Entre deux coeurs qui s’aiment, nul besoin de paroles.

Hey y’all! So I know I’ve been terrible about posting this year (adjusting to college + miss rona = struggle), but I’ve honestly missed this blog and would like to start posting more often! Since I have officially finished my first year of college as a Sustainability Studies and Business Management double major, I wanted to share some tips on surviving your first year of college! This first part of the series will focus on academics!

-don’t go crazy with the course load: seriously, don’t be that kid who takes like 18 credits in their first semester. No matter what, adjusting to college life is weird, so give yourself enough time to explore, adjust, meet new people, and practice self-care!

-if you are not a morning person, do not sign up for morning classes (unless you have to!): Since I live off-campus, I have to wake up at 7:30 for my 9:30 classes and it is my personal hell (an 8:30 just might kill me). The early risers will try to convince you it’s not that bad, but schedule your classes at times when you will be the most present and engaged. 

-try out some interesting classes! This is the time when you will have some freedom to explore different areas of study, so don’t hesitate to try something new or take a weird class! Who knows, you might accidentally find something you love.

-it is absolutely ok to change your major! No matter how put together some people may seem, no one has their life completely figured out in their first year of college. You may find that the major you have excitedly been waiting to take classes for is absolute ass and that is ok! Talk to advisors and people in your classes to see what is right for you. I actually found my second major (sustainability studies) through a conversation with a random girl in one of my classes. 

-sit at the front of your class! if you are easily distracted, like me, it is the only way to stay focused. 

-show up to office hours prepared. no matter how confused you are, the second you walk into office hours you are going to forget every single question you had, so make sure to write them down and come with the materials you need so you don’t waste your time and your professor’s time.

-all-nighters are overhyped. I used to hear so many people boast about the all-nighters they pulled to study but I genuinely think it is a waste of time and energy. Unlike a high school schedule, your college schedule is going to leave you with so much free time. Try to finish all of your work in the time between classes so you don’t have to cram it all into one night. I did this, and honestly spent so much time sleeping during the fall semester (oops)

-join Facebook groups/group chats for your classes. this gives you a way to ask questions and get materials when you miss class.

-don’t study in the same place for hours. I’ve found that moving to a new location every now and gave me time to reset and helped me retain more information. The longer I stay in one place, the more distracted I get. 

-if you have the means invest in and iPad/tablet! I pooled all of my graduation money to buy an iPad and apple pencil and I am so happy with that decision. I got the good notes app and write notes and download readings (so I can highlight them) on there. Also, whenever I have to read novels for class I get them on the kindle app (which is often cheaper than buying a physical copy). This has helped me save a lot of paper and makes my backpack so much lighter.

Hello! As finals season (aka 5-research-papers-due-in-a-week season) dawns on many of you, I thought I would share the process I used to write papers in college. This made writing long research papers much less daunting (but can also work on shorter papers). I really hope this helps some of you who feel stuck. Especially during these ridiculous times, when you’re stuck at home and might have other uncontrollable factors affecting your mental health, a clear framework of what to do could be helpful. Good luck, my friends! You got this.

About me

I graduated college in 2018 with degrees in Political Science + International Studies and will be starting law school this fall. I wrote nearly 20 15 to 25-page papers, never earning below an A. I loved researching about my topics but hated writing. It’s tedious, takes so much time, and everything I write sounds bad at first. Plus, I was a terrible procrastinator so most of these essays were written in under a week. Talk about stress.

Over time I found a process that worked for me, one that made churning out a paper seem straightforward, like going through a factory line rather than this terrifying concept of writing 10,000 words. It kept me sane without decreasing the quality of my work (or more importantly, how much I learned!) 

I’m thinking about making a short video to show this in action… let me know if that could be helpful!

Step 1: Research

How you organize your research is a key step in keeping you sane. Usually I’ll have a pile of 20 books in my dorm along with dozens of JSTOR tabs open on my laptop, and that can get overwhelming very fast. Right now just focus on collecting ideas, not developing an argument or even an outline! As with most research papers, you could be starting with little to no background information on the topic, so it is still too early to be thinking about an argument.

