GLOWYSTUDIES

Read More, Read Better

Many of us are looking for more ways to enjoy our time at home in these stressful circumstances. Some of us have turned to books. But how can we make sure we get the most out of them?

An Overview of Note-Taking Styles

The reality is that no matter who we are or where we have come from, new places and experiences may seem scary. That’s why I believe that people with a prepared mindset are at an advantage, and for this, I leave you some little things that I would like that people in college had told me before I started my journey.

Integrate yourself. Regardless of whether you are shy or not, the best way to meet new people and facilitate this new stage is with friendships. Whether through clubs, sports or student association, I promise you that you will find people who are in the same situation as you, people who have passed through the same and above all people with whom you identify.

Enjoy. Use the resources they offer you to have unforgettable experiences. In my case, throughout the year my college offers workshops, seminars, various sports classes and other activities. Participate in some and I promise you that will bring you not only knowledge but also well-being.

Ask for help. College is a new experience, a new phase that needs adaptation and it is often difficult to get into the rhythm right away, but fortunately there are older students who don’t mind helping at all, either through notes, doubts or even help you with some work. In addition, teachers are usually very accessible, with special attention during the first year. So when you need it, don’t be ashamed to send them an email, go to the offices or ask for a tutor. The bare reality is that there is no one who knows better what it is necessary to put into a paper or a test answer that they.

Learn to manage yourself. Whether we want it or not college is a bundle of expenses and it is necessary to learn how to manage your money if we don’t want to get to the second week of the month already without a penny. So pay attention to where your money goes. Unfortunately, I am guilty of this, but living away from college implies having to eat daily on the same or around and what isn’t lacking is fast food and less healthy options available. If you do not pay attention you will be spending more money than necessary and harming your health. Choose to always bring something with you.

Experience doesn’t imply extremes. The truth is you don’t need to participate in everything that happens to have the best experience or the best resume, because above all too many responsibilities cause more headaches than good. Learn how to balance and say no.

Far from sight, but never far from the heart. For people who in addition to going to college will also need to move from home, I simply say this: always carry with you something that reminds you of good memories, the people you love and the place you come from.

Doubts are normal. Personal doubts weren’t raised by the high school or by the application process. Adults or not, we continue to form our personality and fight for our future so is normal to have moments of doubt. The reality is that you will doubt yourself, your choices, your work and even put everything in question. But it’s as simple as that, we don’t always make friends right off the bat or we get the grades because we’ve fought so hard, it does not mean we have to give up.

You’ll have to learn to deal with people. Each of us has a personality and, fortunately, no personality is the same for two different people. Whether in group work, roommates or as part of an association or club you will have to be able to deal with countless people and their personalities, some of which will make you furious. But the reality is that it will be necessary for you to deal with these situations calmly and with the greatest respect possible, hoping that this will lead to things going well.

04.16.2019 // 05:03 PM

my spreads have definitely become more “busy” since switching to daily entries but…i have fallen in love with my bujo all over again! admittedly, I wasn’t giving myself enough freedom in the past but now I feel so connected with every page! it has become a solace for me again; I don’t care if I make mistakes bc I won’t be staring at it for a *whole* week…and making mistakes is fun!!!

so here’s a reminder to try new things in your journal! you might find something you like better than before 🦋

Hiii , how’s everyone doing?

Today I’m going to give some really good advice on how to study effectively using exercises! Everybody knows that exercises are a great way to study, so it would be excellently if we could Improve it even more, right? These are very simple steps, but trust me, they’ve helped me a LOT!

• First of all, you should write a title with the exercise topic, just to make it easier to find later.

• Then do a legend in the side, maybe in a post it or something. Why? Well, you will mark each question with the colors on the legend. For example mine is something like this: In the left side i make circles in different colors.

Green: My answer is right.

Pink: My answer is right, but I had some difficulty answering.

Blue: My answer was wrong, but I saw the mistake by myself and I corrected my answer.

Turquoise: (It’s purple here because there is no turquoise here ._.) My answer was wrong, and i couldn’t identify the mistake alone. However, after looking for a explanation or the answer online, I understood why it was wrong.

