I Will Go Down With This Ship

1973: The Nixon administration sued Trump for refusing to rent to black people.

1980s: Trump's casinos were accused of hiding the black staff when Trump visited.

1989: Trump took out a full-page ad, arguing for the death penalty for a group of black men (The 'Central Park Five'), effectively putting a bounty on their heads, and plaguing them with a lifetime of death threats. He was sued by the Justice Department for discrimination.

1991: “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kinds of people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day… I think that the [black] guy is lazy. And it’s probably not his fault, because laziness is a trait in blacks. It really is.”

1992: Trump's casino was fined $200,000 for transferring black dealers off certain tables to appease racist patrons.

1993: Trump said Native American casinos shouldn’t be allowed because “they don’t look like Indians to me.”

2000: Trump ran a series of attack ads against Native American casinos alleging (with no proof) that they were guilty of crimes.

2004: Trump fired a black contestant from 'The Apprentice' for being over-educated.

2010: Trump argued in favor of segregating Muslims in Lower Manhattan.

2011: Birtherism. Trump alleged that Obama was Kenyan based on nothing but skin color. He never apologized nor renounced that claim.

2015 (1): Trump called Mexican immigrants "rapists" who are "bringing crime and drugs" to the U.S.

2015 (2): Trump called for "a ban on all Muslims entering the U.S."

2016 (1): Trump called for a Mexican judge to recuse himself based on nothing other than his race. Paul Ryan said this was “the textbook definition of a racist comment.”

2016 (2): Trump regularly retweeted material from white supremacists and neo-Nazis during his campaign.

2016 (3): Trump tweeted a picture alleging that Hillary was Jewish, or controlled by Jewish people.

2016 (4): The Trump campaign adopted Nixon's "Law and Order" rhetoric which was based in racial fearmongering.

2016 (5): Trump told black voters "What do you have to lose?"

2017 (1): Trump asked a reporter to set up a meeting with the black caucus simply because she was black.

2017 (2): "...some very fine people on both sides" said Trump of a violent Nazi rally.

2017 (3): Trump said people from Haiti "all have AIDS" and people from Nigeria would never “go back to their huts” after seeing America.

2018 (1): Trump called Haiti and African countries shitholes.

2018 (2): Trump referenced the trail of tears to mock Elizabeth Warren.

2019: Trump tweeted that four black and brown congresswomen should go back where they came from. Then attacked Elijah Cummings. Then Baltimore. Then Al Sharpton.

failing a test, or getting way less than what you were expecting to achieve, is a really horrible feeling, and if you’re someone who suffers from depression and/ or anxiety like me, it can even feel debilitating and more depressed/ anxious. But don’t think there is nothing in the world you can do to better this, if there is a problem, then there is always a solution to something. 

Go through the test with a memo/ a friend who did really well.

This is really important, as it will help you see exactly what the correct answers to the test were. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, the lecturer will hand out or upload a memo for the test, which is great because then you can see what kind of answering style and what kind of answers they were looking for. If no memo is handed out, ask a friend or a peer who got good marks to sit with you on the questions that you did badly in. This way you can see how they answered questions they got good/ full marks for. 

Attend at least the first 3 lectures after your test was handed back:

You really should be attending ALL of your lectures, but if there is genuinely a good reason why you are not attending, make sure you at least go through the first 3 after the tests are handed back. The lecturer is very likely to go through the test with the class if they have time, where they will discuss the correct answers and also the general answer style they were looking for. They may also mention what things not to do, which is very helpful as you can immediately spot where you went wrong. Often, these ‘feedback sessions’ won’t be subsequently typed out as a memo, so the only way to get this info is tactually go to the class.

