#student advice

forget rewriting notes a million times. the secret to actual effortless memorization? make your brain fall in love with the information.

✦ attach every fact to an emotion. you don’t forget dramatic moments in your life. why? because emotions make memories stick. so, exaggerate things. make the information funny, shocking, personal.

✦ assign a song to every subject. pick a song (or genre) for a topic. play it only when studying that subject. your brain will automatically associate the info with the music. making recall effortless.

✦ create fake gossip about your topics. pretend the mitochondria had a scandal in 2002. imagine historical figures in a drama-filled group chat. your brain remembers stories better than lists. (this is so fun and hilarious, did this with my friend, we both got a's on our psych exam <3)

✦ argue with yourself out loud. explain the concept like you’re debating a panel of critics in your head. confidence in your explanation = instant memory retention.

✦ write in different accents & fonts. use cursive for history, all caps for math, loopy handwriting for literature. your brain loves patterns—give it something fun to attach to.

mindy’s personal tip:

use a signature color for each subject. psychology = lavender, physics = deep blue, english = soft pink. color association locks information into your mind.

xoxo mindy

As I am organizing and writing my thesis, I thought I would share the template I usually follow in order to make my academic writing experience more bearable. I made this myself, learning what worked best for me through (much) trial and error.

I know writing a big paper can feel extremely daunting, but this may be able to help you relax a bit. Once you “fill out” this “template” with all of the information it requires, you’ll realize that all you have to do is write a few paragraphs, weave in some quotes, and you’re good to go! I hope this may be of some benefit to any of you. Good luck with the rest of your semester, darlings! I’m wishing you tons of luck. xx -Jack

How I Organize my Research Papers Before I Write Them:

some tips i will be following for the next 7+ months

also i write sometimes so check that out if you are interested^^ here is the masterlist

1+2 rule: pomodoro study session for 2hrs and 1hr revision

(if you are like me and you find pomodoro session too short, try 90 min ultradian sprint followed by a 20min break)

switching subjects after 1hr

1-3-5 method: 1 must do; 3 should do's; 5 could do's

replacing social media dopamine hits with ted talks or anything that sparks creativity in your field of study

quality>quantity

take boring breaks: just sit in silence, walk around, stretch but don't check your socials or listen to music

create a study playlist and do not listen to those songs outside your study session, and put it on before you start your session to get into that mode

this is for when you're struggling to get in the flow state - do the task for 5 min and if do get into the flow state (which you will) set a 25 min timer and then follow through with pomodoro technique.

take 30 seconds break after each 30 min, take deep breaths; helps to reset and rewire your brain

take mini-breaks throughout the day- which are non-academic to unwind and keep yourself away from your gadgets

if you are struggling to be consistent, a study partner (on dc or focusmate or any other online community) might be what you need and don't go easy on each other, share daily targets, helps you to stay motivated

for the people working overtime with adhd to make their dreams come true and become an academic weapon (specifically inattentive type because i have that) i have listed out some tips that might help you here

for those of you whose primary device for studying is not your phone, i am seriously saying, DISABLE YOUR YOUTUBE, you will love your life once you get rid of rotting your brain on youtube shorts and just scrolling for dopamine hit, it also helps you to stay productive throughout the day because you did not start your day with instant dopamine

asian mom checking on you studying video on youtube, that is the advice you never knew you needed but it is gold

for my people who have to do lots of question solving , and are prone to getting the questions wrong when attempting , make an error log, track what question you got wrong from which chapter , and categorise it as "silly/conceptual gap/application issue/time management error" and work accordingly

everytime you think of procrastinating and doomscrolling, remember 'THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL"

for revision followed by pyq solving, first making the short notes of the chapter, taking about 1-2 pages of all topics and their related concept and formula is effective for chapter revision and then it makes it easier to refer to a concept when solving pyq; i just started doing it and it is pretty effective, IMPORTANT: KEEP IT HANDWRITTEN

please don't fight the extra hours to make your study sessions in double digits (time-wise). always remember, consistency is better than slaving away and falling prey to burn outs. be consistent even if it is an hour on a rough day and be kind to yourself, the world is enough is put you in that mental cage of expectations.

how to practice and revise multiple chapters a day (for droppers and school goers) here

Some motivation for when exams are approaching near (mainly competitive entrance ones like JEE/NEET)

for when your exams are nearing - make a pros and cons list of each subject , pros and cons about yourself related to that subject like things you're good at about that subject and things you find it difficult and are repulsed by when on the said subject - use this list to find out the areas you need to work on , strengthen the parts you already are familiar with instead of learning something new when time is not much for your exams

here is how to track your study time

how to stay consistent even if you don't have the motivation or the drive

how to plan your schedule

how to score well or average or at least pass even for tough exams if you only have a few days left

how to efficiently revise in less time

ps.

