Always Learning

I’m enjoying energy metab!!! I cannot wait to regret this when I’m deep in pathways. Haha. It has been raining frequently and I love how cozy it is these days. The rainy season is upon us and so I feel sleepier in the early parts of the afternoon.

I took a 10-min nap today, and brewed coffee, only to forget to put decaf so I’m doomed from sleeping as early as midnight 🥺🤧 Oh well, I’ll just read to sleep then. lmao.

my brother is 26 years old, makes $200k a year, and just bought a house with his fiance. he’s the success story you hear about but never actually meet in person, but it all happened by accident. he wanted to go to college for clarinet performance, but he got rejected from all the top schools. so he decided to major in physics instead, and then went on to get a doctorate to put off being an adult for a few more years. but then he ended up dropping out halfway through the program and accepting a job with google as a software engineer. so to reiterate: my brother majored in something he was not interested in, and then he got a job that had nothing to do with his degree. 

he isn’t successful because he had some master plan he followed, he just stumbled around blindly until something worked out. and that’s what we’re all doing–i majored in political science and now i do customer service for a company that makes industrial-sized gas detection monitors. the marketing director at my company has a degree in biology, and my mom has an MBA and works at a middle school.  no one knows what they’re doing, we’re all just trying different things until something works out.

When I was seventeen, I was 100% sure that I was going to get a job as a bureaucrat and save the world. When I was a 21-year-old recent college grad, I found out that it’s impossible to get a government job unless you know someone. So I gave up and found something else. I know my teenage self would be disappointed if she could see where I’m at, but you know what? I don’t care. Because teenage me was an idiot. She didn’t know anything about the world or how it worked, and she couldn’t have possibly predicted the curveballs that life would throw at her. And because I don’t know a single person who’s doing the thing they wanted to do when they were teenagers.

my dad got a bachelors in chemistry, then applied to a master’s program specifically to work with one professor. after he accepted, he found out that the professor wasnt teaching that program anymore. he finished his degree, said fuck this, i dont want to work in a laboratory, and went to law school instead to practice patent law and adores every aspect of his career. probably never would have happened if that one professor had stayed to teach.

my aunt didn’t have the chance at college when she was younger because her relationship with education (and being poor) just wasn’t conducive to higher ed. now she’s 35, married with 3 kids, and halfway through an associates degree to be a medical tech (and one of the top students in the class), because she realized adult-her was more compatible with college than teenage-her

my uncle was (weirdly enough) so highly experienced that he kept getting laid off from/leaving major companies because they couldnt/wouldnt pay the proper salary for a man of his skill level. eventually, he said fuck that and went back to school to get his doctorate, then a few years later got a job as a professor of business admin/marketing and he’s really really good at it 

and even the people you think have linear paths, good news: they dont. my mom grew up in the german education system, and knew from hs she wanted to be a lawyer. went all the way through the law course in uni, then immigrated to the us to go to an american law school. she got a job at a private firm doing translations from german to english (i think??) and when her contract there ended, moved to doing government work in a completely different field. i have no idea what she studied specifically at university, if at all. so even tho on the outside she looks perfectly linear, she really wasnt

She went to university and studied Biology and then got a post grad (I don’t know in what exactly). I don’t know what she did until she got married, but after marriage, she got another degree and became a teacher. She left the job when my younger brother was born and was a house wife for almost 14 years.

if you’re a minor and a strange adult tries to befriend you on this site, i’d encourage you to block them. if you’re not sure of their age, please ask right away, and don’t be afraid to directly ask about their intentions. we need to be aware that grooming over social media is a real problem.

1. don’t load your hardest classes in one semester. find out which classes within your major are rumored to be tough and divide them out throughout your time in college.

2. don’t show up to class earlier than 10 mins early. the class before yours will likely still be in there finishing up, and you’ll either walk in in the middle of a lecture or have to stand outside for a long time. just get there 5-10 mins early and you’ll be fine!

3. create a group chat for all of your classes. find a few friends from class and make a group chat! this can be either on imessage, groupme, or whatever is most popular to use at your school. this can be your go-to place to ask questions about assignments, due dates, etc. before asking the professor!

4. as for class participation, quality>quantity. in most college classes (with the exception of huge lectures) participation accounts for a chunk of your grade, and some professors take that grade very seriously. however, this doesn’t mean you should raise your hand and talk whenever you find the opportunity- your professor (and your classmates, for that matter) will appreciate you much more if your comments and questions are less frequent and have more to add to the class. 

5. the readings listed under a date in a class are due for that class, they are not homework for the next class. this is one of the biggest issues college freshman have at the beginning of their first semester. unless the professor specifically says otherwise, if the syllabus is set up to list each class individually with the readings underneath/beside the class, they are due for that class, not the next one.