Put all your research in one document

Open up a new doc: this will be the heart of everything. For a 15-page paper I usually end up with around 14-18 pages of typed research, 10 pt font, single spaced, tiny margins. This seems like a lot, but essentially all I do is type up anything I read that seems relevant to my topic, so luckily this step does not require that much brain power. Just type type type!

Use the table of contents

Find the chapter(s) that are actually relevant instead of skimming through the whole book. Time is of the essence here!

Use Zotero, cite right away

You can also use easybib or whatever you’re used to, but keep track of your sources. I like Zotero because I can keep a log of all of my sources and copy the footnote or bibliography version whenever needed. Before you even begin reading, cite the source and copy it into your research doc. This will save you so much time later when you have to put in your citations in the actual paper. 

Here is an example of what my research doc looks like:

Full citation is my heading for each source just so it’s crystal clear

I ignore all typos (I don’t think there are any in this part though, go me!) because my head is buried in the book just trying to get all the info down

I always start with the page number so I know what to cite when I go back

Create a shorthand 

While typing up research, you might think of something that the author didn’t talk about that you’ll want to write in your paper. Or perhaps a few sentences already start to form. Put them all in one place, with your research, so you know what source you’ll have to cite to then lead into your idea. I type “!@#” before anything that is strictly my own idea so I’m never confused. It’s fast and stands out.

This is an example: the two bullet points above are evidence from my source, which made me think of this argument I could make, which I noted with “!@#”

Step 2: Read Your Research

Now that you have all your information, go back and read through it all. Every time you read about a new theme/person/event, write it down somewhere. You may come up with a list of 20+ different ideas in your research. No matter how small, as long as there is something about it, write it down. Each of these mini themes is going to end up being a paragraph in your paper or combined with another mini theme. 

Once you’ve made your list, look for larger overarching themes. In the paper I’ve shown you, I had mini categories like “political party x” “religion” “labor groups” “little organization” and “hierarchy.” When I looked back I though, hey these are all groups and how groups are working together, so they each became their own mini paragraph under the subsection of “Alliances.”

As with most research paper structures, I try to find three general themes/subsections (like an extended version of that 5-paragraph essay we wrote in middle school). It makes the paper less messy and also makes sure I’m not covering things that are beyond a reasonable scope.

During this step, you are also searching for your thesis. It won’t be your final version. As you fill in your outline in the next step you may make slight changes. But this is definitely when you start thinking about it.

Step 3: Outline

We’re ready to outline! Once I’ve collected all my different themes and organized all my subsections and paragraphs, it’s time to fill in that outline. I start a new doc just for the outline and take advantage of google doc’s headings function to make a clear document outline.

Here comes the fun part, I read through my research one more time, this time copy and pasting all my research into each section of the outline. The document outline in google docs makes this easy because I can just click on each subheading to get me there (super helpful when you’re dealing with 15+ pages of research).

Here is what it looks like:

Let’s say I need to add something to my outline about labor groups. Boom, labor groups. Also, the typos are really abound here haha

Step 4: Write the Paper

Okay, I get it, easier said than done. BUT! You already have everything set up. Your outline is essentially just a list of your paragraphs and all you have to do is paraphrase, cite, and create a topic sentence. And that’s how you should think about this: you’re essentially transforming bullet points into sentences and adding footnotes. 

In high school my English teacher introduced us to Sh*tty First Drafts for creative writing, but honestly the same applies to research papers. Sometimes I’ll even have phrases like “wait no that’s not what I meant but basically…” and when I go back to edit, I realize that what came after “but basically…” is fine! And I keep it. So just start typing.

How do you cite while you write? Because we’re trying to get a constant stream of writing going, inserting proper footnotes after each sentence you type is too bothersome. I usually split screen with my outline and my paper so I just copy and paste a few words from my bullet point into my footnote, like so:

(This is from a different paper about cluster munitions.)

Step 5: Edit the Paper

I work best when I print out my first draft and make all edits in red pen. I feel more productive and can visually see where I want to move sentences and what I need to change. The more red there is the better I can feel the paper getting. (Whether or not that’s true doesn’t matter. We’re trying to stay motivated here!) When it’s all digital I don’t really see the progress. Plus, once I finish all the red, I get another moment of passive brain work, where all I’m doing is transferring edits rather than thinking. And at this point in the process, that kind of relief is much welcomed. 

