Not a blog about olives.

Honestly, figuring out how you study/learn best will affect whether big or small (you decide on that) how you’ll do whenever you have a test or a quiz and the results that come after. I’m pretty sure we all want to perform well on our tests so we find ways to do so.

We have all the resources; the books, the websites, the apps so it’s a matter figuring out the best way for us to study.

I’ve concluded that where you study, how you study, what you use to study and what you listen to when you study will help you perform best. 

1. Find the place most conducive for you to study. 

here’s a post by @studyspire on how to find your study spot and a post by @universi-tea on study places

2. Choose/Use the study method that works for you. If you’re a visual or auditory, reading/writing or kinesthetic kind of learner, I think it will be best for you to use the methods for studying that work best on your type.

some posts you can refer to:

study methods and what suits you better by @getstudyblr the four types of learners by @highlightcrs *other study methods by @letsget-downtobusiness 

3. If you’re type that likes to use highlighters or coloured pens, find out which colour will help you remember best. The way you can determine this is only by your standards. What works best for me are yellow and green fluorescent  highlighters if the text is printed and accent colours if the text is handwritten. You’ll only really know what will work for you with trial and error so experiment. You probably will have an idea on which colours might work for you already so you can try testing it whenever you have a test or a quiz. Quiz if you aren’t comfortable in doing something what you might think might cost you before a test.

4. Are you the digital type, the printed type or handwritten type? What I’m trying to tell you is to use the means that will help you out most. For digital for example, you remember and understand things if you’re reading your notes from your tablet, ipad or computer. Printed is if typing your notes, then printing them and then reading them will help you out more or reading from the book and lastly handwritten, if you think reviewing what your studying for will require you to rewrite your notes, read from your notebook, make flashcards or make mind maps- that you of course hand-wrote will make you perform best in the test, then use whatever method is necessary for you.

5. Are you a solitary learner or a group learner? Do you study best if you work alone or do you have to have a study group with your friends? Work with whoever will help you whether it’s yourself or somebody else.

6. Listen to the sound perfect for you. Most people would listen to classical music some acoustics and others electronic music. I wouldn’t really recommend lyrical music because you end up thinking of the words sung in the song but if it works for you then go ahead. Like in number 3, You’ll only really know what will work for you with trial and error so experiment. You might already have an idea on which might work on you best so choose the best time for you to test it.

some playlists/playlist masterposts for you:

soundtracks for study by @lushstudy studying and gaming playlists and soundtracks by @studylou

spotify has a lot playlists so you know pick one that interests you and try it out. Music doesn’t work on all people so experiment as well if you work better without.

That’s all I have to say mostly. Manipulate the circumstances whenever you study so you can be at your best when the exam comes. I hope this will have helped you. This is only part of how well we perform on a test. I’m sure we all know that. We still have to sleep early, stay hydrated and eat to keep us at your peak while we study. How we feel particularly on that day and at those moments before and while we take our test also determine our performance so we manage the aspects that we can. 

I hope you all slay your exams get the grades you wish to get with all your hard work.

-lara

other references that may be of help:

Magoosh Presents: Exam LifeHacks: 18 Unexpected Tips for a Higher Score via @studyquill

Tips for a Better Sleep by @studywithclover

How to Survive Exams by @uglystudies

I hope this motivates you all as much as it motivates me! ✨

Going off to university is super duper cool. It matures you drastically in a short amount of time. However, there were some specific things I started doing that really helped me out later in class and real life. 

Reading the news: my dudes, I know for some this sounds super boring or that social media has all the news that you need, but that is very wrong. Reputable news sources have some very strict standards for sources, evidence and message. Here are the best reputable news sources: 

Washington Post (free with an .edu email)

NPR (free in general, has great podcasts. see this post.)

New York Times (not so free with an .edu email, but cheaper)

Wall Street Journal ($4 a month with an .edu email)

The Economist (still expensive with an .edu account - useful for those who have a international major like polisci, international relations, spanish majors etc.)

Politico

The BBC

DON’T FORGET YOUR LOCAL AND STATE NEWS WHICH ARE IMPORTANT (and most likely to have funny headlines and stories - for example in Texas this dude ran for mayor of Corpus Christie, won, and then resigned 37 days later. Now this dude is running for Senate lolol). 

(There is no cable news on here, because cable news is mostly for entertainment and like 90% trash, sorry not sorry)

Have an agenda/planner: Homies, the only reason I was half as responsible as I was last year is due to writing everything down. Due dates for assignments, homework for each day, meetings, when I needed to get my oil changed - it all went into the agenda/planner. 

Make a budget: If you are responsible with what little money you have now it will be easier to be responsible with any sum of money later. Pinky Promise. 

