what time is it?

it’s happened to all of us: we’ve failed that test, forgot to hand in an assignment, or just seemed to be horrible at a subject, and in doing so, found ourselves with a less-than-desirable grade. so how do we fix that?

this is the method i’ve used in the past, and i hope it helps you out! they work really well for me, but obviously your mileage may vary.

don’t panic! this doesn’t mean you’re stupid or a failure. even if you end up with a bad grade, it probably won’t matter in the long run. get some perspective. obviously this is much easier said than done, and i’m particularly bad about this haha

find the root cause. why are you stuck with this grade? did you do badly on an important test, paper, or essay? or is it more consistent in that you seem to get mediocre grades on everything? figure out what’s bogging you down so you can fix it.

talk to your teacher. it’s more than likely that your teacher will understand if you talk to them – it shows that you are driven, and care about the class. don’t worry if you’re nervous, just go to them after class or during a study hall, and say that you wanted to talk about a certain test/your grade in the class. if the root cause of your grade is an important assignment, go through what you missed, and if you don’t understand why you missed something, ask them about it!!!! if you just can’t understand the subject, you should let you teacher know as well. obviously, if your teacher is rude or if you don’t feel comfortable talking to them, you don’t need to do this. try asking a parent or friend for help instead.

find your problem areas. now you need to go through all your assignments and see what you tend to get wrong! if it’s more detail-oriented (i.e. dates, percentages, formulas), try using flashcards or repetition to memorize these. if it’s the other way around, and you seem to have issues fitting the big picture together, lighten up on memorization and try drawing diagrams or mind maps.

study smarter. find a well-lit, comfortable place to sit that fits your preferences, and get to work! using the strategies to fix your problem areas detailed in #4, take a look at your material. if you find yourself getting distracted, try to move on to a different subject, find a different study area, or just take a break.

if you are still having problems, talk to someone! tell your teacher/parent/friend that you looked over what you missed and tried harder, but you still aren’t seeing a change. from there, you can get more tips on how to improve.

and that’s basically a general strategy to use! a few miscellaneous tips:

if you tend to not do well on exams but do well on your homework, try to go over the big picture more. also, to make up for them, try really hard not to miss points anywhere else. so you may not do great on the test, but if you do well in assignments, reviews, homework, etc. you can really bring your grade up! not the healthiest tip, but it got me through geometry with an a!

if you have a midterm/final, study really hard for it!! this goes without saying but it can really make or break your grade

try having a snack before you study! it helps if you aren’t thinking about food when you need to study for that final!

listen to music!! i love lofi hip-hop, try one of these livestreams!

so yeah! i hope these tips help you out!! this is my first ever resource post, so please give me tips and let me know how i can improve haha!

HOW TO PLAN & PREPARE FOR AN ESSAY-BASED EXAM!

I get a lot of asks and messages about how I go about studying towards an essay-based exam so I thought I’d summarise how I prepare a thorough plan that I can reproduce in exam conditions and guide an exam essay. 

I start this process 3 weeks before the day of the exam which leaves me plenty of time to revise plans and condense them as much as possible without losing the key ‘skeleton’ of my argument.

UPDATED ON JULY 2017

Here you can find videos with advice on different categories related to college and studying! Just click on whatever topic you’d like to learn about :)

10 Bullet Journal Hacks and Ideas

Tips on How to Start a Bullet Journal

New Bullet Journal // Leuchtturm1917 [Mid 2017]

Minimalistic Planning Routine

My Planner Setup for 2016

Bullet Journal Setup for 2016

Bullet Journal 101

How to Plan for Final Exams

Bullet Journal Doodles and Decor

Plan with Me: Monthly Spreads

My Planning Routine

Bullet Journal [Early 2017]

How to Color Code your Notes

New Note Taking Method // Cause and Effect

How to Chose between Typed and Handwritten Notes

How to Type Notes for College

How to Take Notes from Textbooks

The Best, Fastest, Note Taking Method

Binder Tour 2015

Binder Tour 2016

Study Guide 101

Note Taking Tips and Advice for Typed Notes

How to Improve Typing Speed

How to Take Comparison Notes

Minimalist Binder Organization

Taking Notes with Microsoft OneNote

My 4 Types of Handwriting

The Cornell Method with Typed Notes

How to Be More Productive

The Ultimate Study Guide - 40 Tips

2 Different Ways to Use Sticky Notes

How to get Inspired to Study

Lecture Organisation and Preparation

How to have Efficient Study Breaks

How to Balance College and Life

My Study Routine

How to Have a Productive Summer

The Pomodoro Technique

How to Review and Study for Exams

How to Improve Handwriting

Time Management Tips

5 Tips for Exam Revision

College Organization Setup

How I Study for Tests

Presentation/Public Speaking Tips

Things I Wish I Had Known Before College

A Day with Me at Starbucks

My Evening Study Routine

My Morning Study Routine

Study With me For Exams // Timelapse

Huge Stationery Haul [2017]

