Studyfy

How I Format and Use Flashcards

1.  Less is More: no need for a paragraph to define a term, choose the simplest and most efficient one. Also, don’t include common sense things or things you know by heart, you’ll waste time and space by writing them down.

2. Sketch it Out: Sketches can be helpful in allowing you to visualize the term/concept. 

3. Say it Out Loud: When reviewing through the cards, try and say the definition out loud. It will require you to think about it more, and it also helps with memorization. If I try and define a term in my head I usually speed through it and leave something out. 

4. Write them as you go: Don’t sit down right before finals and try and write down every term/definition from the course. It takes forever and you will kill your hand. As you finish a chapter in the course finish that set of flashcards. You will thank yourself later. 

5. Repetition: I go through my flashcards before a test maybe a thousand times (exaggeration but very close). Remember to focus on the harder ones, you’ll most likely remember the easier ones during the test. 

Here is my method:

Round 1: Go through every single card. Don’t set any aside. I usually don’t know a majority of the terms at this point, I most likely just finished writing them down.

Round 2: Go through every card again, this time setting aside ones I didn’t know or had trouble with.

Round 3: Go through the harder ones I missed.

Round 4: Add the harder ones back in with the original and shuffle.

- buy yourself new stationery: i get so excited about using new pens that i don’t mind writing that essay i’ve been putting off for days

- use a playlist as a study timer: have a selection of instrumentals and songs with lyrics. take a break everytime a song with lyrics comes on and work during the instrumentals

- make your study space smell fresh: mint and lemon tend to be good options

- write down how much time you spend studying for a test and then the grade you got: then you can figure out how time you really need to spend to get a good grade. this will help you use your time more effectively

- spend your study breaks showering or exercising for about 30 mins: then come back fresh and quickly review what you have learned. this will help the information sink in

- don’t always study in comfy clothes or pyjamas: do your hair or makeup if you want too. this will put you in ‘get shit done’ mode

College applications can be seriously stressful and overwhelming. After going through the process a few months ago and getting into both schools I applied to, I thought I’d share a few tips and a general timeline to shoot for! 

as soon as possible

Begin making a list of colleges you’re interested in and researching them.

Start thinking about what extracurriculars you want to list; drop the ones you don’t care about to give you more time for the ones you enjoy most. 

Think about the teachers that know you the best and ask if they would be willing to write a letter of recommendation. 

six months before applications are due

Narrow down your list to your top choices only.

There’s no point in wasting money applying to colleges you don’t want to go to!

Look at the Common App essay prompts and start brainstorming topics.

as soon as applications open

Fill out the easy parts of the application – your name, address, etc.

Make a list of any fields that you will need help filling out (like if you’re not sure what your advisor’s phone number is).

Start rough drafts of your essays, even if you aren’t sure of the topics.

three months before applications are due

Nail down essay topics and begin serious revisions.

Ask people if they would be willing to proofread your essays.

Visit campuses if possible, or speak to an admissions counselor to better tailor your applications to each school.

one month before the due date

Send essays to the people that have agreed to go over them.

Finish up the questions portion of the application.

Enter in actives and have someone proof them.

Begin final edits of essays.

Contact the teachers that are writing your letters and add them as recommenders on Common App (if that’s what you’re applying through). 

one week before the due date

Finalize your essays.

Have a parent review your application make sure all the information is accurate. 

Make sure all test scores, transcripts, and any other supplemental materials are in order and will be sent on time.

Submit your applications as soon as possible so you’re not stressing about getting it in on time!

a few things to keep in mind

There’s no right number of schools to apply to.

I applied to two, my sister applied to one, and I have friends that applied to ten. Do your research and narrow it down as much as possible to save time and money, but above all make sure that you’re happy with the schools you choose. 

Schools want to see applicants that are unique and passionate about something. It’s not so much about finding a student that’s done a million different things and is a member of every club, but finding one that shows dedication and individuality through their application.

They can tell the difference between an essay written by a high school senior or college transfer and an adult pretending to be one – don’t ever ever ever hire someone out to write yours for you. 

Be creative with extracurriculars if you think you don’t have enough! Everything from babysitting your siblings to coding themes counts.

