usask sophomore

OO1.

Paint your nails. Doesn’t matter if you’re good at it or not. It’s a quiet, calming, easy activity that takes up the perfect amount of time for a break and still requires some amount of focus. Put on a Youtube video or Netflix while you do it.

Watch a John Oliver video. If you don’t know him, he’s a comedian and host of Last Week Tonight on HBO. His pieces are hilarious, informative, and all around 15-20 minutes. 

Change the sheets on your bed. Changing your sheets often is good for your skin, still technically productive, and who doesn’t love snuggling up in a fresh bed after a long day? 

While you’re at it, clean your space. It’ll get you on your feet and again, still technically being productive. 

Make yourself something to drink. I hate to be that blogger™ but  Stay hydrated, loves! No energy drinks, if you need something more exciting. We are adults in this household, we get our caffeine like adults. Always go tea or coffee. 

Take a nap. There are legends that if you drink a coffee before you take a nap, the caffeine will wake you up naturally a little bit later and you’ll feel super energized. That sounds fake but idk knock yourselves out. 

Put on an RIP Vine compilation and dissociate for a bit. I’m not kidding.

Take a shower. Or just stand there under the hot water a bit. You’ll feel like a new being. 

Know that you are a boss

Seriously 

I’m going to write it pretty soon. I’ve been studying for it/putting it off since second year but now that I’m almost done my degree, I really have to do it :P In any case, I have prepared a general ‘MCAT 101′ that will help everyone figure out exactly what you need to do leading up to the test.

1) Start a schedule (or, try to): Fit in some studying every day, depending on how much time you have to prepare for it:-Free MCAT 3 month schedule-SN2ed’s 100 day MCAT study plan-Exam Kracker’s 10 week MCAT home study plan2) Figure out what is on the MCAT (2016):  Before you begin studying, it’s a good idea to consult the AAMC website to find out EXACTLY what section topics (ie biochemistry of glucose metabolism in the biological and biochemical foundations of living systems) the MCAT will test you on. This way you can eliminate extra info that is not needed by the AAMC, and you can also study by section. You can find those here:- Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems-Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems-Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behaviour-Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills3) Gather Yer Materials: Generally, companies make study books that are specific to what the AAMC. Search reviews of prep books on the internet to see which one is good for you. I liked the flow of The Princeton Review for all but the Biochemistry section, and for this, I supplemented it with the Kaplan book. But here are some cheapies, cause why not:-AAMC Official Guide to MCAT exam-TPR Complete MCAT book with 4 full length exams-Search Craigslist for anyone selling used MCAT books for cheap-MD Hero MCAT Prep website-Khan Academy MCAT prep

Want to know the downsides?

It’s bad for your health

Your brain can’t process the information you’ve studied (so an all-nighter will most likely do more harm than help you succeed)

The quality of what you’re working on will go downhill if you don’t take breaks

It is bad for your health!

[11.15.17] 64/100 days of productivity 

I just got accepted to my first undergraduate research conference! Life is good! 

Hey guys! I kinda want to get more personal with my blog so I’ve decided to create this Q&A! Just send the question to my inbox if you’re curious to know more about the creator of this blog :)

(+don’t be afraid to reblog this! If u want to use it go right ahead :))

😃 | what’s your name and how old are you?

🎂 | when’s your birthday?

🗓 | how long have you had this blog for?

💐 | favorite flower?

🎬 | favorite movie?

🎨 | favorite color?

🎼 | do you play any instruments?

🌝 | what is your most favorite thing in the world?

🌚 | what is your guilty pleasure?

🌟 | what are your goals for this blog?

📺 | favorite tv show?

🍽 | favorite food?

💼 | what job are you striving for?

🎒 | what is your favorite subject in school?

📍 | country you want to visit?

💡 | any advice? (This one can be more personal :)

🛍 | An item you would splurge all of your money on

💸 | do you have a job?

⏱ | how much time do u spend on hw every night?

📷 | how do you take/edit pictures for your studyblr?

⁉️ | favorite conspiracy theory?

😱 | something that scares you?

⛈ | do you like rain and/or thunderstorms?

🍴 | what is your go-to order every time you eat out?

📓 | how did you start bullet journaling?

📚 | how did you find out about the studyblr community?