6. make yourself known to your professor! this is especially important for a large lecture, where they won’t get to know you otherwise. stop by their office hours or go up to them after class and introduce yourself- making a connection with your professor can open more doors than you may know!

7. rate my professor is not always accurate. professors can get better or worse, and different people have different experiences. though it’s a great tool and you can still use it to see what people think, if you’re stuck with a professor that is ranked low, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have a bad time in that class.

8. sometimes it’s okay to just skim your readings. you’ll find out soon enough if your professor basically goes over exactly what the reading says every class. if so, you only need to skim it over and take light notes. don’t spend hours closely reading a textbook that your professor is just going to go over word for word the next day (unless it helps you- if so, do it!)

9. the guy in class that answers every question isn’t smarter than you. that’s it.

~ ultimate studyblr masterpost ~

with my new semester coming up, i thought i would compile a bunch of posts ive collected over the past few years (ill probably add to this over the next week). hopefully yous get as much value out of all these lovely peoples posts as i did : )

masterposts

back to school masterpost

study advice masterpost

a masterpost on masterposts

finals week masterpost

the ultimate studying masterpost

masterpost of everything

mega masterpost

masterpost library

masterpost of psychology notes

ultimate tips masterpost

organisation

how i organize

the no excuses study system to get that a

getting ready for a new semester checklist

how i strategically plan my semester pt 1

how i strategically plan my semester pt 2

before uni starts

scheduling studying

how do you use trello for uni organisation?

how to plan your daily routine as a university student

how to get your shit together

life saving assignment schedule

how to manage your time as a college student

back to school

minimalism: organizing your binder

how to life admin

how to make a study schedule

study tips

study tips that arent bullshit

being productive after school

personal study tips: tried and tested

a guide on how to memorise content

how i review the class material

how to write a high-grade research paper

how i got straight a’s in my first year of university

40 study tips and tricks

how to develop discipline in studying

guide to last minute studying

no to low stress college study strategy

tips that will make your school year easier

tips for success in college

everything you need to succeed in college

how i got a 4.00 gpa and how you can too

how to stay on top of school work

self study tips

adapting to uni studying

how to take notes from a textbook

how i went from academic probation to the deans list in one semester

tumblr resources to get you through the school year

study less study smart

ways to avoid burnout at university

study method

study tips

Hermione study tips

mental health / self care

studying with anxiety and depression

self care for when you hit rock bottom

tips to get your life back on track after a breakdown

good emotional skills to know for college

stress management techniques for test anxiety

self care cheat sheet

printables

course tracker/revision planner

overcoming the curve of forgetting printable

I’ve collected study tips from myself and others who struggle with studying. Here’s a masterlist of strategies people use to help :) For those curious, #3 is my personal favourite and is probably the main reason I didn’t flunk all of my classes this year. Feel free to add your own!

Sleep, eat, exercise. The basics. Treating my body right helps me keep a routine and makes me less prone to impulsivity. This makes it a little easier for me to do the things I need to do and fight back my executive dysfunction.

Play idle games while working. Anonymous says “I get bored very, very quickly and need constant stimulation, so every time I have to wait for something, I will immediately divert my attention. Having an idle game running helps me not to lose too much focus, so I get more work done as a result.”

Use a tutor. Since I can’t follow self-imposed deadlines, I create external deadlines by booking tutoring appointments. This forces me to make sure I have at least a basic understand of the material before the session so I know what to go over. Most schools have free peer tutors available, so take advantage (if your school doesn’t, try a study group)! This is a great way to create deadlines you can follow, and it always helps to study with someone who can answer your questions and keep you on task.

Play music. @luminarily says “Sometimes I sit in silence and I get bored of it or I get a song stuck in my head or something. But I have forcibly linked music playlist and actually doing something I need to do so that when I put on music I am automatically forced to do the work I was supposed to do. So it makes the work and the listening more enjoyable both and it’s easier to stay on task… I use unpaid youtube on my phone so I can’t leave the tab or else I can’t listen to music anymore so I can’t go on my phone. And also youtube mobile lets you set watch time timers, so when my music stops I take a break and don’t burn out!”.

Play ambient noise. Similar to #4. I am not stimulated enough when taking notes, reading textbooks, etc., but listening to music can be too much and makes me stressed. I like to play ambient noise (my personal nerdy fave is Slytherin dormitory ambience on Youtube lol). It’s enough to stimulate my brain, but not overpowering to where I get distracted or stressed.

Block out time to do work. @tidal-rose​ says “I find it easy to do stuff by saying ‘I’ll do it tomorrow.’ But I don’t mean the procrastinate-y ‘I’ll do it tomorrow,’ I mean plan to do it tomorrow. Set aside a block of time when you are going to do nothing but the task. …I just realized this sounds like such a neurotypical answer oh gosh. It really does work to hack my executive disfunction”

Have a plan. If I don’t have a straightforward + actionable plan for right when I wake up, I will just do literally nothing all day. I have to know what I’m going to be doing when I wake up, like “shower, be at the library by 10am, and do practise problems there”. If I only have a vague plan like “study chemistry tomorrow” it’s a lot harder for me to do anything.

