sweet & easy

Okay, some people like studying with music, others don’t. I can only study with music that has no particular melody so I don’t start singing… Here are some playlists in all kinds of genres, so hopefully there is something for everyone. Also, feel free to add your own!

Backporch Blues I think this is a sleeping playlist officially, so don’t doze off!

Calm and Focussed I like this playlist of classical music, except it has the frickin Amélie theme again. Contains Vivaldi but also contemporary music

Calm Before the Storm Soft rock-ish instrumental music (not all rock tho)

Code Mode Electronic. No lyrics. Ever.

Deep Focus I love this one for late night studying

Digster Sleep Pop music to help you sleep focus

Focus: Classical & Electronic If you can’t choose between the two I guess

Focus Modus Instrumental, cheerful R&B/Indie/Rock? music

Focus Now For your daily dose of classical music (no soundtracks etc)

Focus on the Mix Remixes mostly of pop music

Focus - Video Game Music Like the name says, some epic game music

In Deepest Blue Actually an album but most tracks work great for studying

Indie Rock Brain Boost Mostly popular Indie music

Instrumental Study Ambient, instrumental music. Sometimes nature noises

Jazz - Classical Crossings Jazz musicians performing classical works (also great if you’re not studying tbh)

Late Night Focus Some more electronic music

Minimal Music Mostly contemporary classical music. I skipped Amélie honestly that song is everywhere.

Mozart 50: Spotify Picks If you feel like trying out that Mozart Effect

Musik Produkt Electro-chill. I like this one, but it’s not as long as the others.

Productive Morning Not too loud to get a headache, not to quiet to fall back asleep.

Soundtrack for Study Just what the name says, but it does not feature many main themes so you’re less likely to recognise them and get distracted!

Studeren Classical music, similar to Calm and Focussed. Also has the Amélie theme *cries*

Studying Music Quiet focus music, downside is that the tracks are very short

Study Vibes Electronic study music, does have vocals sometimes.

The Focus Lounge House music. Most tracks are pretty repetitive so not very distracting

To Do List Electronic focus music, this is honestly my favourite ever.

aahhh this is really late but here u go anon!!!i do all my headers with mildliners 

1. “You could rattle the stars. You could do anything if only you dared. And deep down, you know it too, and that’s what scares you the most.” —Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass

2. “When people fall in love, they burst into flames.” ―Jandy Nelson, I’ll Give You the Sun

3. “The words were on their way, and when they arrived, she would hold them in her hands like clouds, and she would ring them out like the rain.” —Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

4. “Things were rough all over but it was better that way. That way, you could tell the other guy was human too.” —S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders

5. “I try to think about how it all works. At school dances, I sit in the background, and I tap my toe, and I wonder how many couples will dance to ‘their song.’ In the hallways, I see the girls wearing the guys’ jackets, and I think about the idea of property. And I wonder if anyone is really happy. I hope they are. I really hope they are.” —Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

6. “To be careful with people and with words was a rare and beautiful thing.” —Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

7. “He didn’t give me flowers or candy. He gave me the moon and the stars. Infinity.” —Jenny Han, We’ll Always Have Summer

8. “He was contemplation and enthusiasm. Ambition and strong coffee. I could have looked at him forever.” ―E. Lockhart, We Were Liars

9. “She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.” ―Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor & Park

10. “Slowly, very slowly, he sat up and as he did so he felt more alive and more aware of his own living body than ever before. Why had he never appreciated what a miracle he was, brain and nerve and bounding heart?” ―J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

11. “Real life was something happening in her peripheral vision.” ―Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl

12. “Without a filter, a man is just chaos walking.” ―Patrick Ness, The Knife of Never Letting Go

13. “Don’t be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live.” ―Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting

14. “Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing.”—Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

15. “It’s like the people who believe they’ll be happy if they go and live somewhere else, but who learn it doesn’t work that way. Wherever you go, you take yourself with you. If you see what I mean.” —Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book

16. “We feel cold, but we don’t mind it, because we will not come to harm. And if we wrapped up against the cold, we wouldn’t feel other things, like the bright tingle of the stars, or the music of the aurora, or best of all the silky feeling of moonlight on our skin. It’s worth being cold for that.” —Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass

19. “The right belief is like a good cloak, I think. If it fits you well, it keeps you warm and safe. The wrong fit however, can suffocate.” ―Brandon Sanderson, The Final Empire

20. “October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces.” ―J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

21. Sometimes writing is running downhill, your fingers jerking behind you on the keyboard the way your legs do when they can’t quite keep up with gravity.” ―Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl

22.  “His soul might be a sun. I’ve never met anyone who had the sun for a soul.” ―Jandy Nelson, I’ll Give You the Sun

23. “I bet you could sometimes find all the mysteries of the universe in someone’s hand.” ―Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

24. “Libraries were full of ideas–perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of all weapons.” ―Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass

hey guys!! 

so since i’m a rising senior i’ve been working hard all summer in preparation for applying to colleges this coming fall. throughout the duration, i’ve found some amazing websites to help you through the process, and resources i think are worthwhile to check out. 

