a priori

Anatomical Illustrations by Duvet Days

Free Printable 2021 Quarterly Planner / Calendar

daily & weekly planners - @jeiasacads ‘ 500+ followers’ gift!

AAAAAA I NEVER THOUGHT I’D REACH THIS MILESTONE! i’m intensely grateful for all of you! this is a late post, however, since you guys are currently at 592 (which is honestly wow, what an overnight success. it’s blessings on blessings up in here).

(10:32 PM late edit: when i posted this, i rechecked my follower count & we are now at 604. thank you, really.)

i designed these daily and weekly planners to cater to every need i could think of: tasks, events, habit & mood trackers, mantra, overview and so much more. (ps: my printables are always free!)

daily planner

a sample of the daily planner is shown below. its features are outlined, you may see the text better on mobile! this is available in a pdf or png format on google drive. the links are below!

download: pdf / png / whole folder

weekly planner

a sample of the weekly planner is shown below. i made the weekly planner very similar to the daily planner so that if you decide to switch up to a weekly layout instead of a daily layout (and vice versa), the design elements wouldn’t be that different from each other, along with the principle that easy and familiar interfaces cater to the human individual (god bless you, empowerment tech).

this is available in a pdf or png format with the option of a monday or a sunday start on google drive. the links are below!

downloads:

monday start: pdf / png / whole folder sunday start: pdf / png / whole folder all: whole folder

i really hope you all enjoy these printables (that i worked hard on)! once again, i’m eternally grateful for this ever-growing platform and for this opportunity to create good things for the community. you’re all wonderful.

if you want to check out my other printables (and posts), you may click this link to view them! also, if you’re into photography and articles, check out my friends & i’s upcoming project, the shotophoot collective! 

I’m currently in PA school with close to a 4.0 GPA, and with college and back to school starting up, I’m dropping some tips for y'all. A hoe gotta get bomb ass grades if ya want a bomb ass career and to be successful af. So let’s get it✨

1. Write out your notes. Have two notebooks: one for when you’re in class (this one can be messy) and one for at home (this one is the neater one, for color coding, formatting, and all that organizational jazz). Writing things out is proven to enhance memorization 7X more than just reading is.

2. Have a go-to format for your notes. Numbering, bullet points, whatever floats your boat.

3. Type out your notes. I use Google Drive, because it automatically saves all your shit, and you can access your notes via your Google account literally anywhere. Typing out your notes does the same thing writing them out does, as far as helping you review the material.

4. Use Quizlet. Quizlet is a free flashcard website/app that allows you to type in all of your flashcards and definitions, and gives you review options like matching, testing, flashcard mode, and more. This shit made me my high schools valedictorian, no lie.

5. Keep your old quizzes and tests. Often times, teachers will ask similar questions on finals.

6. For math-based subjects, always always always show your work in your notes. I try to explain each step for a math problem in the margins of my notes, and generalize how to do each problem at the end.

7. Do practice problems consistently.

8. For my college hoes: never take an 8 am class. You think you can do it because you did it for high school, but I promise you will regret it. If there’s no avoiding the 8 am lecture, bring coffee and skip any makeup/hair that day. Sleep is too important.

9. Make flashcards. The night before my exams, I like to try and fit everything I need to know for a specific chapter/topic onto one flashcard, in order to weed out main ideas.

10. For essays, easybib.com is amazing with free citations to avoid any plaigiarism or incorrect bibliographies.

11. Rent👏your👏textbooks👏. Unless your teacher specifically requires you BUY it, you likely won’t need the actual textbook. Buying access codes for the book online is hundreds of dollars cheaper.

12. If you do get your textbooks, a lot of them have chapter summaries at the end of each chapter. Be sure to write out/type out/review those summaries.

13. For science labs, if you are allowed, take pictures of any models or slides you need to know for your exams. Pretty much all labs won’t let you take pictures of cadavers or animal dissections, but plastic models and microscope slides should be fine.

14. If you have a question, ASK YOUR TEACHER. It is better to look stupid in class and get your clarification, than to look stupid when you get your exam back and actually have it count against your grade.

15. Do study groups. I have two nursing friends in some of the same classes as me, and we’d always meet up before exams to go over the material. We would bring dry erase markers and map out shit in empty classrooms, taking turns explaining shit to each other until we nailed it.

