Mary Joan Studies

A list of reminders that are mainly for myself

Sleep

Sleep is really important

Don't stay up till 11-12 every night you will cry the next day

GET BACK ON SCHEDULE NOW SO YOU DON'T DIE THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL

Practice good sleep hygiene by getting into good habits before bed (I personally brush my teeth, change into my pjs, lay out clothes for the next day, then go make myself a mug of sleepy time tea to drink while I read)

Try to find a place to chill on your phone/read/do other not school/work related things that isn't your bed

SLEEP FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PULLING AN ALL NIGHTER WILL NOT HELP YOU IT IS TOO LATE MY FRIENDS

Organization

Color code

Color code some more

Color code everything

Color coding is helpful if you enjoy visual learning and it makes things pretty

You know highlighting in pretty colors makes you happy don't lie

You're told to buy all your supplies beforehand but if you're a high school student honestly don't

Buy everything you know you'll need (paper, pencils, highlighters, pens, etc.)

Then after the first day when your teachers give you the supply lists you can fill in whatever you don't have

USE THE DOLLAR STORE THEY HAVE RELATIVELY DECENT STATIONARY FOR DIRT CHEAP

That's where I buy all my comp books and I got a really cute cat one there once

This will save you a ton of money

Try to keep your desk relatively clean but it's ok if it gets a little messy don't stress

Try to keep all your school stuff in one place

If you have classes that don't have required notebook set ups then take notes for all those classes in one notebook and transfer the notes into subject notebooks at home save your backs

COLOR CODE

For my fellow IBD, Crohn's, UC, IBS, lactose intolerant, or friends with severe food allergies

Don't eat your trigger foods during the school year

It's tempting but then you will cry

And since most GI conditions are aggravated by stress missing more school/work because of a flare will cause stress and make it worse

Don't make the mistakes I made last school year I beg

Rest when you need to

School is hard with chronic illness, make sure you take care of yourselves

Mentally ill friends

AGENDAS

I know they can be hard to use but planning things and breaking stuff down into small pieces really does help

I use an app called Egenda which let's me organize things by class and gives me notifications to get my shit done

REST

Get proper sleep because mental illness is draining

Don't stay up till 11 just cause you wanna talk to friends it will catch up to you

Your friends want you to take care of yourself so sleep

Eat properly

Even if it's something small for breakfast it's better than nothing

Make sure you're in classes you can handle

You might have the intelligence for AP but you may not have the stamina, that's ok

School is about learning not competition don't push yourself too hard

Food

Eat friends

Try to eat at least one fruit and veggie every day

You will feel better

Avoid diets during the school year unless necessary, stressing about food just adds more stress to your life

HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE

Dehydration is as killer when you live in a hot area

Please don't die

You are loved

Apps (my personal favorites)

Egenda - digital agenda

Desmos - graphing calculator

Quizlet - this app isn't just for cheating, you can create flashcards, quizzes, and more and it saved my ass on some of my finals last year

Khan is well loved for a reason, it's a great supplement program

Other

School counselor's really aren't great to talk to about mental health issues, they're there for scheduling and handling school problems like bullying and such

If you can, find a therapist, seriously

Find good friends who support you

STAY OUT OF DRAMA

Eat at lunchtime, you need that boost to power through the rest of the day

Stay hydrated too, carry a water bottle

READ

ENRICH YOURSELF

LIBRARIES EXIST FOR A REASON GO FIND A GOOD BOOK

For incoming freshman

Don't try to look cool

Stay out of drama it's not worth it

Don't feel pressured to date just because everyone else is

That senior is not actually interested in you, you're just easy to control

Upperclassmen can be rude but if you find some cool ones make friends with them cause they can warn you about teachers and classes and help you navigate your new school

Try to have good relationships with your teachers, people may call you a teacher's pet but there are perks to a teacher liking you

My bio teacher once called me up beginning of class just to show me a cat meme cause I have an "I like cats" pin

You can't get by doing nothing like in middle school and teachers are a lot stricter, now is the time to learn the value of hard work

Fights aren't worth it, if someone is challenging you just let it go

AND REMEMBER:

Grades do not define you.