Make an appointment with your lecturer:

First try to email them (their email should be somewhere in the course guideline or on your academic portal) asking for an appointment ASAP to discuss where you went wrong, and where to improve, and how to achieve improvement. It’s very important to not beg your lecturers for more marks, or suggest that you want them to mark you up, as they will not want to help you if this is the case. If the lecturer doesn’t answer the email with in 3 working days, see if they have a secretary you can email/ call. If they don’t get back to you either, try to find the lecturer’s university landline to their office and call during their consultation hours. If there is still no answer, find out where your lecturer’s office is and go stand outside the door until you find them in person to discuss an appointment. 

in your spare time, revise the sections of work where you did badly in on the test:

obviously you should do this with the new knowledge that you have acquired from either attending the feedback sessions/ reading through the memo/ comparing answers with a peer who excelled in the test. I wouldn’t suggest going through whole chapters at a time, especially if you have other things to do in terms of workload, but just try going through a few sub-headings at a time, revising and memorising the work so that when you write your exam, you understand the work consistently well. You should never have a section of work that you completely don’t understand and then go in with the attitude of: “Oh, well, I know my other chapters well, so it doesn’t matter”

If you’re still confused, make ANOTHER appointment:

Don’t be scared to contact your lecturer again to make an appointment if you still don’t understand something. That is their job, it’s why they get paid: to teach their students so that their students can confidently pass their subject. Remember: they also don’t want you to fail, because the more people fail their class, the worse it makes them look as a teacher and they can easily be replaced by the university with a lecturer who has a higher pass rate. 

Test papers and worksheets:

Redo your old test papers, specifically focusing on the sections you got low marks for. Scour the internet and ask fellow students if they have past papers or know where to source them. Also don’t be scared to ask your lecturer for papers, or whether they know where to source them; sometimes, if you ask them really nicely, they may just give you a nice pack of papers, and they definitely know where to find past papers; just don’t push it if they don’t seem keen, as their willingness to help you will dwindle if they feel you’re overstepping boundaries by asking for cheeky favours.

online and real life tutors:

If you have done all of the above, including seeing your lecturer for appointments multiple times and you STILL are struggling, try to find a tutor. This is easy in high school, but t gets tricky in university when subjects are highly specific (and the price becomes less affordable). Ask friends who know their work well if they would be willing to tutor you, in exchange for some money or a couple of free coffees on you (a friend is less likely to charge you burdensome amounts of money). Otherwise see if there are online tutors. Alternatively, there are some really great youtube channels that offer free lessons and concept explanations which are very helpful.

I think a lot of people can agree that taking a chemistry exam for any level - general, organic, analytical, etc. - can be pretty stressful. 

“What do I study? How do I study? Will these practice problems help??”

Questions like these arise from many of my students over the past year and sometimes I still face them myself. Though after three years of taking multiple chemistry exams, I want to put everything I’ve trialed and make a beneficial master post for you guys. So enjoy!

Part 1 - Preparing for chemistry exams

Okay, so spending 10+ hours studying doesn’t always pay off and students shouldn’t even spend that much time studying for a chemistry exam!  Disclaimer: Works for some students but being efficient with less time can save you in the long run.

Flashcards: Write down equations, concepts, diagrams, chemical reactions, and compounds on flashcards. Go through them and determine what you do know and what you need extra help with. Doing this will save yourself some time, so you don’t waste it by studying material you already mastered. That’s something many students do. “You know the reagents needed for an SN1 reaction?” Cool, now skip that and focus on something else. However, it’s perfectly okay to go back and refresh your memory but MOVE ON!!

Concept Maps: Organizing the chapter material can make studying easier for you. By having all the material on one page (if possible) allows you to view the overall concepts. Also, if you’re the kind of student that can pick out patterns this will greatly benefit you. Almost all reactions have a basic pattern when comparing them to others in the same chapter. This works best with organic chemistry material because literally, all the reactions are the same besides reagents. “It attacks x and y is now in that place.” 

Practice Problems: I don’t know how many times I can stress this on students. “Don’t understand something? DO PRACTICE PROBLEMS UNTIL YOU FEEL LIKE YOU OWN THAT BISH!” Though, I’m being very serious… If you really want to pass a chemistry class then learn how to enjoy practice problems. *A good source of practice problems is the required textbook or pick up a secondary aid book!

