Al Study Galaxy

and made me so much more effective is called “active recall”.

the concept of active recall is based on the fact that we retain information much faster through testing ourselves than through any other study method!

each time you ask yourself a question and try to answer it, neuron pathways are enforced in your brain, and every time you try to retrieve information, the connection to this information grows faster and stronger.

but what exactly does this mean? this means that the best way of studying is actually not through input, but through output.

if, for example, you’ve read through your lecture notes and understood them, the most effective way to remember them for a long time isn’t to read it again, to paraphrase it or to highlight the most important parts. instead, the best method to use is to test yourself by formulating questions and trying your best to answer those without looking at your materials.

if you can’t answer a question, look it up, either in the lecture notes, in the lecture itself, in a textbook or on the internet.

this way, you are forcing your brain to engage actively with the material as much as possible, which is why it’s been shown by several studies to be the most effective method for studying.

once i started using this method, i wasn’t just remembering a lot more and saving myself so much time otherwise spent with highlighting or making notes - i was actually a lot more confident to speak up in class when asked something and performed so much better in oral examinations!! by actively recalling the material, you’re basically giving your brain the best workout ever, while skipping time-consuming methods that lead to no results.

so read through your latest lecture slides, open your notebook, and think of some questions!

ps: you can also color-code your questions to denote how well you can already answer them!!

Using my printables >click for them<

Impostor Syndrome: What it is and how to deal with it

There may be times when you feel like a fraud, like at any moment people will find out that you have no clue what you’re doing and you don’t deserve any of your achievements. You think that you’re unworthy of praise, that you only succeeded out of luck.

This is known as Impostor Syndrome, and around 70% of people have struggled with it in their lives. The problem arises when high achievers fail to internalize their success, i.e. when you attribute your success not to your own abilities but rather to external factors.

Some say that impostor syndrome could be linked to traits like anxiety or neuroticism. Impostor syndrome has also been commonly attributed to behavioral causes like childhood experiences, e.g. being labeled as “the smart one” or “the talented one”.

Another huge factor is how well you think you fit into a certain group, e.g. impostor syndrome is common among people of a racial/ethnic/cultural minority, women in STEM, and international students at US universities.

Dr. Pauline R. Clance was the first to design a scale to measure impostor syndrome based on six factors

The impostor cycle, where someone is given an achievement-related task and they either (a) overprepare or (b) procrastinate

The need to be special/the best

Superhuman characteristics

Fear of failure

Denial of ability and discounting praise

Feeling fear and guilt about success

There are different types of impostors, as categorized by Dr. Valerie Young, an expert on impostor syndrome (note that these categories aren’t mutually exclusive):

I’ve personally dealt with the first two types. I’m fairly certain I can attribute being ‘the genius’ to childhood/adolescent circumstance: I’ve been known as ‘the smart one’ throughout elementary school and high school - every time I made a mistake, it was met with a chorus of ‘wahh jo made a mistake…’ Even last month when I had a mini-reunion with some of my high school friends, one of them said something along the lines of “I like when Jo makes mistakes because it reminds me that she’s human, too.” I can definitely say I’ve overcome that now because, you know, college - everyone’s as smart or smarter than you and works pretty hard.

Being ‘the expert’ is still something I’m still trying to overcome. Last spring when I was applying to internships, I only dared to apply to those where I met 100% of the requirements. I’ve been coding for like 4 years but I constantly think I’m incompetent. It once got up to the point where I literally took 3 similar courses to assure myself that I actually do know how to do full-stack web programming. I still struggle to draw the line between relearning something because I don’t think I really know it, versus learning something for the expansion of knowledge.

How do I deal with it?

Firstly acknowledge that you have impostor-related thoughts Awareness is the first step to changing how you think and how you act.

How does impostor syndrome look like in a school/college setting? Examples include

You refrain from asking questions because you think other students/TAs/the professor will think you’re dumb;

You don’t respond to questions even though you kind of know the answer but you always think your answers aren’t right enough or that they’re simply wrong;

You don’t participate in discussions because you feel that you won’t add any value; or

You prevent yourself from having an opinion because you feel like you have no right to have one.

Reframe your thoughts

Think of their possible effects Do these thoughts help or hinder me? Will anything useful come out of thinking this? Acknowledge that not speaking up may mean slowing your team down or depriving your classmates of potentially valuable insights.

Separate fact from feeling Are they factual or simply a misinterpretation of my environment?