Red: My answer is wrong, and even after looking for the answer or explanation online I still didn’t understand why it was wrong.

•After doing that, I will start answering the questions. Something I like to do when I’m using multiple exercises resources(Example: textbook, past papers, online exercises lists and so on) is putting a subtitle for each one, like dividing in sections.

• After answering each question, i will make or a circle, a heart, I don’t know, with the appropriate color.

• Next, I will make *simple* percentages and statistics, so I can see how many I’m getting wrong or right.

• I will do all this steps with each exercise list, while I’m studying the subject( Example: One after my first contact with the subject, one for after I finish the theoretical part of the subject, one for revising, etc.)

This way, I’m able to see where most of my mistakes are coming from, if it’s from distractions(silly mistakes) or if I’m having difficulties with it, and if I’m improving on it.

ready for uni !

If you think you’re doing as much as you can when you study and your grades don’t reflect the effort you’re putting in, these tips might be the key

keep your energy up: it’s no use studying if you’re too tired to process the information, after all so before you start studying make sure that you aren’t feeling sluggish or tired. To combat this, I recommend:

exercise: do 10 pushups, jumping jacks, or dance around for a few minutes before you start working or anytime you catch yourself drifting

eat something: one of the best things to do if you’re sluggish is to drink water. Keep water by you while you study and eat some healthy foods like apples, bananas, and almonds.

be smart about where you study: don’t study in bed!!!! Your brain associates your bed with sleep and you will feel tired if you study in bed. Find a quiet, well lit area with lots of room for the most effective studying. Make sure you have water (and food) on hand. The ambiance of where you study is also very important:

don’t listen to music: you might think that you study better when listening to music, but  you don’t. It’s been proven that listening to music while working is a form of multitasking, which slows down your efficiency. If you really want to listen to music, listen to instrumental music or songs you don’t know and a low volume. I personally like listening to ambiance noises when I’m studying.

lighting is important: a dark studying environment isn’t helpful for obvious reasons. Turn on a lamp to keep you awake and alert. (Make sure you turn the brightness down on your electronics, though. The strain put on your eyes by bright blue light does more harm than good).

draw up a plan: have 3 subjects to study for? It looks a lot less daunting if you break it up into manageable chunks. Maybe decide to study chemistry for 30 minutes then move on to math for an hour. Plan this out several days in advance so that you can have something of a weekly schedule. Beyond that, plan how you’re going to study for the subject. For example, plan to read your math notes then do a practice quiz instead of just giving an amount of time.

put away distractions: all the studying advice in the world can’t help you if you’re getting distracted every few minutes by your phone. Put it in another room or with your parents or use an app to block procrastination. Close extra tabs, clear clutter from your study space, and turn off your notifications. Be ruthless in clearing away distractions.

study smart: I’ve talked about this before, but being an active studyer is way more helpful than being passive. Passive studying is reading your textbook or notes without engaging in any other way. A way to actively study a textbook could be to highlight as you go through or to take notes. The best ways to actively study are to teach someone else and to do practice tests (some more examples are making study guides and working out problems out loud).

understanding is key: understanding the material goes a long way in preparing you because pure memorization without understanding is how people study for hours and still fail. A good rule of thumb to see if you understand a topic is if you can teach it, you know it. However, with things you need to memorize like formulas and vocabulary, study those (my favorite way is to create acrostics) a little every day.

use different methods for one topic: even if you’re actively studying, using one method can become horribly monotonous. Plus, if you attack from all angles you have a much better chance at understanding. Make flashcards to go along with notes, draw charts and diagrams, and make mind maps.

watch videos and get outside help: there are a lot of credible websites out there like Khan Academy and Crash Course if you need an extra lesson on a topic you haven’t quite mastered.

take breaks: space out your studying! Maybe later I’ll make a post on how to cram, but a big reason cramming isn’t as advantageous is that you can’t break up your studying. 15 minutes every day is a lot of cumulative studying and way better than studying 3 hours in a panic the day before. Taking breaks during a longer studying session is also helpful. I like to utilize the pomodoro method, which is longer study sessions broken up by short breaks. 

