Physical Therapy Student

An Overview of Note-Taking Styles

Wear jeans/pants that “breathe” and bring a sweater, even if it’s scorching hot out, until you know which building blasts the AC to 60 degrees F and which feels like a sauna

Backpacks with thick straps are your friend!  Messenger bags are cool and all but if you’re commuting with a lot of stuff, symmetrically styled backpacks are better for your back

You are your own person and you can walk out whenever you need to or want to, so long as you’re not disrupting the class.  Meaning you can go to the bathroom without permission, take a breather if you’re anxious, answer an important phone call, etc.

If you don’t like the class on the first day, if you can- DROP THAT CLASS AND TAKE ANOTHER ONE!  It’ll only get worse from there!

If you can, take a class outside your major; it’s a good break from your expected studies.

You are in charge of your schedule.  Your adviser and guidance counselor is there to ‘advise and guide’ but if you don’t like certain classes and you can substitute for others, that’s your choice.

Consequently, if you are changing anything drastic in your plan, talk with your adviser and instructors.

Pay attention to your credit hours and grades.  Never leave this to the last week of school, you will be sorry and stressed beyond belief!

Unless it’s a lab book or otherwise specified, go to the class for a week or so before buying an expensive textbook.  Some classes, while having it on their required list, do not actually use the textbook a whole lot and you might find some of it scanned online.  Rent if you can or buy used online (schools actually don’t give discounts).  Use your best judgement on what you think you need.

Tell the people who go up to you selling or advertising things you are not interested in that you are in a rush to class and don’t have time to listen to them.  It’s less rude and they’ll leave you alone.

The smaller the class, the better it is to have some sort of acquaintanceship with a couple classmates.  They might save your ass if you are absent one day or need to study.  And talking with them makes the time go by faster without it being so insufferable.

You don’t need to join a club or sport, but internships are cool and useful!

If you can afford it, take a day off once or twice each semester if you’re too exhausted.  Just be aware of what you missed and if it was worth missing!

Your health is the most important, this goes for mental health too!!  Note: College-age/upper teens is when mental disorders like depression and anxiety are most commonly diagnosed.  Most schools have therapy services, especially during exam time.  Look into it if you need to!

Communicate with your professor if you are having trouble with something.  Anything.

Eat and stay hydrated.  Bring a water bottle and snack to class.

All-nighters will happen but never go over 36 hours without sleep.

ADDITIONAL ADVICE

Don’t let a mental health day turn into a mental health week because you will be so screwed.

Pay attention to the syllabus and do not lose it. A lot of professors put all of the assignment due dates in there and ONLY in there.

If your school has blackboard or moodle etc. CHECK IT. a lot of professors will only post certain info there and not talk about it in class

READINGS ARE NOT OPTIONAL.

I REPEAT. READINGS. ARE. NOT. OPTIONAL.

Put them in your schedule, read BEFORE class. And summarise it. For bonus points, come up with some questions about the text and go introduce yourself to your professor either after class or during office hours, and ask them about it. This will make them much more likely to remember you in a positive light (and possibly bump your grade up if you hit a hard patch.)

Your library will have a copy of your textbook. If you cannot afford to rent it, you can go to the library and borrow it from the front desk for a few hours whenever you need it. It is there for you, okay? 

Our university’s campus bookstore required the professors to “require” the most current edition of the textbook, which was mostly a scam!

-lectures might seem optional because attendance won’t be required or you don’t have to watch them live, it’s important anyways. so please, please watch/go

-with that said, even if your classes are asynchronous try to have a regular schedule for yourself, 

-it might seem weird and scary not being able to actually meet your professor and not being able to ask questions in person, but trust me they’re just as worried as you are. therefore, even if it’s scary or difficult be honest and reach out to your professor. it’s likely that there as unsure as you are, but knowing that means it can be better communicated with your class and accommodations can be made. 

-even though it seems easy to just wake up and open you’re laptop to your lecture, still try to get up in advance (as in not the 10 minutes before). dressing up and getting ready will help you transition into a work/study mentality if it’s part of a routine

-groupme and emails will become your best way of communicating with your classmates, TAs, and professors. sometimes its weird because you don’t know what level of formality to use with different people, don’t worry. they’ll make it clear to you how they’d like to be addressed either by their first names or their title (in my experiences, TAs prefer first name basis, some professors like being called by their first name or nickname and others exclusively by their title)

Thank you so much ❤️💜💙 I’ve been wanting to make a post on how to bounce back from burnout and I finally have the chance to make it today! 

