Tinne's study corner

How to Use the Exam Study Pack: A Help Guide

Need motivation?

To get an education. 

To earn a degree. There are barely any jobs that offer positions to people without a degree, or are on the path of obtaining one.

To prove people wrong. That science teacher that said you’ll never make it in the medical field? Make him eat his words. 

To prove yourself wrong. Every student has doubts on whether or not they can be good enough in the classroom. Prove yourself wrong, and always be better than you were yesterday. 

This is a privilege. Regardless of how much you believe that you HAVE to do this, to some extend you don’t. Realize that you have the privilege of an education even being an option for you.

Take advantage of what you’re capable of. Don’t waste a perfectly intelligent mind. 

More money. That degree can do wonderful things to your bank account in the future. 

It’s interesting. Studying can get pretty boring, but there are always those topics that spark your curiosity and motivate you to learn more.

It’s attractive. Not everyone cares for someone who is academically gifted, but a partner who is eager to learn makes me eager to take my pants off.

It’s useful. That random fact that you read in a random textbook can stick with you and really end up helping you out one day.

It’s fun to know useless shit sometimes.

To make your parents proud. This is one of the main reasons I study. My parents have always been aware of my capabilities and have pushed me to be academically better every year. They know I have big dreams, and I just want to achieve them so they can know that their child made it.

To make myself proud. This goes along with number four. Knowing that you accomplished something, however small or big the thing may be, is a huge self-esteem booster.

To be independent. There’s nothing quite like knowing that you don’t need someone else’s job, degree, intelligence, or presence to make you successful.

To pursue your passion. 

To gain knowledge. Whether its in your field, or a completely different one, being knowledgeable is just downright fun.

People will look up to you. Your siblings, your best friends, and your classmates may see you consistently studying, and it could motivate them to do the same. 

To make a name for yourself. “Oh yeah, (insert name here), I know them. Aren’t they like really successful now?”

To become your own role model.

To be able to pay off your student loans.

Because the long nights and excessive coffee will all be worth it. Even if it doesn’t seem like it now. 

To exercise your brain. Your brain is just like a muscle, and like the body it needs to be exercised. 

To improve your hippocampus. Your hippocamus is responsible for memory, and if you study your memorization will become significantly better.

To not waste time doing useless stuff. 

Because stationary is amazing. I could spend a whole paycheck on just pens.

Because notes are actually all so pretty. 

To be productive. I used to spend a lot of time on social media, and although I still do, the amount of time I spend studying and getting stuff done has definitely increased.

So classes will be easier. 

So tests will be easier.

To impress your professors. Get those letters of recommendation! 

So the anxiety of getting a bad grade is sufficiently decreased. I constantly worry about my grades, but studying has helped me not worry so much.

Because coffee exists. 

There is no other atmosphere quite like the inside of a library. 

So you won’t have to retake a class. Failing a prerequisite for your major really sucks, so maybe try not failing the first time around. This also saves you a lot of money because you won’t have to pay for the class again. 

Finals week won’t suck as bad. You’ll be used to studying so when finals week comes around it wont nearly be as stressful as for those students who are now opening a textbook. 

You won’t go to as many college parties. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for socializing and having fun, but a lot can go wrong at a college party very quickly. And there’s no better way to prevent that, than just not going to the party cause you’re reading your economics textbook. 

You’ll get used to FOMO. Fear of Missing Out. Every teenagers nightmare. Eventually, you’ll get used to the feeling. 

You’ll be getting the most out of your college experience. You’re paying for these classes. Might as well try your best to pass. 

You’ll get used to not getting enough sleep. So, if you decide to go to grad school you’ll have that department covered. 

There’s really good study music out there. 

I guarantee there will be at least 5 places on campus, or around you that are perfect for studying, and you’ll want to go there everyday. 

You’ll become a pro at writing essays, or lab reports.

You’ll learn fairly quickly that study groups rarely work. 

You’ll make a lot of friends that are just as passionate about studying as you are. And you will cherish them. 

Beauty and Brains. Don’t you want to fit that description? 

