. They make their own study guides.

The best students don’t simply use the study guide the teacher provides, they create their own.

Creating the study guide is half the battle, requiring you to go through your notes, consolidate them, and organize them in a way that you understand–all valuable study activities. You’ll also be able to use your equations sheet much more effectively on the exam itself (if allowed) because you know exactly where everything is.

19. They actually write on paper.

Writing out notes on a laptop is efficient. Too efficient. Because it’s so easy to quickly type out exactly what the professor is saying, you don’t have to do the work of trying to figure out how to consolidate the information into your own shorthand. Some also believe that the act of writing helps retain more information.

20. They use the 80/20 rule.

Yes, some students who get good grades do every reading assignment, finish every practice problem, and attend every study session they can get their hands on. But these students are missing the point. There will always be an endless amount of information you could learn given the time and effort, but having the ability to discern what is worth learning will truly set you apart.

Top students identify the 20% of concepts they need to learn deeply, in order to determine 80% of their final grade. They focus intently on those few things, and simply ignore the rest. This is a formula for high performance, without hours and hours of busywork. And it translates seamlessly into the real world too.

21. They don’t complain.

Complaining simply has no place in the smart student’s repertoire. If something sucks, change it or ignore it, but don’t waste your time, energy, and mental state talking about it. Got a crappy professor? Either switch class sections or focus on teaching yourself. Horrible textbook? Find alternate resources (Google is free in case you hadn’t heard).

22. They learn by doing.

Any technical subject can only truly be internalized through use. Just like learning a new language, learning to be fluent in algebra or calculus requires active application of rules and formulas. Top students know there is a big difference between knowledge, and applied knowledge.

23. They take personal responsibility for learning the material.

The best students understand that they, and only they are truly responsible for their own education. So waiting to be spoon-fed by your professor and doing the homework assignments will never be enough. Despite your school’s best intentions, they’ll never be as committed to your academic success as you can be.

24. Following what they love

Those students you admire are passionate about what they are learning. They have the drive to develop their learning further based on their love of what they are discovering. This may not always be the case and is often unavoidable but if you follow what interests you and cultivate a curiosity of this area, your motivation to learn will thrive.

Not every student is the same and many top students don’t follow the status quo. The best way to create good habits for students is to try a variety of techniques and figure out what works for you.

25. Question your teachers Thinking outside the box is a cliche but certainly a reality for students. They question everything–especially test questions they get wrong. This attitude is important because it shows a general inquisitiveness that is essential in learning. As any parent of small children knows, questions are a way to gain knowledge. Teachers can’t be offended when a student asks a difficult question and parents should encourage this behavior.

26. They know the best way to study.

It is important to know the best way to study for yourself. Do you need pictures? Sounds? Study better in quiet or noisy environments? Figure out what works best for you so that you can make the most out of your study time.

27. They play hard.

We all know that a balanced lifestyle is the best way to stay mentally and physically healthy! Top students don’t spend all day in the library grafting (contrary to what you might think!) Rather, they take the time to put their studies aside and do something which is fun and exciting!

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rickdvlton-blog · 6 years

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Ways to pass exams - Recommendations for passing an examination effectively

Do not depart it until finally the last minute. Although some students do appear to thrive on last-minute cramming, it can be widely accepted that (for many of us) that is not the best way to method an exam. To assist kind out your time management, create a timetable for your research. Write down the number of exams you have and the days on which you need to sit them. Then organize your examine accordingly.

You may wish to give some exams even more review time than many others, so find a balance that you simply come to feel comfortable with.

Make sure you have enough room to spread your textbooks and notes out. Have you got enough light? Is your chair comfy? Are your laptop or computer games from sight?

Try and eliminate all distractions, and ensure you are feeling as comfortable and capable of emphasis as possible. For some people, this may suggest pretty much finish silence, for other folks, background music aids. Some of us have to have every little thing wholly tidy and organized in an effort to focus, though others thrive in the much more cluttered natural environment. Assume about what functions for you, and consider the time to get it correct.

