strive for more

Some short but useful (and cheap!) books to help with academic writing:

Hazel Hutchison, Essays and Dissertations Made Easy

180920 | my freshman year of uni started and i’ve been so busy but so happy

I’m like 2 weeks late but here’s the first page of my September spread. I’m kind of in love with it tbh, which doesn’t happen that much with my spreads lately since I don’t have that much time to make something super cool.

Have a signature accessory, clothing article, make up look, or hair style.

Have a fragrance. Make your hair scents and lotions match your perfume.

It’s okay to dine alone. Bring a book or people watch.

Love your hair. Research the best brands for your hair type and use masks weekly.

Your nails don’t need to be fancy, but keep them maintained.

Stay worldly. Know works of art, artists, designers, films, books, politicians. Spend your lunch break reading the paper or a magazine.

Crying is not a weapon. It’s okay to feel your emotions, but never use them as an excuse to avoid your problems.

Jealousy is boring. Love and appreciate others. If you can’t love them, forget them.

Boost others. Flatter others, but don’t deprecate yourself in the process.

Don’t sulk. Don’t let the whole world know your problems. If you don’t want someone to give their opinion, don’t share your situation.

Your life is between you and the universe. Don’t post your personal matters for others to see.

Don’t emotionally blackmail others. They hurt you? Let them know and then move on. It’s between the two of you and not the world.

Cook dinner. Cook dinner and listen to music, the radio, or a podcast.

Treat yourself to candles and flowers. Be your own cheerleader.

Take naps. Take a cat nap on a Sunday afternoon with the blinds open and the fan on high.

Drink your water, eat your vegetables. Take care of your body.

Never have time to take off your jewelry before bed, but always have time to take off your makeup. Your nighttime skin regime is important.

Mystery is beautiful. You don’t need to reveal much of or about yourself.

Here is all my content for September! I hope you enjoy it :-)

2018 yearly overview + monthly breakdown (also includes daily + weekly + monthly planner, 30 habit tracker, class overview and timed worklog)

2019 calendar printables (2018-19 overview, 2019 overview, 2019 key dates, year in pixels, monthly portrait planner)

2018 monthly printables [3 designs, 6 colours]

all my free printables!

2019 student printable planner

Etsy shop printables (paid)

Free downloads for Desktop/Tablet (all Monday and Sunday start)

Serif minimalist [black or white]

Sans serif minimalist [black or white]

Fall/autumn inspired [3 designs]

Motivational quotes [3 designs]

Pastel calendars [4 colours]

Marble and pastel [6 colours]

Floral [3 designs]

Tropical leaves [3 colours]

Dark backgrounds [3 designs]

Harry Potter/Hogwarts Houses [4 designs]

Swatches [3 designs]

Bees and wasps [3 designs]

Doodles [4 designs]

Luna  [4 designs]

Marvel / Infinity Stone / Gemstones [2 colours]

Animal Crossing [3 designs]

Back to school [2 designs]

Constellations [3 designs]

Unicorns [3 design]

Succulent/Cactus [2 designs]

Cityscapes [3 designs]

Free downloads for Phone (all Monday and Sunday start)

Serif minimalist [black or white]

Sans serif minimalist [black or white]

Fall/autumn inspired [3 designs]

Motivational quotes [3 designs]

Pastel calendars [4 colours]

Marble and pastel [6 colours]

Floral [3 designs]

Tropical leaves [3 colours]

Dark backgrounds [3 designs]

Harry Potter/Hogwarts Houses [4 designs]

Swatches [3 designs]

Bees and wasps [3 designs]

Doodles [4 designs]

Luna  [4 designs]

Marvel / Infinity Stone / Gemstones [2 colours]

Animal Crossing [3 designs]

Back to school [2 designs]

Constellations [3 designs]

Unicorns [3 design]

Succulent/Cactus [2 designs]

Cityscapes [3 designs]

Hope you like them! I’d love to see them in use, so please share and tag me in any pictures on Tumblr or Instagram (@emmastudiess) or Twitter @emmajane1103). If you have me on Snapchat (@emmastudies) and would prefer to send a private picture, please do! :-)

Whilst these printables and wallpapers are free of charge, it would be amazing of you to check out my Ko-fi account!

If you’re looking for more organisation, planner or study printables, check out my Etsy Shop! I sell individual and large printable/download packs which are easy to use. Remember to add ‘student10′ at the checkout for a 10% discount! 

1: Full name

2: Age

3: 3 Fears

4: 3 things I love

5: 4 turns on

6: 4 turns off

7: My best friend

8: Sexual orientation

9: My best first date

10: How tall am I

11: What do I miss

12: What time were I born

13: Favourite color

14: Do I have a crush

15: Favourite quote

16: Favourite place

17: Favourite food

18: Do I use sarcasm

19: What am I listening to right now

20: First thing I notice in new person

21: Shoe size

22: Eye color

23: Hair color

24: Favourite style of clothing

25: Ever done a prank call?