Differentiate feelings of fraudulence from feeling like an outsider Does my work show that I’m incompetent or is the fact that I’m the only female in a team of males/POC in a team of Caucasians make me think I’m inferior?

Stop comparing yourself to other people You might think something along the lines of “there are already so many people who can do what I do but so much better, so what’s the point in even trying?” However, remember that these people were once where you were, and taking even the smallest of actions could help you get to where they are.

Be more forgiving with yourself

Rethink perfection Not everything has to be perfect. Even if you have high standards, not achieving those standards doesn’t make you any less worthy.

Reframe mistakes and identify areas of improvement It’s okay to be wrong or not to know everything. Think of mistakes as learning opportunities and indicators of gaps in your knowledge/understanding of something, as opposed to a negative measure of your self-worth. Being wrong doesn’t mean you’re fake; it just means you have more to learn.

For example, previously I would only answer a question in class if I was at least 90% sure that was the correct answer. That’s a high threshold, and I don’t think it’s very useful for helping me learn and grow. Over the course of a year, I’ve managed to lower that down to I’d say around 60% (50% with coffee lmao).

Collect positive experience

Remember and reflect on praises Think about the efforts you exerted to help you achieve something and the positive responses you garnered when you finally achieved it. Remind yourself of the words of encouragement other people have told you, no matter how small. You could even keep a folder/document/journal to look back on when you feel like a fraud.

Heck, sometimes I feel like my posts aren’t useful or my designs are terrible, but then you guys tell me such kind things and I think, maybe I’m not as bad as I thought.

However, while it’s good to remember the good words people have said, don’t work just for the sake of praise. Focus on the value of the work itself and not the validation that comes from it.

Focus on providing value

Focus on what you can say Instead of thinking about what you don’t know, focus on what you do know and what you can say. Even if what you say isn’t entirely correct or relevant, it’ll get others around you thinking.

Remind yourself that holding back is like robbing the world of your ideas There’s always some value in your words, even if you don’t initially think so. How that value affects the world or other people may differ. For example, when you put forward an idea/thought in a discussion, it could be that

If there were parts that were incorrect, other people might have had the same misconception and are more than happy for the clarification;

Again, if there were parts that weren’t correct, they might not have had the same misconception but now realize that there is a way in which the subject can be misinterpreted, thus allowing them to have a more comprehensive understanding of the subject; and/or

It’ll stimulate further thinking and discussion and raise more questions, especially if other people wouldn’t normally think what you just thought. Then other people could bounce off your idea and form an equally great one.

Take action You won’t feel as much of a fraud if you’re doing something that brings you a little closer to achieving your goals or that adds value to your work.

However, be careful not to overwork yourself. Every time you start doing something, pause and think: is this really important to my progress or am I just trying to prove myself?

Instead of working on too many things, do something outside your comfort zone each day no matter how small. Once you do this, focus on quality (your growth) instead of quantity (the number of things you do).

Also, for those of you who fall into the ‘expert’ category, this also means practicing just-in-time learning, i.e. learning things when you need it, not just to comfort yourself.

hey everyone! i’ve decided to compile my favorite websites and tools i use for school and self studying. as someone who’s going into their sophomore year of high school, i would highly recommend all of these for any situation you may need them for. this will be updated regularly, so stay tuned for more. feel free to submit any you think should be on here, and i’ll check it out / give you credit if i add it to the post. links are all below. enjoy! 

flashcard websites: 

✧ tinycards - flashcards by duolingo: this is a great website by duolingo that lets you choose from collections of flashcards and follow categories for easy learning of the chosen topic.

✧ quizlet: one of my favorites. it’s probably the most used flashcard website, and it’s super easy to use; simply make a card set, and choose options to study.

✧ study stack: slightly older site, but it includes fun games to help you learn your information on the flashcards. 

✧ cram.com: another great site that includes different categories of flashcards to choose from and study.

textbook / workbook answers:

✧ slader: this website is an actual lifesaver, but try not to use it to cheat on everything, okay? slader can have the answers to all the answers in your textbook; you just have to find your edition, and type the page number the problem came from. great for math books.

language arts / english: 

✧ spark notes: one of the coolest features on this site is the inclusion of “no fear shakespere”, where you can read the full works of shakespere, as well as a simplified “modern” version right next to it; makes old english pretty easy to understand. 

✧ cliffs notes: this site is very popular as well, and includes study guides and test prep for your next literature / written exam. 

✧ no red ink: this site can help you improve your grammar and writing skills with mini assessments and practice; very handy for improving your understanding of grammatical usages.

