fantail and fern

It's been almost two semesters since my college experience began and honestly, it took a while for me to actually get a hang of things. What I did not realize until the end of my first year [just one month left] is that there is only a minor difference between school and college.

In school, you have longer hours, a prescribed textbook, and stressed teachers.

In college, you have less hours, a prescribed syllabus, and carefree professors who sometimes get stressed.

The students, basically us, are the same. The methods, however? They should change as we change environments. So, obviously I am back with new tips to survive college ;)

This is the method that I figured out, and I feel like is the best way to manage studies along with extracurriculars.

Start With Syllabus

Write down all your papers for the semester along with the professors handling each paper. And then make a list of the syllabus for each paper. Note down your credit scores for that paper, the maximum extra credits you can get, and the overall attendance that you require.

I usually do this on different papers in the same notebook, but you could also print it out.

It should look something like this:

If you have two or three professors handling the same paper, then you'll note down their initials beside each unit or lesson that they take.

After a unit or a lesson has been completed in class, you will put a small check mark for your own reference.

Do this for all your papers and during any tests or midterms, it will be easy for you to reference from because you'll have everything in one sheet.

If you want to add any additional details, you could add assignments, test scores, and seminars etc. Do this if you want to track how you're performing. Honestly, I prefer to keep it simple, but you do whatever works well for you.

Resource Collection & Notes Gathering

After you've organized your syllabus, start collecting the material from day one. Do NOT wait for tests and midterms to get closer and then scramble to everyone else.

There are only two ways of gathering notes and resources.

Ask your seniors and professors.

Collect it yourself.

I currently prefer a mixture of both. Go to your professors, ask for the reference books, notes, materials, texts, whatever. If they've already given it to you then that's one less problem for you. If they haven't, then ask early.

Then go to your seniors and refer which notes they're using. Go to the seniors who are well known in the department or anyone who's currently in student councils or any leadership roles. They usually study well and already have a variety of notes and resources outside of what the professor has already given [at least what I've noticed].

Compare the material and take 80% of your professors' notes and 20% of your seniors.

If you don't want to ask your seniors, collect it yourself, there will definitely be extra reference books that were prescribed for you.

Using NotebookLM, ChatGPT & YouTube

I will admit, I did not have time to sit and make all the notes myself. What I did was basically, uploading all my content, reference notes, text materials, and the notes I made in class in NotebookLM.

Hear me out. I'm all supportive of ethical use of AI. And this is ethical.

You basically just create a prompt to generate notes.

The first prompt you will use is to generate your actual prompt. You can use ChatGPT, ClaudeAI, Gemini, anything. Usually ChatGPT does the trick for me. You can paste this exact prompt after filling the template:

"You are a world class prompt engineer. I want you to generate a prompt for me to paste into NotebookLM so I can optimize my notes and make them more effective. I usually learn through ______. Generate a prompt that I can paste in NotebookLM and it will generate the exact kind of notes that make me study effectively."

Complete that prompt. You only have one blank to fill. Fill it efficiently.

In my case, I learn better when everything is grouped together and in bullet points. I also add things like "Do not miss out relevant information like dates and names of people"

You can make any statement you want, something that you know helps you learn better.

From there, ChatGPT would give you a prompt, if it's too long then just paste "Give me a tighter version that keeps all the substance but is more efficient"

Now, you paste that result in NotebookLM, and you'll literally see how easily understandable your notes are now.

Experiment with all the features there. There are flashcards, infographics, a video generator, a freaking podcast that you can participate in, and mind maps that are remarkably easy.

Tip: If you don't know how you learn the best and how you want your notes to be. Then just prompt this in ChatGPT, "You are an expert study optimizer and academic note taker. Help me know how I learn best using my notes by giving me 5 questions that I can answer to figure out my notes learning style."

If you start early, then it will be easy for you to experiment and see what notes style sticks with you.

You can also add YouTube links to NotebookLM and learn through that if you don't want to watch the entire videos. But these three are your best friends, use them wisely to study and optimize better.

[In no way am I promoting the use of AI in cheating. This is a way to optimize how you learn and will help you to retain information faster. And this is not a promotion of any of the AI tools mentioned above. I'm merely sharing how I use them to become more efficient.]

Print & Organize for Revision

After you make all your notes, I usually print them because I feel like there's just too much content to write. If you want you can have just basic drawings or mind maps, I will not recommend handwritten notes if your syllabus is just too vast. You could take running notes in class but other than that I do not see the point of it now.

But if handwritten notes do work for you, then be my guest. If it works you then it's totally fine.

Revision Strategy

Take your previous year question papers for each paper. And analyze how they've asked questions. It will definitely follow a similar pattern. Note down how they've asked the questions, and most importantly, which units are they covering the most.

Always start with the units your professors have put emphasis on. And then move on to the other units. I usually finish the units with the least lessons that way I have more units completed. This gives me a chance to answer a variety of questions in all sections.

Tip: I always recommend finishing an entire unit thoroughly than to study part and pieces of everything. You must cover at least 75-80% of your syllabus to pass with a decent score. But even this depends more on how you frame your answers in your exams.

Practice & Application

And this is where you'll actually go through your paper and learn how to answer each question accordingly. Differentiate the questions, and after tests, when you receive the scores, go and actually ask the professors what you did wrong if they did not already give the feedback.

The best way to get better scores is to frame answers according to how your professors want them to be.