Applying & Freshman Year

Picking the right school infographic

Getting letters of recommendation 

Tips on choosing a major

Choosing the right college

A guide to move-in day

Surviving your first day of classes

Choosing a major

Things you need to know before starting college

Senior checklist

What you need to know about admissions

Things to consider when choosing a major

What to expect at orientation

Tips for transfer students

What I learned my freshman year

Tips on choosing classes

Finding the best laptop

The truth about being undeclared

What NOT to do freshman year

Things to do the summer before you start

Writing a great application essay

Different types of colleges

Why your major matters

Pros and cons of taking summer courses

Pros and cons of attending a small college

How to be successful in community college

Freshman tips for the self-conscious

College prep timeline

Visiting colleges

Scheduling your classes

Why you should apply early

First week checklist

Things to do before you graduate high school

How to efficiently choose your classes

What colleges look at most on applications

Self-Care 

How to be a morning person

Dealing with anxiety

Organizing your assignments

How to deal with burnout

Dealing with depression

Losing weight in college

Avoiding the freshman 15

More on dealing with anxiety

Practicing self-care

Overcoming shyness

ADHD & college

How to have “me time” 

Taking care of your mental health

Remedies for homesickness

A healthy grocery list

Helpful exercise tips

Eating healthy in restaurants and the dining hall

Dealing with mental illness in college

Curing test anxiety

Managing mental health

Staying healthy

Getting through college when you don’t party

How to nap effectively

In Your Classes 

How to master your toughest classes

How to raise your GPA

Handling a heavy course load

Preparing for new classes

Can I afford to skip class today? 