16. Try to teach the material. Like I said in #15, study groups are great for this. By teaching the material out loud, you are subconsciously reviewing it yourself. This is a HUGE help.

17. Take breaks. You cannot exhaust yourself and expect to still recall anything you learned.

18. I know everyone does this and there’s no avoiding it sometimes, but DO NOT CRAM. Gradual learning is most effective.

19. Have one day every week where you don’t do any schoolwork. You need time to reboot.

20. Use your phone’s calendar/task checklist app for all major assignments, due dates, exam dates, study plans, appointments, etc. Set reminders as needed.

21. Charge your phone in another room while studying. No distractions.

22. Rainymood.com is a free website that plays a 30 minute loop of rain sounds. It helps me focus like nothing else, especially in my loud ass household, and every time the loop stops and replays, I know to take a break between 30 minute study sessions.

23. Feel distracted at home when studying? Try studying in a library, cafe, or even at school. I find that going somewhere else to study actually forces me to pay attention to what I’m doing, for some reason.

24. Reward yourself for good grades. Buy yourself a slice of pizza or a new highlight, have a netflix marathon, go to a party, or take a nap. Whatever conveys a job well done, do it. It’ll make all that studying feel that much greater when it’s over, and you’ll have a goal to work towards.

25. Sit in the front of the classroom as often as possible. You’ll be forced to pay attention, be able to actually see the board, hear the instructor better, and you’re more likely to have your questions answered quickly because your teacher will actually see your hand go up.

26. Caffeinate. I prefer tea because it’s healthier, but coffee works too. Ya girl is NOT a morning person, but my morning tea at least helps me pay attention during earlier classes.

27. Keep all of your school shit organized, together, and labelled.

28. Do NOT skip a class just because you’re lazy or don’t feel like going. The temptation is real sometimes, but a hoes gonna be pissed when ya see your participation average decline.

29. This may just be a psychological thing, but I love to use the same colored/brand of pen for all of my notes/assignments/tests. It just makes everything seem more uniform, and I’m able to recall information better.

30. Trouble taking tests? For any multiple choice question, read the question and try to answer it first without reading any of the options. If your answer doesn’t match the options, then use process of elimination to find the best answer. For true/false questions, write out justifications for each answer (you can also do this for multiple choice). You’ll be acing your exams in no time.

31. Chewing gum during class/studying, and chewing that same flavor gum during the exam, has been scientifically proven to boost your memory recall.

32. Literally any time you have the opportunity to do extra credit, DO IT. Cherish that shit.

33. If you aren’t doing so hot in a particular class (literally any math class for me lol), schedule a private meeting with your professor and go over test questions you missed, or topics you didn’t get. If you know your professor is a flop, or can’t get an appointment, meet with a tutor or another professor of that same subject. Sometimes another voice can shed new light on a difficult topic.

34. For essays, readable.io critiques your writing for free based on readability, grade level, formality, tone, grammatical errors, etc. Seriously a life saver.

35. Also thesaurus.com is ya bff for fancier words/phrases to make your writing more eloquent

36. Always make an outline for every essay or project to organize what you want to say. This will keep you on track, and help you work around any quotes or sources in you writing to make sure your writing is hella organized.

Advice– Basically, be an active learner, not a passive one. This means engaging all senses and working to actively recall information! Some ways you can do this: quiz yourself, explain it to a friend, do practice questions, flashcards, draw out things from memory. Do not passively re-read the book or copy notes down, unless you’re consolidating it into your own words and working to understand the concepts. Learn for understanding,  it is not enough to simply memorize in many classes.

http://calnewport.com/

spaced repitition: overcome the curve of forgetting! There is quizlet and memrise, but I prefer https://apps.ankiweb.net though it does have a learning curve. (link is to the documentation)

Art of Memory- great place to learn advanced techniques like Major System, Memory Palace, and others. Mnemonics and memory palaces are great.

 https://forums.studentdoctor.net/ honestly has some of the best studying tips and resources I’ve seen. Great tutorials on anki, diagramming, studying, scheduling, etc. Applicable advice to people outside the medical field. They even have a nontraditional thread, which is great.