The good thing about this process is there’s not usually a need to cut entire paragraphs or pages because the paper you end up with is just a formalized version of your outline. Because you started with such a detailed outline, the cutting and editing now is just to refine your word choices and get rid of the “but basically”s. You’re almost there!

Step 6: Replace your citations

Now it’s time to go back and replace your footnotes with actual citations. Zotero makes this easy because in Word you can just insert and add the page number, and it’ll automatically do “Ibid.” for you when needed. Ctrl+f in the original research doc to quickly find the source.

Step 7: One More Read-Through and Submit!

Congratulations!! You’ve got a fully-researched and well-backed paper! Of course, even though the process is straightforward, it’s still a lot of work. In ideal situations I would start researching two weeks before the deadline, but if need be, I believe I’ve done this all in three miserable panic-filled days as well. 

Planning

Determine primary sources/bibliography.

Determine secondary sources/bibliography. 

Find title.

Brainstorm a table of contents with as much detail as possible (with chapters, sections and even paragraphs and sub-paragraphs - see How to Write a Thesis’ own table of contents as an example at the end of this document) (if the first drafted table of contents is good enough, it will not be necessary to start the writing from the beginning).

Do a first draft of the introduction.

Note-taking and research

Use Google Scholar to make sure you do not miss important sources.

Keep the table of contents in mind when researching and take notes of which sources could go where.

While note-taking, differentiate which parts could be used as quotations from the ones that are simply important for the argument.

Eco underlines the importance of what he calls reading sheets, which can be understood as your notes on your readings. According to him, these should contain:

information about the author if he is not a well-known figure;

a brief (or long) summary;

they should mostly consist of quotations (accompanied by all the corresponding page numbers)

any commentaries you might want to add;

an indication of which part (or parts) of your table of contents the information mentioned belongs to.

Keep reading sheets on primary sources (which should be the longest) separate from those on secondary sources (which should only be 1-2 pages long).

In the end, re-read the notes and color-code all the different parts according to where they would fit in your table of contents.

Writing and editing

A good place to start would be by redrafting the introduction.

Define every key/technical term used/mentioned unless indisputably obvious.

General writing tips:

keep sentences short;

do not be afraid to repeat the subject twice (ex: Roberta went to the shop (…) Roberta bought carrots and tomatoes);

avoid excessive details;

avoid subordinate clauses (orações subordinadas);

avoid vague language;

avoid unnecessary adjectives;

avoid the passive voice.

While drafting, write everything that comes to mind. Leave the editing for the end.

Use your tutor as a Guinea pig. Make them read your first chapters (and, progressively, all the rest) well before delivery is due. 

Ask for as much feedback as possible. Ask colleagues, friends and/or family to read your work. They will provide you with more diversified feedback, as well as allowing you to know if your writing is clear to anyone.

Stop playing ‘solitary genius’.

Don’t insist on starting with the first chapter. Start with what you know best and feel more comfortable writing about, then fill in the gaps.

Leave time for editing and try to take at least a one or two days long break in between writing and editing. 

Do not forget to fill in the gaps. When you revisit your writing, go through it with all these writing tips in mind as well as a conscience of what your most common mistakes are.

Use Hemingway in the final editing phase.

Quotations and footnotes

Since there are two kinds of sources (primary and secondary), there are also two kinds of quotations: either we quote a text which we will interpret, or we quote a text which supports your interpretation.

Some quotation rules to know:

“Quote the object of your interpretive analysis with reasonable abundance.”

 “Quote the critical literature only when its authority corroborates or confirms your statements. (…)  when quoting or citing critical [aka secondary] literature, be sure that it says something new, or that it confirms authoritatively what you have said.”

“If you don’t want readers to presume that you share the opinion of the quoted author, you must include your own critical remarks before or after the passage.”

“Make sure that the author and the source of your quote are clearly identifiable.”