Start small. It often feels impossible to do even the bare minimum. When I can’t even get myself to write a single sentence of my paper, I try to do even less than that. Literally just open up a Word document. Even just opening up a blank page is a fantastic start, and starting is the hardest part.

The 9-to-5 lifestyle is not only “slightly inconvenience” for us night-owls, but it can also be harmful to our health. Differences between night-owls’ biological clock and social clock - otherwise known as “social jetlag” - greatly diminish our productivity and increase health risks.

As a fellow night-owl - who have survived 7:30 AM high-school classes, 8;30 AM uni classes and internships, as well as 7:00 AM jobs - I have compiled a list of personal “survival” tips that I hope can be helpful for other night-owls, especially during the current situation. I am not a physician, medical or education expert. These are my own personal experiences, and I would love to hear more from those who have insights into this problem as well!

1. Make sure you still have sufficient sleep

Being a night-owl does not mean you don’t need sleep. Establish a fixed time to go to bed, fixed time to wake up, and try to stick to them. Work your way backward from when your job/classes start to determine when you need to go to sleep. Always make sure you have a proper amount of sleeping time to keep yourself healthy and functional.

2. Plan your days based on the tasks’ complexity

When it comes to daily planning, I always divide my tasks into morning, afternoon, or night tasks, based on how complicated - or mentally demanding - they are. It usually looks like this:

The rule for my planning:

Simple, mindless tasks are done in the morning. This will create a working mindset and momentum for the rest of your day. Then, the afternoon is where your day will truly begin. This is when the slightly more complicated tasks are tackled, such as lab reports, or reading assignments. After dinner, the most complicated tasks will be completed at night, when your productivity is at its maximum. The period of time right before bedtime will be used for mostly artsy/ leisure activities-  anything light to ease your brain into falling asleep.

3. Set aside 15-30 minutes before bed to free your mind of any thoughts that might prevent you from falling asleep

My mind is super loud at night, especially when I’m trying to go to sleep. All kinds of thoughts would invade my head, from plans, homework problems, to just random brain-vomits. This is why this small period of time is so important. It basically serves as a brain-dump, a place to let you go through all the thoughts you might have so that you won’t be disturbed by them later. It’s also a great time for self-reflection/ journaling as well!

4. If you have early classes, prepare for them in advance

This will reduce the pressure to follow morning lectures when your biological clock hasn’t caught up yet. Preparing for them in advance also makes it so much easier to understand and absorb new information. This is also super helpful for in-class quizzes/ clicker questions that demand you to understand the topic on the spot. To make early classes even more enjoyable, record the lecture and revisit it later in the day.

5. Give your body time to wake up

Set an alarm for 15 minutes before your planned wake-up time. Don’t worry, you don’t have to wake up just yet. This period of time is for your body to adjust from sleeping/resting state to waking up. And this includes every organ from the brain, liver, to the heart. Jolting awake right as the alarm goes off is risk-inducing to your physical and mental health. Drink a cup of water during these 15 minutes. Go through your phone for a bit. Let your eyes adjust to the sunlight.

6. Make your mornings as enjoyable as possible

Blast music. Have fancy coffee. Open your windows for that ethereal sunrise light and fresh air. Meal-prep your breakfast. Plan your outfits and pack your bags the night before. Schedule to go to classes with your friends. Dance in your bathroom. Find things that can spark joy in you and incorporate them into your mornings - you don’t have to wake up miserable.

7. Take small naps during the day

If you need these power naps, it’s best to keep them short, about 10-20 minutes. Even if you don’t completely fall asleep during the 10 minutes, closing your eyes and letting your body and mind rest for a bit is enough to re-energize yourself. Also, try not to have these naps after 4:00 PM - it will mess up your biological clock. And no caffeine after that as well!

Feel free to add your own tips too! It would be greatly appreciated.

Of course, there is a long road until educational institutions and companies recognize the biological uniqueness of night-owls and make proper changes to provide a healthy, productive schedule for everyone. In the meantime, we can try to make compromises to play to our advantages and make the best out of our abilities.

Don't stop when you're tired! Stop when it's done 💪🏻

for anyone wondering, i used zebra mildliners highlighters for this photo

some biology notes on enzymes ft my overflowing todo list that isnt very long anyway + i probably wont follow it HAHAHAH

enzymes are pretty fun to learn about imo although it’s a basic chapter but it’s still nice to go over it again.

i also did some chinese comprehension which pretty much slayed my last remaining brain cells

happy thursday y'all :)