Do not forget the big picture!

Mindmaps help with this

stay persistent!

Turn videos to 1.5 to 2x speed if you can handle it. Saves time! Take good notes (but make sure you pick out what’s actually important) so you do not have to rewatch too many times (passive)

If a certain method does not work for you, just keep switching things up or combine methods.

your brain works via networking and connecting. Try to connect large ideas to other subjects, feelings, thoughts, images. It will make recall much easier.

brilliance is practice. when someone at a conference or job talk speaks with supernatural ease, it is because they’ve practiced the hell out of what they are saying. very few people are naturals. 

So you’re struggling to study efficiently away from home? Finding yourself getting distracted easily? Having difficulty creating a study schedule in this new environment? I know finals season is coming soon for university students, so I thought I’d share my personal study hacks that helped me during college! 

Find the least popular library: while the fancy main libraries have great appeal, the truth is sometimes you really only need a desk, a comfy chair, an outlet, and some peace and quiet

Go higher up for quieter floors: usually the higher you go, the quieter and more serious the floor

Always pack the essentials: during finals week, finding a good study spot is a commodity, so make sure you can stay as long as humanly possible and bring supplies: laptop, chargers (phone and laptop), water bottle, snacks, layers (including a huge comfy sweater that can double as a pillow), headphones, notes, pens and highlighters, and blank paper

Don’t be afraid of caffeine pills: caffeine pills can sound scary, but that venti coffee at Starbucks also has a shit ton of caffeine. Opt to finding caffeine pills that are each 100 mg (the amount in 1 cup of coffee), and save ~$50-100 on buying coffee all the time

Find (only) 1-2 good friends and make a regular study group: even if you guys don’t share classes, it’s nice to have people who are reliable, quiet, and fun to be around when studying. Also, libraries allow small groups to rent private study rooms which are clutch af

Use the Pomodoro method with a timer or app: this is wonderful for people who have difficulty focusing. Set an alarm for 25 minutes, and block all forms of electronic distraction from that time. The idea is to have 25 minutes of pure work with a 5 minute break to do whatever you want afterwards, and this helps train you to maximize your ability to focus and minimize brain fatigue

Empty classrooms and lecture halls on weekends = substitute library: on the weekends, college campuses are super dead. I’ve found that lecture halls and classrooms are deserted (and usually unlocked) during these times, which make for great quiet places to study

Listen to music WITHOUT lyrics while you study: you’ll be less likely to be sucked in to the music and distracted

Wear pajama or workout clothes: just trust me on this one

hi there!

that’s ok if you feel nervous! lets see if we can at least make things manageable. 

the email

structure your email something like this:

dear dr. _____,

my name is ______* and i am a (freshman/sophomore/junior/senior) majoring in _____. i’m writing to inquire if you would like to be my honors thesis advisor on the topic of _____. due to your expertise in the area of ____, i feel your mentoring would valuable to me for both my thesis and growth as a student in _(your field_. 

please let me know if you are available to meet to discuss more. 

thank you so much for your time,

(your name)

*some people don’t like starting with their name bc it’s in their signature, but i always do because that’s how i’d start a convo in real life. i personally think it’s a nice thing to do. 

if you don’t hear back within a week, send a reminder (just forward the original email back to them) and say “hi, i haven’t heard back from you, just wondering if you had the time to consider my original email (see below). thank you!”. you can also just move on to another professor. professors are really busy and sometimes they just miss emails (or they read it and think ok i’ll respond in a bit and then forget. we’ve all been there). 

and if the professor declines, that’s ok! it has nothing to do with you! sometimes they may be too busy and stretched too thin to mentor another student. or maybe they plan on going on sabbatical. 

the response

so if your professor emails back, “sure!”, and suggests you meet, email back something like this:

dear dr. ____*

thank you so much! i would love to meet to discuss more. what days and times would work best for you the week of ___? 

thank you,

(your name)

*if the professor signs the original email with just their first name, then it’s ok to address them by that. almost all professors like to be called by their first name rather than dr. ____. however, this is only ok if they initiate it. the first time i talk to any professor i still use the dr title. just to be courteous. 

