逆水行舟，不進則退

Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket

Lemon Snickers

Luminous Sneakers

Lame Snake

Limeinade Snacker

Our boi

You know who

Need motivation?

To get an education. 

To earn a degree. There are barely any jobs that offer positions to people without a degree, or are on the path of obtaining one.

To prove people wrong. That science teacher that said you’ll never make it in the medical field? Make him eat his words. 

To prove yourself wrong. Every student has doubts on whether or not they can be good enough in the classroom. Prove yourself wrong, and always be better than you were yesterday. 

This is a privilege. Regardless of how much you believe that you HAVE to do this, to some extend you don’t. Realize that you have the privilege of an education even being an option for you.

Take advantage of what you’re capable of. Don’t waste a perfectly intelligent mind. 

More money. That degree can do wonderful things to your bank account in the future. 

It’s interesting. Studying can get pretty boring, but there are always those topics that spark your curiosity and motivate you to learn more.

It’s attractive. Not everyone cares for someone who is academically gifted, but a partner who is eager to learn makes me eager to take my pants off.

It’s useful. That random fact that you read in a random textbook can stick with you and really end up helping you out one day.

It’s fun to know useless shit sometimes.

To make your parents proud. This is one of the main reasons I study. My parents have always been aware of my capabilities and have pushed me to be academically better every year. They know I have big dreams, and I just want to achieve them so they can know that their child made it.

To make myself proud. This goes along with number four. Knowing that you accomplished something, however small or big the thing may be, is a huge self-esteem booster.

To be independent. There’s nothing quite like knowing that you don’t need someone else’s job, degree, intelligence, or presence to make you successful.

To pursue your passion. 

To gain knowledge. Whether its in your field, or a completely different one, being knowledgeable is just downright fun.

People will look up to you. Your siblings, your best friends, and your classmates may see you consistently studying, and it could motivate them to do the same. 

To make a name for yourself. “Oh yeah, (insert name here), I know them. Aren’t they like really successful now?”

To become your own role model.

To be able to pay off your student loans.

Because the long nights and excessive coffee will all be worth it. Even if it doesn’t seem like it now. 

To exercise your brain. Your brain is just like a muscle, and like the body it needs to be exercised. 

To improve your hippocampus. Your hippocamus is responsible for memory, and if you study your memorization will become significantly better.

To not waste time doing useless stuff. 

Because stationary is amazing. I could spend a whole paycheck on just pens.

Because notes are actually all so pretty. 

To be productive. I used to spend a lot of time on social media, and although I still do, the amount of time I spend studying and getting stuff done has definitely increased.

So classes will be easier. 

So tests will be easier.

To impress your professors. Get those letters of recommendation! 

So the anxiety of getting a bad grade is sufficiently decreased. I constantly worry about my grades, but studying has helped me not worry so much.

Because coffee exists. 

There is no other atmosphere quite like the inside of a library. 

So you won’t have to retake a class. Failing a prerequisite for your major really sucks, so maybe try not failing the first time around. This also saves you a lot of money because you won’t have to pay for the class again. 

Finals week won’t suck as bad. You’ll be used to studying so when finals week comes around it wont nearly be as stressful as for those students who are now opening a textbook. 

You won’t go to as many college parties. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for socializing and having fun, but a lot can go wrong at a college party very quickly. And there’s no better way to prevent that, than just not going to the party cause you’re reading your economics textbook. 

You’ll get used to FOMO. Fear of Missing Out. Every teenagers nightmare. Eventually, you’ll get used to the feeling. 

You’ll be getting the most out of your college experience. You’re paying for these classes. Might as well try your best to pass. 

You’ll get used to not getting enough sleep. So, if you decide to go to grad school you’ll have that department covered. 

There’s really good study music out there. 

I guarantee there will be at least 5 places on campus, or around you that are perfect for studying, and you’ll want to go there everyday. 

You’ll become a pro at writing essays, or lab reports.

You’ll learn fairly quickly that study groups rarely work. 

You’ll make a lot of friends that are just as passionate about studying as you are. And you will cherish them. 

Beauty and Brains. Don’t you want to fit that description? 

Thousands of students before you have done it, so you can too. 

You can run a studyblr. Aren’t they the cutest? 

You get really good at time management. 

Sleep becomes 5x more satisfactory after a night of studying.

Disclaimer: These are online resources that I have found, They are not meant to be your only source of study, instead you can use them to your enhance your normal study. I don’t know what level these resources are aimed at, but I’ve tried to provide a range for a number of different topics.