“When a quote does not exceed two or three lines, you can insert it into the body of the text enclosed in quotation marks. (…) When the quote is longer, it is better to set it off as a block quotation. In this case the quotation marks are not necessary, because it is clear that all set-off passages are quotes, and we must commit to a different system for our observations. (Any secondary developments [like the quote’s reference] should appear in a note.) (…) This method is quite convenient because it immediately reveals the quoted texts; it allows the reader to skip them if he is skimming, to linger if he is more interested in the quoted texts than in our commentary, and finally, to find them immediately when need be.”

Some footnote rules to know:

“Use notes to add additional supporting bibliographical references on a topic you discuss in the text. For example, ‘on this topic see also so-and-so.’”

“Use notes to introduce a supporting quote that would have interrupted the text. If you make a statement in the text and then continue directly to the next statement for fluidity, a superscript note reference after the first statement can refer the reader to a note in which a well-known authority backs up your assertion.”

“Use notes to expand on statements you have made in the text. Use notes to free your text from observations that, however important, are peripheral to your argument or do nothing more than repeat from a different point of view what you have essentially already said.”

“Use notes to correct statements in the text. You may be sure of your statements, but you should also be conscious that someone may disagree, or you may believe that, from a certain point of view, it would be possible to object to your statement. Inserting a partially restrictive note will then prove not only your academic honesty but also your critical spirit.”

like look at this man... he’s doing his best

+ the baseball fit with the matching scarf

Attention Management: How to Take Control and Live Intentionally

We live in an age of information, and it’s becoming even more difficult to be in control of our attention. Every second, it seems like there’s something new to be consumed, something new to pay attention to. Because of this, it’s important to take control of our attention and more intentional about how we spend our time, and we can do so by practicing attention management.

Keep reading below for a transcription + some other posts you might be interested in:

Energy Management

Flexible Time Blocking

The Mandatory Midday Break

A Small Guide to Journaling

Staying Focused while Studying

Hope this helps!

Interviews can be intimidating, especially if it’s your first time. But, if you’re well prepared and feel confident in yourself, then you’ll do great!

Tell us a bit about yourself!

Tell us about your greatest strength/weaknesses! 

Tell me about your leadership experience.

Here are a few tips for ace-ing interviews according to situations:

University & College Interviews 

Prepare answers for common questions. Most universities will want to know your answers to, “Why do you want to study the subject?” and, “Why do you want to go to this university?”. Have your responses to these questions polished and memorised.

Be able to describe why you might be a good first for the institution. Interviewers want to ensure that you’re a good candidate both on paper and in person, so consider things you’ve done that show character.

Know about the institution that you’re applying to. It’s important to highlight a particular attribute you like about the institution/course. This can be in terms of facilities offered or events held annually. Having a good general knowledge base that shows the interviewer that you are sincerely interested and have done your homework!

Bring a copy of your academic resume! You might be asked to bring a portfolio of your work, especially if you are applying for a creative arts course. Make sure you remember to bring it as much (including a variety) of your interview will be focused on this work. For example, if you’re planning to apply to an art course, bring in the different types of artworks you have done - painted, sculpture work etc. 

Scholarships Interviews 

Be able to tell the interviewer why you deserve the scholarship.

Make sure you link your accomplishments to the scholarship’s mission statement! 

Know you application essay well! 

If there’s a presentation, prepare well & practise, practise, practise! 

Arrive at least 15 Minutes Earlier! Make sure you know where you are going and have contact details so you can call them if there is a problem. This will avoid adding any unnecessary stress.

Dress smartly and comfortably. 

Come prepared with a list of questions about the course/university/employer! This shows you were planning ahead. Prepare at least four beforehand, and feel free to add to those based on what you learn in the interview. For example: 

What do you wish people in my shoes knew about attending this institution?

Do you have any advice for me as I prepare for college?

1 Learn typical recipes (maybe try to recreate them)

2 Watch movies (not only the genres and themes you prefer, but watch their classic movies that everyone there already watched)

3 Listen to music (same as 2)

4 Watch and read the news (follow the news on social media)

5 Watch people travelling around the country

6 Follow youtubers (the vloggers who visit buildings, who talk about festivals and holidays and do stuff at the town)

7 Read books (you can read in english and then re-read in the target language, it’ll make easier)

8 Follow random people on social media (in that way you’ll can see the everyday language, photos of some city, political stuff, etc)

9 Follow meme pages - memes aren’t spaceless and timeless, they talk about some subject the people from that culture are talking about

To love oneself is the beginning of a life long romance- Audrey Hepburn

Flexible Time Blocking: A More Breathable Way to Get Things Done

I’ve met a lot of people who struggle with sticking to a schedule - myself included - so here’s one way you can get things done without restricting your spontaneity.

