georgie's studyblr

College can be a lot sometimes. Over the past two years I’ve learned some helpful little tricks that help to keep me sane and on top of things, and it’s time I passed them on to all of you! Ahead in part one: scheduling classes, going to them, and homework. Be on the lookout for part two soon!

i. scheduling classes 

Take a full load, but keep it balanced.

Don’t schedule all of the tough classes for one semester. 

Also try to schedule it so that you will have a variety of homework (ie a mix of writing, tests, and worksheet focused classes)

Always speak to your advisor before scheduling classes.

Keep in mind that you will need time for homework and online classes when making your schedule.

Whether it means choosing not to have classes on certain days, putting a two hour break in between classes, or having all your classes in the afternoon so you can study in the mornings.

Keep in mind your personality when picking times.

8AMs are rough. Unless you are the world’s biggest morning person, avoid them if you can. 

Be sure to have a plan for eating meals!

Some schools will let you bring your lunch into class, but I prefer to have a break during lunch so I can relax while I eat. 

Look at a map of campus when scheduling and try to schedule classes in the same building back-to-back, or at least near each other. 

ii. classes

Never go to class without a bottle of water and a pen.

If it’s a workday and you’re given the option to leave class and work elsewhere, actually use that time to work.

Sit wherever you’re comfortable. A lot of posts say to sit up front, but I personally prefer to sit further back so that I can fidget without worrying about distracting others. Figure out what works for you.

After about the third class, seats might as well be assigned. Don’t move and throw everyone else off unless you really have to.

Always be respectful and kind to your teachers and classmates.

Make at least one friend in every class. You don’t have to be bffs, but chat with the person you sit beside before every class so that you have someone to study or share notes with if you need to.

If you need to fidget to pay attention, consider bringing a small container of Play-Doh with you to lectures (you may want to let your teacher know what’s up, they’ll almost definitly be cool with it).

iii. homework

Unlike high school, you really can’t skip homework. Instead of getting lots of small worksheets, your grade will be decided by a few bigger projects or papers. Try to stay on top of things!

Break larger projects up into smaller deadlines.

If a class has a lot of worksheets as homework, start a study group so that you can all work on them together. 

Try to start homework as soon as you get it.

Don’t be afraid to ask from help from teachers, tutors, or classmates.

As soon as you get a syllabus, enter all of the due dates into your planner. If you wanna go the extra mile (hint: you do), go ahead and add in dates to start working on projects, too. 

Work ahead so that you have the flexibility to hang out with your friends at the last minute, instead of being stuck in the library working on a project that’s due first thing in the morning. 

Never plagiarize. It’s the fastest way to get kicked out of a class, or even a whole program. If you’re not sure if it needs a citation, it needs a citation. 

The number one rule is simple: do all your work, and do it the best you can. As long as you follow that, you’ll be golden. 

#optomstudies talking about using textbooks 📚📚📚! @slowtownstudies​ Unlike high school, teachers won’t usually assign specific pages or problem sets to do, and you’ll be using it as a supplement to your studies. There’s no one way of using textbooks because there are multiple types. 

Quick reference type

Characteristics: Usually pocket or A5 sized, bit hard to understand without having background knowledge first, basic dot point summaries. E.g. Wills Eye Manual and Kanski Clinical Ophthalmology Synopsis. 

Benefits of this type of txtbk: good for things you can forget easily, great to revise with before exams, doesn’t break your back to carry around. 

How to make notes: you don’t. Just read straight off them - they are quick reference and require you to understand concepts first. 

Explanatory type

Characteristics: thick, typically 2-3 inches in thickness, written in easy to understand language, as wordy and comprehensive as a print text can be whilst still being able to be carried home out of a bookshop, updated but usually not much difference between versions E.g. Campbell’s Biology. 

Benefits of this type of txtbk: can be studied from without attending lectures, easily readable even when university has sucked the life energy out of you, so comprehensive your lecture usually uses it as the basis of their lecture notes. 

How to make notes: 

Make your lecture summaries first

Get a good grasp of topic

Read textbook and jot down notes or write down on a post-it anything you didn’t already know/needed clarified/anything the textbook explained better. 

Use active reading and make sure you try and word it in your own way!

Add these post-its into your lecture summary notes

Springboard/Basics type

Characteristics: typically 1-2 inches thick, author will specifically say in their Preface that the book is intended to cover the basics, is updated regularly every few years often with overhauls of content. E.g. Kanski’s Clinical Ophthalmology. 