Visual aids could be really handy when revising. In the begin of the topic, challenge yourself to write down anything you currently learn about a topic - and then highlight wherever the gaps lie. Closer on the examination, condense your revision notes into one-page diagrams. Receiving your suggestions down within this brief format can then help you to to easily recall anything you'll need to understand in the course of the examination.

one. Request the instructor So far as you are concerned, teachers more than likely possess a single perform: to aid you pass your exams and both obtain a task or move on for the following stage of the schooling. Teachers themselves see matters somewhat differently-don't overlook they really need to get a huge selection of college students by exams each and every year-but usually their aims are in tune with yours. Bear in mind your instructor is simply not your opponent or your nemesis: she or he isn't out to frustrate you or irritate you. Having said that it could possibly seem to be with the time, teachers are constantly making an attempt to aid you. Reap the benefits of that assist and you are going to by no means regret it. Inquire for aid when you'll need it: which is what teachers are there for.

two. Beat the instructor Obtaining stated that, as you are going to have identified for on your own, you can get several really good teachers and really a couple of lousy ones. Almost all of your teachers care passionately about how nicely you do (even though they do not allow on) and a single or two genuinely could not care much less what takes place for you (particularly if you happen to never care greatly by yourself). The initial major tip I've isn't to depend on teachers to acquire you as a result of your exams. Teachers can help you enormously, but in the end it can be your occupation and yours alone. The older and even more senior you receive, the a great deal more you may discover that teachers and lecturers place the accountability of passing exams onto their college students. What does that involve in practice? The 1st point is usually to realize the curriculum or syllabus you happen to be learning and specifically what you are anticipated to learn about every single topic. Request your instructor to provide you by using a copy on the curriculum you happen to be operating to or seem it up for by yourself for the Internet. (Note that distinctive examining bodies may perhaps use somewhat distinctive curricula, so be certain to seek out the proper one particular.) Armed with this particular details, you will definitely at the very least understand what you should know, even when you do not know it. Received me?

Cellphones abandoned by college students just before an examination

Photograph: As soon as you happen to be while in the examination, you are in your own-without even your mobile phone to aid you. Be certain that you happen to be ready. Photograph by Brien Aho courtesy of US Navy.

three. Have an understanding of the marking scheme Prior to deciding to go anyplace close to an examination, it can be vitally very important to know how the marks are allotted. You could possibly discover that 75 % from the mark originates from the examination you sit on the finish from the academic 12 months, although the remainder is allotted by your instructor depending on coursework or tasks you do throughout the 12 months itself. It can be crucial you appreciate the marking scheme, no matter what it can be, proper in the start out. If 90 % of the mark originates from coursework and you also do that poorly all 12 months, you cannot count on to conserve on your own with the final minute that has a sudden superior examination effectiveness. Similarly, even when you have accomplished brilliant coursework, if it counts for only ten % of one's complete mark, you even now will need a superb effectiveness inside the examination. If you should realize wherever your marks will come from, you may allocate your efforts accordingly.

four. Strategy your revision A lot more than twenty many years right after I final sat an examination of any sort, I even now obtain a recurring nightmare about not getting begun my revision in time! Chore although it can be, you'll be able to in no way honestly shell out as well prolonged revising. Teachers will inform you that it truly is usually less complicated to invest a smaller quantity of time every day revising above an extended time period than to endeavor to cram in all of your revision the evening ahead of your examination. But diverse tactics get the job done for totally different men and women. Some individuals get concentrated revision fits them perfect. Some desire to revise one particular topic totally prior to proceeding with a further subject; other folks favor to alternate revision among totally different topics. While you end up proficient at exams, you'll want to discover a pattern that will work for you personally. One particular fantastic tip will be to make revision a habit: deal with it like a occupation and make your self revise involving specified set occasions from the day no matter if you are feeling like it or not. No-one ever feels like revising, but when you will get right into a regimen in which you constantly get started and finish with the identical time, you may obtain it an entire whole lot less difficult. A further very good tip is always to intersperse your revision with comforting pursuits to quit your brain overloading. Go for walks, pay attention to music, hang out with acquaintances, perform sports-whatever you like- so long as you know the distinction amongst break and distractions. Likely give reading through books a miss until finally your revision is accomplished, yet.

five. Prioritize weak topics Aim to revise all the things but dedicate far more time for you to details you do not comprehend or know much less effectively. It sounds evident, but it can be remarkably challenging to accomplish. Why? For the reason that we like undertaking painless things-so our tendency, once we revise, will be to focus about the factors we presently know. In case you are not certain what your weaker topics are, inquire your instructor or check out the marks you have obtained on coursework by way of the yr. Prioritizing weak topics also goes back to knowing the marking scheme. Let us suppose your examination includes you creating 3 essays. Almost certainly they're going to carry equal marks. Even though you understand two topics off by heart and get optimal marks, should you cannot compose a third essay you possibility shedding as much as a third with the marks. So weak topics can have a disproportionate impact in your complete mark, dragging your all round grade down very much far more. Which is why it is best to give weak topics most emphasis.