Top 5 Best Websites for Students

ANDROID Apps for Studying and Time Management

School Supplies for 2016

The BEST Highlighters for Studying

My Favorite Pens for Handwriting

Desk and Study Space Tour

06 / 04 / 19

Hi! Absolutely no need to apologise! I have the option of both so you don’t need to pay if you can’t or don’t want too! Here are all my freebies :-)

 2019:

*new* 2019 yearly calendar printables (three designs)

*new* 2019 monthly portrait calendar printables (three designs)

*new* 2019 monthly landscape calendar printables (three designs)

*new* 2019 DIY calendar printables (three designs)

2019 free student printables (2018-19 overview, 2019 overview, 2019 key dates, year in pixels, monthly portrait planner)

2019 student planner from my Etsy :-)

2018:

2018 free student printables (2018 overview + calendar, daily + weekly + monthly planner, 30 habit tracker, class overview and timed worklog)

You can delete the 2018 calendars and use the rest of these since they are undated :-)

Timed schedules/planners:

study schedule printables

week at a glance printables

weekly planner (monday and sunday start)

weekend planner

daily planner

Studying:

languages study pack (two options - 16 pages of premade tables or 8 pages of customisable/blank tables)

*new* study planner pack (daily + weekly + monthly study planner, 10 minute planner, study plan, study tracker, subject and chapter summary, and priority breakdown)

DIY flashcard printables (2 covers, dotted, lined, grid, Q&A versions)

assessment planner (two options)

subject to do list planner

study session planner

back to school printable set (includes 2017-18 academic year calendar (monday + sunday start), semester overview, assessment + grade tracker, revision checklist, untimed weekly organiser, study session tracker)

exam printable pack (includes topic revision checklist, definitions + formula sheet, essay + project planner, weekly schedule)

binder / subject covers / topic pages (16 colours)

Misc:

to-do list printables

100 days of productivity tracker printable (explanation of 100 days challenge here)

literary techniques and devices sheet (goes with this post)

note taking printables (includes dotted, grid, lined, Cornell paper)

organic chemistry printable

Motivational quotes/art printables:

motivational monday quote printables

Handwriting:

cursive handwriting cheatsheet (goes with this post)

normal handwriting cheatsheet

Welp, it happened. You failed a test and are pretty disappointed. Trust me, I’ve been there. Here are just a few steps I took (and recommend) for whenever this happens.

1. It’s okay to cry about it. I cried for a few minutes after I saw my test grade. I had never gotten an F on any test during my college journey, and I couldn’t believe I started university with failing my first test. Know that it’s okay to cry; it’s better than keeping it in.

2. Don’t put yourself down about it. Now that you’ve cried and let out all the emotions about it, remind yourself that it’s okay that you got an F. It is not the end of the world, even though it may seem like it. Don’t think it means you’re stupid or something, because it doesn’t; it just means you may need to study differently.

3. Talk to your professor or TA. Talk to the person who graded your test and ask if they can go over what you did wrong. Also ask if they can show you the proper way to complete a problem or answer a question you may have gotten wrong.

4. Ask more questions in class. If you’re like me, asking questions in class may frighten you. You may wonder if they’ll sound stupid, but chances are there’s at least one other student there with the same question. Don’t be afraid to raise your hand if you’re confused about something in class.

5. Go to office hours more. Try to go to as many office hours if you can. Even if you don’t have any questions, there might be students who have some there. Plus, you might think of some questions along the way.

6. Take advantage of other resources your school may have. My uni has both drop-in tutoring and tutorial groups, both of which are super helpful. Depending on the class, many TA’s also hold open office hours to review questions with multiple students. Find out if there’s other resources you can use that will help you.

7. Change your study habits. Did you study while watching Netflix? Maybe that didn’t help. Did you rewrite your notes? If you didn’t, maybe you should start. There are many ways to study, so find what works for you!

8. Form an awesome study group (if you do better in groups). Personally, I study better when I’m alone, but there are many people who study better in groups. Try to get a group of your peers together to study before the next test, or even just do homework together!

9. Eat and sleep well before your test. Make sure you’re eating as healthy as possible before your next test. Also, get as much sleep as you can. Make it a goal to finish studying early the night before so you can have at least 7-8 hours of sleep.

10. Remember, it’s going to be okay. I can’t stress this enough, because your mental health should be your priority. Be confident in yourself, and don’t stress yourself before a test. You’re going to do great.

As a continuation of French Friday #7, I have more school phrases! 

3.11.19: Here’s my new bullet journal page for one of my favorite poems, Sonnet 43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 

14.1.2018 | [8/100 days of productivity]