How to make notes: Similar to Explanatory type, but since it’s written more in a dot-point fashion, you’ll find it to be similar in format to your lecture notes. Judge on a case-by-case basis whether or not you want to make notes. 

MY WEEKLY STUDY TIPS

It’s too long to list everything so please see all original posts here, stationery here, bullet journal spreads here, and my study tips directory (web) :)

WHAT I WISH I’D KNOWN BEFORE UNIVERSITY STUDY TIPS SERIES

0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10-1 , 10-2 Saving Money

11 Adapting to Uni Study new!!

12 How to Study From Textbooks in Uni coming 27.02.17!

SEE ALSO Selected Tips/From This Month

Time Management and Organisation

Overcoming the Planning Fallacy new!!

Study Spaces Masterpost , Great Laptop Options for Students , Catching Up with Your Studies

Printables: Weekly Planner with Extra Space for Sat/Sun

Self-Care/Other: Dealing with Bad Teachers , Bujo Maintenance , Sleeping and Waking Up Early

Subject Specific Tips: HSC English, Biology

I had heard it occasionally - that multi-tasking was actually not good for the quality of whatever task I was doing. It made sense, but I loved mult-tasking so much. It gave me the illusion of productivity. 

Until I actually tried focusing for a while, did I realise how much I was actually losing by multi-tasking -  educationally and emotionally. Scrolling through tumblr during boring parts of a lecture seemed fine, since there were notes and it probably wouldn’t be tested in such depth anyway. Eating, while scrolling through social media, while watching a tv show, while messaging someone on facebook seemed ‘productive’. 

It turns out it was the opposite. It may seem fine, and at times it may actually be okay, but what matters is the principle. Dedicating your whole being to one task, focusing on it, produces much better results. It’s a quality over quantity thing. It also helped to calm me down emotionally - I used to always feel rushed, like there was so many things to do but not enough time to do them. Focusing on one task at a time - though it was hard at first - helped slow me down because I did everything properly, and didn’t have the feeling like I needed to go back and do things over again. 

Focusing on one thing wholly is also a form of practising mindfulness. Mindfulness ‘meditation’ isn’t something that requires you to sit down and meditate - it can be applied to our daily life. 

Since I started practising this mindful skill of focus, I’ve become much calmer, it’s been so much easier to stay on top of my work load and meet deadlines, I don’t feel rushed, I don’t feel unprepared or unorganised, and I do more quality work than when I used to multi-task.

54/100 Days of Productivity – 1.28.2016

note taking masterposts

note taking by @thescholarlysquad

guide to note taking by @study-well

guide to note taking by @fuckstudy

taking notes by @delthenerd

useful stuff for your notes

smart highlighting

useful abbreviations

note taking strategies and skills

note taking tips

+ more note taking tips

note taking methods

note taking systems

note taking strategy by @eintsein​

notes set up by @studypetals

how i take notes by @academicmind

note taking system by @theorganisedstudent

how i make revision notes by @nehrdist

how to take lecture notes

note taking for different lecture styles

how to take notes from a textbook

the cornell method

revision notes

summary foldable method

guide to note taking

sketchnoting for beginners

how to take notes from different sources

digital notes

how to: digital notes

typing your notes

guide to using onenote

microsoft onenote tutorial

using the cornell method on onenote

taking ipad notes on notability

how to take notes in google docs

note taking apps

more stuff to add to your notes

ribbons

frames

more frames

banner ideas

easy doodles

more doodle ideas

mildliner ideas

20 uses for post its

cute ways to write the date

guide to pretty notes

10 ways to make your notes prettier

how to illustrate your notes

flashcards + mind maps

how to make flashcards

tips for flashcards

8 ways to make better flashcards

how to use flashcards

how to: flashcards

6 ways to effectively memorize flashcards

studying effectively with flashcards

how to make mind maps

how to mind map

fonts + headers

fun fonts

shadow font

learn cursive

header ideas

two toned fonts

cursive title tutorial

more header ideas

cursive font tutorial

fake calligraphy tutorial

handwriting

how to get neater handwriting

handwriting inspo

how to improve handwriting (video)

note printables

semi-cornell

+ another semi cornell

dotted grid

grid & lined

5 different note taking printables

regular, 3 hole punch, & cornell

meeting notes

printable stickers

my posts

advice for incoming freshman

I  School Days 

1. Show up to class a little early. It’ll give you time to set up, read over some old notes, put your water bottle/thermos on your desk, fill out your planner if you couldn’t in the previous period(s), check your planner to see if you have something on that day etc.