Thousands of students before you have done it, so you can too. 

You can run a studyblr. Aren’t they the cutest? 

You get really good at time management. 

Sleep becomes 5x more satisfactory after a night of studying.

He told us that this classmate “highlighted” text that he had supposedly committed to memory already and thus didn’t need to go over anymore. The prof told us that no one could borrow his notes or handouts cuz they were basically black lines of permanent marker.

During summer my planning system is more like “system? what system?” but now that school is almost here, it’s time to start getting back into a schedule. Last semester I hit upon a great planning method for me – and here it is!

This is totally a fake page btw, which is why it’s so blank.

I prefer a minimalist planning system. It helps my eyes focus, as a colorful spread might prevent. Also, although I like to decorate my planner, I don’t have time to do it every week, which is why I usually choose a planner that’s pretty enough on its own without my help. (Mine is a Happy Planner.)

The top box is usually my schedule. I place my classes and their times here and (especially during the first of the semester when I am still finding my way around), I put the classroom numbers. All of my classes have their own “assigned” color. I have come to associate these colors with these classes, so it’s easy to tell where I need to be next. At the bottom of this box I put events: these are usually things that are pretty set in stone. If there’s a birthday, an appointment, an outing planned with friends – I usually write that in the empty space between.

The middle box is my homework related to do list. If I have an exam, I place it at the top in capital letters to help it stand out. Due homework and subjects I want to study are usually lumped together, but if you want to distinguish one from the other, I recommend using one color for due assignments and another color for topics you plan to review. This is to streamline your planning as much as possible. I find I get distracted when I color code everything.

The bottom box is for personal tasks. A lot of times these tend to be health-related, but it’s in this box that I jot down all of the to do’s not related to school – things like “bank deposit,” “clean bathroom,” and “post #Studying Saturday.”

On the weekends, all rules are off, and it’s a free-for-all to do list. Because I don’t have classes on the weekend, it becomes one long list of things I want to accomplish during that free time. 

Some new printables I’ve uploaded to my Etsy shop :-) Here are some quick links:

daily time planner

note-taking template pack (15 pages of different designs)

account/password tracker

post-it note weekly planner (landscape and portrait) ((perfect for putting in your binder!))

task prioritising matrix printable (follows the Eisenhower theory)

others: i hate back-to-school shopping! :( it’s so boring and depressing! i don’t want summer to end!

Happy Sunday! 💓

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how I make my notes and how I keep everything clear and organized, so I’ve compiled a quick list of some of my habits and tricks that keep my notes in order:

Use different coloured pens.

Personally, I use black for regular notes; blue or purple for what I consider “side notes” (i.e. extra information, examples, etc.); and red for key terms or concepts that I will need to remember the most. Keeping an organized colour theme helps when you go back to study for the exam, because it is a visual reminder of the least and most important bits of information!

Give each highlighter a specific purpose.

Depending on the notebook and course, I often switch up my highlighter plans ~ for no particular reason other than to keep myself entertained 😋 But I like to set one colour for, say, Chapter/Sub-unit headers, names, historical dates, etc. That way when your eyes are going quickly through your notes, you can easily locate the beginning or end of a particular topic. And as a very visual person, having a lot of different colours in my notes keeps me focused and less overwhelmed.

Make important headers stand out.

For me, this usually means a particular colour (like a blue highlighter) or some sort of border around the title. My easy go-to is the bubbly-border shown above. Make it easy on yourself when trying to locate a topic!

Print out and tape/glue key tables and diagrams.

Obviously this is more work than some people might be interested in, and often depends on the course. These are my pharmacology notes, so I didn’t need to print out so often that it drove me crazy. One way to alleviate this is by planning ahead and leaving space in your notebook for where you want a particular table/diagram to go, and then printing them all at the same time. It’s not for everyone, but I like the option when I know I will have to remember certain diagrams or tables!

Don’t try to fill up space.

