Big Ass Bio Nerd

I feel like I’m drinking from a fire hose right now, it’s been so long since I’ve done anything like this that things are overwhelming. I’m excited to pass this point in the process because it’s frustrating and it’s only been a day. I joined a discord server dedicated to language learning a while ago and am just now utilizing it. I decided to try to partner up with a native Spanish speaker, I’m helping them with English while they help me with my extremely forgotten Spanish (it’s been a few years since I’ve hardcore studied Spanish specifically tbh).

Currently working on: Spanish and ASL

Hiya! I got tagged by @undasrego to do this intro post so here we are! Welcome to my studyblr/bookblr/bioblr! I’m super indecisive at times so I use this account for a few different pathways.

About me:

My name is Abbie, but I go by Ash a lot, both work, my pronouns are they/them or she/her. {My main account is @abbielmdt if you’d like to follow that as well, it’s extremely disorganized and I love it that way}

My first language is English, and I’ve been studying Spanish, German, and ASL on and off for a few years now. I’m interested in learning Arabic, Latin, BSL, and Mandarin. The list goes on and on, but those are the main ones at the moment.

I’m a huge book worm, and spend a lot of my time reading, and I’m always looking for new books to buy!

I enjoy the dark academia aesthetic and attitude, but it can be a little much for me at times. I’m heavily into chaotic academia, which I feel sums up my mind a little better than the elegance of dark academia can.

Interests:

Reading - I’ll read anything and everything that interests me, however I’m a sucker for fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. Stephen King is currently my favourite author, and I’m in the middle of what has easily become my favourite series so far, The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.

Bowling - I absolutely love ten pin bowling, and I’m on my university’s women’s team. At one point during the 2019-2020 collegiate season, I was ranked #16 in the entire women’s collegiate program. My collegiate program was also ranked #2 in the program by the end of the season, due to technicalities, however we were ranked #1 for pretty much the entire season.

Photography - I'm by no means an expert, and really only do photography on occasion, but I enjoy it when I partake in it, and am quite happy with some of the photos I’ve taken. I can post some of my photos that I’m pretty proud of, if you guys are interested!

Crocheting - I’ve been crocheting for about a decade now, and knitting for about the same time frame. I don’t do much past simple projects, but they’re handy little projects, mainly for the kitchen. I’ve also made stuffed animals in the past that came out adorable and I love them so much.I’m considering opening an etsy shop to have a little extra pocket money (to buy more books of course).

Academia:

I’m currently between my junior and senior year of my Bachelor’s Degree in Biology. I’ll have to take a 5th year of classes in order to get my degree because I had to transfer to a school that better fit my educational needs and also had a bowling team.

I’m hoping to go on to get my PhD in microbiology, immunology, or pathology. Still figuring out my exact path. My current plan is to apply to a bunch of different programs and then pick one from the ones I get accepted in to. I’d love to go into mycology as well, however in the USA, mycology is not a career that one can live off of very well, unfortunately.

Chemistry was almost my downfall, and math classes. However, this last year I was able to really turn around my chem grades from being average grades around the middle of the semester, to being one of the top grades in the class by the end and I’m extremely proud of that accomplishment.

Why a studyblr?

I mainly wanted the motivation that came with having a studyblr. I never really had to study in school until I got to college/university, so I’m hoping to develop better study habits as this account grows. I also really enjoy seeing the support that the studyblr community provides, and wanted to help be a part of that myself. On top of all of this, I mainly just wanted a space where I could gush about biology and not be as judged as I am at my current school.

Currently I’m using this account for books, it’s become more of a bookblr while school is out, and I’m super okay with that too. I’ve already gotten a couple fantastic suggestions that I’m hoping to read in the coming months once I can get my hands on a copy of the books and find room in my reading schedule, I have a bad habit of buying books and having them sit on my shelf for years before I get around to reading them.

*Tagging*

i. Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (currently on book 5)

ii. Gentleman Bastards by Scott Lynch (currently on book 1)

iii. The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski

iv. Lightbringer by Brent Weeks

v. Dark Tower by Stephen King

vi. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

*This is probably going to change in the coming months as I read more and buy more books*

The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time #5)

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (Gentleman Bastards #1)

I’m also thinking about starting ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King soon, but I don’t want to overwhelm myself with too many plot lines to remember all at once. My friends from back home are mailing me some books they think I’d enjoy so I’ll be starting those soon as well!

What are y’all currently reading?

Also a quick reminder:

I'll be honest y'all, my mind has been struggling to go into reading mode lately. And I think it has to do with the stress of current events. I'm currently on day 16 of The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan, a book I was hoping to have finished by the day 12 mark. I'm hoping to read The Bell Jar after I've finished it, and I'm excited to take a break from the Wheel of Time universe for a couple days, just to process everything that has happened while I've been reading it.

I hope y'all are doing well during these times 💕

https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/0Bz011IF2Pu9TUWIxVWxybGJ1Ync

This has a bunch of African American literature, completely free and accessible to all:)

https://youtu.be/bCgLa25fDHM

A youtube video whose ad revenue is going to BLM movements! There are tons of links in the description to petitions that you can sign while the video is playing in the background too! Remember to turn off ad blockers and do not skip the ads when they pop up!

