Bettering lives one day at a time

1. Most of the time it's painfully obvious when you're using AI because it spits out the most generic takes possible, and it often attributes statements to people who did not make those statements.

2. An AI paper fills me with a vitriolic rage the likes of no other. It makes me viscerally angry that you're wasting my time and yours this way. School is expensive. There are so many people who would love to be here, who would love to actually be learning but they cant afford to. Have some respect and actually use the education you're privileged enough to be able to pay for.

3. An AI paper will get you reported to the academic integrity office, because it's plagiarism. This is not an opinion of mine its a school policy. An academic integrity violation will follow you for the rest of your academic career (if you're even able to get anyone to give you a second chance) and beyond. Its not worth it.

4. A half assed, insane, incoherent paper that I know you wrote the night before? Relatable. Endearing. Ive been there, I can see you trying. You'll get the best mark I can reasonably give you- it might not be a great mark but it won't be as low as a chatgpt mark. You won't get an academic integrity violation on your record and you might actually learn something.

As a TA im always willing to help people if they ask for help. If you're confused or behind in a class I'm paid to help you keep up. Most schools also have writing centers, where you can access free tutors who will help you with outlines and editing your work.

There is no shame using those resources. The students that do use them reliably end up with better grades at the end of term, and they also save time because its a lot harder to spot your own mistakes than it is to have someone else point them out to you.

How to: Self care

It’s so important to use your free periods productively; here are a few ideas (not all of them study related) of what you could do in that time:

Catch up on any work that you have missed

Make a start on any homework/assignments that you have been given

Start writing up some notes

Make some flashcards

Complete some practise questions or past papers

Look through your class’ syllabus 

Go over and review some older notes

Sort through any emails you have

Look at some university prospectuses online

Write a to-do list for the day/the following day

Plan out the rest of your week

Work and study with someone else who is in your classes

Read a book

Listen to a podcast

09.10.16|| Some motivation for the beginning of a new week. 

You deserve to be happy. You deserve to have a full life. You are worth it. You are loved. Don’t be ashamed to ask for help. <3

In med school, taking notes is hard because there’s SO much material. I remember going through one of my lectures and wondering how the hell I was going to simplify it to something I could actually remember. I usually make what are called “study sheets” after each lecture, and this is how I do them!

If there’s learning objectives, follow those. Use them to guide your notes. If there’s not, then use your intuition (based on what was heavily emphasized or covered the most) to figure out where to focus your notetaking. Just make sure you’ve organized everything in your head before putting it down to paper, because notes only work if they’re clear! 

Use categories to break up your learning. In one lecture there’s often multiple components, so I use headings to separate the main points. That way they don’t all blur together in my head.

Whenever possible, make charts, diagrams, or drawings. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve remembered something on a test because I took the time to draw it out! If you’re a kinesthetic or visual learner, this is super helpful. It really simplifies the material and organizes it thoroughly. It’s much easier to study from a clear chart than a block of text.

When you do use text, keep it concise. Use different colors to write out key phrases and terms, and try not to write out paragraphs and paragraphs. Sometimes, it unavoidable, and you need a lot of text to understand a key concept. Short and sweet wherever possible, though, makes life easier for you! 

Transform, transform, transform. Always try to put things in your own words wherever you can. Manipulate the material so that it coincides with what you’ve learned. When you think about a topic from multiple perspectives, you understand it a million times better.