Linked: The ABCDE Method: Accomplish Tasks More Efficiently

• clean ya room (just do it). also, check those pinterest boards you save for “one day” and actually go through them and draw some inspiration, even if you just end up rearranging the books on your bookshelf or putting some flowers from your garden in a mason jar on your desk. this is your home, make it feel like it is.

• do your laundry (also, don’t forget your bed sheets). if you’re in the mood, look at next week’s weather forecast and think about what you’re going to wear. go through your drawers, check the back of your closet. that hat you bought some time ago and forgot about because you didn’t dare to wear it? well… new week, new you, right? 

• call a friend/family member you haven’t talked to in a while, tell them you miss them. tell them you love them. remember and appreciate that they are a part of your life even if it doesn’t feel like it all the time.

• draw, paint, journal, write or make some music. something you know you love doing but “never find the time”. sunday is “finding-the-time day”. if you’re not feeling creative, read a book or watch your favorite show. or watch a new show. a scary show. a funny show. laugh as loud as you want. listen to music. listen to your favorite songs, or listen to new songs. even a new genre if you dare. turn the volume all the way up. take a second to consciously feel the music. you can always get up and dance. or sing. or both.

• the great, but still really effective classic: take a bath or a really long shower. if you have this special face or hair mask you’re saving up for a special occasion: congrats, you’re the special occasion today. use it. also, body lotion. we all know you’re going to be running late during the week and skip it one too many times. make yourself feel like the goddess you are. 

• sit in silence for a few moments. listen to your breath. listen to your heartbeat. for the love of god PLEASE listen to your thoughts for once in your life. don’t make them feel like they are wrong. or bothersome. they too just want to be heard once in a while. what are they trying to tell you? what could be soothing for them? be compassionate to yourself. it’s okay. you are okay. you are okay.

• think about things you can be grateful for next week. even if you feel like your life sucks atm, think about the small things you take for granted in a different way. for example: “next week, i will have access to clean water. CLEAN. WATER. 844 million people don’t have that.” or “next week, my legs will take me wherever i want to go. not everybody has two fully functioning legs, so i’m lucky in that way.” you’re allowed to feel bad about your life, but you’re also allowed to feel good about things. 

• if you’ve stayed home most of the week, go out. go for a walk. go swimming. go to a party or dinner with friends. even if you feel like you don’t need to see the outside world, chances are you’ll feel great after you do. if you feel like you’ve been running around all week, maybe you’d like to stay home today. put on your ugliest sweater, comfiest leggings, and fluffiest socks and curl up under a thousand blankets. you a sloth today and it’s okay. 

• eat. i mean honestly: eat THE THING. i don’t care if you’re on a diet. if there’s something you’ve been craving all week that has turned you into the veiny-neck-dude meme just trying to resist it: EAT IT. you deserve it. not because you worked out or ate salads or did well in school, but just because you’re a human and you love to eat and life is short and you should be allowed to eat yummy things. it’s okay. you won’t gain 5 pounds or lose your brain cells no matter how unhealthy it is, i promise.

• plan plan plan yo week. it doesn’t matter if you use a planner, bullet journal, the calendar on your phone or the notes app: write everything down you have going on next week. appointments. events. coffee-dates. when are you going to the gym? what are you going to eat? (meal prep if necessary) also, create reminders on your phone for everything. “i won’t forget it!” is a sweet thought, but oh honey you will. schedule reminders for every event. let your phone remind you that you need to buy toilet paper when the store is nearby. schedule daily reminders for your medications. (once you’ve done this it honestly feels like you just cleaned out 38GB of your brain, you simply don’t have to worry about that anymore, space for more important info, like your new favorite pun to annoy everyone with)

soothe yourself | self care

stationery  

printables

helpful sites

music for studying | more music

note taking methods  | another one

studying methods

english | physics | chemistry | biology | maths | languages 

how to learn a language

ultimate guide for writing | writing resources | writing helps | tips for writers

