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• 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚘𝚘𝚗 •

An Overview of Note-Taking Styles

staring at the ceiling long after everyone has gone to sleep, thinking about how things seem less real at night, listening to the rain falling gently outside your window

feeling a little enraged? neat, me too! fuel your anger for the low-low cost of $0.00

it’s ten pm and you’re on a bus to faraway places; change is happening and you can’t wait to see what it brings

you know sometimes you just gotta let yourself feel some existential dread and that’s what this playlist is all about

folk music to remind you of the little things you see every day. perhaps it’s the faerie circle you found last week or the coins that mysteriously appeared in your pocket a few days ago, but there’s clearly magic in the air

songs that are either from or remind me of the 80s because i am both gay and predictable

Completely Updated Complete College Checklist!!

I have complied a list of all of the items someone needs to pack and bring to college if they are living in a residence hall. This list is categorized and alphabetized for your convenience.

Reblog this to help others who are struggling with their college checklist! 

Bed:

Bed sheets (2 sets)

Bed Risers (optional)

Blankets

Body Pillow

Comforter

Mattress Pad

Pillowcases

Pillows (2-3)

Bathroom:

Cup for toothbrushes

Paper towels

Shower curtain

Shower curtain hooks

Shower curtain liner

Shower organizer/shower caddy

Trashcan

Toilet Paper

Towels

Towel rack (over the door)

Washcloths

Q-tips

Room:

Command Hooks

Curtains

Desk lamp

Keurig (optional)

Microwave (optional)

Mini-fridge (optional)

Rug

Surge protector

Toaster

Trash can

Medical:

Advil/Tylenol/Aleeve

Band aids

Cotton balls/rounds

Hydrogen Peroxide

Midol

Neosporin

Rubbing Alcohol

Laundry:

Delicate bag

Dryer Sheets

Hangers (thin felt or wooden hangers)

Laundry hamper

Tide Pods

Toiletries/Personal:

Brush/Comb

Conditioner

Deodorant

Eyeliner

Floss

Foundation

Hand Soap

Kleenex Tissue

Lotion

Makeup organizer

Mouthwash

Pads/tampons (for the ladies)

Razors

Retainer (for those who’ve had braces)

Retainer case (don’t forget)

Shampoo

Shaving Cream

Sunscreen

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Tweezers

Q-Tips

Clothing: (Female) 

Bras

Dresses (I’m taking 3 or 4)

Jackets

Jeans

Pajamas (are a MUST)

Panties (15-20 pairs)

Pants (dress pants)

Purse (I’m only taking one)

Robe (a MUST)

Shirts (20-25)

Shoes (1-5)

Shorts

Slippers

Socks (24 pairs)

Sweaters

Swim Suit

Workout clothes (in case)

Clothing (Male)

Belt

Boxers/other undergarments 

Jackets

Jeans

Robe

Shirts

Shoes 

Shorts

Socks

Sweaters

School Supplies:

Backpack

Binder

Colored Pencils (you’d be surprised)

Cup for pencils

Desk Organizer

Erasers

Folders

Folder/Letter Holder

Glue

Highlighters

Index cards

Index card holder

Markers

Mechanical pencils

Notebooks (8)

(college ruled) paper

Pens

Post-it Notes

Post-it Note Dispenser

Ruler

Scissors

Staples & Stapler

Tape & tape dispenser

Cleaning Supplies:

Air Freshener

Broom & dustpan

Clorox Wipes

Gloves

Swiffer Sweeper (optional)

Tiny Trash Bags

Toilet Bowl Brush

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Other:

Alarm Clock

Car charger

Computer mouse

Flash Drive/USB/External hard drive

Headphones

Laptop

Laptop Charger

Phone

Phone Charger

Food:

Bottled Water (or Brita filter)

Cereal

Chips 

Mac and Cheese Cups

Tupperware Containers

If this list helped you and you decide to do a dorm haul video, send the links to the blog and I will post them! 

these are small things you can add to your day to be 10% more productive with the estimated time it’ll take! these are things i do (or try to do) most days. they’re small enough to feel manageable, and i for sure don’t use all of them but i find that when i use at least 2-3 in a day i feel a lot better about the material.

retype notes in google docs (10-15 min/1 hour lecture)

Utilize pomodoro technique for at least one subject (25 min work/5 min break. total 30 min)

Look over notes before class (5 min)

Look over notes after class (5 min)

Make notecard summary after class (i find this one especially useful for calculus!) (10 min/notecard)

Explain short concept to a friend (10 min max)

write down to-do list of tasks (5 min)

Go over concepts in your head on your walk to class (absolute FAVORITE because of my daily calculus quizzes within the first 10 minutes of class) (as long as your walk is!)

writing an essay in college is very different from writing an essay in high school. personally, i write more research/history papers than literary essays (the liberal arts life and curse), so this is going to be a post on how a general research-y essay that has a thesis and arguments. 

intro

don’t open with a quote and don’t be overly broad. 

avoid generalizations 

your intro should address the topic of your essay (ex. the significance of gardens in renaissance society), and then narrow down to what you want to talk about in regards to your topic (ex. the political influence of the Medici gardens during the renaissance)

thesis! it should include the argument you want to make about the narrowed down topic, and three (or however many your class requires) reasons to support it. I like to think of it as W = X + Y + Z. 

your thesis explains who, what and why in a concise manner. 

body

topic sentences should not be a word for word copy of your thesis.

the order of arguments in your thesis is the order of your paragraphs 

depending on the length of your essay, there should be at least two justifications to your argument. 

so, just as the intro has a formula, X = A + B, and so forth. 