28.11.19

2019-12-01

set up a productive work environment. if you can’t seem to work in your bedroom, go out and study in a local library or a cute cafe! also, get out some water and put away distractions!

use the pomodoro method. work in 20-40 minute intervals and take breaks in between. you can use apps like forest to set a timer and also keep you off your phone. this method is helpful because your brain can’t focus and take in information for too long, so taking breaks can allow it to rest.

although i said to take breaks, don’t take breaks if you don’t need them. if you’re feeling super productive and feel that you can go on, don’t stop and break your focus. in other words, don’t use breaks as an excuse to stop working if you don’t actually need them.

use a planner if you don’t have one already. or some kind of planning system, like an app on your phone or a bullet journal. use it to jot down everything you need to do, so you never forget a deadline!

schedule out your week. note down when you’re at school/working or when you have extracurriculars to go to. this way, you’ll know when you have free time to work. i know that not everyone can follow schedules, but if you think you can, try this! however, it’s imortant not to over schedule, as you need time to rest to avoid burnout. don’t always take away personal time for work time!

just take the first step. focus on getting started instead of finishing. if you’re feeling overwhelmed, remind yourself that all you need to do is start. you can tell yourself that you’ll work for only 5 minutes, and by the end, you will probably end up feeling that you can continue.

use the two minute rule. if it can be done in two minutes or less, just do it now.

break tasks down into little manageable steps. let’s say you have an essay to write. don’t just write down in your todo list to write the essay. write down smaller steps, such as coming up with your thesis, finding evidence, outlining, etc.

stop multitasking. while it may seem that you’ll get more don’t this way, you won’t. focus your attention on one thing and complete it. also, if you find yourself wanting to do something else, just write it down in your planner and do it when you’re done with this current task.

do a little bit everyday. chip away at a task everyday for a week instead of stressfully cramming it on the last day before the deadline. for example, if you review your notes everyday for a couple of minutes, these minutes will add up and you’ll thank yourself for when you actually have a test.

get ahead!! this kind of ties in to the previous step, but the most productive people always start working even if the deadline seems far away. please save yourself the stress later! it also might be helpful to set yourself a fake deadline to finish an assignment early.

if you find yourself not wanting to do work because you’re struggling to do so, ask for help. write down some questions to ask your teacher the next day or call a friend or go to office hours. if you’re completely stuck, set the task aside and do something else.

give yourself rewards. this can be anything from hanging out with friends, watching an episode of a tv show, reading a book, eating some chocolate, or buying that thing you’ve been wanting for a while.

I’ve had a few asks about how to write - as one of you put it - a bomb ass personal statement. I’m a bit reluctant to write this, seeing as I haven’t actually got an interview/offer yet! But I guess it might be helpful to those of you applying around now :)

HOW TO START

Bullet point what you want to include - I suggest listing out what you want to include. It’s a good idea to do this at the beginning, to make sure you don’t leave anything out; and it can help form the basic structure of your statement.

Do not start at the start - this is one of the most important things I learnt when writing mine. It is so hard to write that first sentence - so just leave it until the end, and begin writing with the actual content, something you’re more comfortable writing about.

When you do get down to writing that first sentence - do not start with a cheesy quote or the typical “I have always bee passionate about…” as these are things that can immediately put off an admissions tutor. Try and be original, or just simple: “I want to study X because…”

THE CONTENT

Just keep writing - don’t worry about the 4,000 character and 47 line limits. Literally just write, and keep going, even if you think what you’re writing is bad - just get all your ideas out there, and put down everything you would want to include. It’s so much easier to take things out rather than adding things in. My personal statement was around 8,000 characters at one point!`

Get the balance right - different unis want different things from personal statements, so check their websites to make sure you’re getting in what they want. You need to get the balance of intellectual curiosity/passion for the subject with your personal qualities and extra-curriculars. 

Back up everything with evidence - don’t just say you are great at working in a team, give examples that demonstrate that you have worked well in successful teams in the past.What to include?

WHAT TO INCLUDE

Why you want to study that particular course

Why you are the right person to study the course

Extra things you have done to show commitment or interest about the course - volunteering, subscriptions to journals, further reading etc.

Any relevant work experience

Any relevant awards you’ve won (e.g. maths challenge or physics olympiad) or responsibilities within the school (e.g. prefect or house captain)

Demonstrate desirable skills for your course - problem solving, teamwork, leadership etc.

WHAT NOT TO INCLUDE

Cliches - like “Ever since I was born I have wanted to study…”

Quotes - this is a personal statement, so don’t start quoting other people! Plus way too many people do this to make it original.

Jokes - it may be that the person reading your statement has a very different sense of humour than you do.

Really long sentences - you want your personal statement to be as easy as possible to read, and long confusing sentences won’t help that.

Repetition - it’s such a short document, you don’t have space for this. Plus it gets boring!

Names of unis - the unis you apply to have no idea where else you have applied, so don’t name any of them in your statement.

THE ENDING

Do not end on a cheesy quote or joke. Just sum up why you’d be a great candidate and reinforce what you have told them throughout the main body of the statement - that you’re fabulous!

1. Make the most of those little slots of time – a free fifteen minutes here and there. You can accomplish a lot in those extra lost minutes.

2. Make your work place comfortable and inviting. For example, have an inspiring bookshelf, light a scented candle, put up a few crazy, fun photographs.

3. Make every effort to enjoy the journey – and remind yourself of the arrival fallacy (arriving at your goal is usually a letdown, and doesn’t bring the joy we thought it would bring.)

4. Don’t be afraid of criticism as it can help you to learn and grow. Dreading it too much creates anxiety which them prevents you from producing your best.