six. Be sincere with by yourself What exactly are you fantastic at and what exactly are you undesirable at? Possibly you feel you are decent at all the things, but you are going to even now have weak factors you must emphasis on. And should you consider you happen to be poor at anything, which is more than likely not real both. Inquire your teachers to shell out somewhat time with you assisting you to comprehend in which you will need to emphasis your efforts. Most usually they will be delighted to oblige.

seven. Practice helps make appropriate Closeup of quartz alarm clockface by Acctim

Photograph: Set on your own "mock" queries beneath serious time constraints.

Now, as teachers regularly inform you, exams are theoretically a means of testing your practical knowledge as well as your comprehending as well as the object of learning is always to obtain a decent training, to not pass exams. But exams count for any whole lot as well as a wonderful deal of our training is geared especially to assisting us to pass them. Like it or not, you will be sitting an terrible great deal of exams as part of your lifestyle. It can make sense to practice exams like you'd practice a sport or possibly a musical instrument. More than likely your teachers will get you to test out true examination inquiries or previous examination papers. If not, get hold of people concerns and papers on your own and check on your own beneath serious examination circumstances. Could you truly compose an effective essay to the triggers of your very first globe war in 3 quarters of an hour? Look at it and see. Training examination inquiries and papers underneath time stress is amongst the preferred strategies to increase your examination effectiveness. Do not overlook that teachers are creatures of habit around anybody else; examination papers are frequently set from the identical men and women from 1 yr to your subsequent so distinct subjects will crop up time and again once more.

eight. Use memory aids It could be rather really hard to recollect every one of the factors you want to know in an examination, so use memory aids if you should ought to. No, I do not indicate create the solutions in your arm! After you needed to keep in mind the colours within the spectrum, you had been very likely taught to implement a memory assist this kind of as "richard of york gave battle in vain" [red orange yellow green blue indigo violet]. You are able to consider this strategy a stage even further and memorize lists of factors you want to try to remember or maybe complete ideas for essays you could possibly really need to create. All you must do is get the preliminary letter of every factor you intend to bear in mind and make up a sentence that aids you recall the letters. It is possible to then consider so as half a dozen essays just by memorizing 6 straight forward sentences! I memorized dozens of essay strategies by doing this when I was a pupil. The sole matter you must be cautious about is the fact that you do literally...

9. Response the query It really is likely to complete your revision so nicely which you imagine you recognize your topic within out, back to front, and just about every which way. That is brilliant! But just recall, within the heat from the examination, you nevertheless have to be particular you response every single query correctly. If you should memorize essays able to compose them back in an examination, be certain the essay you publish would be the one particular the examiner really wants to read-not the essay you simply take place to get revised. So get time for you to study and fully understand the concerns to the examination paper. The far more senior you might be, the way more very likely that you are to search out that essay concerns on examination papers are not fully simple. You could possibly will need to read through involving the lines before you decide to notice "Oh yes, this can be truly a query about x/y/z. They've brought up such-and-such, but what they are actually asking me about is so-and-so". Once more, training previous examination papers can help you to identify what you happen to be currently being asked and show your information within the way the examiner is expecting.

ten. Try to remember why you happen to be learning Yes, you should pass your exams. But will not overlook that you are also striving to find out and realize elements and obtain a fantastic schooling. Try out to not allow your self grow to be an exam-passing locomotive. In the long run, even though you like pieces of paper with "A" printed on them, which is not the object within the work out. If you happen to really enjoy a topic and you also genuinely like discovering about this, that could be a good deal far more rewarding inside the finish. https://supremefaness.tumblr.com/post/176825902179/easy-methods-to-pass-exams-guidelines-for

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julianchemistry · 7 years

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Here at Julian Chemistry, we often hear stories from students who become overwhelmed and stressed over the coursework and studying requirements of A Level Chemistry. In this article we hope to provide you with tips and strategies to start your semester off strong and maintain your agility throughout the term.

Start Off Strong

While this may seem like an intuitive point to start off with, it is key to success in A Level Chemistry (as well as most other A Level subjects). Each topic covered throughout the term builds on the fundamentals that you learn in the first few weeks. This makes it vital to find answers to any questions you have at the beginning. Missing a key concept early on and not clarifying doubts will undoubtedly lead to the build up of a snowball effect which will have overwhelming negative impact in the study of Chemistry. Don’t be afraid to ask questions as our chemistry tutors can help in mastering these fundamentals.

