adventures in studying

Dude literally received death threats from Italian fascists for his research on Italian cuisine

Read this article here (no paywall):

When Grandi intervened to clarify that, until the late 19th century, tortellini filling didn’t contain pork, the president of Bologna’s tortellini consortium (a real job title) confirmed that Grandi was right. In the oldest recipes, tortellini filling is made from poultry. “This is the reason why I do what I do,” Grandi says. “To show that what we hail as tradition isn’t, in fact, tradition.”

I think the biggest thing is to just start asking - because a lot of the time you won't get anything unless you don't ask. I got a lot of funding from my undergrad that way. The first year they had offered me a huge amount towards my tuition, and the second year they suddenly halved it! so I asked why, and they said oops, sorry, our mistake! and put it back to where it was.

Similarly, a lot of people simply won't apply to grants within a university because they aren't well advertised and people don't know that they don't exist! Few people tend to apply to those things, so that means that there's a larger pool of money available.

Always give well thought-out reasons for what you're asking for. They'll often ask for a cover letter or proposal, and you should use that space to be explicit in what you want to do and how the money will support you—even things as banal as food, housing, etc. If it's well thought out, it shows that you're going to use their money wisely.

WHY THEY STRIKE: Sean Astin (SAG), Member of the SAG-AFTRA Negotiating Committee & Actor on Lord of the Rings

Transparency: Students need a clear sense of goals and expectations

Perception of value: Students must recognize the purpose and value of the learning experience

Self-efficacy: Students must have faith in their ability to learn

I love it and I wish people would work on the skill of being a beginner

bc it really IS a skill. it’s acquired and honed.

being willing to learn to find humor in the process of learning and your mistakes. learning to tolerate frustration and confusion. learning to pace yourself when you want to rush past discomfort. learning how you like to learn. and should the time come—learning to take take critique and correction.