2. Sit in the front or second row. I’m serious, you will definitely benefit. Write detailed class notes. Pick whatever system works for you. I usually write my titles in red pen, notes in black pen, underline points that are repeated/emphasised, highlight keywords at home

3. If you have time at school, do as much homework as you can. If you know you have commitments that day, please for the love of your education do your homework at lunch. I know you might feel awkward, but your friends will understand. 

4. When you get home, first list down all the homework received that day on a q card (cross off as you go). Then write the same tasks in your bullet journal, but as a daily spread. Use stayfocusd or self control for mac + leave phone in a different room. FINISH ALL OF YOUR HOMEWORK. If for some reason you couldn’t complete a homework task, write it on a sticky note and place it on your wall. After homework is done, write your revision notes (flashcard the info as well). Place the notes in your accordion folder/binder. If you have some loose sheets at any point, place them in a ‘To Be Filed’ box. Sort that out when you’re packing your bag for the next day.

5. Go through the flashcards made that day and the flashcards made on the previous days.  List out all assignments/assessments on another q card with their due dates. This will come in handy later.

6. Pack your bag the night before. Remember your accordion folder + make sure your ‘To Be Filed’ box is empty. Put water bottle in the fridge and make meals for the next day.

7. The next day, wake up early, complete any unfinished homework, go through flashcards again, read through revision notes, make lunch for the day, put laptop in bag, put food + water in bag, exercise (esp if you have commitments after school), shower, change, blah blah blah. Only do this if your schedule is packed, and in my case, this is a must.

II  Weekends

1. On Friday nights, first off, do homework. You will thank yourself for it. Whip out that list of assessments/assignments and allocate half days to knock off at least two of these little assholes. Work ahead, you will feel much better.

2. Do your readings. For English, knock off some wider reading novels, for HSIE, knock off some textbook unit readings (two units ahead), for science, knock off some more textbook readings. Write summaries of each page. Type these summaries. Print these summaries. Place in accordion folder/binder. Flashcard the info. Spend like half a day doing this lmao.

3. Spend 1-2 hours going through the flashcards you made that week for each subject. This counts as studying my friend. 

III Weekends When You Actually Have Assessments 

1. Due to your working ahead, homework completion and readings, you shouldn’t be panicking too much. Get those revision notes and slot in the textbook readings notes. Highlight, annotate, read aloud, go through flashcards and get someone to test you on the content. Make sure you know all terms, formulae, key concepts, vocabulary etc etc

2. As for assignments, again due to your working ahead just print them out and heavily edit those little asshats. Then type the edits into the doc. Repeat this process four times. Then get someone to read it. Make sure all your assignments are on your USB + email them to yourself because you never fucking know tbh. 

3. You’ll probs have to sacrifice your reading time but that’s chill because the teacher/prof will probably be focusing on prepping you for the actual assessment + you gotta do what you gotta do.

SUMMARY

This was originally for an article writing assignment, but I thought “why not write something I can also post on my blog?” so here are three study methods that I haven’t seen a lot of in the studyblr community but are definitely worth mentioning.

The Leitner System

          Flash cards have remained one of the most popular ways to study. Some people use them to memorize vocabulary, remember answers to specific questions, or even associate dates with events. Although the use of flash cards is convenient, their effectiveness has been reduced due to most people’s habits of prioritizing each card equally and therefore spending too much time memorizing the information on them.

          The Leitner System, created by a German popularizer of science named Sebastian Leitner, is a more efficient method of studying that implements the concept of spaced repetition. All the cards start off in one pile. You would first scan through these cards, then test yourself. Each card you answer correctly goes to a second pile, while those you answer incorrectly should be revised then placed at the bottom of the pile. When you review the cards in the second pile and get them correct, they will be promoted to a third pile. An incorrect card will always get demoted to the first pile, even if they had previously been promoted to the last pile.

          The reason why this method is so effective is that you end up reviewing the first pile of cards more frequently—the cards you don’t know very well. Some people choose to review their Stack 1 cards every day, Stack 2 cards every other day, Stack 3 cards once every three days, and so on.