_____________________________________

And that is done, I hope this was helpful! I'll try to be more active from now on. I have a ton of new experiences and ideas now, I've been getting into new things like AI and even a bit of personal finance.

The main goal of education is to actually get new perspectives and learn different things. So, I will definitely be starting new posts. You can also expect some daily updates, college exam editions since my semester finals start next week :)

this is the first I’ve ever heard of “knives” in the context of disability, but I’m disabled and retired entirely because I took more knives than I can even begin to count at my old job, and was never given a chance to recover from all the stabs and slices

The last month of the year is not about becoming a new you. It’s about becoming the version of yourself you were always meant to be. This is the time to edit, not add. Below are ten anchors for your final 30 days, practices you can weave in. They’re not tasks. They’re invitations to elevate how you live & feel through the last chapter of your year

1. Declutter your nervous system before your life

Slow mornings. Less phone. Sun. Grounding. Breath work. A regulated nervous system is the foundation of every habit, boundary and intention you set

2. Choose one physical habit and repeat it daily

Pick one thing, pilates, walking, red light, skincare routine and make it your signature for the next 30 days. Not to transform, but to anchor. Tiny discipline shapes the person you become

3. Clean your environment

Your space holds emotional residue. Use this month to release it. Clear your closet. Wipe down surfaces. Refresh your bathroom. Reset your kitchen. A messy environment an irregulated nervous system. A clean environment, as well as taking the time to move things around, shifts the energy in the room

4. Audit your relationships

Who brings out your softness? Who drains your ambition? Who feels like the future and who feels like the past? Release the people your next chapter won’t need, keeping you comfortable or are holding you back

5. Set your non negotiable five for the next 30 days

These are the habits your future self needs, not the habits your anxious self craves

Some examples: Morning sunlight A 10 minute walk One hour of focused work Journaling

6. Choose your next year identity now

Identity precedes outcomes, so write it down

“I am becoming a person who…”

Behavior flows from identity. Results flow from behavior. Become who you want to be at the identity level first

7. Do one thing every day that builds self trust

nothing changes your life like keeping promises to yourself. Even the smallest ones. Small integrity creates massive identity

8. Release what you don’t want to carry into the new year

The grudges self doubt comparison situationships fear of choosing yourself survival habits

9. Create a vision that feels like a memory

Describe your next year like it already happened, your mornings, your friendships, your home, your income, your routines, your sense of self. The brain filters your life through what you believe is coming

10. Treat these 30 days like a runway

There’s something about others that I’ve learned to borrow ... qualities I’ve admired, gathered, and added to myself over the years. Things I measured as good, as worthy. Like souvenirs of the soul. And in that way, you could say I’ve lived a life made up of beautiful, stolen identities.

I remember Mrs. Jordan: my 11th and 12th grade math teacher. She brought math alive for me. A Black middle-aged woman with noticeably greying hair she wore awkwardly combed to the side. She was brilliant. Unapologetically smart. In the middle of a large, noisy classroom at Cody High, I felt seen. What I took away was simple but foundational: Black women can be smart, educated, and love things like math. She became a shero.

For some reason, my 8th-grade homeroom teacher’s name slips my mind. But I see her in my memory as clear as day: her glasses, the shawls draped over her blouses, her quiet authority. She also taught science and had a way of making things plain—accessible to my awakening mind. Somehow, all the insecurities of middle school faded in her presence. I noticed the way she spoke, the precision of her words, her ability to correct firmly without ever making you feel unloved. In my imagination, she was the perfect mom. I used to picture her children, imagining how much love they must have received. What I took away from her was this: there’s a way a woman can be that causes others to feel at home. And that Black women could embody poise and grace.

When I was twelve, I went away to music camp. My sister had gone. My brother before her. Now it was my turn. In between the showtunes, Broadway choreography, and whispered hair secrets about gel that made your waves pop in a slick ponytail, there was a girl. An older teen. I don’t remember her name or even her face, but I remember her essence. She called everyone “sweetie” or “sweetheart.” I was amazed. That wasn’t the language of my house ... not even from my grandmother, whose smirk said, “Marty, I love you,” without ever saying it.

But this girl used endearments like grace notes—easy, effortless. And something in me shifted. I realized I could remake myself. I told myself: When I have someone to love, I’ll call them sweetie. I couldn’t start with the people already in my life—we had a culture of mocking good things. But I waited.

When I had my first serious boyfriend, the words came naturally. Like they’d always been mine. “Sweetie.” When I met my husband, he became my honeydew melon. I called him honey, sweetie, babe—anything warm, anything true. Because he made me feel safe. Because I wanted him to know I loved him. And then our kids came, and they were my honeys, my sweethearts. The love I borrowed from a girl at music camp multiplied. I poured it out on everyone who would let me.

There’s something to a longing heart ... the desperate desire to become more than what you’ve known. To love more than you were ever loved. To become the kind of woman you’ve never seen in real life.

Now at 46, when I walk through the grocery store, down school hallways, or across the playground—where other people’s kids call out “Mrs. Griffin!”—Mrs. Jordan answers. My 8th-grade teacher answers. That girl from music camp answers.

“Yes, sweetie. What do you need?”

And in my heart, what I hope they feel—my children, my husband, and’ kids at school—is that they are loved. That they are surrounded by love.

Because love can be borrowed. And if you hold it long enough, it becomes your own.

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