the study cafe

hi there! i’m going to be trying something new i’ll be calling “let’s be real with kkaitstudies” in which i give you some tips & advice based on my own personal experiences. i am not a perfect student. i’d prepare for things only for to have them unravel, change courses, or i’d simply lose motivation. so let’s get into it.

the campus bookstore shouldn’t be your first stop. welcome to the world in which you have to buy your own textbooks - but you don’t need to buy it at full price! check amazon, second hand book stores, and look for online PDFs if that’s smth you’re into. some unis have “free/for sale” or “textbook exchange” groups on FB. buying textbooks second-hand from upper years has saved me soooo much money

avoid taking classes before 10am. the ppl don’t lie when they say 8ams suck. if you have the ability to choose your class times, choose sections that start at 10am or later bc waking up early after a long night of studying or doing assignments is not fun.

ratemyprof will be your saviour. nothing ruins a subject more than a bad prof. i’ve had my share of amazing profs (you will srsly rave abt them for the rest of your uni career) and not-so-amazing profs. checking out reviews on ratemyprofessor. just look up your uni then professor and read all those reviews. these anons mention the course code, if textbook is needed, if they’d take it again, and their own comments. most classes i chose by prof ended up being the ones i’d talk nonstop about.

check out all the sick resources your school has!!! i seriously cannot stress this enough, bc i’m a fool that really only started doing this in 3rd year and with only 1 year left, i regret not doing this earlier. newsflash: parts of your tuition pay for all the amazing services available to you. your school may have a gym/pool for students, career centres, access to study/collab rooms, cafeterias, centres and safe spaces for members of marginalized communities, student mentorship, therapy dogs, STUDENT GROUPS AND COURSE UNIONS!!, etc. take some time in between classes to check them out. watch some sports games! apply for scholarships that are available to you!

the first semester is an adjustment period, and every semester following will teach you something new abt yourself. the transition from high school to university for me was in nooooo way smooth. especially as a commuter student, i had to adjust the routines i had around my home and school life. i had to learn how to make friends again. in third yr i learned that the way i had been doing notes since first year didn’t actually work for me. going into fourth year, i’m getting over my fear of the campus gym, and will actually start budgeting bc i spend waaaay too much money on food on campus. you’re always learning! don’t be afraid to explore new things and experiment bc everyone’s doing it too.

and to finish it off (for now), it’s okay to question your major, change it, take more than four years, take gap years, or drop out altogether. don’t see this piece of advice much, huh? that’s the thing - there’s a huge stigma around doing anything outside of sticking to the same major for the designated around of time. but why? so much can change from the second you walk off that stage at high school graduation. you can enter your major thinking it’s what you wanted to do, take some classes, and realize that you’re unhappy; that it’s not what you expected or wanted. and that’s okay. your feelings of uncertainty are valid. so many ppl that i know have changed majors, decided they’re doing an extra year, or dropped out of uni. if this is you, talk to more ppl abt it - esp others in this position. when ppl tell me abt their change of plans, i swear i can actually see the weight lifted off of their shoulders. your major should not be a burden. also lbr is it really worth it to be unhappy studying smth u don’t want to AND be like….$15k+ in debt for the sake of pleasing other people?

hi there, my name is kait! it’s time to (re)introduce myself. i am ½ of coffeeplanner. after a 2 year hiatus, i have decided to start fresh with a new studyblr and will be following from my new main acc kkait.

abt me: 

20 / toronto, canada / she/her

i’m in 4th yr uni, creative industries major (ask me abt my major!)

virgo / infj-isfj / hufflepuff

interests:

kpop/krb (so there may be a bit on the blog!)

bubble tea, corgis, beagles

supernatural & thriller books and movies

why return to studyblr?

i am still a sucker for the studyblr aesthetic & the resources, tips, and support available in this community

after 3 full yrs in uni and being on/off studyblr, the content i’m hoping to make moving forward can be more realistic and true to my experience with productivity, studying, saving money, etc. i want to be able to reveal some of the not so #aesthetic or productive side of the studyblr community.

past posts & studyblrs i love:

the coffeeplanner’s guide to series:

dress up your tech, financing, budgeting, surviving the commute

coffeeplanner: my posts 

08.19.17 (2:49 PM) - I haven’t been studying lately since I’m on summer break, but at least I can put more effort into my bullet journal. Also, I’m thinking of making studyblr videos, so please send in whatever requests or ideas you have!

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🎧 Listening to:  Wanna One (워너원) - 활활 (Burn It Up)

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Setting some goals as i enter college ✨

07.08.17 // a lil flat-lay ft. bio notes, stationery, a corner of my bujo, and the top of my old ds which I found while doing some packing for vacation (I may have spent all day two days ago and a bit of yesterday playing pokemon heh); also hope everyone is having a fantastic summer holiday so far!! c:

🎧: the pokemon game soundtracks 

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17.08.08

Week 29 was a tiresome one 😴🌱

[51/100] 23.03.16

I’ve been extremely tired all day today, but I’m also motivated to work. I just wish I could get my body to do what my brain wants it to do.