Study Guides: Sometimes professors post study guides on their academic website. If not, then simply google some topics that will be on your exam! In my first semester of organic chemistry, the professor used to hand out amazing study guide/tips on each chapter. Super helpful and another way to organize the lecture material. [General Chemistry Master Post of Resources]

Professor’s Knowledge: Not something many students think about, but your professor is one of the best resources to go to. (Shocker?) They’re obviously well educated in the material and have office hours for help! Plus, if they post study guides or practice tests then they will have the ability to go into full detail of how to work out the problems you don’t understand!! 

Get Some Sleep: Do. Not. Stay up all night the day before the exam. Being tired during an exam is not fun at all and you might end up rushing through it so you can hit that pillow. So just get a good night’s rest and relax before the exam. If you don’t know it an hour before the exam… Don’t try cramming it in your brain. 

Part 2 - During chemistry exams

Take a Deep Breathe: Remember that it’s only an exam. Grades don’t define how good of a student you are or your intelligence. Plus one bad grade does not mean you’re going to fail the class. 

Look Through The Test: Take a moment and skim through the test. Is there multiple choice? Maybe some free response? What about labeling? Make sure to read the questions carefully and dissect what the problem is actually asking you. Also, if you don’t understand a question put a star next to it so you know it’s a more difficult one. 

Complete Problems You Know: Okay, so you read the first question and you have no idea what-so-ever how to answer it. Instead of panicking and spiking up your anxiety levels - skip the problem. Just skip it and complete all the problems you are 120% positive about. (Honestly, this helped me not lose my confidence ten minutes into the exam and being an emotional wreck the whole time, lol…)

Multiple Choice: It’s definitely easier to make an educational guess on multiple choice problems. There is always one answer that makes no sense. Then there are two that are almost identical besides one little detail. So if you’re good at elimination, you can pretty much get down to two answers! 

Free Response: Don’t ever leave a problem blank on a chemistry exam!!! If your teacher is fair on grading then they’ll hand out partial credit. It’s important to show any work that makes logical sense. This can range from just jotting down the mathematical equations to drawing a possible product from the chemical reaction. Though I will admit that it’s hard to do this for organic chemistry exams. Usually, those problems are “all or nothing” but still don’t leave them blank! 

Part 3 - After chemistry exams

Give yourself a break. You deserve it.

Today is THE day, the day you’ve been stressing about for a few weeks, or maybe even a few months. Today you have an important exam, or maybe you just have a regular chemistry test. Anyway, you’re feeling anxious because obviously this is a stressful situation and you feel your heart rate accelerating,  short on breath and your legs are shaking.

You’re also around many people that feel the exact same way as you and it doesn’t help.

I’ve been in this situation so many times and felt so bad, especially for really important exams. That’s why I wanted to tell you about how I got used to managing this pre-exam feeling and how it can help you to feel more confident and -may I say relaxed?

Of course, these tips are also useful if you have an interview or anything that could have put you in a stressful situation !

If you’re around too many anxious people, take a step back and go in a quieter place. Anxiety is contagious, even if you don’t realize it. Seeing everyone shouting at loud questions about a specific topic or hearing about how good your friend has studied will only make you feel worse. If you like staying around people, try to change subject with your friends, talk about what you’ll do after the exam and if you’re alone, listen to some music or do anything that can distract you. If you have a presentation to make, use this time to think about what you are going to say, or how you will present yourself.

Have confidence in what you’ve studied and accept the fact that it’s now too late for whatever topic you haven’t reviewed. Re-reading notes 5 minutes before the exam is the most useless thing in a world, but it can be reassuring. Being aware that you don’t know everything can be really stressful so that’s why it’s better to be well prepared in the first place. Just tell yourself that you’ve done what you can so that there’s no reason you could fail that exam. Have confidence in your capacities, and tell yourself that you know the topic really well.