✧ easybib: are you lazy and don’t want to take 500 years to cite your websites? just copy and paste the site link into easybib, and it’ll do it for you. 

✧ short story guide: basically what it says; a collection of popular short stories for references or studies. 

✧ purdue OWL: the purdue OWL (online writing lab) is a giant collection of information you can use to cite websites; not kidding, they have almost every situation you could ever need. 

math:

✧ desmos graphing calculator: pretty self explanatory. i’m really lazy and usually don’t want to grab my handheld, so the online one is very convenient. 

✧ symbolab math solver: if you have a math problem you can’t figure out, use this website. not even kidding, if you look for it, your type of equation or problem will be here; put it into the solver, and it will give you a step-by-step walk through of how to solve the problem. actual lifesaver. 

✧ virtual nerd: i really love this site, because it has many video tutorials on basic math questions people typically ask. search for it, and you’ll most likely find what you’re looking for.

world language learning: 

✧ duolingo: everyone probably already knows about this one, but i’m putting it here anyways. extremely popular site to learn many different languages.

✧ conjuguemos: very good site for learning tenses and verbs of languages.

✧ collins translator: i use this for translating languages instead of just plugging it into google translate, because it’s actually in dictionary format. very helpful.

sciences: 

✧ late nite labs: this is a startup website that can let you visualize the school lab through virtual learning.

history / gov / geography:

✧ gps coordinates finder: not much explanation needed for this one. just put in the address(es) you have, and it’ll give you the latitude / longitude in decimal degrees.

✧ sheppard software geography: this site is a little bit kid-ish, but it works wonders if you’re trying to memorize countries, capitals, physical features, or states. definitely recommend.

independent learning / study: 

✧ khan academy: this is possibly the most popular site on this list, but you can practically learn anything here. i really suggest creating an account.

✧ codecademy: this site is the reason i can make my tumblr blog look fancy, haha. it teaches you simple and complex coding, and i highly recommend you try this out, even if you’re not looking for a career in computer programming. everyone should know how to code even simple things. 

other: 

✧ rogerhub final grade calculator: this is pretty self-explanatory. just find the type of grade calculator you need, and plug it in. 

✧ the college board: this should actually be at the very top, because if you’re not already in college, you’re probably going to need this as a requirement for the sat, act, psat, and more. if you haven’t already made an account, i suggest you do so before you take your next standardized assessment. 

1. Learn a sizable vocabulary, there is a good list of 625 words you should know in your target language. Spend time building this up and be sure to practice your pronunciation that is vital. To learn vocabulary there are many methods: flashcards, lists, apps, mindmaps etc. I personally use the app Quizlet as it has many learning tools and flashcards so you can practice on the go.

2. Learn basic grammar, for this you can use a book or there are plenty of websites online that will have resources. You just need to have master a section at a time so you have the basic learnt.

3. Listen to the spoken language, if you are in the country awesome but chances you are not so some ways to this are: listening to audio files, using apps (I know Duolingo has a aspect that reads stories), watch YouTube videos in that language, watch films and listen to the radio (there are lots of streams online).

4. Practice speaking, pronunciation is vital plus saying things over and over again can help move it to the long term memory. It will make you feel much more confident in your abilities. To practice speaking it would be ideal to find someone who is fluent in your target language but if not there are speaking exercises online, you could try read a book out loud or even learn a song.

5. Stick to it, this is probably the most important part if you don’t keep practicing regularly you will forget it all. Even if it is just something small it is better than nothing and will be worth it when you can speak a whole new language.

Good Websites

BBC Languages

Duolingo

Dictionaries

Quizlet

Memrise

Babbel

Fluent Forever

Feel free to add more helpful tips, tricks etc below.

03.06.19 - monday

during exams i used to get really stressed out about not having enough time to study between, so i designed myself a lil study planner that maps out my week

if you realize you’ve been studying for hours: grab a snack to refuel your body and watch a sitcom to refuel your brain. then back to the books.

if you’re feeling stressed out: take some deep breaths, text your friends, maybe stare at a wall for a few minutes. gather yourself.

if you can’t seem to focus: get moving and get outside. take out the garbage, check your mail box, maybe walk your dog. just get moving and get fresh air. it’ll help bring you back.

if there’s something else going on in your life and you can’t get it off your mind: write down what’s going through your head, sort of like a diary entry. it’ll help you work things out.

if you’re just mentally and physically exhausted: set a timer for 25-30 minutes and take a nap. any longer and you’ll hit REM and you’ll wake up feeling just as tired. once you wake up, get some caffeine in you.

if the material is boring as hell: find another way to study. see if there’s a crash course video online about it or draw out what you’re trying to learn in diagrams and pictures to make it fun.

if people around you won’t shut up: listen to some music. soundtrack and classical music is always good because they won’t absorb you as much as music with lyrics. white noise (like ocean waves, rain sounds, etc.) also works.