If you end up with a short paragraph or lots of room on the sides, leave it be. The best way to study later on is by going through your notes and adding little extra pieces of information to solidify your understanding. For me, this often means writing definitions in the top margin of my pages… not ideal for neat-ness, but who cares! Your notes are meant to be filled up.

Don’t stress about imperfections.

If you find yourself hating how big and sloppy your writing has become, move on. The worst thing you can do for yourself is waste time rewriting information you already know. If you need to use white-out, use the white-out; if you need to cross out a word, scribble away! Your notes are your own domain and they do not need to be flawless.

I’m sure I’ll think of more tips and tricks, but that’s all for now. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask! We’re all in this together 🤓🤓🤓

1. Some people are not there to work, they’re just joking around. Don't waste your time with them and try to meet the people that really care.

2. One semester passes at the speed of light. Start from day one and try not to let anything unrevised for too long (one week is considered too long).

3. Your teachers will be your saviors. They are the ones who know everything so make sure you have a good working relationship with them (let them see you know stuff and are willing to work) and then when you’re having more trouble learning something they will gladly help you.

4. Be consistent with your routine. A routine helps you get started more easily and defeat the inertia and laziness. Organizing my day as a working day, with study starting at 10 in the morning and classes in the afternoon, helps me focusing on the things I have to do, not waste time, and also have tiny pieces of time during the day to treat myself.

5. Treat yourself. Sometimes I take the bus instead of the metro because I like to watch the views. Sometimes I buy a cake for lunch. Sometimes I take a break in the park and, at the end of the day I go on a walk. Make sure you don’t forget yourself in the middle of everything. You’re the most important thing!

6. Find things that motivate you. A nice looking library, a park, a playlist, everything is valid as long as it makes you ready to work.

7. Choose your group wisely. When making group projects make sure you choose the people who really want to work, and if they don’t talk to your teachers, they will advise you. Also, don’t be afraid to make a group project on your own. You will survive, trust me! And you will learn a lot!

8. The front seat is the best. Choose a good seat in class where you can see and hear your teacher and they can hear you. The front seat is my favorite because it is easier to ignore everyone else and focus on the class.

9. Exercise. Really! Do something like walking every day, or yoga, or whatever you prefer, but make sure you move. It helps your brain and your body.

I’m currently in PA school with close to a 4.0 GPA, and with college and back to school starting up, I’m dropping some tips for y'all. A hoe gotta get bomb ass grades if ya want a bomb ass career and to be successful af. So let’s get it✨

1. Write out your notes. Have two notebooks: one for when you’re in class (this one can be messy) and one for at home (this one is the neater one, for color coding, formatting, and all that organizational jazz). Writing things out is proven to enhance memorization 7X more than just reading is.

2. Have a go-to format for your notes. Numbering, bullet points, whatever floats your boat.

3. Type out your notes. I use Google Drive, because it automatically saves all your shit, and you can access your notes via your Google account literally anywhere. Typing out your notes does the same thing writing them out does, as far as helping you review the material.

4. Use Quizlet. Quizlet is a free flashcard website/app that allows you to type in all of your flashcards and definitions, and gives you review options like matching, testing, flashcard mode, and more. This shit made me my high schools valedictorian, no lie.

5. Keep your old quizzes and tests. Often times, teachers will ask similar questions on finals.

6. For math-based subjects, always always always show your work in your notes. I try to explain each step for a math problem in the margins of my notes, and generalize how to do each problem at the end.

7. Do practice problems consistently.

8. For my college hoes: never take an 8 am class. You think you can do it because you did it for high school, but I promise you will regret it. If there’s no avoiding the 8 am lecture, bring coffee and skip any makeup/hair that day. Sleep is too important.

9. Make flashcards. The night before my exams, I like to try and fit everything I need to know for a specific chapter/topic onto one flashcard, in order to weed out main ideas.

10. For essays, easybib.com is amazing with free citations to avoid any plaigiarism or incorrect bibliographies.

11. Rent👏your👏textbooks👏. Unless your teacher specifically requires you BUY it, you likely won’t need the actual textbook. Buying access codes for the book online is hundreds of dollars cheaper.