how to write a kickass essay | write a great essay | stuff you need to write essays | essay tips | essay checklist | grade your essay

how do I study for…

bullet journals | a guide to bullet journals

the testing effect

everything you need to succeed in school

time management

organisation

how to annotate | another one

guide to aesthetically pleasing notes | improve your handwriting

create a study guide

resources | helpful websites | there’s an app for that

get more out of google 

productivity resources | 14 apps to become productive | how to stay productive

lazy night owl school survival guide

apps for a better life | useful websites for students

masterpost of studying tips

social media citation guide

college masterpost | another one | starting college on the right foot | packing for college | how to survive in college

how to ace that college interview

food to stay motivated | motivation guide

how to stay awake in class

balancing a healthy lifestyle

studying on your period

huge masterpost for the semester

a very long list to help you survive school

not enough time to finish an assignment?

100 delicious cheap recipes 

53 posts for students

high school cheat sheet

DAY 9: FAV QUOTE

« Lack of time doesn’t exist, only lack of effort does »

It’s more of a mantra I use as a driving force, actually. However, I do remember that sometimes, I do not have time for everything and so should you!

Taking care of yourself is just as important as your studies.

I saw it a korean drama named « Live » in which the female lead studies in order to become a police officer. I’d really recommend you watch it :) it’s well-written and the plot mixing slice-of-life and action/mystery will keep you watching!

My favorites quotes are sticked to my wall, on top of my desk. Lil reminders to look at to when I’m unwilling to work ;)

FR 🇫🇷

JOUR 9: CITATION FAVORITE

« Il n’y a pas de manque de temps mais seulement un manque d’effort »

C’est plutôt un mantra en réalité, que j’utilise pour me donner de la motivation. Par contre, il y a bien des moments où j’ai conscience de ne pas tout pouvoir faire. Rappelez-vous en aussi et prenez soin de vous!

Je l’ai lue dans un drama coréen s’appelant « Live » dans lequel l’héroïne étudie pour devenir policière. Je le recommende vivement :) C’est bien écrit et l’intrigue qui mèle tranche de vie et action/mystère vous fera dévorer la saison d’un coup!

Mes citations préférées sont accrochées à mon mur au-dessus de mon bureau. Des petits rappels quand je n’ai pas envie de travailler ;)

« what’s your favorite quote?»

@studynostalgic autumn studyblr challenge.

hey!! to celebrate my birthday month and autumn in general, i thought it would be nice to post a challenge! i always wanted to do my own one. anyone can join, you don’t have to do every day and it’s okay to switch days if the challenge is inconvenient that day. don’t forget to use #nostalgicautumn so i can find your posts. I would appreciate a reblog so as many people as possible can join! so here it is:

let’s get it! set some goals: what do you hope to achieve this october? include some autumn activities.

create an autumn playlist to keep u company this month! (on spotify and post the link, or just write down the songs on here)

what’s your favorite drink for autumn and why? post a recipe if it’s something fancy.

light a candle for today’s study session & post a pic.

write a short love letter to yourself and put it into your jacket pocket to be your lucky charm. if it’s not too personal, post it on here to. otherwise just recap how it was writing to yourself: was it easy or did you struggle a bit?

how do you say “autumn” in your native language / the language you’re learning? plus points if you google the origin.

read this poem. what did you think of it?

give your notes / your bujo some autumn vibes: doodles, autumn colors, … be creative & post a pic.

what’s your favorite quote?

fav study snack this autumn?

today’s to-do: reading! get yourself cozy and enjoy your book.

are you affected by bad weather? what do you do to make yourself feel better?

what’s your morning routine? is there’re something you could do to make it more enjoyable?

night routine?

record yourself explaining your study material and take a walk outside. did this method work for you / will you try it again?

my hands always get super dry when it gets cold outside. so today’s task is easy: use some handcream! any recs?

watch a documentary or a short educational video on youtube. it can be about anything! some ideas: environment, space, crime, famous people (buzzfeed unsolved counts too ;))

what’s your favorite thing about autumn?

stretch when taking a study break today. what stretches did you do? how did it feel?