A and B should be backed up with some sources/quotes. don’t forget that if you are quoting from class notes to put either the prof’s last name, or (class notes)

be sure to have clear and concise arguments, don’t be flowery

USE WORDS THAT ARE ACCURATE. thesaurus is great but if you use a word that sounds cool but doesn’t capture the meaning you want to convey then don’t use it, because it may just change the meaning of your argument

quote whatever isn’t yours. it is completely fine if 90% of your sentences are quotes. its weird to get used to, but don’t worry about it. 

conclusion

the worst part in my opinion. 

synthesize don’t summarize. show how your arguments relate back to the thesis.

try not to copy paste your thesis into the conclusion, word it so that the readers understands that through XYZ, you were able to conclude and support argument W (referring back to the thesis formula)

do not add any new information, do not add quotes. 

your final sentence should tie up the essay in a pretty bow, but try to avoid clichés 

protips

when writing the body paragraphs, your ‘weakest’ paragraph should be in the middle, strongest as your last, and the second best as your first.

if you’re stumped on the intro, skip it. write out the body first, then the intro and you’ll be able to concisely word your thesis

think of your essay as an infomercial. your intro is the loud and clear HERES MY PRODUCT, the body is blasting information on why the product is so cool, and the conclusion is the final push for the viewer to buy that product. make your teacher want to agree with your thesis! 

use a mix of paraphrase and quotes!

don’t forget your works cited lmao (the MLA Handbook is a gr8 tool, also OWL Purdue)

prime time for essay writing is in the morning or at night, but make sure you edit it meticulously 

EDIT ON PAPER NOT ON YOUR SCREEN

push yourself to fall asleep earlier - start with 11pm, then 10pm, then 9pm. wake up in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable.

get into the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. fry tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, fry an egg, slice up a fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it. sit and eat it and do nothing else.

stretch. start by reaching for the sky as hard as you can, then trying to touch your toes. roll your head. stretch your fingers. stretch everything.

buy a 1L water bottle. start with pushing yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking it twice.

buy a beautiful diary and a beautiful black pen. write down everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments, coffees, what you need to do that day. no detail is too small.

strip your bed of your sheets and empty your underwear draw into the washing machine. put a massive scoop of scented fabric softener in there and wash. make your bed in full.

organise your room. fold all your clothes (and bag what you don’t want), clean your mirror, your laptop, vacuum the floor. light a beautiful candle.

have a luxurious shower with your favourite music playing. wash your hair, scrub your body, brush your teeth. lather your whole body in moisturiser, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner thighs, the back of your neck.

push yourself to go for a walk. take your headphones, go to the beach and walk. smile at strangers walking the other way and be surprised how many smile back. bring your dog and observe the dog’s behaviour. realise you can learn from your dog.

message old friends with personal jokes. reminisce. suggest a catch up soon, even if you don’t follow through. push yourself to follow through.

think long and hard about what interests you. crime? sex? boarding school? long-forgotten romance etiquette? find a book about it and read it. there is a book about literally everything.

become the person you would ideally fall in love with. let cars merge into your lane when driving. pay double for parking tickets and leave a second one in the machine. stick your tongue out at babies. compliment people on their cute clothes. challenge yourself to not ridicule anyone for a whole day. then two. then a week. walk with a straight posture. look people in the eye. ask people about their story. talk to acquaintances so they become friends.

Bitches love to put things into lists. Moreover, bitches love numbered shit. Here’s some numbered shit in list format to help you not suck in higher education. You’re welcome.

1. Go to class. Like 210% serious. I don’t give a shit if you’re a get by on nothing, A+ slacker. You’re fucking paying for this crap so you might as well get the services owed to you. Take your ass to class even if you zone out 99% of the time. You know 1% more than you did when you walked up in there. Congrats, asshole.

2. All that free time you have during your first week of classes? Make it your bitch. Don’t just print the goddamn syllabus and be like all done. No motherfucker. Take a good fucking look at that assignment list. What’s due next week? Yeah, do that shit now bc I know you don’t have anything else to do. Then when you’re coughing up a lung six weeks into the semester and don’t feel like getting your ass up to do that calculus homework, you’ll remember this week. You’ll remember that you’ve been a week ahead this whole damn semester. Pat yourself on the back, ass wipe.

3. Prepare yo self. No seriously. You got notes to print for class? Sure you could be like all those other bitches and just shove them into your backpack, or you could actually /prepare/ for class. I’m talking looking that shit over, identifying key concepts, getting a decent grasp of the material before your ass is even in class. You a STEM major? Yeah, make this kinda shit your life because now class is like one bomb ass group review session. Again, you’re welcome.

4. Snack like a motherfucker, but save that junk food shit for the weekends. From now on, you are a fucking health guru during the week or if you’re a slacker like me, at least on the days you have class. Fruits? Hell yeah. Pack some of those. Mind wandering in class? Snack on some apple slices. Can’t stay awake? Keep eating some almonds or some shit, but don’t be that bitch with the potato chips. Just don’t.

New video, in which we tell you the 12 simple steps to change a flat tire!