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🎵- “STAY” -> The Kid Laroi, Justin Bieber

8/18/2021

coffee + books = ~perfect day~

this past days I’ve been going out to enjoy my free time since the semester has just started. last saturday my bf and I went to a local coffee shop and i had one of the best caramel I ever had. it was an overall awesome experience. Also we went to a near-by library that has so many good books.

study-wise: i’ve only started one course on social statistics, which is very intimidating. even though i’m an intp when it comes to maths things get extra harder for me. I perceive the world around me in a analytical and logical way but i can’t use that to do graphics.

the next two weeks I’ll start three new courses: geomorphology, biogeography and climatology.i’m truly excited.

Saludos,

I believe it is important to address the other side of studyblr; we all talk about how important mental health is, and should be, in this community. But what we don’t talk about enough is the fact that it’s more clique than anything. By which I mean that certain studyblrs are so big they can seem unreachable; and that can be factored into another issue, the desire to have enough likes and reblogs; we have to have the perfect notes, or there won’t be any other type of notes, if you catch my drift. It’s stigmatic, it’s unfair; some small blogs rely on reblogs from bigger blogs, some rely on posting consistently (or constantly), but the fact remains.

We must change the aesthetic, once and for all, to include the smaller blogs, the dark blogs, the ones that aren’t as actively; it’s a community, not a clique of who has the most stationary or the most followers. Those who have the certain notes that are so admired are wonderful; but not all of us have that time to put into it, and we work just as hard at our academics, at becoming the person we would like to be, as they do.

Y'all I put on some makeup today after being depressed for weeks and holy shit I feel like the living description of every ya protagonist girl ever. My hair is in a messy fishtail braid and you can see my freckles faintly and my highlight pops and my eyeliner is sharp and just overall I feel like a total badass. I have that I can do whatever attitude and no one can fucking stop me from getting perfect scores in everything, especially hand to hand combat.

And my studying has improved. My notes look killer, I’m actually paying attention and not reading the textbook like it’s a chore and I’m getting shit done. I even managed to make my dentist appointment without stuttering.

I feel confident and great because I know I’ve got the kind of looks that would kill a man and I own this shit. This is my life and I have the ability to shape it however I want to and by hell I will make it amazing.

Having cohesive and effective notes is one of the key skills I think one should have, especially in an academic setting. When you’re receiving a ton of information each day, you want to be able to keep track of that and remember what you’ve learned. I’m constantly trying out ways to make my note-taking more effective and tailored to my needs. Here’s what my note-taking system looks like so far.

Quick note: click on the images for better quality!

Class Notes

Taking notes in class is an invaluable way to keep track of the new knowledge you’ve gained. However, depending on the mode in which the lecture material is conveyed, I take my notes differently. Here’s a summary of how I take my notes for each type of lecture, as well as some examples from the classes I’m taking now.

Slides (e.g. Macroeconomics)

Macroeconomics is a class in which you should be able to intuitively understand a lot of concepts but also remember a lot of things. Because of this, I’ve tailored my note-taking method and habits to achieve that goal.

I write my notes by hand because handwriting is more effective in committing things to memory.

As for what I actually do - and this is what I’ve done for other classes in which the professor/lecturer uses slides:

Read/skim over the slide.

Read each bullet point as the professor goes through them.

Copy it down if it’s straightforward or write it down in a structure and diction that I understand better (not necessarily in my own words - sometimes it’s just restructuring, e.g. splitting things up or joining different bullet points together).

Take note of any other important details the professor says about any particular point unless I think it’s intuitive or common sense.

Here’s an example from a Macroeconomics lecture.

Oral Presentation (e.g. Anthropology)

During classes in which the professor just speaks and doesn’t use much visual material, I listen before I write instead of attempting to write down every single detail mentioned.

Also, I type up my notes instead of handwriting them since the exams are all open-book so I don’t really have to commit things to memory.

Here’s what I do:

Listen for a cue that tells you what this particular part of the lecture will be about (and write it as a heading).

Write down main ideas and their supporting facts/details. If the facts/details come before the main ideas, then I’d usually draw an arrow.

Write down ideas and details from readings in their own section/subsection.

Sometimes, my professor also shows short clips in class, in which case I’d write down the message that I think the clip was meant to convey, as well as things that the professor points out that I didn’t think of on my own.

I’d also look up concepts/ideas/people/events (in real time) that are important to my understanding of the lecture material.

Here’s an example of a Google Docs document from an Anthropology lecture.

Demonstrations and Sample Problems (e.g. Computer Science)

Classes in which the lecture is mainly going through demos and problems are kind of tricky, because you want to know and understand what the professor is doing, but you also don’t want to be writing down every single step that’s being executed. Here’s what I’ve found to be the most effective so far:

If there are any, I import the slides/handout onto OneNote and annotate directly on the slide. If not, I just write down things like definitions, important concepts, and syntax-related things.

I focus on understanding what the professor’s doing with the demo or problem.

I then summarize the steps they took and

Write down comments and points they brought up, e.g. common errors, desirable habits/practices.

Also, these kinds of classes are usually classes in which you’d learn better when you actually do problems yourself, so I definitely learn more when I do assignments and labs than when I’m in class.

Here’s an example from a Web Programming lecture.

Here’s one from an Object Oriented Programming and Data Structures class. I often draw things to help me visualize the general points.

