#highschoolering

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.  

google calendar: this is mostly for events.  i can see when i have rehearsals, classes, doctor’s appointments, etc.  this helps me see how much available time i have and budgeting it properly.  

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: 

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 don’t forget anything

you are NOT gonna remember that assignment that teacher told you about.  write it down.  

you do not need a fancy system.  it’s okay to try lots of different things until you find what works 

never spend more time planning out tasks than completing them.  unless you have that much free time, don’t dedicate two hours to making a lovely weekly bullet journal spread.  

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).  

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 ORGANIZED 

oh my god oh my god oh my god staying on top of your work is SO important when you’re 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.  

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, it’s up to you about how you’ll 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!!!! isn’t technology exciting

here r some pieces of advice for staying organized: 

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.  i’m gonna manifest into ur classroom and FIGHT you if u do that.  it’s not good, it’ll end up getting lost or crushed under the weight of all ur textbooks, and you’ll end up panicking when u can’t find it 

have ur planner on u at all times

keep a good filing system of ur stuff at home.  u don’t need to carry around every single bio assignment you’ve gotten back, but by the time ur final rolls around ur gonna want 2 b able to look at all the materials you’ve gotten during the semester

that being said, throw stuff away when the year is over!  i, for one, know i’m 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 on 

keep a recycling bin in your room!  even if it’s just a paper bag, it’ll make throwing paper in the trash way less tempting (save the earth)

u don’t need a ton of pens.  i’m being a giant hypocrite saying this but you really don’t need all that stuff.  if you want it and you can manage it, great, but if it’s 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, it’s v important to make every second count.  this doesn’t mean studying 48 hours straight (pls don’t), 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.  

some ideas for being productive! 

carry a clipboard around everywhere.  this way, u don’t 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 that’s 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 don’t do ur chem labs on the public bus but.  u know.  

read over the notes you took that day on the ride home.  this will help reinforce the information in ur brain, and it’s 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

don’t waste time on social media.  either delete instagram altogether, or log off/mute notifications before u start work.  same with tumblr.  don’t start scrolling obsessively if u have three tests to study for. 

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.  

study smarter: when ur going over material, u don’t need to handwrite 60 beautiful flashcards.  use quizlet instead.  don’t revise if it’s 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: 

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 member 

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.  don’t use these just bc u can, this is just when it’s about getting close enough to grasping material, not actually grasping it

do every other math problem assigned, and either star the ones u didn’t 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 what’s going on.  it’s 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: didn’t study enough for a test?  are u guessing on like 10 of the questions?  if it’s 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. 

when u have an online assignment due at midnight and it’s 11:53 and u haven’t started, find another assignment you’ve already completed that has a similar document name.  for example, “scarlet letter chapters 9-11″ instead of ur actual assignment “scarlet letter chapters 12-14″.  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), it’s 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 HEALTHY 

ur health comes before any assignment, test, or extracurricular.  i know lots of ppl r probably telling u that and it doesn’t 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 it’s 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.  

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 don’t usually leave until 11 that night.  it’s v important to stay nourished and hydrated so that u don’t get dizzy or faint.  

remember!  that u are beautiful, and ur body is beautiful, and it deserves 2 b loved! especially by u.  

get 6 hours of sleep.  aim for 8, but six at the very least.  if ur done with ur work, go to bed early!  don’t just stay up for no reason.  

shower everyday, or every other day at least.  give yourself those 15 minutes as a break from work or school or anything else that’s keeping you busy

write down ur thoughts in a journal?  

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 aren’t carrying it around everywhere. 

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 someone’s house.  taking breaks is healthy.  

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 that’s u).  it can be nice to reconnect w everyone, even when ur stressed or they’re annoying u, it can be nice.  

remember that it’s okay to be imperfect!  u don’t 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 driver’s 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.  it’s 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.  

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 you’ll 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, you’ll be carrying a lot of shit.

BUY (or make) HIGHLIGHTERS, FLASHCARDS AND DIVIDERS

if you aren’t already good at taking notes, fucking LEARN. if you can’t look back at your notes and easily see what you meant, you’ll be fucked by the time mocks come along. consider typing them up

if you’re not an independent worker, become independent. colleges/sixth forms don’t hold your hand! (they will help you a fair bit though)

don’t fucking continue with a subject if you hate it! you’ll have the opportunity to switch subjects, so test them out properly, or you’ll start to really hate yourself

get into the habit of not using contractions (i.e. can’t, isn’t, shouldn’t), especially if you do English. although, saying that, it was my psych teacher who got the most annoyed when she saw a contraction (ik I’m using them here but I can easily switch)

you can’t really afford to half-arse homework, soz. it will, 9 times out of 10, form the basis of that lesson, so if you don’t put effort into your homework, you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage, and that’s just stupid

avoid missing lessons. teachers genuinely don’t care what your reason is, even if you recently got decapitated, they’ll email you the work, and you’ll 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 you’re unsure. it’s easier to go to open days in the first term than in June

you will most likely perform awfully in your first term. that’s 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! it’s 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 won’t help you, it is way too stressful

^ so use your free time effectively!

don’t, 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 you’ll be required to do more work at home. use a memory stick, that’s 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 they’re seemingly irrelevant, you will get good feedback. if you don’t put in hard work, you won’t 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 you’re 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. it’s 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 wouldn’t advise it unless you’re confident you’ve answered every question perfectly. lots of people who left early ended up feeling disappointed

oh yeah and you won’t 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 won’t 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 don’t 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 don’t have the skills, you’ll 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, you’ll start to question why the fuck you picked psychology. BUT, if you get through it, it’ll 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 they’re pretty fucking important

again, there is SO much content, so try to keep it warm, or you’ll be fucked by the time mocks come along

EPQ (extended project qualification) tips:

so this is basically a project you do for a grade that’s equivilent to half an alevel

pick an interesting topic! you won’t have motivation otherwise. I’m doing a pirate novella ;)

aim to do work for it every week, and KEEP TRACK of what you did each week! otherwise you’ll be sweating when you have to put your folder/portfolio/scrapbook together

yeah so that’s pretty much it, if anyone has any q’s, feel free to ask. I might be able to help for other subjects too, but I have a limited knowledge