❤️ | what do you love the most about the community?

💛 | how has the community been beneficial to you?

🖤 | what do you wish would change about the studyblr community?

💞 | any advice for those who want to join the community? (Again, can be more personal)

💝 | what did you expect to get out of joining this community?

Alrighty those were about all the questions my head could come up with! If you have any other questions, don’t be afraid to ask them! I really want to get to know my followers as well as establish a friendship with you guys so please don’t be shy and message me!! :)

1/5 back to school 2017 masterposts

school is starting soon (or has already started) and i also wanted to somehow thank you guys for 7k in a way other than the usual blog rate or blog awards. keep a look out for the other 4!

this is a collab with @studyruels. her masterpost is on making a morning routine which you can check out here!

now, i’m naturally a morning person. i just am, and i always have been. no matter how late i go to bed my body thinks it’s a great idea to noT sleep in and wake up at 6 am every day (’: here are a few things i do to make it a little easier and enjoy my mornings!

1. GO TO BED EARLY. this is honestly a no brainer but STOP SPENDING HOURS ON YOUR PHONE WTH like it’s so harmful for your eyes and your mind and your brain and your body will thank you in the morning when your eyes aren’t burning with exhaustion. 

1.a. when i decided to stop being an irresponsible smol child who tried to stay up every night, i started setting alarms for going to sleep. so like at 9:00 (ok ik thats pretty early but thats usually when i go to bed), or maybe that’ll be like 10:00 or 10:30 for you so that you can go to bed around 11. but anyways, when you hear this alarm, it’s time to get off of your phone or laptop (-: send your gn streaks and texts, close insta (log out if u have to), and shut it all down. soon after, you will start to notice how tired you actually are without all that blue light distracting you !!!

2. read! this is a personal favorite just because i’m a huge nerd but reading right before bed is just killing 2 birds with one stone: you’re exercising your mind and subconsciously improving your writing skills (vocabulary and grammar) while making yourself very tired!! if you think reading, especially at night, is boring, you aren’t reading the right books for you.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

3. prepare yourself for the morning so it seems less dreadful. OPEN YOUR BLINDS BEFORE BED JUST DO IT OMG you will wake up with the sun. do a little miniclean of your room before bed so you’re not waking up to yesterday’s disaster. make your coffee the night before and leave it in the fridge if you like it iced in the morning. plan out what you’re going to wear tomorrow, as well as your lunch. shower (so u sleep better and/or dont have to do it in the morning) and brush your teeth. pamper yourself. set up fairy lights. just do anything that will cause you to wake up and go “jeez glad i did that last night; now i have more time and peace of mind”. 

4. find something to look forward to in the morning. this might be going to get coffee or tea with a friend in the morning, getting to wear the cute outfit and eat the delicious lunch that you prepped last night, or remembering that you’re going to see a movie after school. whatever it may be, let it motivate you to get up and start your day as soon as possible. 

5. turn off/disable snooze. do it. if your alarm app can’t do this, install an app that can. i also like to set up my alarm so that i have to do some challenging mental math to turn it off. 

5.a. make your alarm something that will cause you to get up. it doesn’t necessarily have to be something really annoying. it can be something upbeat and light that puts you in a good mood for the day. however, if you’re a really heavy sleeper then you might want to make it some obnoxious and loud sound so that you will be motivated just to get out of bed and turn it off. 

6. put your phone across the room. we’ve all heard of this one but most of us are too lazy to do it. at night, when you whip out that book, log off all your social media and then put your phone somewhere so far that you’ll have to physically get out of bed and turn off the alarm.

7. make your bed suit your aesthetic. this derives from the basic “make your bed” tip. sure, you can make your bed, and sure, it might motivate you to not get back in. but if you really struggle with this, buy one of those prepackaged bed sets that has a nice color scheme. once you make your bed, you’re not going to want to ruin that aesthetic tbh

8. keep a consistent sleep schedule, even on the weekends!! i’m not saying you have to wake up at 6 am even on saturdays, but don’t go from waking up at 6 to waking up at 12. maybe push your wake up time to 8:30 or 9 latest on the weekends. as you get used to waking early (and sleeping early, too!) you can slowly push back your weekend wake up time earlier and earlier until it’s almost identical to the time you wake up when you have school.