The Body:

Teeth and Dentition

Take a look inside a cell (with some audio)

Explore human anatomy in 3D

Skeletal System

Muscular system

Cardiovascular system

Digestive system

Endocrine system

Nervous system

Immune/ Lymphatic system

Urinary system

Female reproductive system

Male reproductive system

What we didn’t know about penis anatomy - Ted Talks

Integumentary system

Sensory systems

3D Brain

Brain explorer program

How brains learn to see - Ted Talks

Body parts on a chip - Ted Talks

The real reason for brains - Ted Talks

A look inside the brain in real time - Ted Talks

Cells:

Amazing cells - inside a cell, how vesicles transport, communication during fight or flight, membranes.

Cell size and scale

The evolution of the cell

Interactive cell model 

The inside story of cell communication

Stem cells - cell differentiation, stem cells in use, potential use, stem cell debate.

Cloning

Animals and Plants:

Interactive tree of life

Buds and Twigs  (Background article: Buds and Twigs).

Seeds and Germination (Background article: Seed Structure). 

Vegetative Reproduction (Background article: Vegetative Reproduction).

Vegetative Reproduction - Tropical Examples

Flower Structure

Flower Structure - Tropical Examples

The beautiful tricks of flowers - Ted Talks

Fruit Formation

Fruit Formation - Tropical Examples

Protista 

Insect Life-Cycles 

Insect - Tropical. The Citrus Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilio demodocus 

Insects are awesome! - Ted talks

How a fly flies - Ted Talks

Fish: Characteristics 

Fish: Tilapia 

Amphibia 

Birds 

Fungi 

6 ways mushrooms can save the world - Ted Talks

Animals that amaze - Ted Talks

Humble plants that hide surprising secrets - Ted Talks

Genetics:

Alien population games

Make a Karyotype (game)

Pigeon Breeding: Genetics At Work

The secret of the bat genome - Ted Talks

The hunt for “unexpected genetic heroes” -Ted Talks

What’s a Genome? - An informative overview of genomics presented by the Genome News Network. Topics include: What’s a Genome?, What’s Genome Sequencing? and What’s a Genome Map?

The Animated Genome - A 5 minute film about DNA.

Discovery of DNA - An interactive timeline of scientific discoveries

Heredity

Family Health History

Genetic Traits

Mendelian Inheritance

Mitochondrial Inheritance

Multifactorial Inheritance/Complex Disease

Sexual Heredity vs Asexual Heredity

RNA

Structure of the double helix

Chromosome Map 3D Animation - A 3D animation of a chromosome map

DNA Molecule - How DNA is Packaged - An animation of the packaging of DNA into chromosomes

Introduction to inherited traits

Chromosome and inheritance

Introduction to Medelian genetics

Introduction to pedigrees

Molecular genetics

What is DNA Replication?

Transcription (gene expression)

Translation

Replicating the Helix - A short animation of DNA replication

DNA Replication (Advanced Detail) -  A detailed animation of DNA replication

X or Y: Does it make a difference?

Molecular basis of heredity, Nucleic Acids

Molecular basis of heredity, Genomes

Molecular basis of heredity, Genetic variation

Molecular basis of heredity, gene identification

The DNA Files - A series of 14 one-hour public radio documentaries and related information.

Understanding Gene Testing -  An informative, illustrated tutorial on genes and genetic testing. 

Epigenetics

Genetic science

Evolution:

Genetic Drift

Natural Selection

Origins of Genetic Variation

Health:

Genetic disorders

Pharmacogenomics

Family health history

Gene therapy

Fighting a contagious cancer - Ted Talks

Other:

Biology GCSE & IGCSE Question Bank 

Can Bacteria Be Designed to Create Gasoline?

Model Earth (Ecology)

Extreme Environments: Great Salt Lake

Astrobiology

The Human Microbiome 

The Science of Addiction: Genetics and the Brain

Virtual labs

Biology textbook

Biology Experiments

Where are the baby dinosaurs? - Ted Talks

Digging up dinosaurs - Ted Talks

100 Best (Free) Science Documentaries Online

More Biology documentaries and videos

Ocean wonders -Ted Talks

The sea we’ve hardly seen - Ted Talks

A census of the ocean - Ted Talks

Deep ocean mysteries and wonders - Ted Talks

The weird, wonderful world of bioluminescence - Ted Talks

Online Lessons and Guides:

Chemistry of life

Elements and atoms – elements and atoms, matter, elements and atoms, introduction to the atom, atomic number, atomic mass, and isotopes.

