aug 2020 âą Iâm no longer a student but I definitely miss studying so Iâll be posting some of my older notes ~
But due to COVID-19 I am currently out of work and have had a difficult time finding a job. If anyone has any connections or suggestions to help, please let me know on what I should do!
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hello everyone!! as a high school junior taking 4 aps, 3 other classes, preparing for the act, trying to do college research, stage managing a musical, and trying not to lose my mind, here are some fun n handy tips for not Dying when ur schedule is hell! Â
if you found this post helpful maybe give it a like/reblog and check out my other posts here!
01 | PLANNING AND PREPARING
so much of getting and staying organized has to do with organizing your time in advance. there are a million ways to do this--google calendar, a bullet journal, a planner, some post-it notes. my system involves three parts: a google calendar, a planner, and an online to-do list app. Â
google calendar: this is mostly for events. i can see when i have rehearsals, classes, doctorâs appointments, etc. this helps me see how much available time i have and budgeting it properly. Â
planner: i take this with me to school, and i use it to right down when i have assignments and tests. i use the ban.do planner, but these are a bit pricey, and really anything will do. just somewhere to put down tasks so you can keep track of them
getplan.co: this app is, honest to god, the only reason i am still alive and breathing. it plugs into your google calendar and then allows you to create and schedule tasks around events. @studycxlture has an amazing post about plan here that i def recommend checking out!
general tips about planning:Â
plan out the events of your month at least two days before it starts
set aside a night (i like sunday evenings) to set up a system for the upcoming week and go over what you have planned so you donât forget anything
you are NOT gonna remember that assignment that teacher told you about. write it down. Â
you do not need a fancy system. itâs okay to try lots of different things until you find what worksÂ
never spend more time planning out tasks than completing them. unless you have that much free time, donât dedicate two hours to making a lovely weekly bullet journal spread. Â
color codes!!! are a life saver. i have one with a color for each class (red for english, orange for spanish, yellow for history, green for science, blue for math, etc) as well as some for my extracurriculars (pink for the musical, teal for model un, etc). Â
always have ur planner open when ur working, so that you can make sure u r actually completing all the tasks u said u were gonna complete
02 | STAYING ORGANIZEDÂ
oh my god oh my god oh my god staying on top of your work is SO important when youâre busy. being able to find your worksheets and keep track of your homework and your million responsibilities is essential to being successful. to stay organized, i have an expandable file folder with tabs for each class. because i take most of my notes in notebooks instead of binders, this is a good way to keep all of my handouts, worksheets, and syllabi centralized. Â
also, make sure you have a way to keep your online materials organized. create a folder for each school year, and within that folder, create more folders for each class. from there, itâs up to you about how youâll organize files. you can create even MORE folders (yeet) for things like homework, notes, study guides, etc, or folders for each unit you study. the possibilities are endless!!!! isnât technology exciting
here r some pieces of advice for staying organized:Â
have a series of folders/binder/expandable file folder to hold your worksheets. or one for each class, though i prefer to keep all my papers in one a) to save money and b) to save space.
label your notebooks/binders so that you know which ones to bring home with you
never just shove something into your backpack. never. iâm gonna manifest into ur classroom and FIGHT you if u do that. itâs not good, itâll end up getting lost or crushed under the weight of all ur textbooks, and youâll end up panicking when u canât find itÂ
have ur planner on u at all times
keep a good filing system of ur stuff at home. u donât need to carry around every single bio assignment youâve gotten back, but by the time ur final rolls around ur gonna want 2 b able to look at all the materials youâve gotten during the semester
that being said, throw stuff away when the year is over! i, for one, know iâm never gonna think about calculus after this class is done, so i will be recycling all of my papers (save the earth) and moving tf onÂ
keep a recycling bin in your room! even if itâs just a paper bag, itâll make throwing paper in the trash way less tempting (save the earth)
