studying my life away

Studygram: unexpectedbookish

13.1.22

Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)

40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)

Excellent basic crochet video series

Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)

Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)

How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)

Another drawing character faces video

Literally my favorite art pose hack

Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??

Introduction to flying small aircrafts

French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding

Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)

Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)

Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)

Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:

Calculus 1 (full semester class)

Learn basic statistics (free textbook)

Introduction to college physics (free textbook)

Introduction to accounting (free textbook)

Learn a language:

Ancient Greek

Latin

Spanish

German

Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)

French

Say that now you know! "Next time, I will know better", "Next time, I will make a different choice", "Next time, I'll try this instead"

there is a gentle murmur in the pages of an old book. the ink perfumes the air with an unfamiliar vanilla, and the softness in the ancient words wrap themselves around me like an autumn lover.

It’s here y’all!!! The 2021 Summer Studying Challenge! 

I’ve literally been planning on doing this since my last summer challenge so i’m so happy to finally have it out in the world and i can’t wait to see what everyone posts and discover some amazing new studyblrs! i am genuinely so excited to get back to posting consistently and finally having the time to engage with you all after my exams so please get involved and give it ago! 

so without further ado, here’s all you need to know:

✨Info ✨

If you do the challenge, use the tag #summer studying challenge so i (and others) can see your posts

I will try to reblog as many posts in the tag as possible (and it doesn’t matter if you think they aren’t ‘aesthetic’ cause i will reblog them!)

This challenge will run for two months - from the 1st July to the 31st August

There are daily prompts for every day of July and August 

But, as always, I don’t expect everyone to be able to post every day so you can always do catch-up posts or answer the prompts in batches

Likewise, you don’t have to post for the entire period - it is completely up to you but i will be posting for the entire two months 

If you have any questions, feel free to send me an ask!

✨Rules ✨

If you want to do the challenge, please reblog this post

If you do it on any other social media platform (ie. Instagram), please give credit. My Instagram is also @/myhoneststudyblr

The challenge will officially start on the 1st July, but if you come across this later, you can definitely start anytime during these two months!

✨ Prompts ✨

1st July - What are your plans for this summer?

2nd July - Do you have a specific goal for this summer?

3rd July - Do you have a lot of work to do for school, university or your job this summer?

4th July - What is the most important task that you need to complete this summer? 

5th July -  Do you have any special plans or activities for this summer?

6th July - What do you usually do during the summer? Is anything different this year?

7th July - What did you do during the summer when you were a young child?

8th July - What’s your happiest summer memory from your childhood?

9th July - Do you usually go on vacation during the summer?

10th July - What is the best vacation you have ever been on? (note: doesn’t have to be a summer vacation)

11th July - What is your favourite vacation memory?

12th July - What is the worst vacation you have ever been on?

13th July - What is your dream vacation?

14th July - Would you rather stay in one resort for a month or travel across the country for one month? 

15th July - Are there any special events for you in the summer? (for example, birthdays, festivals, etc.)

16th July - Do you have any summer traditions?

17th July - What is your typical daily routine in the summer?

18th July -  How do you stay motivated during the summer? (for example, to study)

19th July - Do you stay indoors or outdoors more in the summer?

20th July - Are you a ‘summer person’?

21st July - What is an unpopular opinion that you have about summer?

22nd July - What does summer feel like where you live?

23rd July - Would you prefer summer to be hotter or colder than it usually is for you?

24th July - Would you prefer your summer to be shorter or longer?

25th July - Daytime or nighttime – what’s your favourite time during summer?

26th July - Do your sleeping habits change during summer?

27th July - Do your eating habits change during summer?

28th July - When you hear the word ‘summer’, what is the first thing that you think of?

29th July - What colour do you associate with summer?

30th July - What would be your perfect summer day?

31st July - Would you rather spend the day at the beach or at the swimming pool?

1st August - What do you do when you go to the beach?

2nd August - What do you like most about the beach?

3rd August - What is your least favourite thing about the beach?

4th August - What is your song of the summer this year?

5th August - What is your ultimate summertime song?

6th August - What is your favourite summertime movie?

7th August - Do you read a lot in the summer?

8th August - What book are you currently reading?

9th August - What is your favourite summer ‘beach read’ book?

10th August - What TV show are you currently watching?

11th August - What was the last movie you watched?

12th August - What is your favourite summertime snack?

13th August - What is your favourite seasonal fruit to eat during the summer?

14th August - What is your favourite meal to have on the beach?

15th August - What is your favourite ice cream flavour?

16th August - What is the weirdest ice cream flavour that you’ve ever seen (and maybe even tasted?

17th August - If you could make up a new ice cream flavour, what ingredients would you use? What would you call it?  

18th August -  What is your favourite summer drink?

19th August - What is your go-to summer outfit?

20th August - Do you like wearing sunglasses?