Seriously never underestimate the importance of having other people proofread. You’ve been looking at your essays for so long that you would never catch that one bit of an old sentence sandwiched in between a new one, but someone else will. 

i was terrified of doing this in undergrad, and now that i’m asked to write them fairly often, i am fondly exasperated when my students don’t know how to ask for them. obviously there’s no single way, but here’s the way i usually do it.

THE FIRST EMAIL

should be short & should mainly be asking whether they’re willing to write you the letter

should provide only the basics - what the professor absolutely needs to know.

the position you’re applying for

when the letter would be due

optional: if you’re afraid they won’t remember you, a quick line identifying yourself & your relation to them

i like to provide an “out,” in case they don’t want to or are unable to write the letter

SAMPLE Dear Professor X, I’m applying for a job as an English tutor at the University Student Resource Center, and was wondering if you’d be willing to write me a letter of recommendation for the position. [optional identification: I really enjoyed taking English 300 with you in Winter 2016, and I’m hoping to develop and pass on those skills to other students through this job.] The letter would be due by September 1st - I know you’re very busy, so I completely understand if you’re not able to write one.  All best, Your Name

THE SECOND EMAIL

they said yes!! amazing.

this one can provide a little more information – a link to the job posting, if there is one, or you can write a quick summary of the position, plus a sentence or two about why you’re excited/interested in the job.

also tell them where to send the letter!! 

directly to the recruiter for the job

to you, to add to your application packet

upload to an online LoR service or to an application website

99% of the time folks are fine with receiving electronic copies, but if they need to mail a hard copy, let them know up front.

SAMPLE: Dear Professor X, Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. Here’s the link to the job listing; the letter should be sent as a .pdf file to the email address at the bottom of the page, anytime before 9/1. Thanks again – I’m hoping that this job will provide me with some teaching experience and the opportunity to work on my own writing. Please let me know if you need any more information! Best,  Your Name

WHEN TO SEND A FOLLOW-UP

these stress me out real bad but here’s the deal: most professors have a very shaky relationship to deadlines (especially when they have half a dozen more important ones than your piddly LoR). 

the upshot: do not be afraid to nudge them. 

often they need the nudge and are appreciative of it.

when that nudge happens is up to you and how much room you’ve given them before the deadline, and it’ll look different depending on your relationship with that professor.

GRAD SCHOOL LETTERS

i offered to send my professors essays that i had written for their classes, especially if i had taken those classes more than a year before asking them to write the letter, just so they could refamiliarize themselves with my work. you can also offer to send them your writing sample, if you haven’t already asked them to look it over for you.

honestly i’d recommend asking for these in person bc it’ll give you a chance to talk to them about their grad school experience and your own hopes & aspirations, which will help them write a more personal, fleshed-out letter.

one important note: if this letter is intended for use in grad school applications, do not stress out if it’s a little late. most programs do not care, and pretty much all of them accept late letters without a problem. your professor’s ability to meet deadlines does not reflect on you, and professors are intimately familiar with running late on LoRs. they really honestly don’t care. as long as it gets there before too long, you’ll be fine.

Studying from a Textbook :: How to Get Started

Through trial and error across my academic career, I’ve developed a system of textbook studying that’s been very successful for me even in graduate school. This post outlines my basic procedure. Of course, different techniques work for different people, so be sure to pick and choose which ideas you add to your own strategies. Thanks in advance for reading!

Reading a textbook is a formidable task; after all, they contain a lot of information per page across a lot of pages. Therefore, it’s useful to divide the book into more manageable pieces. Most textbooks do a pretty good job of this by pre-dividing the material into sections (or even subsections). If there’s no pre-existing division (or if each division is fairly lengthy), I recommend focusing on about 10 pages at a time. However you choose to divide, my basic strategy amounts to this:

Tackle the textbook section-by-section, only moving onto a new section once you’re comfortable with the previous section.

If you’re under a time constraint, then I’d say make yourself as comfortable as you can within that constraint.

This begs the question: how do you become comfortable with a section? Well, you’ll need to read it more than once. Today I’m primarily discussing how to make your first reading as useful as possible, especially for future readings.