u donât need a ton of pens. iâm being a giant hypocrite saying this but you really donât need all that stuff. if you want it and you can manage it, great, but if itâs just another thing to keep track of, leave ur staedtlers and ur mujis and ur fineliners and ur calligraphy pens at home, and just take the essentials with u to school
03 | MAKING THE MOST OF UR TIME
in order to succeed, itâs v important to make every second count. this doesnât mean studying 48 hours straight (pls donât), but try not to waste time. whether this means you spend fifteen minutes napping, doing some reading for english, or having a quick snack, make sure u are being productive and healthy! i, for one, sometimes have 1-2 hour breaks between school and rehearsal, and i like to use these to walk to the grocery store by my school and get some food and then study in the deli. Â
some ideas for being productive!Â
carry a clipboard around everywhere. this way, u donât need to spend as much time transitioning in and out of tasks, u can just put ur work onto the clipboard, and put it in ur backpack at the end of a break, and then the next chance u have to work on it, just take it back out. easy peasy
work during commutes! nOT if ur the one driving the car though thatâs VERY dangerous and distracted driving = bad. but if ur on the bus, or ur mom is driving u to school, that might be a good time to go over some notes you took last night, or some reading you need to catch up on. nothing too insane, please donât do ur chem labs on the public bus but. u know. Â
read over the notes you took that day on the ride home. this will help reinforce the information in ur brain, and itâs not super difficult. i go over my apush notes during the 40 minute drive home and sometimes talk about them w my mom, which gives me a much better grasp of the material
donât waste time on social media. either delete instagram altogether, or log off/mute notifications before u start work. same with tumblr. donât start scrolling obsessively if u have three tests to study for.Â
power naps!!!! napping for about 10-20 minutes, maybe on the way home or to practice/rehearsal/whatever u gotta do, can help u feel refreshed! anything longer will make u more tired tho, so be sure to get up when u say ur gonna get up. Â
study smarter: when ur going over material, u donât need to handwrite 60 beautiful flashcards. use quizlet instead. donât revise if itâs not gonna help u. prioritize which assignments r gonna be most impactful over the little ones u can easily make up
take good breaks!! breaks r VERY important and should be utilized properly. here r some good suggestions for things to do:Â
throw in a load of laundry
empty the dishwasher
stretch/do some jumping jacks
drink some water!
go for a walk
talk to a family memberÂ
get a snack!
read some fun novels n such
scream?
!! in case of emergency !! the following tips should only be employed when ur short on time. donât use these just bc u can, this is just when itâs about getting close enough to grasping material, not actually grasping it
do every other math problem assigned, and either star the ones u didnât do, or get the answers from the back of the book. this way, u get some practice but u also save time
sparknotes ur reading beforehand. this way, u can recognize whatâs going on. itâs not v good for developing ur reading comprehension, but assignments will go by quicker
NEVER google translate ur language homework, but u can use word reference for helping u find the right word and proper conjugations
flagpole it: didnât study enough for a test? are u guessing on like 10 of the questions? if itâs multiple choice, but the same answer for all the ones u have no clue about, unless that answer choice seems highly unlikely. then pick a different one. this way, ur statistically more likely to get some of the ones you guessed correct.Â
when u have an online assignment due at midnight and itâs 11:53 and u havenât started, find another assignment youâve already completed that has a similar document name. for example, âscarlet letter chapters 9-11âł instead of ur actual assignment âscarlet letter chapters 12-14âł. submit the other one, and then when u finish the other assignment (either that night or the next morning) email ur teacher and apologize, say u accidentally submitted the wrong document
if ur parents will let u (if ur in high school) or u can let urself (if ur in uni), itâs okay to skip a day to catch up. just make sure u actually work, get the notes u missed, and talk to ur teachers/professors abt the material u missed.
04 | STAYING HEALTHYÂ
ur health comes before any assignment, test, or extracurricular. i know lots of ppl r probably telling u that and it doesnât seem like they mean it, but i mean it. no exam is worth sacrificing ur mental, physical, or emotional health for. yeet! so here r some things to keep in mind
eat! ur fuckin! breakfast! whether itâs a smoothie or oatmeal or a cup of orange juice or an apple or an elaborate french toast dish, u need some food in ur stomach so that u have the energy to start ur day
remember to take ur meds if u need to!