email

set up an email specifically for colleges (best to do this before/during junior year) b/c

your inbox will overflow with college emails

you will hate yourself if you don’t

use it as your email for college-oriented websites you sign up for

put it on interest cards you fill out during college fairs/visits

colleges are going to email/spam you 24/7 just direct them here honestly

google drive

make a folder for college

put your essays in there

you can share essays with editors really easily this way

make a spreadsheet of all the colleges you are applying too with categories like size, type, location, etc. 

make a list of achievements, awards, teams, clubs/extracurriculars, etc. that you can refer back to during applications

make sure to have an emergency flashdrive with your important college documents on it

finding colleges & stats

cappex: helps find colleges that fit you, calculates admissions chances, helps you plan college visits, helps with scholarship search, etc.

through cappex you can access meritaid, a great scholarship resource

naviance: a college readiness worksite site that does a ton and is basically a combination of every single site listed. it’s used through your school, normally, so get in contact with your counselor about making an account

unigo: this site gives reviews/advice/experience from current or former college students regarding the school they attended, and also offers tips and tutorials for admission from professionals, plus a college database

collegenavigator: exactly what it sounds like. this site has a ton of info on schools and it’s really easy to use

collegeboard: general resource! 

collegedata: lots of statistics and overviews of schools

collegeresults: shows the graduation rates of colleges

collegeinsight: gives info about affordability, diversity, and student success

admitted.ly: this is an awesome website (and app) for matching you with schools, and it’s really organized/manageable as well

collegeniche: this is basically yelp for colleges. reviews for students, by students, about specific colleges

organization/tracking

overgrad: tracks college and career goals

makemeafreshman: this website is an actual godsend. enter all the colleges you are applying to (including what type, such as early action, early decision, etc.), and it will generate a schedule of things you need to do and specific dates they need to be done by (submitting fees, completing the commonapp and FAFSA, etc.)

scholarship oriented

posse: organization that identifies gifted scholars, then groups them into “posses” by region, and hands out full scholarships to top colleges 

questbridge: links exceptional students (esp. low-income) with colleges, scholarship providers, enrichment programs, and employers

college greenlight: amazing for finding scholarships to apply for (they can find a scholarship for anything), plus does college matches based on criteria you give

majors

collegemajors101: provides info about a variety of majors, like course requirements, career options, etc.

i’ll definitely keep adding to this list, and if you have any questions about the sites or have some you think should be added, please message me!

remember, the best thing you can do is get things done early. summer’s not over yet and there is still a lot of time between now and application due dates. make the most of it! get organized, and get educated about college.

Hey everyone! A lovely man named Mike Strangstalien, MA, MFT, LPC, NCC decided to compile a list of 8 things successful people do. He has been working on this list since 1994 and continues to update this list as he does more research. I decided to share some of his amazing work here with you all by summarizing his main points. Enjoy and good luck!

1. They raise their hand in class.

Now, this may seem trivial and sometimes you’re left with the question, “How can I speak up in class if I don’t even know what I don’t know?”. However, its been proven that people who raise their hand and ask questions tend to do better. If you are unsure of a question to ask, a good technique is to go home and review the material and the next day at the beginning of class, ask your question. This not only gets you to actively participate in class, but you begin to think about the information you learned and are able to commit it to long term memory.

2. They establish routine and structure.

During the day you should try to complete your homework so that at night you can spend your time studying, reviewing and consolidating. Its been proven that studying something before bed can commit it to long term memory. Doing work at night when you’re tired can lead to poor performance and may not commit things to memory if its the first time you’re seeing the information. 

Also, try to go to bed BEFORE 1:30 am! Why is this important? Your serotonin is used up during the day (about 90%)  and is reassembled if you get to bed by 1:30. If you go to bed past 1:30 twice in a row, you miss your key opportunity to replace it and you’re left with only 10%! Do this again and you’re down to only 1%. This affects your concentration, focus, attention, motivation and memory. 

3. They go to office hours.

Those who go to office hours at least 8 times during the semester yield, on average, 0.5-1.2 grade points HIGHER than their non-attending counter parts. The main reason people don’t go to office hours is a fear of looking “dumb”. However, if you just admit to your professor or TA that you’re completely lost, they can help re-teach. Remember to be honest about your confusion because otherwise they may start their explanation off the assumption that you already know something and you’ll have wasted your time and your professor’s. This can be the difference between a C and an A! 

4. They prepare for each lecture.

Preparation for each lecture is essential. Begin by reviewing any information from the last lecture within 24 hours of first receiving this information, otherwise you lose valuable time to commit it to long term memory. Additionally, quick read assigned readings so that the lecture can consolidate what you read. After the lecture, spend about 5 minutes summarizing the major points and look up any vocabulary you didn’t recognize. This all compiles into the three-read principle. 1. Read the textbook (or other materials) beforehand. 2. Reread after the lecture and try to find the main points in the reading. 3. Reread a third time and write notes as though you plan to teach the information. This means simplifying and not writing down unnecessary information. 