First off, I suggest reading through the section in its entirety on your first pass. There will be material you don’t understand, but that’s okay: spend a couple of minutes trying to understand it and then move on. During your first reading, you’re getting the lay of the land; you don’t have to understand everything perfectly (or even at all).

Along the way, I keep track of my understanding via sticky notes, flags, and index cards.

My Index Cards Strategy

I keep three types of index cards as I read, each with its own theme:

Questions: This index card lists questions I think of while reading, usually organized by the page number on which I have the question. Questions include things like “What’s [specific terminology] mean?”,  or “Is this related to [some other topic]?”, or even as generic as “What is [this subsection] talking about?”

Definitions: When a new word is introduced, I write it down on my definitions card. Beside each word I draw a bubble in one of three colors, with each color representing my current understanding of the word and related concepts: green means “fine as is”, orange means “could use attention”, and red means “absolutely needs attention.”

Notations: Some textbooks use abbreviations or symbols that I don’t recognize, so I keep an index card of these notations for quick reference.

You can easily replace this system’s index cards with notebook pages or similar media. Whatever works best for you!

My Sticky Notes and Flags Strategy

Using sticky notes placed within the textbook, I summarize challenging paragraphs and recap important ideas. This process forces me to grapple with the text, ultimately resulting in nice one-sentence summaries. These summaries help concepts stick in my brain and are extremely useful on subsequent reads of the text. I also use sticky notes to write questions that I couldn’t fit on my questions card. For the most difficult passages, I use flags: a quick, wordless way of saying “What in the world is this author talking about???”

Post-Reading Analysis and Subsequent Reading

I love this system because it not only lets me know how I feel about the material, but also generates specific concrete tasks to better my understanding. The vague task that is “learn this subject” becomes the more manageable tasks of “answer these questions”, “learn these words”, and “summarize these topics.”

I try to do the first reading in a single study session (although it’s not imperative to do so). Then, in a separate study session, I look up topics and words that I struggled with. The internet is particularly useful for this! Once I’ve improved my understanding some, I begin reading through the section again, this time with a fine-toothed comb. I use the notes I made the first time as guidelines for where I should spend my time and energy.

It’s very likely that during my second (and subsequent) reads I’ll think of new questions or come up with new ways of recapping material; in that case, I record them just as I did during the first reading.

In this way, I keep revisiting material I don’t understand until I feel like I understand it; again, external resources can be very useful for this! I only consider the section completed once I have a solid understanding of the section’s terminology and big ideas. Chances are I’ll still have questions at that point, but that’s okay:

I aim to be comfortable with the material, which is not the same as understanding 100% of what’s written in the textbook.

So, yeah! That’s my method in a nutshell. I hope you find parts of it useful in your own studies!

hey pals!! i haven’t done one of these in a whiiiiile, but i start my spring semester in about two weeks so i figured i would make one about how to prepare for a new semester!

my original posts | studygram | my 8tracks

making your schedule

so, hopefully you’ve already decided what classes you’re going to take, and even if you haven’t, i find that there are a few things i like to do before the semester starts so that i’ll be able to make sure i can handle it!!

one thing i learned recently to do is to rate all of my responsibilities (classes, extra-curricular activities, job, etc) out of 5 based on difficulty. so, for instance, my physics class, which has two lectures a week and a lab once a week (a 4-credit course) would, most likely, be a smack-in-the-face 5/5. on the other hand, my PE class (fricken exercise and toning) would be a 0/5 (no out of class assignments, a 50-minute class twice a week).

make sure you’re not taking back to back classes!! please!! it is so stressful feeling like you’re going to be late to a class because another went over by even a few minutes. my school does scheduling so that there’s a ten-minute break between all time slots and that’s still really strenuous for me. 

make sure you have enough time to eat, pal. i don’t know how other (read: bigger) schools do it, but my tiny school doesn’t let you take anything out of the dining hall. plus, it’s so much more fun to have time to sit down and talk with your friends – it’s also a really great way to destress in the middle of the day!