Happy Learning!

Hey guys!

I’m so sorry for my recent inactivity, with current world events I have been taking a step back from this blog in order to use my energy elsewhere to spread awareness and help educate others. With that being said, I haven’t forgotten about y’all, I’m hoping to have a few links up in the next few hours or so with resources to help educate yourselves. I did not mean for this blog to become political, however I do believe in the creation of safe spaces for all and inclusivity, but inclusivity must draw a line when the safety of those within these spaces is threatened. 

I am still trying to read and get reviews out as I finish books if you are interested in reading some of those (my goodreads username is the same as my username on here!). However, that is all the energy I have had and even then, I’m struggling. Thank you all for your patience!

General Disclaimer: I am in no way an expert on these subjects, and I recognize that my experience is different from others. I also recognize that I am privileged in ways others are not. I do not wish to drown out the voices of those that are oppressed with my own voice.

As always, Happy Learning! 

Sometimes when I can't sleep, I do some bio notes on things I find interesting. Lately I've been studying up on the immune system, since my schooling hasn't quiet touched on it in class yet (which makes me incredibly sad).

What are some things that interest you and make you wanna learn more about outside of your schooling?

Hi all!

I'm currently working on my review of The Stand on Goodreads if you'd like to take a look! I'd love to see what y'all are reading on there too if you've got it!

Here's the link to my account:

www.goodreads.com/bigassbionerd

My view all day 💕 I've been trying to take a break from learning while still being productive, as a way to decompress from the school year. Things were so overwhelming but I pushed through and passed all of my classes with grades I should be proud of.

My goals for this summer:

- Read as much as I can (and possibly write a few reviews on what I finish)

- Be productive and proactive when it comes to learning

- Be kind to myself when I have days where I don't feel as productive

- Attempt at keeping this page up to date on my progress, and maybe teach a little about the material I'm learning along the way (it's exciting stuff, I hope y'all find it exciting too!)

- Self care and listening to myself more, better understanding my needs and cultivating an environment where my needs are consistently met.

Just because we're in quarantine doesn't mean we have to suffer. I've been trying to enjoy the little things, because enjoying the little things makes enjoying the not so little things that much better.

And that’s a wrap on my third year of uni! :) In the coming weeks I’m hoping to have some individual study content that I can share with all of you! As for now, some tips that got me through some of the more difficult challenges that came with this year:

- Allow breaks, and lots of them, when studying. Be kind to yourself, if you’re unable to focus, there could be something distracting you that you’re unaware of. Listen to your body and mind, and see if the distraction is a quick fix.

- Have a routine to help with focusing on studying, if you usually study right after breakfast, continue to do that as much as you can.

- Try and keep a healthy diet, and remember your to drink plenty of water, if you don’t these can act as distractions that take away from valuable study time.

- NOTES!! I promise they’re your best friend, no matter how annoying, tedious, and intimidating they seem at times.

- Tea/Coffee is 100x better than energy drinks. But if you’re really going for an energy boost, try fruits. An apple or a banana with peanut butter will last longer than liquid caffeine ever will

- Study in comfortable clothing, and keep a fuzzy blanket or cozy sweatshirt near your study space if you’re able to!

- Sleep is very important, but if you’re like me, your sleep schedule is all over the place. Power naps are your best friend, but keep them around 20-25 minutes or else you’ll wake up feeling groggy and more exhausted than you were before your nap.

Hey! I'm still active just got caught up in finals so I haven't really been posting :)

Some tips I would give to people switching to a biology major would be:

- Find a study area that isn't in the same room as where you sleep if possible, and use that space as much as possible (I picked the corner of my uni's library by the science textbooks)

- Labs are your friend. They can be intimidating at times but they've helped tremendously in learning key concepts for me at least.

- Notes. Notes. And more notes. I personally love taking notes so this wasn't a problem, but I typically would make pre lecture notes where I sat down with my textbook and annotated that writing, and then would take lecture notes, and the day after the lecture happened I would sit down with my textbook, two sets of notes, and the lecture slides and organize it all. It helped solidify information and led to me knowing the material more. But it was also pretty time consuming.

- Keep an open mind and be prepared to be challenged. You'll most likely be taking harder classes than your peers, your stress levels may be heightened as a result. Be kind to yourself, take breaks as needed. There may be days where you just can't focus on the material at all and that's completely okay. Take a deep breath and know that you got this, and you will conquer the material in time as well.

As a bio student I have had one of the busiest and most challenging class schedules among my peers, time management is your friend (invest in a planner if you can and carry it everywhere) and sometimes energy drinks and coffee too (tea is also a good option!). Textbooks and reading materials are always helpful as with any class, some bio professors like to teach based on the text whereas others don't so be aware of that (it can make things difficult if they don't go by the book). I also enjoyed reading science journals and research papers in my free time to expose myself more to the environment I'm hoping to place myself in one day, it helped with understanding class material as well!

Hope this helps! Happy Learning!