Electron shells and orbitals – orbitals, electronic configuration, valence electrons, groups of the periodic table, the periodic table, electron shells, and orbitals.

Chemical bonds and reactions – ionic, covalent and metallic bonds, electronegativity and bonding, intermolecular forces, chemical bonds, chemical reactions introduction and chemical reactions

Water, Acids and bases:

Hydrogen bonding in water – hydrogen bonding in water, hydrogen bonds in water, water as a solvent, solvent properties of water.

Cohesion And adhesion – capillary action and why we see a meniscus, surface tension, cohesion and adhesion in water

Temperature and state changes in water – LeBron asks why does sweating cool you down, evaporative cooling, heat of vaporisation of water and ethanol, specific heat of water, liquid water denser than ice, specific heat, heat of vaporisation, and density of water

Acids, bases and pH – autoionisation of water, Arrhenius definition of acids and bases, bronsted-Lowry definition of acits and bases, definition of pH, acids bases, pH and buffers

Cellular and molecular biology

Cells – diffusion and osmosis, nucleim membranes, ribosomes, eukaryotws and prokaryotes, endoplasmic reticulum and golgi bodies, chromosomes, chromatids, and chromatin.

Introduction to cell division - Fertilization terminology: gametes, zygotes, haploid and diploid, zygote differentiating into somatic and germ cells

Mitosis – interphase, mitosis, phases of mitosis, mitosis questions.

Meiosis – comparison of mitosis and meiosis, chromosomal crossover in meiosis 1, phases of meiosis 1, phases of meiosis 2.

Stem cells and cancer – embryonic stem cells, cancer.

Cellular respiration – ATP, ATP hydrolysis mechanism, introduction to cellular mechanism, oxidation and reduction review from biological point of view, oxidation and reduction in cellular respiration, glycolysis, krebs cycle, elctron transport chain, oxidative phosphorylation and chemiosmosis.

Photosynthesis – light reactions, photophosphorylation, calvin cycle, photorespiration, C-4 photosynthesis, cam plants

Human Biology:

Circulator and pulmonary systems – the lungs, red blood cells, circulatory system, haemoglobin.

The neuron and nervous system – neuron anatomy, sodium potassium pump, action potentials, salutatory conduction, neuronal synapses.

The kidney and nephron – kidney and nephonr, secondary active transport.

Muscles – myosin and actin, tropomyosin and troponin, role of sarcoplasmic reticulum in muscle cells, anatomy of skeletal muscle fibre.

Immunology – phagocytes, immune responses, b lymphocytes, antigen presenting cells and MHC II complexes, helper T cells, cytotoxic t cells and MHC I complexes, review of cells, inflammatory response.

Heredity and evolution

Evolution and natural selection – introduction, ape clarification, intelligent design and evolution, natural selection and the owl butterfly, variation in a spcies.

Heredity and genetics – introduction, Punnett squares, allele frequency, Hardy Weinberg equation, sex linked traits, DNA, RNA transcription and translation, alleles and genes.

Tree of life – taxonomy and the tree of life, species, bacteria, human prehistory

Crash Course

Biology and ecology – pollution, conservation, ecosystems, nitrogen cycle, history of life on earth, population growth.

(Spotlight Lessons): Ecology

Estimating Population Size – simulate mark and recapture by using small objects to trap and tag.  A simple formula will tell you what the overall population size is which can be verified by counting the objects in the bag.

Owl Pellet Dissection –  owl pellets are undigested bits of fur and bones  that owls regurgitate. Students can examine the contents, reconstruct the skeleton of the prey and make inferences about the owl’s diet.

Interpreting Ecological Data – examine charts, data tables  and graphs to answer questions about population size, growth, and carrying capacity.

Biome Project – as a group, investigate a biome and present to the class the main features, animal and plant species present and general climate.

So let’s say you’re in the same boat I am (this is a running theme, have you noticed?) and you’ve just got, like, SO MUCH STUFF that HAS to get done YESTERDAY or you will DIE (or fail/get fired/mope). Everything needs to be done yesterday, you’re sick, and for whatever reason you are focusing on the least important stuff first. What to do!

Take a deep breath, because this is a boot camp in prioritization.

Make a 3 by 4 grid. Make it pretty big. The line above your top row goes like this: Due YESTERDAY - due TOMORROW - due LATER. Along the side, write: Takes 5 min - Takes 30 min - Takes hours - Takes DAYS.