there will probably be a few back and forth’s, and that’s ok. professors are busy people, and they know it, so it’s ok to take the time to figure out a time that works for both of you. the meeting will most likely be in their office (unless they say otherwise). if you don’t know where that is, it’s ok to ask. but check their email signature or school directory first–that info may already be there. 

the 1st meeting

things will be informal. it’s not a job interview; it’s more like a chat. the professor just want to get to know you and your project. your meeting may go something like this:

the professor invites you into the office. introduce yourself and shake their hand, and say, “thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me” they’ll say “oh you’re welcome!” and invite you to sit down in a chair across their desk

they may then say, “so tell me about your thesis idea”. have a brief outline of what you want to say ready (you can write this out beforehand and bring it). if you don’t have too much planned, that’s ok. at least tell them your general idea. 

they may then comment, or offer suggestions. you can also ask them for advice and what they think would be a good direction to take. 

you may have to tell them what their role is in all this (not every professor has had to mentor an honors thesis, or they have and just don’t remember what needs to be done). are there forms they need to sign? do they need to meet with you once a month? etc. know all the requirements beforehand. also ask them if it’s ok to email them if you have questions or need guidance during the project. they’ll of course say yes bc that’s their job, but it’s always courteous to ask first. 

you can finish the meeting by telling them if you have a mock deadline for an outline or 1st draft, so they know when to expect it (if you want them to edit things). i always like doing this bc it keeps me accountable and discourages procrastination. 

finish the meeting by saying thanks again, and that you’ll keep in touch. 

the meeting should last probably around half and hour, and no longer than an hour. no need to dress formal either; just wear what you would normally wear. be sure to bring a notebook to jot down any notes during the meeting, or to have speaking points to refer back to if it makes you more comfortable. 

if you want, you can practice your responses ahead of time: things like “so tell me about yourself”, “what are your career goals”, “what do you hope to gain from the experience of writing a thesis”, etc. and know that it’s absolutely ok to respond with “i don’t know” or “i’m not sure”. it’s a learning environment, and every great learning experience starts with “i dont know” :)

–

everything i’ve just said is really generalized though. the culture may be different at different universities, or with different professors. but i hope by giving you a “what to expect” may ease the anxiety a little bit :)

Theme 30; morning star | Live Preview + Code

This is a summary of college only using two pictures; expensive as hell.

That’s my Sociology “book”. In fact what it is is a piece of paper with codes written on it to allow me to access an electronic version of a book. I was told by my professor that I could not buy any other paperback version, or use another code, so I was left with no option other than buying a piece of paper for over $200. Best part about all this is my professor wrote the books; there’s something hilariously sadistic about that. So I pretty much doled out $200 for a current edition of an online textbook that is no different than an older, paperback edition of the same book for $5; yeah, I checked. My mistake for listening to my professor.

This is why we download. 

 Alternatives to buying overpriced textbooks

Textbooknova 

Reddit

Bookboon 

Textbookrevolution 

GaTech Math Textbooks

Ebookee 

Freebookspot 

Free-ebooks

Getfreeebooks 

BookFinder

Oerconsortium 

Thank you very much! And sure, I’ll do my best, although I think studying depends wildly from person to person–for example, many of the grad schools I’m applying for explicitly state they don’t consider your math score, so I didn’t spend much time prepping for that. Timing is also quite subjective, because while I have time to check my verbal answers, I always have to guess on 2+ quantitative problems because I’m not that quick with sums.

First, invest in a practice book. I highly recommend Manhattan Prep’s 5lb Book of GRE Practice Problems, which is only $12 on Amazon right now. Not only is it as ridiculously expansive as the name suggests, it includes a diagnostic test, 9+ fully outlined and explained essays, maybe one thousand vocab words, and a solution explanation for each math problem, broken down by type (ie probability, triangles, sets, etc). In addition, a quick google search will pull up free online practice tests (three from ETS, the actual GRE-makers) which mimic the computerized test exactly–and they’re free, so why not at least power through a few sections?