21st August - Sandals or flip flops? 

22nd August - Do you wear sunscreen?

23rd August - Have you ever been really badly sunburnt? 

24th August - What three things would you take to your desert island? 

25th August - Imagine that you could fill a swimming pool with anything except water and swim in it. What would your pool be filled with?

26th August - Would you rather surf the waves or read a book?

27th August - What’s happening once this summer is over? Returning to school or uni? Starting something new? 

28th August - Have you managed to complete your main task and goal for the summer?

29th August - When you remember this summer, what three adjectives will define it?

30th August - What did you learn over the summer? (note: this doesn’t have to be academic-related)

31st August - What was your favourite memory from this summer?

✨ So this is the challenge! I hope that you will join in and enjoy doing it during the summer! Please message me or send me an ask if you have any questions about it or just want to have a chat <3 ✨

[Taglist under the cut:]

<transcript below>

Hi Professor!

I am in the process of applying to ____ and they require letters of rec. I sincerely enjoyed your classes, and felt that they gave me a particularly good chance to display my strengths, such as ____ [class participation, writing, etc.] and would love for you to write me a letter, if you’d be willing. The due date is ____, and I can send you further instructions for submission later if you accept.

Attached to this email is ____, the piece of work I did in your class which best showcases my abilities, as well as my current CV [or resume]. If you agree to write me a letter, soon I will also send you drafts of my ____ [statement of purpose, personal statement, application essays, other relevant material] for my application to aid in your writing. I am also happy to meet in person to discuss this with you.

I want to stress that this application is quite competitive, so if you feel you will not be able to write me a strong letter then I completely understand - but please let me know. Thank you so much for your time!

Sincerely, ____

—

a few notes:

- you should have all your relevant materials (app essays, etc.) sent to them *at least* a month in advance to give them ample time to write the letter

- thus, your initial email asking them if they’d be willing to write a letter for you should be sent *over* a month in advance. professors are busy

- if you are applying for a really prestigious position/scholarship/fellowship, or grad school, it’s best to have at least a majority of your letter writers be professors (rather than adjuncts or post docs). ideally you’d want them to be full/tenured professors. in lots of cases, especially academic ones, *who* writes your letter matters - not just *what’s in* your letter

- the reason you send them the piece of work you did in their class that you are most proud of is to remind them of your abilities as a student and the quality of the work you produced for them. they have lots of students. sometimes they need a bit of help jogging their memory of exactly what you did in their class.

- the reason you send them your other application materials (personal statement, statement of purpose, CV) is so that they have information to draw from when writing your letter. they know what you’re passionate about, what you hope to do in the future, other experience you have, and can use this information when writing your letter

- on a similar note, this is also why you’d want to list the strengths you displayed in their class

- basically, you want to give them as much information as you can about your strengths, goals, and intentions - give them prompts they can use to write your letter

- the bit at the end about asking for a “strong letter” is important because some professors can only write you mediocre letters (e.g. “this student was always on time to class and gave their undivided attention during lecture” - what does this tell admission committees? well, it tells them that the professor has nothing positive to say about your *academic* abilities and so they’re resorting to other strengths. it’s a polite way of saying “this student was okay, but not spectacular in any notable way”. big red flag for admissions committees.) if all you’re going to get is a mediocre letter, you might as well not get a letter at all

- if the professor you ask accepts, then be sure to send them polite reminders as the date approaches. (i usually send a reminder at the 1-month-till-due-date mark when i send the other application materials, and then again at the 2 week and 1 week marks, and, if necessary, every day after the final 3 days leading up to the due date

—

i know this was a lot, but i remember being in your shoes and being completely lost when it came to applying for stuff so i know how daunting it can be. i figured i’d just throw all this information at you to be of as much help as possible.

for reference, i’ve applied to graduate programs, fellowships, and scholarships. i have been accepted into several of the top 10 graduate programs in my area, as well as received multiple scholarships and a fellowship, and received honorable mentions for some of the most competitive fellowships in the US. i have also worked with the admissions committee at my graduate program to organize multiple informational events for those interested in applying to graduate school and, in the process, have learned a lot about what makes a strong application.

so while you should absolutely take my advice with a grain of salt (different circumstances call for different standards), i do have quite a bit of experience with applications and what makes a strong letter of rec.

your grades don’t determine your worth.

your grades don’t determine your worth.

your grades don’t determine your worth.

03.05.21// Monday funday! I had such a good conversation with my supervisor on Friday and we really got into the issues that surround my topic.

We’re both super excited about this project and I’m so excited to really break this down!

// tempus edax rerum //

haven’t posted in a hot minute but I’m officially done with zoom classes and only have 7 months left until I’m officially done with my doctorate and considered a physical therapist!!! anyway time is fleeting and that’s the theme of my spread lol