As I know a lot of folks on Tumblr are students at one level or another, as a professor, I thought I'd offer this observation:

Interact with your professors. Sure, in large cattle-call classes it can be hard. And some profs don't give AF. But most do. I'd like to know a little more about my students. Genuinely. That helps me help you.

As I've aged, and as college has shifted too, I've become much more sanguine about grades. I know many of my students struggle with multiple demands, and a large number here at UNO are first-gen students. I want to help you out. *I* was a first-gen student once upon a time. I get it. Imposter syndrome is real, although back then, I had no name for it besides a creeping sense that I didn't belong.

Anyway, when grade time rolls around, I am inclined to grant grace: a point, even two, if I know the student made a concerted effort--good attendance, expressed interest, talked to me about how to take better notes, etc. I want you to succeed. And I know college is hella expensive, so repeating a class is an added expense.

That said, things that annoy me: the Dude-Bros who think they can sweet-talk/smarm me into raising their grade Because They Deserve It. You just made sure you get exactly the grade you earned, dude. Also, students who come up to me at semester end, having ignored all extra-credit options to ask if there is "something they can do" to raise their grade. Um, no. You missed your chance. And if you think you can have AI write you a neat little paper that I have to take extra time to grade to raise your final? Keep dreamin', hon. I'm a bitch like that. I don't do extra work because you didn't do any earlier.

But I do make an effort to divide the sheep from the goats. And the best way to be sure you're among the sheep it to interact with me earlier. Let your professors know you're genuinely trying. And if you're struggling with RL issues, tell us. Early. Not after you've failed an exam. I know some students "don't want to be a bother," but letting us know after looks like an excuse.

Alerting us early in the semester lets us See You Real. You are not a stray cat. Don't hide your struggles. That said, One More Dead Grandmother is a joke among profs as an excuse to get out of a test students didn't study for. So if you really did lose your beloved granny and are heartbroken, let us know early if she's sick. I don't want to be a callous bitch if you're genuinely grieving. But I will be skeptical if it seems "convenient."

Here's the deal: I'm human and so are you. I'd like to grant you human grace. But there are also deadbeats looking to take advantage and I've been teaching 30+ years. I've pretty much heard it all. So give me a reason to (again) See You Real.

Some things I learned while in community college

Feel free to add

Do not take too many classes at once. I learned this the hard way with my summer classes and had to drop one (not once, but twice. don't ask - yes I'm still in a summer class - I was convinced I could complete at least two classes this summer for some reason). Be realistic with what you can handle

On the be realistic with what you can handle, it is perfectly fine and normal to complete college in 5-6 years instead of the standard 4. Especially if you are taking classes part time or have other life obligations in the way

Romanticize your study process if possible. Have a cute desk set up, have aesthetic school supplies. If you are broke, color coordinate stuff (ie- everything in pink, everything follows a brown and green theme, etc) with accessories (following the brown and green theme can be where you have leaf charms / keychains on your backpack and nature themed notebooks if you know )

Keep your gpa up and your class completion rate up

Decide early on whether you are going to grad school, etc. This way you can keep you GPA and whatnot high enough without too much trouble

Take care of yourself

Pick your roommates wisely. Roommates from hell can cause your gpa to die in a ditch. As in you'll be studying at 2am and your roommate is blasting music non-stop causing you to be unable to concentrate or even sleep

Try to get in the habit of pulling all-dayers instead of all-nighters. As you grow older, it is not as cute or quirky to be sleep deprived constantly.

Speaking of "habits". don't let your good habits die and you develop bad habits. As in, keep brushing your teeth, shower daily, and exercise often enough instead of swapping it out for constantly gaming or whatever your idea of a really bad habit is.

Take care of your health! You are getting older by the day, not younger. This means whatever health problems the older people in your family gets as they aged, you should get checked out for (ie- if people in your family start devleoping autoimmune disorders around 30-ish, its a good idea to start getting checked out to catch it early)