Imagine yourself in a successful situation. Imagine yourself acing your exam/interview, knowing all the answers, imagine how you’re gonna feel knowing that you’ve succeeded, imagine your main goal and how happy you will be once you’ve achieved it. Again, it’s all about feeling confident and attracting all the good vibes you need. Remember that complaining about how you suck and how lame you are won’t get you anywhere.

Don’t forget to B-R-E-A-T-H-E : 5 secs in, 5 secs out. Do it till you feel better. Focusing on your breathing will distract you from all the chaos and anxiousness around you. Your heart will have a normal beat again, and you’ll bring more oxygen to your brain, which could be useful in these kinds of situations :P

Make sure you are ON TIME! There’s nothing worse than being late for an exam, as your anxiety levels may triple because of it. Plan all the stuff you need to bring the day before, check the itinerary if the exam/appointment is in an unknown place and how long it will take to go there.

I’ve been practicing these tips since I started med school and I’ve always found them very helpful. Let me know if it works for you too!!

Good luck with your exam!!

I have been grading math homework and quizzes for the last couple of years, working with a number of professors and graduate teaching assistants, and I see students making the same mistakes over and over again. I hear the same complaints from other professors, GTAs, and graders. I thought I would throw out some advice that might help your grades, or at least endear you to the person in charge of them.

I think these tips will apply to any class in which you turn in problem sets on a regular basis, and you might be able to apply some of this to things like lab reports, but I am mostly focusing on undergrad-level math, computational or proof-based. I hope it goes without saying, but first and foremost you should do what your instructor, not a stranger on the internet, tells you to do.

So, if I am grading your homework, here is what I would like you to do:

MAKE MY LIFE EASY

The harder it is for me to grade, the less points you are likely to get. That’s not just me being spiteful - if I don’t see your answer to a problem, I can’t read your handwriting, or I don’t understand how you got from point a to point z, it is going to be very hard for me to award you points. I try to be generous, as do most people I know, but we can only do so much for you.

KNOW YOUR MISSION

What are you trying to accomplish in these assignments? How do you do that?

 - You are trying to practice the course material to get a better understanding. So, do all the work assigned to you, and don’t just copy it from your friend (we can tell) or a solutions manual (we can really tell)

- You are trying to communicate to me (and to yourself!) that you understand the course material. I don’t need to see all of your scratch work or first attempts, but I need to see how you arrived at your answer, and I need to know what your answer is. I urge you to type or neatly rewrite your finished assignment before you turn it in. Please highlight your answers with a box, a circle, or some other indicator. If you’re writing a proof, start with “Proof:” and end with “QED” or a tombstone (or even a smiley face!) so I know what I’m supposed to be evaluating. Your work should be readable - in terms of handwriting, spacing, and yes, even grammar. It should follow a logical order so that someone reading it can understand what you’re doing. Explain your steps if you think you need to. And if a problem tells you to use a certain formula, theorem, or method, use it.

 - You are trying to learn from your mistakes. Of course this varies from grader to grader, but in general, we spend a lot of time giving you feedback, so please write something!!! I can’t help you if you don’t even attempt a problem. And for what it’s worth, while this isn’t true of everyone, a lot of people (myself included) will almost never give 0 points if it looks like an honest attempt has been made. If you have no idea what to do with a problem and it’s the last minute, it might be worth it to write down what you’re confused about - “I thought I could do this using integration by parts, but I couldn’t work out what to use for u and dv” is something I can respond to, and hopefully give you some help!

BE AWARE: STYLE COUNTS

Most of the time, I can and will take off points for style. Some instructors have a certain number of points worked into their grading rubric for style. Here are some suggestions!

 - Staple your f&*%ing homework!!!!! No, do not fold over the corner. Don’t tape several sheets together. Staple it. With an actual, metal staple.    –> It never hurts to write your name on every page, and number your pages as well. Just make it as hard as possible for me to lose a page.