12. If you do get your textbooks, a lot of them have chapter summaries at the end of each chapter. Be sure to write out/type out/review those summaries.

13. For science labs, if you are allowed, take pictures of any models or slides you need to know for your exams. Pretty much all labs won’t let you take pictures of cadavers or animal dissections, but plastic models and microscope slides should be fine.

14. If you have a question, ASK YOUR TEACHER. It is better to look stupid in class and get your clarification, than to look stupid when you get your exam back and actually have it count against your grade.

15. Do study groups. I have two nursing friends in some of the same classes as me, and we’d always meet up before exams to go over the material. We would bring dry erase markers and map out shit in empty classrooms, taking turns explaining shit to each other until we nailed it.

16. Try to teach the material. Like I said in #15, study groups are great for this. By teaching the material out loud, you are subconsciously reviewing it yourself. This is a HUGE help.

17. Take breaks. You cannot exhaust yourself and expect to still recall anything you learned.

18. I know everyone does this and there’s no avoiding it sometimes, but DO NOT CRAM. Gradual learning is most effective.

19. Have one day every week where you don’t do any schoolwork. You need time to reboot.

20. Use your phone’s calendar/task checklist app for all major assignments, due dates, exam dates, study plans, appointments, etc. Set reminders as needed.

21. Charge your phone in another room while studying. No distractions.

22. Rainymood.com is a free website that plays a 30 minute loop of rain sounds. It helps me focus like nothing else, especially in my loud ass household, and every time the loop stops and replays, I know to take a break between 30 minute study sessions.

23. Feel distracted at home when studying? Try studying in a library, cafe, or even at school. I find that going somewhere else to study actually forces me to pay attention to what I’m doing, for some reason.

24. Reward yourself for good grades. Buy yourself a slice of pizza or a new highlight, have a netflix marathon, go to a party, or take a nap. Whatever conveys a job well done, do it. It’ll make all that studying feel that much greater when it’s over, and you’ll have a goal to work towards.

25. Sit in the front of the classroom as often as possible. You’ll be forced to pay attention, be able to actually see the board, hear the instructor better, and you’re more likely to have your questions answered quickly because your teacher will actually see your hand go up.

26. Caffeinate. I prefer tea because it’s healthier, but coffee works too. Ya girl is NOT a morning person, but my morning tea at least helps me pay attention during earlier classes.

27. Keep all of your school shit organized, together, and labelled.

28. Do NOT skip a class just because you’re lazy or don’t feel like going. The temptation is real sometimes, but a hoes gonna be pissed when ya see your participation average decline.

29. This may just be a psychological thing, but I love to use the same colored/brand of pen for all of my notes/assignments/tests. It just makes everything seem more uniform, and I’m able to recall information better.

30. Trouble taking tests? For any multiple choice question, read the question and try to answer it first without reading any of the options. If your answer doesn’t match the options, then use process of elimination to find the best answer. For true/false questions, write out justifications for each answer (you can also do this for multiple choice). You’ll be acing your exams in no time.

31. Chewing gum during class/studying, and chewing that same flavor gum during the exam, has been scientifically proven to boost your memory recall.

32. Literally any time you have the opportunity to do extra credit, DO IT. Cherish that shit.

33. If you aren’t doing so hot in a particular class (literally any math class for me lol), schedule a private meeting with your professor and go over test questions you missed, or topics you didn’t get. If you know your professor is a flop, or can’t get an appointment, meet with a tutor or another professor of that same subject. Sometimes another voice can shed new light on a difficult topic.

34. For essays, readable.io critiques your writing for free based on readability, grade level, formality, tone, grammatical errors, etc. Seriously a life saver.

35. Also thesaurus.com is ya bff for fancier words/phrases to make your writing more eloquent

36. Always make an outline for every essay or project to organize what you want to say. This will keep you on track, and help you work around any quotes or sources in you writing to make sure your writing is hella organized.

25. 07. 17. //

I’m more active on my studygram when it comes to posting my bujo spreads so I will just combine all the highlights from my July posts/spreads in one post!