Divide ALL your tasks into one of these squares, based on how much work you still have to do. A thank you note for a present you received two weeks ago? That takes 5 minutes and was due YESTERDAY. Put it in that square. A five page paper that’s due tomorrow? That takes an hour/hours, place it appropriately. Tomorrow’s speech you just need to rehearse? Half an hour, due TOMORROW. Do the same for ALL of your tasks

Your priority goes like this:

5 minutes due YESTERDAY

5 minutes due TOMORROW

Half-hour due YESTERDAY

Half-hour due TOMORROW

Hours due YESTERDAY

Hours due TOMORROW

5 minutes due LATER

Half-hour due LATER

Hours due LATER

DAYS due YESTERDAY

DAYS due TOMORROW

DAYS due LATER

At this point you just go down the list in each section. If something feels especially urgent, for whatever reason - a certain professor is hounding you, you’re especially worried about that speech, whatever - you can bump that up to the top of the entire list. However, going through the list like this is what I find most efficient.

Some people do like to save the 5 minute tasks for kind of a break between longer-running tasks. If that’s what you want to try, go for it! You’re the one studying here.

So that’s how to prioritize. Now, how to actually do shit? That’s where the 20/10 method comes in. It’s simple: do stuff like a stuff-doing FIEND for 20 minutes, then take a ten minute break and do whatever you want. Repeat ad infinitum. It’s how I’ve gotten through my to do list, concussed and everything.

hey everyone! there’re many reasons why you may feel stressed: too many things to do and not enough time, procrastination, pressure, mental health problems, … regardless of the reason nobody wants to feel stressed. so here i am to help you! some weeks ago was a very stressful times for me, i had driving lessons, an incredible inconvenient class schedule, exams, exams, exams… (u get the gist) but! i managed to live through it while maintaining somewhat sane, so i hope i can help some of you.

- ̗̀ reminders  ̖́-

accept that you’re stressed / will have a stressful time. the more you overthink it, the worse it will be. believe me, i was that person that complained all the time and u know what. things were worse (or i just didn’t do the things and was even more stressed). so this might sound dumb but just don’t think about it. just do it™ okay but srsly count till 3 and just do the thing you need to do.

set priorities. and what i mean with this is set priorities that suit you. some of us need 8 full hours of sleep to function, so please give yourself that sleep you need. others need to work out to relieve stress. i need to do at least something fun to not burn out completely (i watch a youtube video, an episode of a series or check twitter before i go to sleep for example).

don’t expect too much of yourself. when finals season approaches, you can’t expect yourself to do a hundred other productive things, so focus on what you really need to do and give yourself time to relax and don’t feel guilty taking that time.

talk to people. ok, so what i noticed is, that i feel a lot better when i don’t neglect my social life completely when i’m stressed. try talking to your family or friends (or at least your teddy). just catching up with somebody can make you feel better and remind you that life is not all about studying. or use your lunch breaks to eat and have fun with friends, bc you need a break from studying too.

be smart about your time. okay so i know everyone always tells you to divide your tasks, start as early as possible etc. but sometimes a level of certain procrastination is okay. and instead of feeling guilty, try to enjoy your free time. but still, try to plan your time in a way your health won’t suffer (pulling an all-nighter might not be the best thing for you, for example)

live at least a little bit healthy. like, eat three meals, some fruits, drink enough (maybe even go for a walk, stretch a bit) and stuff like that. listen to your body, it just wants to keep u alive.

cut things out of your daily routine that just waste your time and may even make you feel worse (cough*scrollingthroughtheinstagramexplorerspageforanhour*cough)

be thankful!! i know everything is super stressful right now and you just want everything to stop but i promise there’re some positive things in your life too!! what i like to do is write down 5 things i’m thankful for or just good things that happened that day. this can be really small things, like the cinnamon roll you ate that morning.

- ̗̀ to-do  ̖́-

these are some things you can do to immediately relieve stress:

journal. write everything down. everything. if that’s enough for you, you can stop after that, but what i like to do is to identify the things i’m stressed over and then find a “solution” for them (sometimes the solution is to just stop worrying because i can’t do anyhing about it)

do nothing for 5/10/15 mins. i mean it. lay down and just do nothing. and then count till 3 and start. you can also set an alarm out of your reach so you have to stand up.

mandatory midday break. this post talks about taking an hour-long break every day. definitely check it out!!