don’t overload. seriously. overload at my school is 19 credits and honestly the only reason you should be taking 19 credits a semester is if you’re graduating early (but you should have brought credits in so there would be no need) or you’re at a credit deficit (don’t….do that). so like. don’t overload. it’s really bad for you omg

textbooks!!!

don’t make the same mistake i did my first year and buy every textbook brand new!! here are some resources for free textbooks online + by the way, slader.com has answers to pretty much every textbook on the planet!

free textbooks

more free textbooks

medical textbooks

science + math books

business textbooks

classic lit + references/study guides

planning/bullet journaling

using a planner and/or bullet journal is honestly the best thing you can do for yourself. i only use a planner (which works for me enormously because i like to plan according to due dates and the calendars already set up for me work better than anything i could come up with!) but i’ve heard that bullet journals are a great way to keep lists and everything you have to do in one place!

i am currently using a 17-month ban.do planner and i love it to pieces; it’s an easy way to keep all of my assignments in one place. i also keep a separate journals for to-do lists!

intro to bullet journaling (this is the official website!)

studyign’s bullet journal tag and masterpost

another masterpost on bullet journals

free printable planner

jammin’ on your planner (read: organization tips)

setting goals

setting goals for yourself is really, really important if you want to make sure you don’t end up the typical college student: in the library at 3am the day something is due, chugging coffee like your life depends on it and typing so frantically you think your fingers might fall off.

long-term goals may seem scary at first, but if you set short-term goals in order to help you accomplish those long-term goals, it’s easy as pie!

set due dates for yourself, i.e. if you have a big essay due in two weeks, maybe have a first draft done in a week so you have the rest of the time to edit it (and maybe you’ll even finish early?)

setting goals is also important for when you hit that inevitable middle-of-the-semester slump. it happens, and sometimes you can’t get out of bed for your 8 am class, and that’s fine, whatever; but don’t make it a habit. maybe make it a goal to only miss one meeting of each of your courses?? (wink wink)

make a to do + doing + done board (i made one of these last semester and although as the semester went on i had a tough time keeping up with it i found it really helpful!!)

use your bullet journal/planner to help you with these goalsss!

forget how do study?

i know i always forget how to do anything related to school over the month-long break between semesters because i essentially become a couch potato, so here are a few posts with study techniques/resources/etc to help you readjust!!

general study masterpost (includes such resources as help for essays, ways to get motivated, and tips on how to study when you suffer from a mental illness)

how to take notes in your lecture when your professor speaks so fast and you can’t keep up

creating your own study guide!

please, for the love of the powers that be, learn time management (you’ll thank me and yourself) + pomodoro technique!!

taking a language this semester?

no fear shakespeare (this is mostly for me tbh)

apps to help you study!

…don’t stress! take care of yourselves!

everyone gets so stressed out they can’t breathe every once in a while, so here are some things that could help 

color mandalas

study playlists

my yoga masterpost

meditation exercises

how to eat healthy this semester amid all the stress

understanding anxiety (this one was really, really helpful for me!)

ok free rice is my L I F E (feed ppl and improve your vocab?? what else could u want)

studyign’s “little happy things” post – take a step back from whatever’s stressing you out; maybe even take a break entirely from it!

guided relaxation (i literally love this website so much)

all in all, just take deep breaths. i know school is important, but it’s not everything. one D does not mean you’re a failure. heck, one F does not mean you’re a failure. it’ll be okay.

printables

one thing that the studyblr community is just chock full of is printables to help you plan and to help you study. here are a few that i like to use!

daily planner, essay planner, assignment planner

revision pack!!!

for my literary friends, poetry terms

so! many! free! printables!!!

sticker printables ooo (these require sticker paper - or just regular paper and tape?)

your very own habit in 21 days!

