#appsademia

Black and White Earth Science notes!

hi! I never actually made a post introducing myself, but I figure better late than never.

i’m hailey, a 15 year old in 10th grade (USA)! im interested in the medical field and love psychology. this year i have taken math 3, english 2, public speaking, and theatre. i will be taking chemistry, ap psychology, civics and economics, and health science 2 in just a few days! i really love math and both coffee & tea too :)

a few studyblrs I specifically love include: @studyign @studyandtea @appsademia @hermionegoals @scholarly

Kumusta! I’m Ariel (the mermaid). I have decided to make this studyblr not only because I’ve been following a lot of studyblrs lately but also because I have thought that this may help me into getting more productive and such.

*transition*

ABOUT ME

I’m seventeen years old

I’m a Filipino, also living in the Philippines

I enjoy reading and writing for fun (I’m currently reading ‘Always and Forever, Lara Jean’)

I am very shyyy

I want to learn Latin and French

I am planning to pursue Architecture in college

I’m smol for my age (some Filipinos are short for their age as well tho)

Here are some studyblrs/appblr that inspired me into making my own:

@studyquill, @aescademic, @studywithinspo, @educatier, @optomstudies, @appsademia, @izzystudies, @obsidianstudy, @universi-tea, @sipagmode, @focusign, @studyign, @tbhstudying, @studyplants, @academla, and @strive-for-da-best

i feel like this post is long overdue. i don’t know how many of my followers are still paying attention to this blog, but i need to write this post as much as for me as for the followers that are still here despite my inactivity. 

i’m debating whether or not to keep this blog as i head into college. firstly, there are many aspects of studyblr/appblr that i have become disillusioned with. The heavy focus on aesthetics over practicality, the inaccessibility for lower-income students, as well as the competition and the “ivy league or bust” mentality. and while there are many wonderful people in both communities and people who don’t subscribe to any of these beliefs, i still feel like some aspects of studyblr and appblr had a negative effect on me during my senior year. 

this school year has been excellent in terms of growth for me, but it also has been very very difficult. early in the year, my mild depression and anxiety began to take a downward spiral and it only got worse throughout the year. i felt hopeless, unmotivated, and suicidal. i won’t lie, my mental illnesses seriously damaged my ability to do well in school and apply for scholarships. i was on the waiting list for a therapist for three months, and when i began seeing him, he only made me feel worse. in april i began seeing a different therapist and started taking medication, and i am slowly but surely taking the steps to recovery everyday

school-related stress was not the cause of my mental illness, but it certainly contributed in making it worse. i was taking the most difficult classes that i had ever taken before, and i struggled with perfectionism and my enormous workload. in all honesty, the perfect notes touted by studyblr and the emphasis on prestige in appblr communities only contributed to my stress. that’s part of the reason i stopped being active about halfway through the school year. and once again, let me state that there was helpful advice that i found in both communities, but the general atmosphere of both appblr and studyblr proved to be negative to me. 

that being said, i’m not entirely sure that i want to stop being active on this blog. i don’t want to be a “regular” studyblr, per se, but more of a blog that showcases the realities that students face. i’m mentally ill, i’m a minority, i’m gay, i’m questbridge and low income. my notes and my grades don’t have to be absolutely perfect. i just need to do my best and take care of myself. if i do keep this blog i want to show that this is an ok way to be.

this has been really long but i have a lot of thoughts about studyblr/appblr, mentall illness, and the college applications process in general. thanks to the people who have stuck around even when i have gone months without posting. if you’d be interested in seeing me blog honestly about my college experiences i’d like to know

love,

alright! i know it feels like you are dying but i promise you that you can make it through this! let’s break this into sections, ok? maybe start yourself with a glass of water, because you my friend need a lil’ bit of a REST.

part one: the ib and ap at the same time

so i’m going to help you as much as i can in terms of both of these, but you need to bear in mind that i have not done either. anne at @appsademia is a senior doing both the ib and ap classes? she has answered quite a few asks on this i think, so give her faq a squiz before throwing some questions at her. (college apps, man. the gal is SUPES busy.) she’s extremely helpful and i’m sure you’ll find something there! here is my ib tag and here is mary’s (from @saturdaystudying) tag. mary did the ib and did really well, so maybe you can get more specific answers from her? @ib-dead is also an IB student and all of them will probs be able to help you more than i can. as for APs, i know that a lot of studyblrs are in ap classes ( sareena @studyign comes to mind immediately) and are willing to help! here is my ap tag, as well.

part two: studying with bipolar disorder

oh man, let me tell you. i know a thing or two about this bc i’m in the same boat as you. let me first say that i’m not qualified to give any professional advice abt any mental health so please speak to an adult that you trust or a professional.

i think the hardest part of managing my bipolar with studying is trying to stay healthy while on staying on top of my studying? try your best to make healthy things a habit; stay hydrated, !!eat!!, get enough sleep (because a lack of sleep can trigger mania), see a doctor, get meds if you need, stay away from drugs and alcohol esp if they mix with your meds. i can’t stress this enough. this advice from russell federman helps a lot: “the “four S’s of bipolar stability: structure, stress management, sleep management, and self-monitoring.” This framework entails setting—and sticking to—a regular schedule of studying and sleep, and learning to recognize the signs that you are beginning to drift into mania or hypomania.”

here is my mental health tag, and here is my self care tag. take care of yourself pal! send me an off anon ask if you need anything in more detail - i’m fighting depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and an ed at the moment, so i can offer you as much help as i’ve gotten.

part three: which studyblrs to follow + studyblr elitsm

ok: so let’s talk about this. studyblr elitism is unfortunately a minor issue in our lovely community. for the most part, most blogs , even the bigger ones, are 100% willing to talk to anyone, answer your asks etc? i’m by no means a “big studyblr” but i think that refusing to follow back / not answering people’s questions is just…not polite? idk. in any case, i think most studyblrs are really nice! i don’t have any particular faves tbh but some rlly gr8 ones that come to mind are iris @universityandme, sarah @acambridgestudent, emma @elkstudies, nicole @study-well, phe @phestudies and all more! em also has a really lovely blogroll with a bunch of studyblrs that you can follow.

i’m half sorry this turned out so long but i hope it helps! let me know how you get on, lovely.

Hmm I don’t know of any specific resources off the top of my head for the PSAT, but I think if you use SAT resources, you should be fine. Here are some basic tips for the PSAT and here is my tag for for the SAT which has some resources (collegeboard also has practices tests so I’d use those as well). Appsademia is also a goddess where it concerns the SAT. Here’s her youtube channel which has useful vlogs for it and her PSAT tag. And for vocab, seriously, just read a lot. That’s the best way to learn it.