5. They remain actively involved when learning, attending lecture, and while studying. 

I have a post about active studying techniques which you can find here. Active learning requires not only that you consciously try to pay attention, but also that you maintain your motivation to learn the material, the willingness to complete the tasks at hand needed to learn it, and saying to yourself, “I am excited to learn something new and I am thankful that I have the opportunity to do it”. Remember, there are kids in other countries literally dying for the right to an education. Your education is luxury, not a right. Additionally, every 15 minutes, stop and ask yourself, “how does this fit into the main idea,” and “what is it that I just read and how can I form study questions from it?”. 

6. They take responsibility for their learning.

Although your professor is there to provide you with the information, it is not their job to make sure you learn it. Often times students fail because they expect the professor to try hard to help them. This is a harmful way of thinking and it can lead to failed exams. Those who take responsibility will make sure they seek help when they need it and they will make sure they search for resources outside of what is provided. If you’re really struggling with a concept, try Kahn Academy, YouTube or asking a TA. Its up to you to earn the A, not your professor. Also, keep track of your own grades and assignments that you turn in. This way if you need to see someone for help, you’re not disadvantaged because you waited until the grades were updated online after you threw away graded papers. 

7. They understand the work load and are prepared to study 7 days a week.

Not everyone can study for hours on end every day. For this reason, those who are successful make sure they break down their studying into 25 minute intervals. Additionally, make sure you touch on this information every single day to keep your brain ready for the class when it comes time and you can avoid procrastination. You also need to be prepared for repeated exposure. This means reviewing the same material 3-7 times. This highly increases your likelihood to not only learn the information for exam, but not become guilty of the “pump-and-dump”. This is especially helpful for anyone pursuing medical school or graduate school. 

8. They have no use for negative self-talk and they are honest with themselves.

Why Writers Are the Worst Procrastinators - Megan McArdle - The Atlantic

The Why Writing Is So Hard field of psychology is very interesting to me.

So I spend hours and hours researching summer programs or enrichment activities online for my own benefit. I use a myriad of resources including tumblr, academic forums, Google, specific databases, school co-op lists…ect The process is always tedious and I have several aspects I’m looking for (price, location…ect) After spending a weekend at SWIB, I’ve talked to a couple of friends discussing a potential website idea that categorizes all of the programs into one easy to use interface. Yes, there are already databases out there, but they are awfully hard to use, not updated and anesthetically pleasing. I would love love to make this project a reality, so please contact me if you are interested in helping. I’m looking for people with web de elopement experience and people who have general computer science knowledge so that we could create an algorithm that filters out the information. Please reblog this post to signal boost. (Hello my 50 spambot followers!!)

I will be updating this post with mockups and vision plans.

How I mindmap:

I’ve recently gotten a lot of asks about my mindmaps and made a promise to make a post about my process, so here it is! Starting from the top, the photos are sort of like the step by step photos I took haha. This was a recent sociology mindmap I made for class and is on A3, my mindmaps are usually on A4 but ah well, different circumstances.

1. Mindmaps as a studying method are so versatile that they don’t really have a set design. Some are used to “brainstorm” ideas and make links between particular small themes and concepts without any additional information. I use my mindmaps as a sort of visual sprawling summary. So I begin with a big title in the middle and I usually start on the right, working clockwise. As you can see in the first photo, I’m really just transferring information from my study guide onto a mindmap, but seeing if I can shorten and summarise them even further.

2. I write my mindmaps in columns, so under the heading will come a column of the information for that heading, I usually have like imaginary borders that I know the information won’t pass and I try to visualise where it will end so I know if I’m going to run out of space or if I have to use fillers of some sort. In the second photo you can see that I have some information on sticky notes, these are really for design purposes to make them stand out more but also because that particular information doesn’t really go under any particular heading so I use it to differentiate it from the rest. I aim to make my mindmaps look “full” so where there is space I will fill it in with maybe washi tape, or post-its or a drawing for example that weird briefcase/suitcase there. I also write particular words, definitions, dates etc. in different colours for emphasis, but that’s really just note-taking techniques.

i’ve been looking into different study methods so i wanted to compile them into one post, and that’s basically what happened sooo here we go!

note taking

sticky notes

rewriting notes

flashcards

summary foldables

mind / maps

annotating

cornell / notes

color coding

symbols + abbreviations

visual note taking

studying

study / guides

blank sheet method

in the library

at night

group studying

SQ3R

practicing!!

snowball method

time management

pomodoro method

3-2-1 hour system

planning your time

getting / enough / sleep

more masterposts!!

precalculus

algebra

geometry

(ap) chemistry

ap world history

studyblr-ing

the everything book

the pomodoro method

how to use flashcards

how to use sticky notes

welcome to high school

tiny study spaces

what’s in a pencil case

i hope this was helpful! keep shining like the star you are and remember to be awesome today!!