#sapphirestudy

I found some notes that I took for Calculus BC over the summer. I hope they look alright.

Some school tips I’ve thought of at 3am.

Have a random folder.

This folder is going to be to be for any non-subject related sheets you get. This way, your backpack won’t be crowded with random papers and the sheets also stay safe from getting crushed at the bottom of your bag. Just try not to start stuffing everything into this folder, keep your subject work organised!

Breakfast.

I know a lot of people don’t eat breakfast because they get stomach aches in the morning or something along those lines, but as soon as you start feeling hungry, eat something light. Even just a piece of toast with some jam on top. It’s not called the most important meal of the day for no reason. Eating something will give you some more energy in the mornings!

Wake up at the same time every day.

So I know people like sleeping in on weekends, but think of it like this. The entire week your body is being conditioned to wake up at a certain time, but you’re not letting it get completely used to it by sleeping in on the sixth day. If you have trouble waking up in the mornings, try to wake up at the exact same time every day of the week for two weeks and just see how your body becomes more accustomed to it.

Wear something you’re comfortable in.

Okay I’m not saying show up to school/college in a tracksuit unless that’s what you want, I just mean, don’t wear a shirt that itches or is too tight because chances are, you’ll be focused so much on that, you won’t pay attention in class. I once wore brand new shoes to class and they hurt so bad, I didn’t even listen to the teacher, I was busy praying for my feet.

Designate a study area.

If you study at home, designate one area as a study area. For my, it’s my desk. I know some people study on their beds, but that’s never worked for me because I, being a lazy person, have related my bed with laying down/sleeping. So even if I start studying sitting up, after an hour, I’m on my stomach and feeling super lethargic. I find that studying in the same place every time makes your brain understand that this place is where you should be most alert.

To do lists.

You don’t need a fancy shmancy bullet journal or planner for this tip. You need a piece of paper or a sticky note. Whenever you’re sitting down to do some hardcore studying, make a list of everything you want to realistically get done. Then, you won’t forget anything and you’ll be able to deduce how long you’re able to allocate to each task. Also, it’s super satisfying when you cross everything off!

[18.05.30] 

June spread and a pretty café we ate at last week 😍

this is just a quick list of study habits that work for me, as a straight a’s student

1. even if it’s not in your teacher’s presentation written on a slide, if you hear your teacher mention a fact, WRITE IT DOWN. you might need it later for a test.

2. when you’re rewriting your notes/compiling a study guide, pretend you’re making it for someone else. include everything, even if you think you know it. (unless you’re low on time, in which case, just write what you don’t know)

3. when you’re trying to learn a new concept, pretend you’re teaching it to someone else. this is a form of active learning, and the act of breaking the concept down into steps that you can teach will improve your understanding of the concept. (for the longest time, i actually didn’t even know this was an actual study technique, because i’ve always done it subconsciously!)

4. don’t over color your notes!! if you really need a key for all the colors, then you’re using way too many. try to stick with 2-3 pens/pencils. for me, i write most of my notes in black ink or pencil and i write the important concepts i might need to find quickly later (such as vocabulary) in red or blue pen.

5. have your water bottle next to you (so you remember to stay hydrated; this makes focusing easier as well), as well as any other things you might need during a study session so you don’t have to keep getting up to get stuff (which is pretty distracting for me as i’m easily sidetracked).

6. make it a habit to write lists of everything you need to do by the end of the weekend (or the end of that day, depending on how much work you have). this’ll help you familiarize yourself with your tasks so you have a clear plan of what needs to get done.

7. (not really necessary, just something i like to do!) learn to eat with your non-dominant hand so you can eat and take notes and turn pages w/out ripping them instead of scrolling through social media. keep in mind that sometimes, meal times are for taking your mind off school so unless you’re really pressed for time, it’s not a huge deal if you spend this time w/passive reading, texting friends, etc.

8. when you’re assigned a research project, COME UP WITH A THESIS FIRST so you know what to research. try to get all your research done within the first two days or so, to have more time to plan out how you’re going to structure it. then get your draft done (something is better than nothing) so you can revise at your own pace instead of rushing at the last minute.

9. prioritize your homework!! as someone who spends hours fencing and even misses school for fencing tournaments, is part of symphonic band, and on the robotics team (build season is suuuuuper busy), i can’t express how important this is!! if you have math first period, get that done first, whereas if you have math last period, you can do it at lunch and spend your time working on something that’s due in the morning. don’t do this all the time, but if you need to, know which teachers are more strict with due dates so if you really do need an extension, you’ll be asking the least strict teacher and will have much better chances of getting said extension.

10. if you study at home like me, change into new clothes (comfy clothes, but not pajamas) before cracking open your textbooks. it’ll help make you feel more refreshed and ready to start your homework, but not confined to uncomfortable uniforms from school. tie up your hair, if it’s long. try to study at a table/desk rather than in bed (for sleeping not studying) or on the floor (bad for your posture).

11. check out this post for productive things you can do when you aren’t studying, but still want to be productive!

hope these helped some of you!!