drink water! drink! water! have a glass when u wake up, and then at least one with every meal, and one before u go to bed. hydration is v important. if u can, invest in a water bottle and take it with u to class. Â
pack a lunch! and if ur staying later after school, pack snacks! tech week for me is always hell because i get to school at 7:30 am and donât usually leave until 11 that night. itâs v important to stay nourished and hydrated so that u donât get dizzy or faint. Â
remember! that u are beautiful, and ur body is beautiful, and it deserves 2 b loved! especially by u. Â
get 6 hours of sleep. aim for 8, but six at the very least. if ur done with ur work, go to bed early! donât just stay up for no reason. Â
shower everyday, or every other day at least. give yourself those 15 minutes as a break from work or school or anything else thatâs keeping you busy
write down ur thoughts in a journal? Â
talk to a friend if ur feeling sad, or just feeling things very intensely. share ur joy with other people! vent ur sadness and anger so u arenât carrying it around everywhere.Â
make some time to have fun. see a movie w ur friends or ur bf/gf/datefriend or ur family over the weekend. go to a museum. hang out at the mall. sleepover at someoneâs house. taking breaks is healthy. Â
make an effort to have dinner with ur family if u can (also if u like ur family. i know some ppl have bad relationships w them so skip this step if thatâs u). it can be nice to reconnect w everyone, even when ur stressed or theyâre annoying u, it can be nice. Â
remember that itâs okay to be imperfect! u donât need to be good at a lot of things. i got a b for the first time last semester, i just got a c on an apush test, i failed my driverâs test again yesterday. but i also aced my math quiz, i celebrated six months of knowing my best friend, i walked my dog, i helped put a production together. itâs okay to have rough days and bad days and bleh days, as long as you keep pushing through them and working for the days to get better. Â
i love u!!! stay hydrated and nourished and get enough sleep. put on some lotion if u have it available. brush ur hair. if u ever wanna ask a question, my ask box is always open! <3
thatâs right, friends, you donât have to let your lack of access to photoshop prevent you from making cool things because we got canva on our side. theyâre literally just drag and drop, and to make it even better, they just launched canva print, which means you can get some free prints here (hurry because itâs not gonna last long)
so that aside, letâs look at how they make designing easy as pie.Â
first of all, they got templates for everythingÂ
as you can see here, they got these default ones on top, but if you click more, you get a lot more. itâs a seriously long list so i didnât bother taking a screenshot, but itâs seriously comprehensive! they even got tumblr banners and twitter banners so you can deck out your social media. and as you can see, iâve used it to make posters for school too
but today, iâll work on replicating this blog post graphic in canva (i already got a photoshop template). i head over to custom dimensions just on top of resume and more because my graphics arenât some nice ratio. px stands for pixels, but if youâre trying to print something, you can also use the millimeters and inches option
so i head over to elements to get to the shapes option, and i clicked on the square, and voila, itâs loaded onto my design space Â
but hmm, might actually be better for me to put my ahrtstudy down there first to figure out the sizing. i got my own custom layout but look at how pretty canvaâs templates are on the left.Â
i also just found a pretty color scheme so iâm gonna use it! i went to background to change the background color.Â
now, as you can see, iâve been tweaking the square into a rectangle the whole time. whenever you click on something in canva, it usually shows up those circles which you can use to resize things. iâve just been clicking and dragging the whole time, people
iâm gonna give that rectangle some color, and then iâll hit copy to duplicate the shape, and change that new shape to white. so voila, weâre getting close!
so hereâs time to add some text inside the box, and just look at those nice little guides canva gives you #bless
so yeah, i positioned it, changed the alignment to left instead of center, and applied my usual settings. i changed the color too, along with ahrtstudy
and weâre done! and this is essentially already a template already in canva, so next time, you could just make a copy of the original, change the colors and text and just hit download and be on your way to posting here on tumblr
but seriously, itâs not just for tumblr. you can make cool presentations with a+ charts. the gradient is automatic and there are so many chart styles, from pie graphs to venn diagrams, you could walk in your presentation and make everything as pastel af
you can also share it as a website (?!!) with the cutest little animations and it is the bomb dot com. you can check out the graph above as a website here, with another graph just under it
and if youâre tired of boring resumes, well, never fear, canva is here. they got who knows how many templates for you to edit (and if you wanna impress your boss by sending it in thick paper, canva print is there to help you too)
like i am seriously excited to go off and print a resume or a business card because nothing is cooler than getting to hold your own design in real life. so i seriously hope this helps, and if you think this was helpful, reblogging would be awesome
links: canva l canva print beta l my favorite places for design resources l my other posts
this is for whoever is going to be starting their alevels this year! if youâre starting gcses, I also have a post for that [here]
click on if you want to read it, I wonât make you scroll through this really long post if you donât want to
General Tips
haha did you think you knew what stress was during gcses?
this year has probably been the most stressful year of my life
but dont let that put you off! if you follow these tips youâll have a better time of it
you will be absolutely exhausted in the first term, so try to get enough sleep
be prepared to break your back, youâll be carrying a lot of shit.