stretch. nothing too complicated, just get yourself moving a bit. i find stretching super relaxing idk why

baking. okay this might sound weird, but baking can be super relaxing. i’ll just bake something super easy like brownies and while doing that i just focus on the task and don’t worry about all the other 548679 things on my mind

listen to music. yea pretty self-explanatory. just throw your fav music on and dance around a little bit

take a shower or even a bath! cleanse all the stress away (i promise, u will feel better after that)

watch something you really love. dogs, cats on yt, your fav series, things you’re a fan of, …

the odyssey: Prodigal Asshole Returns

the aeneid: Man Who Thought He’d Lost All Hope Loses Last Additional Bit Of Hope He Didn’t Even Know He Still Had

the satyricon: I Fucked My Way Into This Mess, And I’ll Fuck My Way Out

medea: Relationship Not A Power Struggle, Woman Who’s Winning Reports

the bacchae: Area Man Just In Bad Mood Because He’s Tired And An Awful Human Being

iphigenia at aulis: Guests Forced To Pretend Wedding A Good Thing

agamemnon: Study Finds Expressing Anger In Unhealthy Ways Incredibly Satisfying

oedipus the king: True Courage Is Knowing You’re Wrong But Refusing To Admit It

herodotus’s histories: Historians Admit To Inventing Ancient Greeks

the poetry of catullus: Relationship Definitely Hurtling Toward Something

the ars amatoria: Man’s Relationship Advice Same As His Hunting Tips

the speeches of cicero: Here Are All Of My Opinions

Happy September, everyone!

As we all get our gears in motion to start a new year, I thought I would share my top tips for scoring the highest marks in English Literature essays. 

(P.S. Lots of these tips are applicable to other subjects too)

1. Don’t write about the character as if they are real

Unfortunately, this is a common error in English Lit essays. It is absolutely imperative to remember that a character is not a person, but is a construct of the writer in order to present an idea or theme. No matter the question, you should be linking your answer back to the writer’s ideas and theme of the text, even if it doesn’t seem obvious what the theme is on the first inspection of the question. Using the author’s name frequently in your essay will demonstrate that you recognise the character is not a real person - ‘Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as a tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle as…’

2. Don’t analyse the plot

Avoid analysing the plot or when things happen in the text. Don’t write ‘When X happens it makes us think Y’. Instead:

Analyse the writer’s use of language, structure and form to create meaning

Do a close language analysis of specific words/phrases, including a sound analysis (plosives, assonance, etc.)

Do a structural analysis of what happens when and why that’s important (Freytag’s pyramid)

Do an analysis of form (stage directions, dramatic monologue, etc.)

3. Keep your answer relevant throughout

You need to be explicitly answering the question - not going off on a tangent nor trying to change the question to suit an answer that you want to write. One way of avoiding this is by starting each paragraph with a topic sentence, summarising what that paragraph is going to be about and how it answers the question. Another method is simply by rewording the question into your answer at the start and end of every paragraph. At least. For greater impact, include synonyms of the word, which can also help with the readability of your answer.

4. Avoid PEE/PEEL/etc. where you can

Thousands of students are taught the same, basic Point-Evidence-Explain (or variant) analytical paragraph structure. If you want to stand out, show academic strength, and achieve the highest marks then you must break free from the chains of PEE! (This also applies for your introduction format. ‘In this essay, I will argue…’ gets pretty dull after reading it 100 times)

For my students, I will be teaching them to write What-How-Why paragraphs:

WHAT has the writer done?

HOW have they done it?

WHY have they done it/is it effective?

This way, your focus is always on why the writer has chosen to use that specific language/structure/form, but it allows you to be creative in crafting your response. Being able to discuss the ‘why’ of literature is the key to unlocking the highest grades. Reading through examiners’ reports this summer has made one thing clear - it is not enough to merely spot linguistic devices or structural features. You must explain why the writer has chosen them and why that is an effective choice (or not).

5. Avoid sweeping statements about context

The main advice here is to only include comments about the context of the text if it adds to the analytical point that you are making. They should not be a bolt-on sentence, but they should enhance your answer.

Further, sweeping claims like ‘All Jacobean women were oppressed by society’ is far too vague. On the other hand, a comment like ‘Lady Macbeth is a disturbing example of womanhood because she denies her gender at a time where the role of a woman was clear-cut, even patriarchal, in Jacobean society’ suggests that you have a greater understanding of how context can influence the writer’s choices.

6. A plan is your best friend

Always, always make time to plan your answer. A method I recommend is, first, circling the key words in the question (character/theme, what you are asked to do, where in the text you are asked to look, etc.). Secondly, write all of your ideas down onto the page, highlighting parts from the extract if you have that in front of you. Finally, select a judicious number of points that you are going to talk about (quality not quantity here) and number the order in which you are going to make them.