AND ACTUALLY, REMEMBER STUFF AFTER

1. Most of the times, you don’t have to. You might be thinking, okay then wtf is the point of this post? That’s a reasonable question. I would like to argue that more often than not, taking notes in the class didn’t help me that much, but sometimes, it really was useful. I didn’t realise this until one of my professors called me out on remembering a lot of the lecture despite not taking notes. I decided to do a little bit of research by myself and surprisingly, I wasn’t alone on this one. Bloomberg Business summarizes it: “The human brain, it appears, is wired to recognize when information is being documented, and to “intentionally forget” that info so as to be able to free up room for other things. The brain assumes that since the information is written down, there’s no need to remember it.” I would encourage you to actively engage with the lecture by questioning what is being taught, discussing and even experimenting. You’ll be surprised by how much your brain actually retains that way. 

2. If you really have to, use the chapter outline. No one has a perfect memory, and we’re not good at everything either. So sometimes I do take notes using the chapter outline, especially in subjects I don’t get a lot. You know that one page where they outline the chapters paragraph and give it numbers? It’s been extremely useful to me. Why? Because the paragraphs are usually named after the main ideas of the subject. Let me give you an example. One of my introductory classes was Marketing. The first chapter is named Wat is Marketing? The first paragraph is The definition of marketing, the second The marketing concept and the last one The role of marketing in a corporation. So knowing the answer to these 3 paragraphs should give you a strong idea of what marketing really is. A 20-page chapter was easily summarized in only 3 paragraphs. This saves me lots of time and I’m able to identify the most important info right away.

3. Always write information that is not in the books. Most professors usually paraphrase what is in the textbooks but sometimes they come with original content. These can be additional information, examples or mnemonics. I don’t write these in great detail. Usually, one sentence at the margin of the page or on a memo would do the trick to remind me about it. Be as short as possible not to fall behind in the lecture tho! 

4. Write in your own language. I get classes in Dutch but I write my notes in English. This helps me to truly understand what I’m learning and I’m able to remember faster too. 

Give yourself enough time to get ready before you have to leave in the morning. For me this means setting my alarm about an hour before the time that I have to get my foot out the door. Eat a proper breakfast, do a little stretching, figure out your plan for the day. Having a slower paced morning is a lot more relaxing, and you can get your day started correctly.

Drink water first thing. I used to be a pretty heavy coffee drinker in the mornings in high school, but I realized that I could get away with a lot less caffeine if I started my morning off with a nice glass of cold water. You’re probably dehydrated after sleeping and water helps wake you up. 

Make your bed. Making your bed is a visual reminder that sleeping time is over and that it’s time to get up! If I have a messy bed, I want to climb in and snuggle back into my blankets. This is especially true in the winters when it’s cold and dark. The movement also helps you wake up, which brings me to my next point:

Move! Your! Body! You don’t necessarily have to run through an entire yoga routine or go for a run (but hey, props to you if you do), but getting some movement in your mornings will help you wake up. I like to stretch a little bit, warm up my joints, maybe loosen up my limbs. It helps to get your blood flowing. 

Open your curtains. In the winter it might be kind of dark and depressing where you live, so this isn’t always something recommended. I like to open my curtains when it’s sunny out so I can get some natural light, which helps your circadian rhythm so you wake up better - and fall asleep at night better. 

1. reward yourself for working so hard. take a long bath with your favourite bath bomb, take time to cook your favourite meal, paint your nails. recognise that you worked hard and it was tough and that you deserve time for yourself

2. catch up on sleep. nothing makes studying harder than being exhausted. clear your schedule and have a lie in. even if you don’t sleep late, stay in bed and enjoy a guilt-free lazy morning

3. do something fun. invite your friends over for a movie night, take your dog for a walk. remind yourself that there is more to life than textbooks and notes

4. make a plan. start getting ready to get back into study mode. make a todo list, a study schedule, and a list of your deadlines

5. organise your space. declutter your desk so you have a clean space to be productive in. tidy desk, tidy mind

5:56 PM | my summer math lectures have started. this weekend I’m taking a boat out w friends for a picnic and a swim :)