Hey guys! I have been having many a panic attack lately, despite not being diagnosed with “clinical” anxiety. However, I have experienced enough to understand what helps with panic. After my most recent panic attack (two days ago), I realized I had to do something about it. I then created this with the help of my good friend @studyplants, and girlfriend @atomikid. I am not a doctor, so none of this is my own information, just resources to help yourself Love,  Jolie xx

SOLVE PROBLEMS Talk it out See what’s wrong

DOWNLOAD FREE APPS Self-Help for Anxiety Management (SAM) Headspace  Pacifica: Anxiety, Stress, and Depression Relief Stop, Breathe, & Think Calm: Meditation and Guided Mindfulness 

LEARN Panic Attack workbook Mood Chart Panic attack treatments Coping with panic attacks Tips on anxiety More coping tips

CALM Color changing clock Ring clock Make thoughts disappear Do nothing for 2 minutes Get hugs Breathe Watch this calming gif Relax your muscles

GROUND YOURSELF Grounding techniques More grounding techniques Even more grounding techniques

DISTRACT YOURSELF Make a galaxy Weave silk Pop bubblewrap Follow a line into eternity Travel the world (at home) Plant a forest Play a really chill game

STUDY Study without panicking Study with a mental illness Focus at will Pomodoro app

SOCIAL ANXIETY Legit tips

SCHOOL-RELATED ANXIETY How to study when stressed (college counselor) Test anxiety booklet Tried and true studying with anxiety tips Coping with test anxiety Studying self-care comic for all (not just for anxiety)

STAY SAFE +before a panic attack   Make a plan, and write it down   Websites for when you want to…..   Take your meds +during a panic attack   How to deal with a panic attack   Let the attack pass +after a panic attack   Self care guide   A button that makes everything ok   Online therapy

LISTEN Rainy mood Sound drown Simply noise Noisli (personal favorite!) A soft murmur

HELP OTHERS How to effectively help a friend

FOLLOW BLOGS THAT HELP @anxiety-relief-masterposts @healingsuggestions @positivedoodles

HUGE MASTERPOSTS This is one of the best

MY OTHER MASTERPOST Learn Japanese

I just hit 100 followers, so I thought I would make a printables masterpost. Enjoy!

Planner Printables

Daily planners

Emily Ley’s planner

@theorganisedstudent’s daily planner (2.0)

@strive-for-da-best‘s daily task pomodoro planner

@strive-for-da-best‘s daily study planner (5, 6 courses)

Another daily planner

@studyblrbunny’s daily planner (12h clock, 24h clock, without times)

@theblacklocus’ daily planner (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

@meddiestudies‘ daily planner

Weekly planners

Emily Ley’s planner

@theorganisedstudent’s twenty-four-seven weekly planner

@strive-for-da-best‘s weekly schedule

@theorganisedstudent’s weekly planner (without times)

Another weekly planner

@smallpaperthings’ weekly planner

@living-that-library-lifestyle’s weekly patterned planners (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

@theblacklocus’ weekly planner (sunday-saturday)

@thebeautygrad’s weekly planner (sunday-saturday)

@strive-for-da-best‘s weekly study planner (5, 6 courses)

Monthly planners

Emily Ley’s planner (undated)

@theorganisedstudent’s month at a glance (undated)

@theorganisedstudent’s monthly calendar

@smallpaperthings’ monthly planner (monday-sunday)

@living-that-library-lifestyle’s monthly calendar (undated, monday-sunday)

Thehandmadehome’s monthly planner

Botanicalpaperworks’ monthly planner

Semester planners

@theorganisedstudent’s semester planner

@ennui-for-me’s exam study pack (+ help guide)

@burymewithmyplanner’s study planner (etsy <- more colors, for free)

Yearly calendars (2016)

Emily Ley’s calendar

Mistiina’s calendar (undated)

Language Printables

Apamexico’s conjugation sheets 

French

German

Greek

Italian

Portuguese

Russian

Europian Spanish

Latin-American Spanish

Tracker Printables

Topic, assignment and test trackers

@theorganisedstudent’s topic understanding tracker

@theorganisedstudent’s grade tracker

@theorganisedstudent’s goal tracker

@theblacklocus’ assignment tracker

@strive-for-da-best‘s assignment tracker (per course)

@theorganisedstudent’s assignment planner

Another test and assignment tracker

@strive-for-da-best‘s topic, exam and assignment tracker

Study timetables

@living-that-library-lifestyle’s 4-weekly study timetables (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

@studyscribbles’ 4-weekly study timetable

@momostudy’s review planner (without header) 