If you are writing a comparative essay, each paragraph must start and end with a comparative point about whatever it is you are comparing (characters/themes/etc.) I suggest the following format:

‘X is presented in both text A and text B. However, in A the author uses devices 1 and 2 to demonstrate X. On the other hand, in B, the author demonstrates X via use of devices 3 and 4.’ Then write one paragraph for each text. Repeat this again for another similarity. And again for a third - if you think that is appropriate.

may 2019 bring you your “i’m doing better than i ever was” moment

firstly, thank you so much for 100 followers! you are all sweethearts <3

so, 2018 is pretty much over. this was my first year as a university student and i learned a lot of things, not only academically but about how to deal with being a full-time college student. so, these are my tips you, precious souls that are about to start college too (or any college student, actually). these are drawn from my experience, but i really think they could help!

find a coffee shop that you like. find out if they have students discounts. if they have it, hold them close to your heart and never let go. my favorite coffee shop is in the mall next to my campus and they have 10% off for students of the universities nearby. i think at this point all the baristas know my name, because i go there almost every day. trust me, you will need the ally.

actually, students discounts in general are your best friend. in my country, every student has 50% off in cultural activities such as cinemas, concerts, museums, theaters, basically everything that requires a ticket. there are places where you can get discounts from all sorts of stores. in my university, we have access to language classes for a really cheap price. look them up, research, and that will save you a lot of money in the long term.

on the same note, find out what you have access to. dedicate some time to walk around your campus and the other campi your university may have in the city. talk to other students about programs, events, everything from big things, like internships and scholarships, to small ones. my university, for example, provides free transportation from one campi to another, since it has multiple campi all around the city, and that has saved me a lot of bus tickets. those hacks are usually things you can only learn from experience, so get yourself out there asap.

get to know the surroundings of your campus, especially if you’re new to the city. knowing what is nearby, what kind of stores and restaurantes you have within walking distance, which public transportation stops or stations are close, if there are any cute coffee shops, museums and such. you’re going to spend a lot of time in that area, so get to know it.

use! google drive! for! everything! google products like google drive, google photos, google docs/sheets/slides are a MUST-HAVE. they’re completely free and they will for sure make your life 100x easier, seriously. i used google docs for LITERALLY every single group project i had this year.

LEARN HOW TO USE MENDELEY!!!!!!!!!!!! it is a sources and references manager that will make dealing with research papers and papers in general actually your whole life SO. MUCH. EASIER. i used it to write a huge semester-long scientific article last semester and it saved my life. here is a video on how to use it, and i might do a post later on how i use it, but download it and get acquainted to it because it’s MAGICAL and people don’t talk enough about it.

go to every possible class in the beginning of the semester so you can skip classes in the end of it without having to worry about attendance. in the end of the semester, you will be so burnt out and stressed that you will BEG yourself a day off, but if you have skipped classes back in the beginning of the semester you won’t be able to skip them now because of attendance, and you’ll want to punch yourself in the face. so please. resist the temptations and don’t skip classes in the beginning of the semester unless you really have to.

that’s a cliché one but try and be one of those people that join things. clubs, projects, events, meetings, there’s something out there for everyone. find something that you like and join. not only you’ll probably get credits for it, it’ll be an opportunity to get to know other people and to understand the dynamics of the academic world. and, in the end, it usually ends up being a lot of fun! and, if fun for itself is not enough motivation, remember i got two (2) paid internships in my first year because of the extra activities i had on my resume. just remember to make to be doing something that you like and that makes you feel comfortable and enjoy the ride!

and lastly, but most importantly:

don’t! feel! pressured! to! do! anything!

you don’t need to prove yourself. no one is keeping scores, even though it sometimes feels a lot like it. take your time. if something is making you uncomfortable, leave. you don’t have to do something just because everyone else is doing it. you can always try again in the next semester. repeat with me here:

college is NOT a race.

college is NOT a race.

There is a published book of their letters and I would suggest that everyone who loves their relationship should get to purchase it. It is very hard to find (it used to be out of print) but it’s worth the effort. You could get a cheap copy way more easily than an actual first edition but it’s all about the letters, anyhow. The book is titled “The Letters of Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf” and you could order it online. “The letters of Vita Sackville-West to Virginia Woolf” is pretty amazing, also, but it obviously includes only Vita’s letters to Virginia. Virginia referred to Vita multiple times in her own correspondence and personal diaries and these are a must, too.