Things to do in between classes

Things to do when starting new classes

Planning for a busy week

Passing an online class

Acing group projects

Why you’re not making the grades you want

Good note-taking tips

How to prepare for next semester

What to do if you’re failing 

How to bounce back from failing a class

Ways to raise your grades

GPA calculator

Things to do during syllabus week

Making the most out of your syllabus

Mistakes to avoid in your classes

Note-taking in class

Cornell method of note-taking

How to remember what you wrote in class

How to correctly use a syllabus

MLA format

Weekly assignment printables

Studying & Essays

Why studying in advance helps improve grades

Gigantic study playlist

Anti-procrastination strategies

How to properly use Google for essays

Really cool motivation strategy for reading textbooks

Shortening/lengthening essays cheat sheet

Make an essay appear longer than it is

Ultimate guide to passing finals

Useful tips for all types of learners

How to write a great essay about anything

Make a study guide with Microsoft Word

Tools for writing an essay

How to write papers that will dazzle your professors

How to tackle a long-term school project

Writing thesis statements

What to do if you’re a few words short on an essay

How to make a paper look longer

Procrastination 101

The formula for writing long papers

How to write with clarity cheat sheet

Preparing for exams

Writing a research question

How to be study savvy

How to take notes from a textbook

Make a study schedule with Microsoft Excel

Helpful highlighting system

How to annotate text

Research terms defined

How to study effectively infographic

Forming good study habits

What to do if you don’t have enough time to finish a paper

How to prepare for a test

Really helpful website to work with on essays

How to memorize flashcards

Organizing classwork and notes

What I wish I knew before taking online classes

Study tips for different types of learners

Making a study guide with Microsoft Word

Make a finals study plan

Ways to start and end an essay

Pandora study stations

Automatic bibliography generator

Finances

Questions about buying textbooks

Guide to cheaply buying textbooks

A girl’s guide to saving money

Free college textbooks

Tips for managing your finances

Basic guide to couponing

Paying for college beyond the basics

Student discounts, pt. 1

Student discounts, pt. 2

Student discounts, pt. 3

Student discounts, pt. 4

Student discounts, pt. 5

Student discounts, pt. 6

Student discounts, pt. 7

Compare/buy/sell college textbooks

Websites for financial aid you should use

Ways to save money on expenses

The financial aid roadmap

Questions to ask about student loans

Financial advice from a grad student

Apps for budget-setting

Clothing stores with student discounts

How to make money in college

Student loan mistakes

How to attend college for free

Side jobs for students

Free school supplies

Easy ways to save money

Dorm room discounts

Free college textbooks

How to live on a budget

Finance tips

Printable financial planner

Expense tracker printable

Monthly budget printable

Tips to lower your grocery bill

Planning out your college finances

Things to know when completing the FAFSA

Miscellaneous 

Backpack essentials

Tons of printables

Free binder spine labels

Staying safe

Life hacks for college students

Living with a roommate

Great time management system

Surviving your first party

College dating: expectations vs. reality

Packing list for a library study binge

Why you should try new things in college

Sample roommate contract

Surviving your first cold winter

Tips to navigate dating

Hard lessons you learn

Healthy dorm room snacks

How to own your hookups

The do’s and don’ts of talking to your professors

Time management tips

Juggling work and college

How to e-mail your professors

College care package items and must-haves

Apps for organization

What to do when life challenges threaten your academic success

Lily Pulitzer binder covers

Popular planners to use

College clubs that look great on a resume

Truths about sex in college

Class assignments template

Things to know before applying to grad school

How to stay organized throughout the year

Habits of highly successful students

Weekly meal prep

My favorite Dollar Tree organizing products

Ultimate organization guide

for a lot of us, it seems nearly impossible to find a balance between our grades and our health. i’ve created a list of tips and resources for managing classwork as well as mental illness. i tried to be inclusive of depression and anxiety as well as other disorders like adhd and bipolar. (i’d like to be more inclusive of others, but i couldn’t find a lot of resources and wasn’t sure what would help aaaa)

please let me know if you have anything to add, and i hope this post can help you out in some way c:

while studying

create a routine, and do your best to stick to it. having a consistent schedule can be a struggle, especially when dealing with long days of class or difficulties with sleep. try something more open-ended and flexible if you can’t manage specific times. (studying for an hour in the morning and before bed vs studying at 8 am and 10 pm)

start with your favourite subject. there are a lot of suggestions on how to start a study session (and they usually conflict it seems), but i’ve found that this works best for me. your favourite subject may be easy or difficult, but by starting with it, you get in the groove of studying and won’t get burnt out as quickly, giving you more energy to do your other work.

don’t take on more than what you can handle. if you’re feeling motivated, great! get as much done as you can! but on the bad days, just do what you can. there are times where it seems nearly impossible to get anything done, but still try to make the most out of each day and do what you’re able to so you don’t fall far behind. do what you can, when you can. don’t overwork yourself so much.

during class

take notes. for me, the easiest way to lose track during a class is if i don’t write or doodle. even if the material doesn’t seem important, write it down! it may be useful later, and it’ll keep your mind from wandering during lecture. (that being said, don’t always write things exactly as the teacher says; putting it into your own words can make it easier to remember and understand)

record lecture audio. if you can’t copy everything down in time, or if for whatever reason you need to know something verbatim, then you’ll have something to listen to again later.

take pics of what the instructor writes on the board. similar to the above tip, you can refer back to the pictures you took. just don’t forget about them! write yourself a note or make an alarm on your phone to remind you that there’s more material to review. don’t be the kid who takes pictures during the whole lecture but never writes anything, that kid’s obnoxious and gets bad grades

stay focused. i fidget a lot with my hands and feet, especially during a long lecture or study session. i find that keeping my hand on my pen/pencil is the simplest way to keep my mind on track, but fidget toys may help you as well. most teachers and students are fine with it as long as it’s not too disruptive.

at home

keep track of medication. ngl i am suuuper forgetful when it comes to medication :’) if you’re forgetful too, leave yourself as many reminders as you can. set alarms, write notes, or have someone else keep you accountable if you’re living with a parent or roommate. having routine helps here as well, especially if you take meds multiple times a day.

communicate regularly with your doctor. if you’re living away from home, or just a busy student, it can be particularly difficult to make appointments. but you should still make an effort to email your doctor, therapist, etc. at least once a month, and more often if you’re currently changing or adjusting medications.