Be Honest with Yourself

Being honest with yourself and recognizing your limits and abilities is one of the best ways to succeed in learning. Knowing where and how you study best (as well as where you study the worst) can save you hours of studying time.

Understanding how much reading you can handle in one sitting, or how many practice questions you are likely to complete without losing focus are ways that can prevent you from burning out and allow you to seek the academic help that you might need.

Knowing your abilities allows you to pace yourself in preparation for the examination and focus on key topics that you feel least comfortable on as the exam day approaches.

Break the Bad Habits

This requires you to be honest with yourself and motivated. If you’re able to acknowledge a bad study habit or a serious procrastination habit, congratulations – you’ve made a big step towards breaking bad habits!

Once we’ve acknowledged something that we’re doing wrong we can work twice as hard and focus on making it better. For example, one of our students here at Julian Chemistry told us that when she studied during her coursework she would often find herself wasting the first hour or two of her time on social media browsing via her phone or computer.

This distraction is just one example of something that can become a bad habit and negatively affect our performance in the course. At the advice of her chemistry tutor, she rid herself of any distracting devices during studying and was able to slowly but gradually beat that bad habit! Think about which habits negatively affect your success in the course and find ways to rid yourself of them.

What to do Before, During and After Class

Succeeding in a mastery of material, especially at A Level Chemistry, can be broken down into three parts: Before, During and After.

Before

Prior to start of the curriculum, skim the syllabus so that you know what to expect. This can take five minutes and a constant reading of the syllabus will remind you of what you have learned and what is coming up.

Before each class, you should read and/or glance over any book chapters, slides or pre-released presentation notes that will get you primed for the days material. We believe in taking advantage of the materials in front of us and find it much easier to learn a concept if we’ve seen it before (even for a second, or the ten minutes before class begins).

During

Learn how you take notes best. Focus on the words and concepts that are taught and write notes that will benefit you the most when you return to study them later on.

Being clear and concise will make it easier to revisit certain topics, and make sure to make note of anything that confused you. You may even consider recording verbal lectures (with permission from your lecturer). The lecture and presentation of material is the cornerstone of the course and paying the appropriate amount of attention and note-taking during this part will set you up for success.

If you have questions, ensure they are answered during class or shortly after. This guarantees that you study the correct concepts the way your lecturer intends you to instead of trying to teach yourself the topic days later.

After

We suggest rereading your notes the day-of to keep concepts fresh and in your mind. Recall that each lecture will continue building on topics you learned previously which reminds us why the fundamentals are so important. Set aside an hour or two nightly to reread (or rewrite, if needed) your notes. This repetition reinforces the concepts and you may surprise yourself with what you already know! Ideas like the Spacing Effect allow your brain to familiarise itself with a subject and revisit a day or two later for further reinforcement. Read more about the utilisation of this popular technique in preparing for your chemistry tests here.

Our goal at Julian Chemistry is to help you succeed in A Level Chemistry. This article is designed as a broad guide to help A Level Chemistry students in Singapore stay focused on their coursework and prevent them from growing overwhelmed with the amount of studying required. We see our successful students follow the previously described tips and demonstrate a mastery of the core fundamentals as well as healthy study and note-taking habits. Stay tuned for more articles that delve deeper into the specifics of studying and note-taking, as well as A Level Chemistry topics.

#Study Tips #ALevelChemistry #ALevelChemistryTuition #Chemistry #studyhabits #studytips

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rickdvlton-blog · 6 years

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Learn how to pass exams - Suggestions for passing an exam effectively

Don't depart it right up until the final minute. Although some students do appear to thrive on last-minute cramming, it's widely accepted that (for many of us) this is certainly not the simplest way to technique an examination. To help type out your time management, create a timetable for the research. Write down how many exams you've got along with the days on which you have to sit them. Then organize your study accordingly.

You could need to give some exams more study time than some others, so unearth a balance which you feel relaxed with.

Make certain you will have adequate space to spread your textbooks and notes out. Have you acquired ample light? Is your chair at ease? Are your personal computer video games from sight?