Apart from their letters, I’ve also read on Vita & Virginia the following books and I find they’re completely worthy of a mention as they’ve helped me a lot to dive deeper in their friendship and relationship:

Desiring Women: The Partnership of Virginia Woolf & Vita Sackville-West by Karyn Z. Sproles

Vita and Virginia: The Work and Friendship of V. Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf by Suzanne Rait

GET EXCITED. Find some books that you really want to read and make a list of them to motivate yourself. Remind yourself why you like to read. Dredge up that childhood excitement and love.

MAKE IT A PRIORITY. Reading is not a difficult task. It’s just that most of us fail to make it a priority when we factor in the rest of our responsibilities.

ALWAYS CARRY A BOOK WITH YOU. You’re more likely to read if you have a book within reach, for practical reasons and because it’ll remind you of your reading. Bring a novel with you to school or a cafe just in case you find a few minutes to read.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE LITTLE SLOTS OF TIME. If you take public transportation, read on the bus. Read in the five minutes before class starts. If there is a time slot when you’d usually be browsing your social media to pass the time, read instead. I promise it’ll make you feel a lot better about yourself.

MAKE IT A HABIT. If you’ve decided that you’re going to read on the bus every day, read on the bus every day. Block out a time that is dedicated to reading and make it a habit.

GET OUT OF READING SLUMPS by reading short books, pageturners, or graphic novels to build momentum.

TRACK YOUR PROGRESS. Get a goodreads, make a spread in your bullet journal, keep a spreadsheet, or keep a piece of paper to track what books you’ve read and whether you liked them. It’s satisfying to look back on your year and see how many books you’ve read. You can even keep track of how long you’ve read in a day, or how many pages you’ve read in a day.

We all find ourselves in a pinch when studying for a particular subject, or some concepts or just studying in general. And then we play the blame game - I’m stupid, I suck at studying, I dumb, yadda yadda yadda.

But sometimes, the fault isn’t ours. Our study skills are largely influenced by external factors that have nothing to do with our brain (because well all humans have the same brain to begin with, yeah? It’s just some know how to use that thing, and some are still learning how to). So here’s so ways that might help you make the most of all sorts of things that are thrown your way:

1. Teachers

Teachers influence our academics deeply and therefore it is important to know how to adjust our methods according to the types of teachers that teach us!

“The best teacher ever”

You love them, and are generally doing well in their class.

They know how to balance the amount of speech and writing part in class just perfectly and their explanations are heavenly.

For their subjects, practice papers are the best because they’ll help you lock all the info in your mind for eternities.

Solve as many tests as you can find, and get all your doubts solved by them at the end and I promise you will never have difficulty with that particular chapter again!

“The I’m-gonna-fill-the-board-with-my-marker teacher”

Doesn’t even bother speaking, just enters the class and starts writing up stuff in the board.

Class is generally noisy because their backs are turned towards you 90% of the time.

Just copy down everything form the board. Don’t leave out a single word.

Review whatever you’ve written once you get home and find out what is it that you don’t understand.

You’re lucky if they teach you math /physics /numericals based topics, because you have an entire guide on how to solve each type of sum with steps and formulas!

Once you’ve marked your doubts, take them to the teacher, or to any other teacher who teaches the same topics and get it cleared. Pretty sure you’ll rock their subject!

“The speaker”

Babbles on and on all the time, doesn’t know that the board exists.

Won’t even breathe in between the doesn’t care if nobody is listening - they’ll finish their part at all costs.

Try recording their lectures, you don’t necessarily have to take notes in class.

Once you get home, play the entire lecture and take notes now - you’re most likely to cover all important points.

If there’s something you don’t understand /think you missed, get your doubts solved by them or maybe online. This way you can do some time pass in class while not missing out at the same time!

“The quiz master”

Asks hella lot of questions, engages the class as much as possible.

Best thing to do in their class is to sit in front (it won’t make you a loser really) and listen to their questions carefully, note them down and participate.

Participating will get you noticed and also help build your confidence - and you get to impress the teacher so it’s a win win!

Prepare some questions for them in advance and keep asking, this will create a sense of ‘I’m a good student’ kinda thing in you (trust me I feel like a heavenly potato) and get your queries solved!

2. Subjects

There are subjects that you’re so good at you could practically teach them, and then there’s math (no offence, math lovers). And physics. And chemistry. And everything that you don’t know.

Problem solving subjects

Math and physics can be a real pain, but referring to solved examples in your textbook, or your teacher’s solutions makes then 37363x easier.

A list of formulas is a must, I prefer sorting my formulas chapter wise in sticky notes but you can totally make a ‘formula + solving methods cheatsheet’ to help for finals!

Practice problems are life savers!! Keep solving until you’re pretty sure you’ll crack these types of questions.