“catching up” on sleep is a myth. depriving yourself of sleep during the week and then sleeping in on the weekends won’t fix your sleep schedule, sadly. keep it consistent if you can. even if you’re staying up late and sleeping in, try to get at least 7-8 hours. whether it’s 12-8 am or 2-10 am, it’s a reasonable amount for getting through the day. sleeping too little can leave you tired and grumpy in the morning, but sleeping too much can also leave you groggy, sluggish, and unproductive for the rest of the day.

eat something healthy. okay, no one can eat healthy all the time, and i don’t expect you to. i certainly don’t expect myself to lol. but we can still find a healthy snack or meal to make a part of our lives. sometimes fruit is the best comfort food tbh. here are a few simple snacks that you could try, for studying or for whatever else. i personally enjoy anything with berries, especially yogurt parfait or oatmeal.

have a support system. it helps so much to have someone you can talk to when you’re not feeling well or in need of encouragement. it can be a friend, a parent, a sibling, your significant other, or even other members of the studyblr community! (if you don’t have anyone to talk to, please talk to me!! i am here for you my friendo)

other stuff

community college by @universi-tea - if you’re worried about moving into dorms or away from home (or are simply unable to), i strongly encourage you to try out community college. it’s made schooling much more enjoyable and accessible for me and i think everyone should give it a chance. plus it’s waaay cheaper.

also, most (if not all) U.S. schools have a disability services department; this applies to both physical and mental illnesses. talking to them for the first time can be nerve-wracking, but in the long run it’s completely worth it. teachers and staff want to help you! but you have to help yourself a lil bit too. accommodations may include leniency about attendance and deadlines, or they may let you take exams on earlier or later dates with fewer students present. the flexibility with deadlines has saved my ass more than once tbh

things to do when things don’t feel right by @affectionsuggestions - sometimes it’s okay to just do small things, and sometimes it’s okay to not do anything at all.

ways to start feeling again by @urbanthropologie - similar to above, but with a focus on mindfulness (helps with anxiety, dissociation, etc)

my mental illness tag - this has many other resources that are otherwise not listed in this post.

my printables tag! - printables are great for when you’re too tired or not sure how to write things out completely by hand. there are some planners and calendars as well as gratitude logs, habit trackers, etc.

i have tons of other tags listed here if you need anything more specific :>

Hey! so i just created my very first studygram (shameless self promo @decafstudy follow me) and one of my irl friends saw my stories and posts and asked “How many hours does your day have? ´cause mine only has 24″ and that got me thinking abt how i take the most advantage of my days to make them feel (or look) 48 hours long! Here are a few of the things I incorporate on my daily student life to be more productive!

• IF YOUR FIRST CLASS STARTS LATE IN THE MORNING WAKE UP 2 HOURS EARLIER THAN NEEDED i know, am i crazy? ok so here´s the deal. If your first class starts, let´s say, at 11:00 A.M you might be tempted to wake up at 10:00 A.M, get dressed, and head to school. Not only does this create bad habits for when you get assigned a 7:00 A.M class (which will happen) but you lose MANY HOURS OF PRECIOUS TIME. Get your 8-9 hours of sleep and do not let yourself wake up later than needed. My class sometimes starts at 11:30 A.M so i wake up at 8:00 have a nice morning, relax, work out a bit, light up a candle and get ahead on reading and work for school! Your day will start and feel more productive!

• NEVER LEAVE CLASS WITH A DOUBT ON YOUR MIND I know this might create anxiety for people who are shy and do not like asking questions during class (i am one of those people) If you feel just too scared to ask during class APPROACH THE TEACHER AFTER CLASS ENDS. as soon as he dismisses class, approach him and ask the question. If you are not able to do so DO NOT STRESS, BUT WRITE THAT QUESTION DOWN ASAP ON A POST IT AND STICK IT YOUR NOTEBOOK. that way you will have the question at hand and you can seek tutoring later and ask, or even ask a friend BUT NEVER LET A QUESTION GO, NEVER think “i will ask it later” BECAUSE YOU WON´T and IT WILL DOOM YOU. This will save so much time when you study, because all your questions will be at hand and you will know what you have to focus on studying.