Try to get rid of all distractions, and ensure you feel as at ease and in a position to focus as is possible. For some individuals, this might mean basically finish silence, for other people, background music assists. Some of us need to have every thing thoroughly tidy and organized so as to concentrate, when others thrive in the a lot more cluttered atmosphere. Assume about what performs to suit your needs, and get the time for you to get it right.

Visual aids are usually seriously handy when revising. On the start out of the topic, challenge yourself to publish down every little thing you by now learn about a topic - and then highlight where the gaps lie. Closer to the examination, condense your revision notes into one-page diagrams. Receiving your concepts down on this short format can then help you to swiftly recall anything you may need to learn throughout the examination.

one. Inquire the instructor So far as you happen to be concerned, teachers in all probability possess a single perform: to aid you pass your exams and both obtain a career or move on for the upcoming stage of one's training. Teachers themselves see stuff a bit differently-don't fail to remember they should get a huge selection of college students by exams every year-but in general their aims are in tune with yours. Understand that your instructor is not really your opponent or your nemesis: she or he is simply not out to frustrate you or irritate you. Even so it may possibly look on the time, teachers are generally striving to aid you. Take full advantage of that aid and you may never ever regret it. Request for support anytime you will need it: which is what teachers are there for.

two. Beat the instructor Possessing mentioned that, as you are going to have found for your self, there are actually a lot of superior teachers and fairly one or two poor ones. Nearly all of your teachers care passionately about how very well you do (even when they do not allow on) and 1 or two certainly could not care significantly less what takes place for you (primarily if you happen to do not care greatly your self). The primary best tip I've just isn't to depend on teachers to have you by your exams. Teachers can help you enormously, but in the end it can be your occupation and yours alone. The older and much more senior you will get, the even more you are going to discover that teachers and lecturers place the obligation of passing exams onto their college students. What does that involve in practice? The very first point is usually to have an understanding of the curriculum or syllabus you happen to be learning and precisely what you are anticipated to learn about just about every topic. Request your instructor to provide you having a copy within the curriculum you happen to be operating to or search it up for oneself within the Net. (Note that unique examining bodies might possibly use somewhat completely different curricula, so make certain to search out the right a single.) Armed with this particular material, you'll at the least understand what you want to know, whether or not you do not know it. Acquired me?

Cellphones abandoned by college students in advance of an examination

Photograph: When you are during the examination, you happen to be in your own-without even your mobile phone to assist you. Ensure that you are ready. Photograph by Brien Aho courtesy of US Navy.

three. Realize the marking scheme Prior to deciding to go anyplace close to an examination, it can be vitally vital to comprehend how the marks are allotted. You could discover that 75 % of your mark originates from the examination you sit with the finish from the academic yr, although the remainder is allotted by your instructor according to coursework or tasks you do throughout the 12 months itself. It is extremely important you comprehend the marking scheme, what ever it is actually, correct on the start off. If 90 % of one's mark originates from coursework so you do that poorly all yr, you cannot count on to conserve on your own on the final minute that has a sudden superior examination functionality. Similarly, even when you have completed brilliant coursework, if it counts for only ten % of one's complete mark, you nevertheless require an excellent functionality during the examination. Should you recognize exactly where your marks will come from, you could allocate your efforts accordingly.

four. Approach your revision A lot more than twenty many years immediately after I final sat an examination of any variety, I nonetheless obtain a recurring nightmare about not getting started out my revision in time! Chore although it really is, you possibly can certainly not genuinely shell out also prolonged revising. Teachers will inform you that it truly is normally less complicated to commit a minor quantity of time on a daily basis revising above an extended time period than to make an attempt to cram in all of your revision the evening ahead of your examination. But distinct methods perform for distinctive persons. A number of people locate concentrated revision fits them top. Some favor to revise 1 topic fully ahead of proceeding with a further subject; other folks want to alternate revision amongst completely different topics. When you turn out to be proficient at exams, it's best to discover a pattern that functions to suit your needs. One particular fine tip could be to make revision a habit: deal with it like a occupation and make on your own revise concerning selected set instances within the day no matter if you are feeling like it or not. No-one ever feels like revising, but when you receive right into a program wherever you constantly commence and finish in the exact same time, you are going to discover it an entire good deal much easier. A further beneficial tip should be to intersperse your revision with comforting pursuits to quit your brain overloading. Go for walks, pay attention to music, hang out with close friends, perform sports-whatever you like- so long as you fully grasp the distinction in between break and distractions. In all probability give reading through books a miss till your revision is performed, nevertheless.