@studyscribbles’ finals study tracker

@strive-for-da-best‘s course planner

@strive-for-da-best‘s course information (per course)

Note Taking Printables

Normal paper

Emily Ley’s graph paper

Emily Ley’s lined paper

@theblacklocus’ dotted lined paper

@theblacklocus’ regular lined paper

Emily Ley’s blank paper

Emily Ley’s quadrants paper

Online paper generator (dotted, graph, lined, …)

Cornell paper

@studygene’s blank paper (1, 2)

@strive-for-da-best‘s blank paper (article summary, lecture, outline)

@studygene’s graph paper (1, 2)

@studygene’s lined paper (1, 2)

Online paper generator (graph, lined, music)

Other note taking printables

@theorganisedstudent’s reading notes

@meddiestudies‘ quotes page

@theorganisedstudent’s defenitions page

@thearialligraphyproject’s defenitions pages (height per cell is 0.5″, 0.7″, 1.0″, 1.5″, with formulas)

@meddiestudies‘ defenitions page

@meddiestudies‘ vocabulary page

@theorganisedstudent’s essay planner

@meddiestudies‘ essay planner

@living-that-library-lifestyle’s case notes (law)

@living-that-library-lifestyle’s case notes FINAL (law)

To Do Printables

Emily Ley’s checklist

@theorganisedstudent’s task list 

@living-that-library-lifestyle’s weekly task tracker

@melbstudent’s weekly goal tracker

@living-that-library-lifestyle’s weekly to do list (1, 2, 3)

@living-that-library-lifestyle’s to do list

Here’s a few steps to get some perfect straight-As!

Preview your classes: this might sound silly to some of you, but honestly it helps a lot. Try to force yourself to read through your textbook or notes that you know your teacher will be teaching the day before class, so that you can have a slight idea of what’s going to happen tomorrow. Try highlighting the texts, or, if you’re feeling in the mood, do some outlining! Trust me, you will be so much more confident in class and that will also help you to only jot down things that’s not in your textbook. Lazy people are in fact the ones who do the prep work because they want to save time in the future!

Take class notes: Having previewed your class, you’ll realise class is in fact quite fun (shocker here). When your classmates are trying so hard to copy everything down from the powerpoints, you only have to write down things that aren’t included in your notes/textbooks. And, since you should have figured out the things you didn’t understand the night before, you can pay more attention on those parts during class, or even ask your teachers about it!

Outline Notes: When you’re home after school (preferably) or during the weekend, try to combine your class notes and textbooks together and make your perfect outline notes. Do your outline notes after every class instead of waiting till your teacher finishes a chapter/section. It will help you to keep track of your classes!

Study guides: After a chapter/section, it’s good to narrow it down to a nice and simple study guide. Try to omit information that’s already in your brain from your outline notes and reorganize it into a study guide. The whole process will help you to review the knowledge once again and at the same time give yourself some good source for studying for finals.

Index cards: this should be the last step. I usualy prepare index cards when I’m studying for a test. Before the test, I will use my study guide to study, and write down key information (either some main points or parts that I can hardly remember) onto the index cards. The night before/ the morning before the test, the only thing I’m holding is my index cards. So while all your pals are holding their large pile of notes and cramming in the hallways, you can confidently walk with only some cards!

When you walk into Starbucks and you..

I. Smell the coffee aroma (olfactory)..

II. Read the order menu from about 20 feet away (optic) then you..

III.  Pupils constrict as you look at items, such as muffins, closer (oculomotor)..

IV.  You look up at salesperson then down at your money as you pay (trochlear)..

V. You clench your teeth and touch your face when they called your drink (trigeminal)..

VI. You look side-to-side to see if anyone else has ordered the same drink (abdsucens)..

VII. You smile because you realize this IS your drink (facial), then..

VIII. You hear someone say “You can sit here, we are leaving” (auditory). As you sit..

IX. You taste the sweet whipped cream on the top of your drink (glossopharyngeal)..

X. You say “Ahhhh this is good!” (vagus)..

XI. You look at the person next to you because they heard you and then you shrug your shoulders (spinal accessory)..