• WHENEVER YOU HAVE FREE TIME, USE IT TO WORK WHILE DOING SOMETHING FUN instead of just diving head first into watching a movie, ask yourself if there is something more productive that you could be doing rn (reading ahead, reviewing, doing extra math exercises) if the answer is yes, then put that movie on mute and work while taking a peek at the movie ever once in a while. This will not only help you with discipline and learning to keep yourself from distractions, but it will occupy your free time in something that your future self will thank you for later on.

• NEVER ASSUME THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DO IT LATER again, think in terms of your FUTURE SELF how much would your future self love it if instead of studying 3 days before the exam, you studied a week before it? How much would your future self love it of instead of reading until 12:00 PM tomorrow, you divided the reading between today and tomorrow? never assume that you will have spare time ahead because chances are that you won´t and you will end up with A BUNCH of work that you didn´t do and that you can´t do at the moment. FUTURE SELF THINKING has saved my life.

• LEAVE TIME OPEN FOR MENTAL HEALTH/PHYSICAL/RECREATIVE CARE as much as i always put work first, I KEEP MY THERAPIST VISIT AND MY GYM ROUTINE STABLE no matter how much work i have. This helps me feel more balanced and like i am on top of everything, not just school, feeling good=more productivity.

• POMODORO TECHNIQUE i know many people know about this but if you don´t, this is basically a studying technique in which you work or study for 25-30 minutes straight NO DISTRACTIONS and then have a 5-6 minute break, and then repeat the process as many hours as you need. This really helps me not get burnt out when I have a heavy load of work. Watching study with me videos on yt is a good way of keeping the pomodoro system going. Some good apps that I use for POMODORO are Forest and Tide.

• HAVE AN APP CARPET ON YOUR PHONE THAT IS CALLED “PRODUCTIVITY” ie. download a BUNCH of cute as hell apps that help you get motivated and organised when you look at them. This will make you more prone to look at your phone as an INSTRUMENT rather than a DISTRACTION. (my fave apps are Taskade, Forest, Tide, Brainscape and Pocket)

• Lastly, GET MOTIVATED i know this sounds cliché, but the reason why i love keeping my day busy is because i surround myself with a romanticised idea of studying. Doing these kinds of posts, following a bunch of accounts with pretty notes, having a clean room and desk, going to the library and appreciating the color scheme or sounds around you, listening to relaxing sounds or music while working, downloading many pretty apps to keep myself on track while having a cute aesthetic… all of these things might seem small, but they make you feel cleaner, more balanced and more prone to LIKING the work you do.

my brother is 26 years old, makes $200k a year, and just bought a house with his fiance. he’s the success story you hear about but never actually meet in person, but it all happened by accident. he wanted to go to college for clarinet performance, but he got rejected from all the top schools. so he decided to major in physics instead, and then went on to get a doctorate to put off being an adult for a few more years. but then he ended up dropping out halfway through the program and accepting a job with google as a software engineer. so to reiterate: my brother majored in something he was not interested in, and then he got a job that had nothing to do with his degree. 

he isn’t successful because he had some master plan he followed, he just stumbled around blindly until something worked out. and that’s what we’re all doing–i majored in political science and now i do customer service for a company that makes industrial-sized gas detection monitors. the marketing director at my company has a degree in biology, and my mom has an MBA and works at a middle school.  no one knows what they’re doing, we’re all just trying different things until something works out.

When I was seventeen, I was 100% sure that I was going to get a job as a bureaucrat and save the world. When I was a 21-year-old recent college grad, I found out that it’s impossible to get a government job unless you know someone. So I gave up and found something else. I know my teenage self would be disappointed if she could see where I’m at, but you know what? I don’t care. Because teenage me was an idiot. She didn’t know anything about the world or how it worked, and she couldn’t have possibly predicted the curveballs that life would throw at her. And because I don’t know a single person who’s doing the thing they wanted to do when they were teenagers.

long story short, race is a socially-constructed concept. it is based on the stereotypes, meanings, and ideas attached to physical characteristics, such as skin color, eye shape, hair color, build, etc. its roots stem from colonization. racism exists everywhere. it is a universal issue. and unfortunately, it is not going away any time soon. and colorblind thinking will not fix it. we cannot ignore eachother’s stories.