AGILETTE

They cared about their children, their children’s interests, and wanted the kids to always be true to themselves. How peculiar!

Gomez and Morticia never showed negative jealousy towards each other’s past love interests. Even going to far as complimenting them for being special to their true love.  How bizarre!

They could forgive almost any character flaw in a friend or relative. The only thing that could not be forgiven was betrayals and pastels. Weird amirite?

Morticia is a woman’s woman. She allies herself with other women instead of competing with them. She even seeks to understand women different from herself and her beliefs. Strange.

So you wanna study, but somehow the mood just isn’t right. Maybe try these? Pick your favorite, or do one each day of the week!

The Classy: Green tea, classical string quartets, reading articles in a park.

Great for when you need to read 120 pages of something. It’s way nicer to read when you’re in a nice place!

The Hipster: Coffee, jazz, writing summaries of the material in a coffee shop.

You’ll look very cosmopolitan, with all your notes in front of you. Make sure your summaries are coherent though, and you’re not too busy looking great to study well.

The Grad Student: Wine/sparkling cider, Adele, writing papers, curled up in blankets in bed.

Papers are easiest for me to write when I’m comfortable. If I feel a little fancy at the same time, so much the better.

The Focuser: Cold water, nature sounds, taking practice tests in a sunlight place.

The best way to study for a test is to take a test. The best way to kill test-anxiety is to take a practice test and feel calm while you do it. This is a great way to feel calm and prepared when you do a practice test, and that leads to a better actual test.

The Party-er: Energy drink, dubstep, drilling flashcards on the floor.

Flashcards for me are a speed thing. If I’m drilling them, my goal is to know those definitions as fast as possible. Caffeine and fast music raise my heart rate, and sitting on the floor gives me room to spread out the cards however I need to.

The Morning Person: Orange juice, early American hymns, transcribing notes at your desk.

Not necessarily done during the morning! Orange juice helps keep you alert without making you open to distraction, and old American hymns just make me feel happy, so putting them together helps make transcribing a better time.

The Finals Prepper: Black tea, folk music, interleaving any/all of the above, at the library.

This can be done whenever, and is especially useful for just keeping yourself up to speed.

Don’t worry about doing any of these exactly, these are just moods! Mix and match parts of them, make your own, whatever. I’d recommend choosing one or two moods that work really well for you and then doing them consistently, just to really get in the habit.

I’ve been seeing a lot of masterposts on how to excel in certain subjects, so today I decided to share my own thoughts too! I dedicate my first ever masterpost to the most hated subject of our century..*drum roll* MATH! But really, math isn’t a hard subject at all, if you are willing and dedicated to learn. The thing is, being good in math is not an inborn skill, it is a learned skill — you just have to know the right strategies and techniques in order to excel in this subject. Math is one of my favorites and I’ve been taking it since I started school until now that I am in college. Over time, I have developed these strategies and techniques that I think helped me a lot. Here are my ten tips/strategies/techniques that I hope will also help you to be successful in your math subjects:

1. Practice your Math daily. Like what I have said being good in math is a learned skill, and the best way to excel in it is to practice the subject. It is not like the other subjects that you need to spend time reading and memorizing its every detail. You just need to practice until you master its concept. Doing your homework or doing some practice problems daily would really help. Open your textbooks or maybe search the internet for some problems for you to practice, this would help you acquire complete knowledge of the subject. And here’s a tip: most of the time professors include some of the practice problems from your textbook in the exam, so it is a plus points for you if you have practiced a lot of problems. Take note that practicing your math needs to be done regularly until it become your habit. Making it a habit would make it easy for you to sit down and work. Make sure to set up a regular time and place for your math practice. 30 minutes of practice everyday will really make a difference!

2. Always be present in class. Every concept you need to learn will be discussed in the classroom, if you are not present during the discussion then you will miss everything you need to know. You will miss the key points, you will miss the note taking and the worst part is you will miss the opportunity to ask questions for the areas that you will not understand! Math classes discuss new concept everyday, so absence will definitely lead you to falling behind and we don’t want that to happen right? However if your reason for being absent is because you are sick, ofc it is fine because that thing is unavoidable. But make sure that you will come back and learn what you have missed. You can ask for a copy of the topic from your professor or you can ask your classmate for their notes so you could study them by yourself. 

3. Pay attention. Concentrate on what your professor is teaching the class. Clear your mind and focus on the topic. Sometimes discussion gets boring, but that is not an excuse to let your mind wander or to do other things like talking to your seatmate or scrolling messages on your phone. Trust me, if you missed a single point, you will miss the whole concept (been there, done that). Drinking water or massaging the palm of your hands or the back of your neck and putting a bit of pressure on them might help to avoid getting sleepy during the discussion. 

4. Take down notes. Some of us may think that note-taking is not essential in this subject, but notes are also needed in Math. In case you have forgotten a formula or how to solve a certain problem from your past classes then your notes will save you! Taking notes doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to write down all the things your professor is saying. You just have to get the key points, the formulas or the important things you need to understand the topic. Make sure to make your notes during the discussion than to copy notes from your classmate during the time you need it. This will help you save time for extra studying!

5. Review the discussed topic at home. We should not stop learning even we are not in school. Make a habit of reviewing your notes right after school. This will make the topics stay in your mind. Try to study a little every night until exam to avoid cramming. This will help you be well-prepared for your examinations.  

6. Find a study partner. Learning math is less scary with a companion. Find someone who has the same dedication as yours. This will motivate you to do really well plus it would be fun! Make a habit of solving practice problems together and share ideas with each other. The good thing about having a study partner is you have someone you can ask about the things you don’t understand. It is also a good idea to have a group study to discuss ideas or to practice for exams. 

7. Learn from your mistakes. If you committed some mistakes in your past seat work, homework or examination don’t just let it go and leave it behind without knowing the right answer. It is good to analyze and understand your mistakes so you won’t commit them again next time. Take time to figure out your mistakes and how to correct them. You can ask your professor for clarifications. 

8. Take action, ask questions. If you don’t really understand what your professor is trying to tell the class don’t hesitate to ask him to repeat the key points. If you still have any questions, ask it. Some of the students are afraid to ask thinking that they would look stupid or something, but I tell you this: the curious ones are those who are really willing to learn. Find an answer to whatever question you have in mind by asking.

9. Take it easy. Change doesn’t happen overnight. If you really want to excel in this subject, understand that it is a process. There are going to be a lot of mistakes but don’t worry because they are part of the process. Learn from your mistakes but don’t focus on them. Make sure to appreciate your milestones and celebrate small victories!

10. Enjoy. Because learning is fun!