          Once all your cards have been promoted to the highest box, study them thoroughly and then start over. The continuous revision trains your speed so that you may reach fluency, which allows you to recall the information faster.

Timed Memorization

          The name tells it all: you memorize a certain text within a time limit, normally around five to ten minutes depending on your fluency and memorization abilities. When the timer starts, you begin memorizing. When time is up, you flip to the next page, even if you haven’t finished the previous page yet. Continue until you’ve gone through all your material.

          Timed memorization helps you to discipline yourself because your brain thinks that there’s no time for messing around; you have to do this here and now. Make sure to repeat the things you missed and revise everything frequently. This method is actually one of the most effective for cramming as it gives a better coverage than if you spend a whole half hour memorizing one subtopic.

The Memory Palace or Mind Palace

           Sound familiar? In BBC’s Sherlock, the ‘highly functioning sociopath’ uses this method to remember vital information and facts. A mind palace is a systematic arrangement of information, each detail corresponding to a specific object in a familiar place. To ensure that you really remember everything, the objects have to appear shocking and conspicuous.

           Here’s an example: if I wanted to memorize “crimson, 11, delight, petrichor (the smell after rain)”, aside from imagining Amy Pond or the Doctor saying it, I would first choose a place, let’s say my school. I’d imagine myself walking up to the front gate and seeing that the entire building has been painted the color of blood—crimson. The building would then rise as though it were lifted from the earth and crumble into rubble, controlled by Eleven, the character from Stranger Things. Now, since I can’t really picture delight specifically, I’d probably end up visualizing a colossal sign that simply reads “delight” posted in front of my school. As for petrichor, I’d imagine curves rising out of the puddles on the asphalt after a rainy night, a visual representation of the smell of the rain. Of course, these visualizations have been created to suit my memory. (I wouldn’t know if you watched Stranger Things.)

           I used this method when memorizing case studies for geography, although I chose to visualize fictional places from television series and cartoons. Some people do opt to create artificial places, but these often become blurry and are easily forgotten.

           As with any study method, repetition is vital to storing the information in your long-term memory. Visit your “palace” as often as you can. Soon enough, you’ll remember the data as well as you remember the place associated with the data.

If you’re studying extremely hard, then you’ve done something wrong. I know how counterintuitive this sounds, but it’s true. If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Most students study very hard to try and get results, but only a minority of students are straight-A students. Get the picture? Just because practically everyone does it doesn’t mean that’s how you should do it. That couldn’t be any truer when it comes to studying. Have you ever wondered how all these superstar students have the time to go to social events, head clubs, and still manage to fit in time to study to get those As? That’s because studying doesn’t have to consume your life if you do it efficiently.

  Let’s start by defining the challenge ahead. Let’s say you have an exam coming up. First ask yourself these questions:

Which lectures and reading assignments (or problem sets) are fair game?

What type of questions will be on the exam and how many of each? (IDs, dates, broad syntheses of text’s major arguments…)

Is the exam open (note)book?

Will formulas be provided or should they be memorized?

How much time will be available? (Does the professor expect it to be easy to finish in the time allotted or a challenge to complete?)

  Now that you’ve answered these questions, it’s time to build a study guide. Below you will learn how to build a study guide for both non-technical courses and technical courses.

  Build a Basic Study Guide (Non-technical)

Creating a study guide is very simple, but here are some tips to make it run more smoothly. It helps to have a plan. First, print out the corresponding notes for a given test. Then cluster the notes into relevant piles by topic fastened by paper clip. You should have “chapters” for each general topic covered. It’s as simple as that. Now that you have “chapters” split up, carry around one or two chapters a day and review the material any free moment you get.

  Construct a Mega-Problem Set (Technical)

Problem set assignments are key, so make sure you keep all the ones you accumulate during the course for studying later.

Make corresponding piles for each type of problem set

Supplement with sample problems from notes

Match the lecture notes to the problem set that covers the same material

Copy sample problems from notes to blank paper (don’t need to copy steps or answer, just questions)

Label the blank sheet with the lecture date (so you know where the problems are from and where to find the answers)

Put this with the problem/lecture note set you created in the previous steps

Augment mega-problem sets with technical explanation questions that ask to explain the basics of the topic (ex: “Explain the general procedure for drawing a molecular structure, why this is useful, and what special cases must be kept in mind.”). This will reveal whether you understand what you’re studying or not by forcing you to write out the basics.