do you get nervous for exams? what do you do to deal with nervousness?

post a pic of your study space.

collect some leaves, get some fresh air and take some pics. don’t forget to press the leaves!

document your day with some pics. what are you most proud of for getting done today?

describe your ideal autumn day.

how do you study?

get something done today you have been procrastinating on for weeks. it doesn’t have to be study-related and it’s okay if you only spend 5 mins on it! something is always better than nothing.

have you ever had any magical or paranormal experiences?

time to journal! make yourself some tea and let your thoughts out.

give someone a compliment today. what was it?

what was this month’s biggest accomplishment?

it’s that time of the year again! it’s august and everyone is supplying their stores with stationary, notebooks and whatnot.

but imma tell you how to get ready for the new year, whether you’re in middle school (why are you on tumblr, child), high school, or university!

—

do #1: get the basic supplies. you don’t need to get every single thing just yet. unless you have a shopping list given out by teachers, go ahead and get just one notebook and folder for each class. maybe get a couple of binders too. pens and pencils will also do you good to get ahead of time. and i see this a lot: for college folks, hold off on textbooks unless ur professors are gonna require them!

do #2: maintain a positive attitude on the first day back. it’s gonna suck going back to school, and having to wake up at 6am when normally you’re waking up at 12pm! if you’re gonna have new teachers, they’ll be looking at first impressions. try to be on everyone’s good side and at least appear cheery and happy, even if you aren’t inside.

do #3: it’s okay to utilize your locker. i see some people carrying around their bags and textbooks to every single class and i’m like ???? why would you do that to yourself? trust me, you will have plenty of time to get your stuff and get to your next class if you don’t dilly-dally. i’m a fast walker so that’s just me, but my locker isn’t a problem for me. i’m sure it won’t be for you.

do #4: eat breakfast!!!! every single day!!!! yes, you’ve heard everyone say that it’s the most important meal of the day, and it really truly is. oatmeal, peanut butter on toast, a bagel, or even a fig breakfast bar will make a difference than not eating. it wakes you and your brain up. food turns into energy and that’s basic biology. you gotta eat!

do #5: minimize phone usage. this is gonna be hard for me too, and it may be hard for you, but i procrastinate too much and i gotta get my sh*t together this year. part of me turning myself around is to stay off my phone as much as i can. pay attention in class, and stay off of it until you’ve finished homework. it’s sooo simple and it’s a no-brainer but it pays off :D

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don’t #1: don’t work on fixing your routine last minute. it takes a while to get back on schedule. so make sure you give yourself plenty of time for your body to be retrained for long days and nights of studying and a brain that will be put to hard work. it’s not just your brain, folks. it may be too late to properly fix it (as of this post being published) but you can still make some progress. self-discipline!

don’t #2: forgetting to make a daily plan. you’ll be wonky and lost if you just say “f*** it” and hope for the best. write down what needs to happen everyday. and not just school related stuff, but stuff for you too. when are you going to bed? when are you going to establish studying time at home? what do you need to do to stay your best?

don’t #3: don’t attend every. single. party. i don’t know how to say this without sounding stuck-up, but i don’t think they’re worth it. at all. they end up causing you trouble, and you waste time. it’s different if you’re just hanging out with friends for a little bit, but i’m talking about the ones that end up getting shut down by pissed off parents or even the cops. but let me in on telling you a lil secret: kids don’t even have time for parties. school gets busy.

don’t #4: don’t overwork yourself. studyblr: the community of pushing you past your limits. this can be a good thing, and this can be a bad thing. while it’s important to get all your work done, don’t blow thru seven lessons of chemistry and seven lessons of french and seven lessons of history in one night. (i’m exaggerating.) your well-being always comes first. the key to education success is to balance self-care and school. we’ve all heard it before: you have to take care of yourself before you can do anything else.

don’t #5: don’t isolate yourself. you need to have normal social interactions to succeed. it’s okay to ask for help. it’s okay to laugh with your friends and get off-task for a moment. it’s okay to join clubs. being a loner is a mistake i made my freshman/sophomore year, and now that i’ll be a junior, i realized that it’s so much fun when i actually get out and enjoy my surroundings. you can still have fun.

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