 - Do not turn in paper with those spiral-bound frills on the edge. Most spiral-bound notebooks are perforated, so tear along the perforation! Otherwise, please use printer paper, loose-leaf binder paper, or really anything else…

 - …anything except neon pink paper. I’m only saying this because it’s in my grading pile right now and I am dreading it. Use conventional paper!!!! I don’t care much about the ruling, but it should be white, or very nearly. Yellow legal pad paper is pushing it. Engineering paper is fine.

 - And on that note, please write in a conventional color. Black, blue, gray, or very near those colors. It should be dark. It should be readable. It should definitely not be red. I personally don’t grade in red, but a lot of people do, and regardless of that, it is hard to read large chunks of red text.

 - I know I said this already, but: rewrite your homework. Seriously. If it is anything but straightforward computations, it is going to get messy, and fast. Do your scratch work on a separate sheet of paper, and then write up a final copy with everything you want me to see, and nothing you don’t.    –> If you can, type it! Here is a post by @munirastudies to get you started with LaTeX, which is very useful for typesetting technical and symbol-heavy text. The benefit to typing your homework is that it’s easy to go back and edit!

That’s all I have for now! Please feel free to message me with any questions or suggestions you have! I hope this is helpful to someone :)

I’ve read lots of good college tips posts on Tumblr, I loved every one of them and I saw how similar college students are. Even though there are similarities, we all tend to get different lessons from our experiences. As a 3rd grade English Literature Student -5th semester hooooraaay!- I’ve collected my own experiences and I want to share some of them with you. You should accept that you cannot be a productive student all the time. You can have your ups and downs and it is all okay. Sometimes we fall and we get our lesson from it, we get stronger with each  mistake. You have to move on to be better, to be more brave. This is my first post because I am thinking about doing this “How to Survive in College?” thing as a series. This one is all about grades and studying. Special thank you to @noorastudy for letting me use her cute graphic icons to make my banner. I wish I knew how to make cool a f icons but oh well.

I tend to talk way too much so shall we start?

I know, I know. Success in your college life is important. It’s so important because your future depends on these years. However you have to be aware of one thing: your health –both physical and mental- is more important than your grades. I do not care if your grades are perfect but you’re feeling dead inside. It does not matter. If you do not have the energy to celebrate an A or the ending of a project, that grade means nothing. N-O-T-H-I-N-G. You have to appreciate yourself, your hard work, your success in a way that you do not get stressed and worried about numbers all the time. This is college, you’re a grown up, you have to be able to take care of yourself because on the road awaits after college, you’ll be alone. People will expect you to be an adult. Real adult. Enjoy your moments as a student. Enjoy every single breath you have, feel the sunshine and winter cold on your skin, cry when you’re sad and laugh when you’re happy. Screw up but also get up and keep walking. Take care of yourself. Nothing is more important than you.

Have a studying routine. This may sound a little boring to some but let me tell you on thing: studying regularly is the key. I am not talking about studying 24/7, no. I am talking about using your time wisely when it comes to study. For example, let’s talk about my studying habits. I woke up at 5-6 a.m. everyday. I immediately leave my bed and open my window because I need fresh air to wake up. Then I spend half an hour to myself (brushing my teeth and havin juice or tea or coffee, getting dressed etc.) and then I start studying around 7-6 a.m. I always study in periods, one hour and fifteen minutes break usually. I tried small periods and shorter breaks but I can’t make it because it is very hard for me to focus between breaks. Sometimes I sit and I don’t give a break for two hours. Totally depends on my subject. Long story short, have a routine. Do the same thing every morning and night, adjust your time and studying periods. I will make a master post about studying techniques but I’ve created mine eventually since my brain tends to think about many things at the same time. Know yourself and create your studying routine. First few weeks will be hard but after a month you will get used to it.

Do not procrastinate. Understand that what you do today in college will be rewarded in your future. Procrastination is the thief of time. It is also very dangerous because by doing it, you start making a mount of unfinished work which is your responsibility. Over time all the work you’ve been procratinating will need to be finished. Every assignment has a deadline. Do your assignments on time, study to your lectures regularly, spend time with your notes and lectures. Don’t say tomorrow, start doing it now. Get up, take a deep breath and you are ready my friend!