Mostly there is a certain way of solving certain problems, figure out that common way for a bunch of problems and nite the method down. All you need to do during the exam is figure out what type of problem you are dealing with and how to solve it will be known to you automatically!

Find a good teacher - maybe a school teacher, a tutor, a classmate or maybe your dad who happens to be a math expert. You need one person to guide you through the “numerical labyrinth”. There are many awesome people on the Internet (studyblrs I’m looking at y'all) who can help.

“Theory based subjects”

History and essay writing type of subjects can be difficult to tackle, since there’s no logic you need to apply here - they only test your memory half the time.

Bullet points are so helpful when taking notes for such subjects idk I just fall in love with words that are bullet pointed.

Aesthetic note making, embellishments and all that jazz totally works here because the more time you spend with the information, the better you remember it and are able to retain it.

Try recording the lectures and playing them in your free time (as podcasts and all), maybe when cleaning your room or making yourself breakfast or doing mundane chores.

I once slept with my earphones on and was playing ‘the French revolution’ and the next day I topped our test on that topic. Now this may not be a legit tip but hey - you’re sleeping. Come on.

“Diagram and sciency subjects”

Most of us consider biology to be our favourite, but fail to do well in it sometimes. This is because we’re studying the whole thing wrongly.

Biology can be a very visual subject so all you artists bring out your creativity!

Imagining the structures of your body, an animal’s body, plant’s body, cell’s body heck any body will help you clarify the concepts in your mind.

Try breaking up large words to understand what they mean. I began learning Latin (and abandoned the effort) to grasp the biological terms better and it helps! Your language is strong - your biology is strong.

Aesthetic notes all the way down!

Chemistry can be made pretty looking with colourful reactions on paper, and there’s always mnemonics to make it fun.

I always try to form mnemonics which reference my favourite songs/dialogue /fandom stuff to spice stuff up. For example, to remember the preference order of functional groups during nomenclature I came up with “PS Sam Winchester Loves Eileen And they go on A date Next friday” (hey spn peeps how’s this?). Write down the first initial of every word you need to remember and come up with combinations, you’ll love it!

“Easy af subjects”

Personality Development and Social Science were these type of subjects for me.

All I did was read through the textbook the night before exams and I’d get a pretty good score.

Tree diagrams and tables often help with these.

Explaining the stuff to someone does the job too!

“Languages”

Three things - Duolingo /memrise /any app, flashcards, YouTube.

Your textbook is likely to have lots of practice activities, solve each one of them.

YouTube will help you with the pronouncing part - check out songs in your target language to improve!

Grammar is important, so you understand your grammar in the beginning and your base is strong.

Come up with terms in your head in your target language, although they’re wrong - there will be a point where you’ll be thinking in that language as a habit.

Don’t be afraid to mispronounce, vomit words as much as possible.

If you don’t have a vocabulary book, make one right away!

Langblrs are so amazing don’t let that resource slip out of your hands!

3. Random tips

Change of environment usually motivate you so keep changing your study space from time to time.

Ana Mascara, study with jess, @studyquill @revisign @tbhstudying @studywithinspo have some fabulous YouTube channels and they make ‘study with me’ vids too which are just too motivating so check them out!

Khanacademy, CrashCourse, ASAP science are there to clear your doubts - use the resources!

Keep two notebooks - one for class which has messy notes and scribbles and another for home with the neat and aesthetic ish.

Keep track of your portion and note your syllabus.

Highly recommended - study journal. Want me make a long ass post about it? Lemme know!

Playing teacher is a promised way to engrave the info in your mind. So go teach your friends or mom or dog or teddy! Teach me if you want to!

Make sure you have a no study day at least once 2 weeks? Because it’s important. We don’t want to get burned out!

Ted talks can be motivating!

Writing mock exams is so helpful you should totally do it!

Sleep is more important than you think it is, so sleep. Go dream the hell out!

That’s all for now folks, hope this helps a bit! My inbox is always open if you guys have any questions!

read more classic literature

read about history from different sources

watch good films

listen to classical music

journal more

go to nice cafes, theatre, cinema and art galleries more often

learn languages

dance more

ask more questions

spend time with positive people

be kind to everyone, even if they aren’t kind to you

spend less time on social media

do some exercise and stretch

buy less clothes and make sure they are made organically and ethically or buy second-hand

buy vegan options in anything that’s possible (for eg. beauty products)

recycle and reuse what you can

take care of your skin and body

eat more fruits and veggies, drink enough water every day

get a good amount of sleep every night

stay positive