Rewritten Notes

My rewritten notes have definitely changed a lot since high school. Since most of my classes don’t require a lot of memorization, I organize my notes in such a way that they’d be easy to index or find information from. Here are some of the ways I do that:

Establishing a Visual Hierarchy

Having a well-defined hierarchy helps me flow through my notes really well as i read them. It helps me organize information like a mind map without actually making a mind map - I know the big topics and their subtopics and sub-subtopics and details … basically it’s easier to see how these ideas fit together.

But why don’t I just make mind-maps? See, the thing is, a lot of my notes require sequential or linear thinking, e.g. in macroeconomics it might be the sequence of events following a change in the economy, or in computer science it might be a general algorithm for solving a certain type of problem, or it might be proving or deriving a certain equation. These sorts of things just generally don’t work well with mind maps. Instead, establishing a visual hierarchy in my notes helps me organize different ideas while retaining the linear nature of the information.

Here’s what the hierarchy looks like.

Here is an example from my Web Programming class, which is a purely project-based class, so no prelims or exams. As you can see, I draw rectangles around important terminology so that I can easily find them while I’m working on a project. I also include examples from in-class activities as well as notes on syntax so I have an idea of how to implement certain things. These examples and notes are further grouped by terminology/concept.

Structuring Them for Easier Flow

My syllabi for my college courses are nowhere near as detailed as the syllabi for my high school courses - those of you who take/have taken Cambridge exams would know. In college, my syllabi are only lists of topics and not what you’re expected to know for each topic. Because of this, I have to find a way to arrange information so that I can achieve the most comprehensive and cohesive understanding of that topic, i.e. so that the flow of my notes is similar to the flow of my thinking.

For example, in my economics notebook, I like to have the details first (e.g. the separate markets: the goods market, the assets market, and the labor market) and then the big picture later (IS-LM-FE). Some people prefer the other way around - seeing the big picture and then going into the details - which I can understand and have done myself for certain topics.

Making Use of Proximity and Spacing

I very much dislike notes without good use of spacing and grouping things together. Keeping related ideas in visual proximity helps your brain (or at least mine) organize this information. It’s also a lot easier to find things and visualize your notes when they’re not just a huge chunk of text.

One thing I should probably mention is that I don’t use colored pens anymore because it just takes a lot of time to switch pens and think of a color palette. I also don’t have much use for it. In the past, I used color to help me memorize and group things in different categories, but now, I’ve found that there aren’t a whole lot of categories I need to keep track of, and when I do, I can do so with just one pen but changing the style of the text.

And that’s what my note-taking system currently looks like. It’s working well so far, but I still think there are other things I could try out that might be a better fit.

College Morning Routine

Hey guys, so after one semester of college, I’ve found a morning routine that works for me. Here’s how I start my mornings so I’ll have a productive day ☀

P.S. click on the pictures for better quality.

zinc white; how are you really feeling today? no one-word answers please!

cadmium yellow; when you think of the word “happy” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

lemon; what’s your comfort food?

hansa yellow; what’s your guilty pleasure song?

yellow ochre; name an artist/band whom you just discovered & can’t get enough of!

naples yellow; where do you feel most at home?

raw sienna; with whom do you feel most at home?

golden ochre; describe the relationship you have with your closest friend.

golden deep; what’s your favorite season?

cadmium orange; what do you like to do on your days off?

orange lake; do you have anyone you can turn to when you’re sad?

titans; do you prefer slow mornings or relaxing evenings?

shakhnazaryan red; are you currently binge-watching anything?

red ochre; are you more right-brained (creative) or left-brained (analytical)?

burnt sienna; is there a painting that brings you peace when you look at it?

english red; what animal do you relate to most?

vermilion; what’s your favorite accent?

cadmium red; do you have a “type” when it comes to a significant other?

scarlet; describe your current crush/es.

ruby; what does your ideal first date look like?

carmine; what does your ideal second date look like?

madder lake red; would you ever kiss someone (or accept a kiss) on a first date?

rose; what’s something really positive going on in your life right now?

quinacridone rose; what’s something you’re really looking forward to?

violet rose; what does your dream house look like?

violet; is there any place in particular you’d like to settle down?

blue lake; what would you like to do/accomplish before you settle down?

cobalt blue spectral; what is the most beautiful place you have ever been to?

ultramarine; when was the last time you were in a good mood? do you know/remember what sparked it?

blue; what’s the most recent dream you remember?

bright blue; what does your dream family look like? any kids or pets? how many of each?

blue cobalt; do you like your name? would you give yourself a different name if you could?

prussian azure; what’s your favorite scent?

azure blue; what’s your favorite type of tea, if any?

turquoise blue; if you could start a garden, what would you plant?

cerulean blue; if you were guaranteed to have a viewership, would you start a youtube vlog?

glauconite; describe your body without using any negative adjectives.

yellow green; picture yourself walking in a field. what do you see & hear in this scenario?

green light; are you in a comfortable place in life? if not, what do you think might make it better?

green; name three countries you want to visit; do you have any actual plans in place to visit any of them?

emerald green; do you speak any languages besides english? are there any additional languages you want to learn?

oxide of chromium; what’s your favorite book?

olive green; are you currently reading anything? how do you like it so far?

mars brown; what’s a movie that always puts a smile on your face/makes you laugh?

burnt umber; what’s something you plan to do before the day is over to take care of yourself?

umber; have you drank enough water today?

voronezhskaya black; what or who is your go-to outlet for when you need to vent?

sepia; name five things that always make you happy.

indigo; what’s the best/sweetest compliment you have ever received?

payne’s gray; describe your aesthetic?