Listen to your teacher and take notes in every class. You don’t need fancy notes to be a good student. Personally I do it because it motivates me. Also I’m a writer/writing learner, which means I can understand better if I write the subject or even vocabulary. I have one notebook to each semester which I bring with me to university. I take notes and listen my professors carefully, when I get back to home, after a short break I start writing all notes again with my text-book and articles. Important points, terms and summary of the subject. I also make my researches before class so it helps me a lot to understand the subject.

Find your motivating study space. This is so important. If you want to study productively, you have to find the right study space. Maybe your room, school library, a cafe which is close to your dorm/home etc. For me it’s my room and school library. I don’t like studying in a cafe because I can lose my focus so easily but when I am alone and the place is all silent I can study very well. Try to create the right place. You don’t need a desk or anything for that. You can use anywhere, just have a good light and silence, that’s all.

Share your notes and help other people. But please don’t let them use you. This is very important to me. Usually in university people tend to be very selfish about their notes etc. I don’t see any reason for that. Sharing, helping and teaching people is one of the most amazing things you can do to a friend or to a loved one. I am not talking about giving your notes and your hard work to everyone of course. Just understand one thing. If they don’t study regularly, reading your notes the day before the exam will not help them very much. If the person is not passionate about his/her school and future, one page will not change anything. Maybe they will gain few points but do you really think that will help them to pass the class or get an A? I don’t think so. Also by helping the others you can motivate yourself as well. For example I have many friends that I care about and I want them to get good grades so I genuinely love sharing my work with them. It creates trusting and intimate relationship with my friends.

So this is the end of my How to Survive in College Series Part 1! I hope it will help someone who is struggling and need help. I love you all so so so so so much. Here is some other posts for you to read by other studyblrs. They are all very helpful!

“How to College” by @genuinestudies

“University Tips” by @hufflepuffscholar

“Things I Wish I’d Known in My First Year of University” by @succulentstudy​

“Hoe Tips: School and Studying” by @herhighnessthequeen​

“5 Tips for Staying Motivated” by @lizzylearns​

Also, Studyblr really helped me about my college life. It did honestly. It still does. I’m very new, like I do not know few months? Since then, I’ve been working my best and pushing my limits in a non-stressful way. Here some of my motivation Studyblrs:

@studyquill , @studylustre, @studyign, @tbhstudying, @studytherin, @studyblr, @snowystudiess, @ravnclaw, @academc, @bookmrk, @emmastudies. The list goes on but if you want a start, these blogs are phenomenal!  🌙✨

The crowd boos. I begin to walk off in shame, when a voice speaks and commands silence from the room.

Surprise, surprise. Guess who’s back with another fic rec!

It’s Jily this time because who doesn’t love a good enemies to friends to lovers trope?

EDIT: apparently the links only work if you click on the read more??? why is tumblr so weird

Key Limes by cgner [Rated T]

In which Academy Award winner Lily Evans discovers the periphery of internet fandom and the mysteries of Prince James’s gold star system.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7402624

Mother Deer by GhostofBambi [Rated T]

Euphemia Potter is the unequivocal boss of everyone, including and most especially her son, and if the sweet, bright-eyed redhead who frequents her coffee shop doesn’t know that yet, she’s about to find out.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13594827

Polyjuiced by ladyoftheknightley [Rated T]

A very pregnant Lily invites the Marauders round to help her entertain James. Somehow, this degenerates into 4 Jameses wandering around her living room, with her having to guess which is her actual husband or (horror of horrors) lose a bet against Sirius Black.

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10101206/1/Polyjuiced

Salmon Fishing in the Olympics by GhostofBambi [Rated T]

Modern Era AU: When Lily Evans seeks assistance from James Potter to avoid the attentions of a suitor who just won’t take no for an answer, she accidentally lands them both on the front page of every gossip magazine in Britain. She should have thought about that before pretending to be the girlfriend of a famous athlete.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11393601

Five, not missing a beat: I don’t know dad, can you pass away?