five. Prioritize weak topics Aim to revise every little thing but dedicate additional time for you to elements you do not comprehend or know significantly less nicely. It sounds clear, but it truly is remarkably challenging to accomplish. Why? Due to the fact we like engaging in simple things-so our tendency, whenever we revise, should be to focus to the items we previously know. If you are not confident what your weaker topics are, inquire your instructor or consider the marks you have acquired on coursework by way of the yr. Prioritizing weak topics also goes back to knowing the marking scheme. Let us suppose your examination requires you creating 3 essays. More than likely they are going to carry equal marks. Even though you recognize two topics off by heart and get best marks, if you should cannot create a third essay you danger dropping as much as a third in the marks. So weak topics can have a disproportionate impact in your complete mark, dragging your all round grade down a lot even more. That is why make sure you give weak topics most emphasis.

six. Be sincere with oneself What exactly are you great at and what exactly are you poor at? Possibly you suppose you happen to be excellent at anything, but you will even now have weak factors you'll want to emphasis on. And in case you feel you are poor at almost everything, that is in all probability not correct both. Request your teachers to devote slightly time with you assisting you to comprehend the place it is advisable to target your efforts. Most frequently they will be joyful to oblige.

seven. Practice can make excellent Closeup of quartz alarm clockface by Acctim

Photograph: Set your self "mock" concerns underneath genuine time constraints.

Now, as teachers regularly inform you, exams are theoretically a means of testing your know-how as well as your knowing as well as the object of learning is usually to obtain a beneficial training, to not pass exams. But exams count for any whole lot and also a amazing deal of our schooling is geared especially to assisting us to pass them. Like it or not, you are going to be sitting an terrible great deal of exams in the daily life. It helps make sense to practice exams like you'd practice a sport or possibly a musical instrument. Probably your teachers will get you to test out genuine examination inquiries or previous examination papers. If not, get hold of people queries and papers oneself and check on your own below serious examination situations. Could you honestly create a very good essay for the triggers with the very first globe war in 3 quarters of an hour? Try out it and see. Training examination concerns and papers underneath time strain is probably the perfect methods to boost your examination effectiveness. Will not overlook that teachers are creatures of habit around any individual else; examination papers are frequently set through the very same people today from a single 12 months to your upcoming so certain subjects will crop up again and again yet again.

eight. Use memory aids It may be rather very hard to recollect every one of the points you have to know in an examination, so use memory aids should you really need to. No, I do not suggest create the solutions in your arm! Whenever you needed to bear in mind the colours from the spectrum, you had been very likely taught to make use of a memory help this kind of as "richard of york gave battle in vain" [red orange yellow green blue indigo violet]. You can actually consider this plan a stage additional and memorize lists of important things you'll want to try to remember and even total strategies for essays you could possibly really have to publish. All you need to do is get the preliminary letter of every point you intend to do not forget and make up a sentence that assists you don't forget the letters. You'll be able to then don't forget so as half a dozen essays basically by memorizing 6 easy sentences! I memorized dozens of essay ideas in this way when I was a pupil. The sole issue you must be cautious about is you do literally...

9. Response the query It really is attainable to complete your revision so effectively you suppose you recognize your topic within out, back to front, and each which way. That is brilliant! But just recall, while in the heat with the examination, you even now have to be sure you solution every single query thoroughly. For those who memorize essays able to compose them back in an examination, make sure the essay you publish would be the 1 the examiner really wants to read-not the essay you simply come about to get revised. So get time for you to read through and recognize the issues within the examination paper. The way more senior that you're, the way more probably you happen to be to locate that essay queries on examination papers are not entirely easy. It's possible you'll have to study in between the lines prior to deciding to recognize "Oh yes, that is literally a query about x/y/z. They've outlined such-and-such, but what they are certainly asking me about is so-and-so". Yet again, training previous examination papers can help you to understand what you are currently being asked and show your understanding while in the way the examiner is expecting.

ten. Do not forget why you happen to be learning Yes, you wish to pass your exams. But will not fail to remember that you are also striving to discover and comprehend elements and obtain a decent training. Look at to not allow oneself develop into an exam-passing locomotive. In the long run, even though you like pieces of paper with "A" printed on them, that is not the object on the workout. For those who really enjoy a topic so you definitely like studying about this, which may be very much even more rewarding while in the finish. https://ditzycreature.tumblr.com/post/176555193353/learn-how-to-pass-exams-tips-and-hints-for

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