Now, more specifically:

The Written: No one wants to spend 30 minutes writing a practice essay, but at least try to do a few full, typed essays from practice prompts (preferably from a source that also includes full 4, 5, and 6 essays to measure yourself again). Type it somewhere without spellcheck, because you don’t want to be like me and realize during the exam that you can’t remember if millennial has two Ns. Because I feel confident in my writing skills, I usually only outlined the essays for my practice test, but this allowed me to compare my line of reasoning to the examples given. Standardized testing demands a very particular type of logic. If you want to be especially thorough, you could mark up an example 3 or 4 essay with thoughts on what could have made it a 5 or 6–by learning to efficiently recognize others’ shortcomings, you may be better equipped to see your own.

The Verbal: Flashcards. All day, every day, until you despise the English language (but also start to recognize your expanded vocabulary in the wild–just the other day I heard both laconic and taciturn on Buffy). Manhattan prep has online flashcards, but I went ahead and made a huge set on Quizlet (because I love making flashcards). Quizlet allows you to star words you have a lot of trouble on. I found that 200+ words quickly dropped from my list, and I began to recognize others showing up repeatedly on practice tests, which helped me gauge what was really important to know. (Flue? Probably not going to come up. Quixotic? Most definitely.) On any of the passage summary readings that sound like trick questions, I write out what the question/answer is saying in my own words, along with any unspoken assumptions. This saved 5+ points on the test, because a lot of the questions are purposefully written with assumptions that logically follow–but if the question doesn’t ask you to make a conclusion, stay to what the text says to the letter. It’s not testing your ability to be a rational, practical thinker, it’s testing your ability to jump through its evil, evil word-hoops.

The Quantitative: Aside from a basic college algebra review, I haven’t taken a math class in almost six years. The math section is bittersweet: While it does rely more heavily on reasoning than on equations (and unlike math, reasoning is familiar to my day-to-day life), it still expects you to memorize obscure equations. And it forces you to use a tiny on-screen calculator with minimal functions. When the SAT is vastly kinder, you know they’re just screwing with you. (Have I mentioned how expensive this test is? Honestly, that price is a large part of the reason I was determined to get it right the first time. But I digress.) To supplement my prep books, I had a friend tutor me in concepts I’d totally forgotten, and I made a cheat sheet of formulas that the GRE excepts you to know. (Not a literal cheat sheet, GRE police–I know you’re watching me.) Some of those are as follows:

Quadratic equation

Slope of the line

Areas of equilateral triangles + assorted polynomials

Area of part of a circle

Standard deviation principles

THE GODDAMN COMBINATIONS EQUATION

Regular/compound interest

You’re going to just have to buckle down and make time to study more. I know that might sound a little harsh, but they don’t give research fellowships to anyone, so I know you can do this. You know what you are struggling with, so focus on that (but make sure to review the other areas some, too).

GRE Specific Advice/Test-Prep:

US NEWS Test Prep: 6 Tips for GRE Success

How to Study For the Revised GRE Test

Study Plans to Help Prepare You for the GRE

The Princeton Review Free GRE Practice Test

General Studying Tips:

25 Techniques to Help You Study 

How to study for math 

Rip off that studying band-aid in the library 

Homework help for the visual learner 

6Tips to help ace your exams

How to Cram

how to treat yourself on a low budget

what to do after a long day

how not to be hard on yourself

staying healthy while studying

how to deal with mental illness

feel better masterpost

hygiene/beauty masterpost | my make up masterpost | make up masterpost | simple steps for perfect make up | more make up tips

6 ab moves 

hair oil benefits

what is your acne telling you?

headaches

masterpost for rough times

the sex ed your parents didn’t give you

head to toe self care

blow job tips

limits of the human body

when to change your toothbrush, workouts etc

useful hoe tips

shaving your vagina

foods that fix everything

22 less difficult ways to practise self care

self care wheel

bad habits and how to break them

stop biting nails

stop procrastinating 

stop skipping breakfast

stop cracking knuckles

stop falling asleep late

boost your confidence

list of stress relievers

remove a splinter

smoothie masterpost

morning yoga

hair masterpost

self care masterpost

period hacks | alleviate menstrual cramps

sounds to soothe anxiety | another tip

what to eat before you run

self care infographic 

study guide for health (basic first aid, healthy hobbies etc)

a+ self care advice | more lovely advice

coping skills

feeling sad?

7 ways to say ‘no’

what to do with food poisoning

self talk to end obsessions

self care ideas/tips