If practice exams are available, copy them and store them with your mega-problem sets

  Prepare Memorization Aids

Flashcards, flashcards, flashcards. They are time tested and work. Start making them when you’re relaxing BEFORE you plan to study them. You need to schedule this out properly to avoid tiring yourself out. If you try to make and study the cards all in the same session you’ll be tired and have trouble remembering later what you spent all that time working on. So make sure you do the creating and studying separately to maximize results. Also be sure you perform checks to know you didn’t “just” memorize but actually understand.

Hey guys! A little while ago, I decided to establish a study plan for myself, and I decided to make it into a master post. So..here’s my usual study plan. Enjoy!

Study Plan

Day 1:

make vocab flashcards

start writing/highlighting notes

read your textbook/chapter twice

Day 2:

review flashcards twice

read notes twice

read textbook/chapter once

create some diagrams

Day 3:

find a video about the topic

read your notes aloud once

read your textbook/chapter once

review diagram

Day 4:

try rewriting you notes from your memory

read notes aloud once

read textbook once

practice vocab flashcards

Day 5:

make a summary of your chapter/lesson

go over vocab

read notes

read textbook

find more videos on the topic

Day 6:

try to find an educational song about the topic(trust me, it makes concepts stick in your head)

review vocab

read notes aloud once

read textbook/chapter once

go over diagrams or try to redraw them from memory

Day 7

go over your vocab

watch another video

read aloud notes

read material

go over diagram again

get a good night’s sleep!!!

Considering it’s been a few years since I first started professionally tutoring high school students, I know that this time of the year is always anxious for graduating seniors. You know what college you’re going in to, what you want to (hopefully) study for the next four years - it’s a good time for the nerves to start kicking in! I try to follow a little acronym called “hope” (nope it’s not my favourite word nope) and I pass on this advice to my students every year - so I thought I would share it with studyblr this year!

→ Hobbies Are Important! Your hobbies are things that shape you and define you, activities that provide you solace and peace of mind when you need it. When college rears its ugly head and life gets busy, it’s really easy to drop your hobbies but it’s really important to continue on with them, as best as you can. Once you’re finished with college, you may find yourself with a lot of empty time on your hands. The workplace doesn’t need you to do homework, prepare for exams and make study guides - so what does one do in all this spare time? Your hobbies are as good as anything, here. No matter how significant or insignificant they are, remember to hold them close to your heart.

→ Organisation Skills Are Key! Many of the studyblr community understand this already, so I won’t elaborate on this too much. Much of the work at the K-12 level is structured easily for the student to understand, with things like worksheets and handouts. They’re not common in college (in fact, I’ve only had them in 2 classes in 3.5 years), so to keep on top of things, it’s important to have good note-taking skills, maintain a good planner and use whatever review methods work most effectively for you to study! You may feel like college is information overload, so rather than trying to keep it all in your head, it’s better to keep it written down, so that your mind is free to absorb new information!

→ Preparing Ahead Isn’t Just For Nerds! That’s right, cool kids can do it too! Nothing bad has ever come out of reading the next class’ chapter ahead of time or starting a study guide for the next exam right after you finish the one during last class. Being aware of the context when learning makes it much easier for your brain to comprehend and understand new material - so if you read up ahead on the chapter and you don’t understand much of it, chances are that when you go to class your brain would’ve remembered keywords, which it’ll pick up during class and help you retain this information more.

→ Expectations Are Personal! Success is a very relative term and should be taken on a personal level. Doing your own best is always what is important - don’t be weighed down by the expectations that others place on you. Many of you will be living away from home for the first time and it’s not easy, at all. “Work smart, don’t work hard” and such quotes make it seem like being disciplined and diligent is all that matters but it is also important to take breaks and take care of yourself too! Know when to take breaks and when to take time for yourself- but also remember to try outdoing yourself before outdoing anyone else!

Once again, this is just my opinion and tips based on my college experience. It is, by no means, an exhaustive list and I believe that once you begin, you too will come to realise some things on your own. I truly wish someone had pointed these things out to me during my freshman year at college but I hope that you come across this post and don’t go through the same mistakes I did! As usual, my askbox is always open for if you ever want to talk/discuss/chat/rant/whatever! I’m so thankful for this wonderful community and I cherish you all lots, just trying to do my bit and give back!