You are loved.

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

#studyblrs get real is just that, we’re getting real. I’ve rewritten my notes to be aesthetically pleasing one time. Uno. Ein. Yeah that’s the only languages I know one in.

The studyblr aesthetic isn’t most people’s real life studies methods. It’s some people’s, and I want to congratulate those who manage to keep the aesthetic up.

But honestly, it’s not real life. Real life is being up at 2 AM, surrounded by four empty cups, Rice Krispies Treat wrappers, and a pizza box with just pizza crust in it, and grease marks on your paper. Real life is not having time to make these AMAZING and GORGEOUS notes, because you’re studying for the grade, NOT the notes.

People say you just need to “study” to be a studyblr, but why is it only the MUJIs, the Mildliners, and the Staedtlers get reblogged? Why doesn’t the pictures of sloppy, coffee stained notes get reblogged? The rain drenched crinkled notes that don’t get rewritten. The notes with more scribbles than legible writing.

Underneath is why I think that #studyblrs get real needs to become popular, and fast, which has been taken from what I said in a conversation with @universi-tea where the idea for #studyblrs get real came up.

Teens that are growing up may not know what they’re facing, because aesthetic studyblr makes it look like sunshine and lollipops.

“I’ve been through things that will commonly happen. I’ve been rejected by my dream school, and I’ve cried at 4 AM in the morning because my fourth SAT scores weren’t high enough to meet requirements after months of studying. I’ve taken AP classes. I’ve graduated.

Your high school/college/university experience may have been different, but mine was a rude awakening and I’m trying to prevent others from crashing and burning like I did. I was an all A student in high school, even with AP classes. I graduated fifth in my class with 25 credits from AP scores, in which my school only offered seven AP classes.

My first test in uni was a 38 in Business Calculus. A fucking 38 out of 100. I remember it very vividly (Thursday night, and the Blacklist was on.) It was like someone was trying play a joke on me because I had NEVER gotten that low of a test grade before. I remember looking at my scores, and the sense of dread settling into the pit of my stomach. I cried, and then called my old AP Bio teacher (idk why now that I think about it) I had a panic attack, and I was by myself (lived alone.) Those two are very dangerous. My next test score was a 51. Rinse, and repeat.

Do you know how worthless I felt? How long my mom yelled at me after I called her? How my friends reacted when they found out? I went and had a four hour conversation with the professor, who told me that this was the most common thing he saw in a class with freshmen in it. That they come thinking that they’re prepared and they are by no means prepared. I had to go to tutoring. For every single class but one. This was so fucking embarrassing. I had gone from the tutor in HS to the tutored in Uni.

My best friend went to the North Carolina School of Math and Science. Extremely prestigious, and extremely hard. “It’s like taking uni classes when you’re 16, 17, and 18, but you don’t get credit for them as college classes.” I’ve known my best friend since I was 10-ish. She’s the most level headed, and the smartest person I know. She calls me frequently, crying, because the work load. She spent a whole week with me trying to get over one failing grade.

This embarrassment, this shame and lack of self worth I experienced in uni is something I NEVER want ANYONE to experience. I’m trying to prevent these people younger than I am from feeling this way, because I had sunk into a depression because of grades. Grades that could’ve been prevented, had I known the truth.

Sure, the studyblr aesthetic may work in some people’s lives, but in college/uni, you’re being pulled in so many directions. I don’t know of a single person in any of my classes that have gorgeous notes. Hell, I don’t know anyone who can even afford to buy nice planners, or buy fresh fruit. Being “a broke college student” is entirely legit.

- ̗̀ may  ̖́-

Marvel Cinematic Universe chronology list of fimls and tv shows! It was so fun to doodle all thoose icons for the films ^^