27: Meaning behind my URL

28: Favourite movie

29: Favourite song

30: Favourite band

31: How I feel right now

32: Someone I love

33: My current relationship status

34: My relationship with my parents

35: Favourite holiday

36: Tattoos and piercing i have

37: Tattoos and piercing i want

38: The reason I joined Tumblr

39: Do I and my last ex hate each other?

40: Do I ever get “good morning” or “good night ” texts?

41: Have I ever kissed the last person you texted?

42: When did I last hold hands?

43: How long does it take me to get ready in the morning?

44: Have You shaved your legs in the past three days?

45: Where am I right now?

46: If I were drunk & can’t stand, who’s taking care of me?

47: Do I like my music loud or at a reasonable level?

48: Do I live with my Mom and Dad?

49: Am I excited for anything?

50: Do I have someone of the opposite sex I can tell everything to?

51: How often do I wear a fake smile?

52: When was the last time I hugged someone?

53: What if the last person I kissed was kissing someone else right in front of me?

54: Is there anyone I trust even though I should not?

55: What is something I disliked about today?

56: If I could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

57: What do I think about most?

58: What’s my strangest talent?

59: Do I have any strange phobias?

60: Do I prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

61: What was the last lie I told?

62: Do I perfer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

63: Do I believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

64: Do I believe in magic?

65: Do I believe in luck?

66: What’s the weather like right now?

67: What was the last book I’ve read?

68: Do I like the smell of gasoline?

69: Do I have any nicknames?

70: What was the worst injury I’ve ever had?

71: Do I spend money or save it?

72: Can I touch my nose with a tounge?

73: Is there anything pink in 10 feets from me?

74: Favourite animal?

75: What was I doing last night at 12 AM?

76: What do I think is Satan’s last name is?

77: What’s a song that always makes me happy when I hear it?

78: How can you win my heart?

79: What would I want to be written on my tombstone?

80: What is my favorite word?

81: My top 5 blogs on tumblr

82: If the whole world were listening to me right now, what would I say?

83: Do I have any relatives in jail?

84: I accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow me with the super-power of my choice! What is that power?

85: What would be a question I’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

86: What is my current desktop picture?

87: Had sex?

88: Bought condoms?

89: Gotten pregnant?

90: Failed a class?

91: Kissed a boy?

92: Kissed a girl?

93: Have I ever kissed somebody in the rain?

94: Had job?

95: Left the house without my wallet?

96: Bullied someone on the internet?

97: Had sex in public?

98: Played on a sports team?

99: Smoked weed?

100: Did drugs?

101: Smoked cigarettes?

102: Drank alcohol?

103: Am I a vegetarian/vegan?

104: Been overweight?

105: Been underweight?

106: Been to a wedding?

107: Been on the computer for 5 hours straight?

108: Watched TV for 5 hours straight?

109: Been outside my home country?

110: Gotten my heart broken?

111: Been to a professional sports game?

112: Broken a bone?

113: Cut myself?

114: Been to prom?

115: Been in airplane?

116: Fly by helicopter?

117: What concerts have I been to?

118: Had a crush on someone of the same sex?

119: Learned another language?

120: Wore make up?

121: Lost my virginity before I was 18?

122: Had oral sex?

123: Dyed my hair?

124: Voted in a presidential election?

125: Rode in an ambulance?

126: Had a surgery?

127: Met someone famous?

128: Stalked someone on a social network?

129: Peed outside?

130: Been fishing?

131: Helped with charity?

132: Been rejected by a crush?

133: Broken a mirror?

134: What do I want for birthday?

135: How many kids do I want and what will be their names?

136: Was I named after anyone?

137: Do I like my handwriting?

138: What was my favourite toy as a child?

139: Favourite Tv Show?

140: Where do I want to live when older?

141: Play any musical instrument?

142: One of my scars, how did I get it?

143: Favourite pizza toping?

144: Am I afraid of the dark?

145: Am I afraid of heights?

146: Have I ever got caught sneaking out or doing anything bad?

147: Have I ever tried my hardest and then gotten disappointed in the end?

148: What I’m really bad at

149: What my greatest achievments are

150: The meanest thing somebody has ever said to me

151: What I’d do if I won in a lottery

152: What do I like about myself

153: My closest Tumblr friend

154: Something I fantasise about

when you’re stressed: 

this is temporary, this will pass.

i will not let stress overcome me.

i am living for the present, where i am calm and focused.

my stress will not be my downfall. 

when you’re about to hand up an assignment: 

i have no doubts in my ability to succeed. 

this represents my sound ability to learn, develop and succeed. 

i am intelligent and capable of successfully completing this assignment. 

when you need a little motivation:

i will accomplish all of my goals. 

i will stay attentive to all my work today. 

i am worthy of success.

i have an abundance of knowledge that must be used to my advantage. 

when you’re preparing for a test:

i am competent.

i am working to the absolute best of my ability.