Stay Healthy: Be as healthy as you can afford. Get your flu shot if you can (sometimes campus clinic will have them for free of for a reduced price), workout (the gym is included in your tuition, btw), take advantage of having pre-cut vegetable with your meal plan, don’t forget to have fun with friends, which is just as important as your flu shot. 

Find what relaxes you: For me this is skin care - which I recommend everyone do, but for me washing my face, using toner, a serum, a mask and moisturizing is super relaxing and I always feel like a better person afterwards. If Netflix relaxes you, go for it. Same with music, or running, or reading, or whatever you do to chill. Make time for it. 

Start Preparing for Real Life: Real life hits you hard if you are not prepared. Get work experience if you can, any type of work that you can put on your resume is useful, I promise! Intern in your field (to get experience, contacts and to make sure you WANT to work in that field). NETWORK AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. Get a LinkedIn and connect to literally everyone. It isn’t the same rules as reg social media. If you meet anyone in your field find them on LinkedIn and send them a message about enjoying meeting them. DO IT. 

Start Planning for More School: If you have plans for grad school the prep you are doing is different in some ways than above, mainly that you have to do more. Keep your GPA high, you also need to intern if you can, apply for major scholarships (Fullbright, Rhodes, Truman etc) even if you don’t think you’ll get it apply anyways, start looking for grad school and start sucking up to professors so you’ll get a good recommendation. 

Speak up in class: I think this is important because it endears you to professors. BUT it also makes sure you are actively thinking about what you’re learning. If you participate in a class debate–even better–because learning how to productively argue is ONE OF THE BEST SKILLS you can learn. 

Consider being politically active: To be fair, I am a little biased as a political science major. BUT GOVERNMENT IS SUPER DUPER IMPORTANT OKAY? Especially local government–which (at least in the USA) has the most impact on your life even if you don’t always see it. You don’t have to join a party, just be informed, go to town halls, contact your representatives, and VOTE. I SWEAR TO GOD VOTE. PEOPLE UNDER 30 ARE LEAST LIKELY TO VOTE BUT, MY DUDES, WE ARE LIVING WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE ELECTION A LOT LONGER THAN ANYONE ELSE. ONLY LIKE 30% OF MILLENNIALS VOTED IN THE 2016 USA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. WTF. SHAPE UP. 

Some old organic chemistry notes from a couple of semesters ago 🌻

28th March 2017

Some old chem notes ft. my gudetama stickers from Kawaii Pen Shop! I love yellow for my notes, so bright and a colour that makes me happy!! [ get 10% off at Kawaii Pen Shop using the code ACADEHMIC10 + free shipping ] 

1. write down how much you study over time, then write down how you did on the quiz/test. this will help you see the amount of studying is nessecary for you to get a good grade and fully learn the material!!!

2. make your study space smell fresh, preferably of mint. mint helps you focus and stay sharp. other good smells would be lemon, etc.

3. after studying for a long amount of time, go exercise for ~30 min. shower, get dressed, etc then review the info you had just been studying! you should come back fresher, and your brain is able to remember the info even better!

4. don’t always study in comfy/pj clothes. if you study a lot after school or classes, then it’s ok. but if all you plan on doing is studying for that day, for part of the day get dressed up! put on some business casual wear, that’s cute yet functional and do your hair, etc. this will put you in a “get shit done” mode.

5. after studying a unit/chapter, record yourself explaining it, as if to a person whose never heard of it. this helps SO MUCH. one, explaining/teaching helps you learn so much better, and two, you have a little video to review just before the test!!

spend a lot of time figuring out and setting up an organization system that works for you. it seems boring, but it’s going to help you so much!

explore new things, but don’t overextend yourself and end up exhausted. 

eight hours of sleep sounds like a lofty goal during the year, but make it your priority to get as close to that as you can. your body’s going to thank you!

stay on top of your assignments. spending your night doing homework might not be ideal, but do you really want to spend your weekend catching up on the reading you were supposed to be doing all week? 

write down everything you have to do. never rely on memory alone; students lead ridiculously busy lives and there’s a reason you have that planner.

talk to your teachers the moment you start struggling. raise your hand; go in for office hours. they don’t bite. most of the time. if you have a teacher whose teaching you just can’t understand no matter what (this is totally normal, don’t worry), then talk to your friends or maybe another teacher in the department to get help. there’s also a wealth of resources online.

sometimes you need to pick hanging out with your friends over doing homework. don’t feel guilty - you deserve time with them. 

please don’t pull all-nighters. but if you don’t have another choice, take quick power naps in the middle of the night to keep yourself healthy and alert.

a little emoji spell to help you get some peace & serenity into your life