BUY (or make) HIGHLIGHTERS, FLASHCARDS AND DIVIDERS
if you arenât already good at taking notes, fucking LEARN. if you canât look back at your notes and easily see what you meant, youâll be fucked by the time mocks come along. consider typing them up
if youâre not an independent worker, become independent. colleges/sixth forms donât hold your hand! (they will help you a fair bit though)
donât fucking continue with a subject if you hate it! youâll have the opportunity to switch subjects, so test them out properly, or youâll start to really hate yourself
get into the habit of not using contractions (i.e. canât, isnât, shouldnât), especially if you do English. although, saying that, it was my psych teacher who got the most annoyed when she saw a contraction (ik Iâm using them here but I can easily switch)
you canât really afford to half-arse homework, soz. it will, 9 times out of 10, form the basis of that lesson, so if you donât put effort into your homework, youâre putting yourself at a disadvantage, and thatâs just stupid
avoid missing lessons. teachers genuinely donât care what your reason is, even if you recently got decapitated, theyâll email you the work, and youâll need to complete it for the next lesson, ON TOP OF the homework. :) have fun with that
look into unis asap! get a careers appointment if youâre unsure. itâs easier to go to open days in the first term than in June
you will most likely perform awfully in your first term. thatâs just the way it is. but you will improve! I got an E in my first psychology test, and I got an A* in my end of year mock.
oh yeah, btw, a pass at alevel is an E. anything under an E is pretty much a U. (and even though an E is a pass, no one wants an E)
join some extra-curricular things! itâs just awkward to get to writing your personal statement and having absolutely nothing to say, so join a society, a drama club, do sports, whatever the fuck you want. show you have passion and dedication (also do an epq! can win you extra ucas points)
this is when you really need to get a grip on procrastination. leaving homework until the night before just wonât help you, it is way too stressful
^ so use your free time effectively!
donât, whatever else you do, keep your work only on a memory stick. in secondary school you could leave shit on your area but bc you have more free time/fewer contact hours youâll be required to do more work at home. use a memory stick, thatâs fine, but TRANSFER YOUR DOCS!!!!!!!!!!!! I lost (but then found) my memory stick recently, and I was despairing at how much I had to rewrite. or use iCloud/Dropbox/Google Drive/email and keep all your docs on your home computer
keep your goddamn folder organised
actuaLLY REVISE FOR TESTS! even if theyâre seemingly irrelevant, you will get good feedback. if you donât put in hard work, you wonât get the grades. at gcse you can somewhat afford to laze around, but even the most intelligent student will get caught out at alevel
use the goddamn resources youâre given! fucking hell, the college pays for a lot of that shit, USE IT
if your college lets you wear your own clothes, have fun exploring your style, and dye your hair like I did!
start revising for end of year mocks at EASTER. itâs so hard to revise during the term because the teachers do NOT ease up the work load, so use the holiday effectively
you might be allowed to leave the exam hall early, but I wouldnât advise it unless youâre confident youâve answered every question perfectly. lots of people who left early ended up feeling disappointed
oh yeah and you wonât have a summer holiday lmao. my summer has literally been entirely work (ok except when I went abroad). think back on your summer fondly. you wonât see that again until you finish your alevels
English Literature tips:
learn terminology! v v useful, will earn you lots of marks
make sure you know what happens in each scene/section of the texts you study. this is VERY important when it comes to extract work
coursework: work as hard as you can on the first draft! you have way less time on the second draft, so you donât want to be slaving away in front of the computer every night
History tips:
make flashcards as you go, because there is a LOT of content. at least do it for dates
Tudor history, if you do it, uses VERY different skills to gcse history. you have to interact with sources and the debate
tbh the entire course requires you to debate and evaluate, not just name and describe. if you donât have the skills, youâll get very little marks from just having knowledge
Psychology tips:
ok research methods are awful and really fucking boring, so if you do those in the first term like I did, youâll start to question why the fuck you picked psychology. BUT, if you get through it, itâll only get more and more interesting.
make sure you understand research methods! they form the basis for evaluation in each topic, so you use them ALL the time. also, they make up 25% of the grade, so theyâre pretty fucking important
again, there is SO much content, so try to keep it warm, or youâll be fucked by the time mocks come along
EPQ (extended project qualification) tips:
so this is basically a project you do for a grade thatâs equivilent to half an alevel
pick an interesting topic! you wonât have motivation otherwise. Iâm doing a pirate novella ;)
aim to do work for it every week, and KEEP TRACK of what you did each week! otherwise youâll be sweating when you have to put your folder/portfolio/scrapbook together
yeah so thatâs pretty much it, if anyone has any qâs, feel free to ask. I might be able to help for other subjects too, but I have a limited knowledge
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Anya is LIVE right now
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Free to watch âą No registration required âą HD streaming