Think about tests and quizzes differently. Imagine that each unit, you build a model. Every new piece of information you learn is a small piece of the model. Doing practice problems helps it run more smoothly, and asking questions helps you to fill in the model’s missing parts. In the beginning, you start with a blank slate, and as you progress in the class, you’re adding pieces to the puzzle, bit by bit.

Every quiz is a chance to test this model. You’re sending your prototype out into the real world (your teacher) and testing how well it works. Your graded quiz is feedback on how strong your model was. The questions you answer correctly shows where your model is strong, and the mistakes you make shows where your model needs more support. So the grade is just feedback – numerical feedback that empirically rates the strength of your model. After you receive your feedback, you iterate on the model, fortifying the parts that are weak and maintaining the parts that are strong.

The unit test is your chance to test the completed model. And that’s exactly what it is: a test. A test of how well you built your model, how much time you put into it, and how well it works. The grade is feedback on your model. And once you start thinking of grades as purely feedback, tests become much less scary. Because the real work is done long before that – not in cramming the night before, but in building the model piece by piece, brick by brick. And if you do badly, it’s not a reflection of your self-worth. It’s just that your model didn’t do so well this time. You are not lacking, your model is.

After the test, sit down and reflect on how you built your model. Even if the test went terribly and your grade is screwed beyond repair, you are still going to have to build another model from start to finish for the next unit. So negative feedback is just as valuable as positive feedback – it tells you what to change, what to tweak, what to do next time to make your model stronger and more effective. So it follows that all grades are good grades if you’ve tried your best, not because “that’s all that matters and that’s all you can control,” or because “that’s good enough BE SATISFIED,” but because they’re valuable feedback on where you actually are and what you need to do to improve your model. If you didn’t try your best, the feedback isn’t as valuable because it doesn’t reflect where your model could have been had you put in all you could.

The most important thing to do to improve your model is to ask questions. Go to your teacher and ask for help (even if you think your questions are stupid). I’ve asked so many objectively dumb questions in physics and math and I’ve just learned to laugh at myself along with the rest of the class. And honestly it really doesn’t matter because nobody is born knowing these concepts!!! Everyone has to put in the time to learn them. The people who claim that they’re breezing through the class must have learned it somewhere. I promise you that you can’t absorb physics and math in utero.

For me, the most effective way to build my model is to have a deep understanding of all the concepts and how they fit together. I’ve learned to go beyond “how do I improve my grade” and “how do I learn how to plug numbers properly into these formulas” and ask the questions that are fundamentally more important to my understanding of the concepts and to my model: “how does this work?” “why does this make sense?” and “how do these two things relate?” Fundamentally, everything in a given subject (especially a STEM subject) is related, and after you piece together the big picture, you will have so much more facility with each individual concept.

November 25, 2017

1/? in the AP Masterpost Series

Official APUSH Course and Exam Description from the College Board

Tumblr Posts

General AP and AP Exam Tips

AP Exam Resources

AP Resources

The Ultimate AP Resource List

APUSH-Specific AP Exam and Study Tips

All the Topics to Know for the APUSH Exam

AP History Classes

APUSH DBQ Tips

AP US History Help

APUSH Masterpost by The AP Resource

APUSH Notes Tumblr

APUSH Review

APUSH Study Guides by @night-studying

APUSH Study Guides by @scholaring

APUSH Study Guides and Notes

APUSH Tips

APUSH Tips From Someone Who Got a 5

APUSH Writing Tips

Brief Notes About Every American President

Tips for History Class

Writing Sections of the APUSH Exam

Blogs

Note: Some are now inactive, but it is still worth looking through their posts.

@apushmeoffacliffplease​

@apushresources

@apush-review

@awyeahapush​

@heresapush

@howtoapush​

@surviving-apush

@washingdone-with-this-blog-blog​

Outside Resources

Websites

American History: Connecting With the Past (Brinkley) 14th Edition Online Learning Center

APUSH Chapter Outlines

APUSH Resources from Ms. Perkins

APUSH Resources (Including 3 Practice Exams) from Ms. Brodsky

APUSH Resource List by Mr. Long  

APUSHreview.com (Use links at the top for resources)

APUSH Skills and Test Strategies on Khan Academy

APUSH Units on Khan Academy

GetAFive.com’s APUSH Course

Gilder Lehrman Learning APUSH Study Guide

YouTube, Videos, and Songs

Ace the APUSH Multiple Choice

American Pageant APUSH Crash Course Review Videos

APUSH Music Videos

APUSH the Musical Part 1

Crash Course US History Playlist 

How to Write AP History LEQs

How to Write the DBQ

Tom Richey’s APUSH Review Playlist