i'm a recent college grad and i am still studying for the LSAT so these are not old and outdated tips:)

• MAKE A PLAN. before i have a study sesh, i map out exactly what i need to do, and truly give myself an outline of what needs to be accomplished and by when.

• Set the atmosphere. Personally I need absolute peace. I love classical music (I often use a few youtube loops of calm classical music and have it softly playing in the background) Studies have shown that classical music aids in concentration and how you process information in front of you. In addition to this- comfy clothes! have some cute lounge sets or even your favorite tee, whatever makes you feel most cozy and ready to tackle the task. Have some healthy snacks- i personally like mood boosting foods such as fruit, a nice matcha on the side or boba, and of course iced water. The space you study in should be clean and not cluttered whatsoever as organized spaces helps

start EARLY. As you read your resources/books, take Notes as you go! You can even do a few pages one day and some the next. Create an outline of what exactly you need to include on your paper. By the time you are done reading, your notes will essentially have all you need to type and organize. I recommend installing Grammarly- you can add it to google or safari, which automatically corrects and gives you recommendations to improve your paper. You can go the extra mile like I did and pay for it monthly and you get a plagiarism checker--this helps if your professor uses the software Turnitin which detects plagiarism. Make use of online Thesaurus, Transition words, etc- which can up the intellect of your paper.

I think that dating in college is totally fine, as long as it does not consume you, stunt your growth as an individual, and helloooo….throw you off of your studies. You should choose to entertain people that are clear with their communication skills. I know it's considered cool to be toxic or on and off with the guy, but I promise you that will get draining and you really just want a best friend/partner that will push you towards your dreams; You have a romantic connection and have fun. there's nothing wrong with casually dating and getting to know what you like- if anything I think that is perfectly fine to not only understand yourself but understand the people that you're surrounded with. now, I would not suggest extreme casual sex, although you are an adult in college and you're free to do whatever you want, but if you are going to engage in this, be absolutely safe about it. Do not play with your health. in general, know your self-worth do not let anyone disrespect you and just have a good time.

I cannot emphasize how important this is when you show your face, go to office hours, show up to class, engage in class discussion your professors remember you. Go to their office when you have a question engage in small chitchat, whatever the case, may be, express any worries or concerns you may be having and I promise you they are more willing to work with you or even grade you a bit easier. That way, doing this can even help you if you were in a situation like a family crisis and you didn't get an assignment done, or you were sick; whatever the case may be, they're more likely to give you an extension as well. This is because they see you as a dedicated student who cares about your class and your success, and they respect that

Hang out with your friends. I know it may be easy to get caught up in school and feel like you will never have time for your social life, but that is completely wrong. After midterms/finals/etc- have a girls dinner night celebrating you guys' grades. go to lunch on campus together or even off campus. If you live on campus and you need to go grocery shopping for your apartment or whatever go with some friends just make every day fun if possible. Do all of you have boyfriends? Go on a double date or two or a triple date whatever, have fun- create your little college family.

the part you've been waiting for. WHAT SHOULD YOU WEAR? Girl anything tbh. The most common thing I've seen is lots of Athleisure!

MY Go to brands- lululemon, Alo, Skims, Joah Brown, and Set Active.

Lots of sweatshirts- school ones, other brands etc.

• Be comfortable! But of course still be cute.

• The first week of every new semester is always the week that people come to school looking cuter than usual and then after that everything just fizzles out, everyone's tired, and just throwing on the first thing they can grab honestly. I believe you should always be presentable but you don't have to be overdone.

• When you look good, you feel good and feel ready for the day! Never underestimate the power of a cute fit!

what you'll need besides your supplies!

hair ties, hair claws- lip balm, lipgloss-travel sized perfume, deodorant-feminine items such as extra pads/tampons-carry water duh! hand sanitizer, gum, you know. all that fancy stuff. if i wore makeup that day and it was a long day, i had a little powder from Charolette Tilbury and would touch up any areas needed.

Yes, there are some people that know exactly what they want to do in life, and have it all figured out, but most people are still just trying to get on their feet and really understand the college world and their future after that. Do not feel so pressured to Have it all figured out at once who I was as a freshman in college compared to who l am now as I am almost graduate, it's completely different.

Allow yourself to grow and evolve.

• It is 100% OK to drop a class when needed. I would much rather you guys drop a class than fail class and it ruin your GPA. 90% of college students have drop the class in their college career. It's so normal and no one is judging you for it at all. have a grace with yourself, and have some mental health days where you just take a break and do nothing. A day where you don't look at any homework or whatever.

• MAKE USE OF A PLANNER. please. just trust me on it. i used digital ones i downloaded from etsy and used it on my ipad!

Reblog or your mom will die in 928 seconds.

I love my mom.

I am risking nothing

I AM SORRY FOLLOWERS, I LOVE MY MOMMY

Will not risk.

sorry followers :(

omg im so glad to se so many people love their mummy

Why’re you being mean to my mum?

goddamn it

Nope. Googled it. 15 minuets. Nope. Not taking any chances

Koop

This has 1.2 million reblogs … Ps not riskin it

1.4 almost ps not risking it

Fuck this post

I am sorry…

I fucks with my moms too heavy to be playing games. REBLOG

Hell no.

Sorry

Y'all really got a porn blog out here doin it.

I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to my Mom lol

I second my husband’s emotion! Lol

This is supposed to be a porn blog but NO

Scrolled past but got paranoid

y

EU TE AMO MÃE 

WHY IS THIS POST BACK?

Omg this my second time seeing this shit I hate these

Eh too late

not taking chances after today

Not gonna risk it

Are we getting jealous Azriel in the next book?

And it was that night The Bat Boys ™ met Madja for the first time.

I love them so much!

The Feynman Technique

Hey! Chin up! You are doing Great!

For anyone who needs to hear it

Louder for the people in the back

CHIN UP! YOU CAN DO IT! YOU’RE DOING GREAT!

:)

YOU’VE GOT THIS !! I BELIEVE IN YOU !!!!!

WE’RE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU!

You don't know how much I needed to hear this today.

Until2022′s Guide to Catching Up When You’re Drastically Behind in Study:

I. Assess the damage

The first step in the plan is to confront how bad the situation is and then make some calls about what you can realistically achieve in the time you have left. 

List everything you have to do, down to exact detail - don’t write ‘catch up on readings for Virology’, but instead note down every chapter. This will make it a lot easier to gauge how much time and energy you need for each assignment or exam, and will help to motivate you as you work through. 

Use an Eisenhower matrix to sort these tasks:

Now cross out everything that you can afford not to do. That’s going to be everything in your ‘Not Important and Not Urgent’ zone, and probably all of the things in your ‘Urgent but Not Important’ zone. I know that it’s annoying not to get everything done, or to sacrifice the 5% that you could have gotten, but unless you can do it in 10 minutes and it’s really worth it you simply don’t have the time to spare here. 

Having said that, if a class has lots of small assignments due, don’t overlook them because they’re not worth much on their own - make sure you take a look at the overall percentage left to go in that subject. If you can dedicate a whole day to just that subject and smash through all those assignments in one, you’re crossing a lot of work off your list. For example, I have weekly quizzes and 2% labs in my Pathology course - if I’m behind, I’ll dedicate a whole day and do all of those assessments. That’s 20% out of the way and a big leap towards catching up. 

II. Tackle the low-hanging fruit

Seeing the product of countless days of procrastination is probably pretty daunting right now. I could offer you platitudes here but it’s a lot easier for you to actually take some action and feel better about it yourself, so:

Do everything that will take you less than 10 minutes to complete. Reply to those emails, the messages in the assignment group chat, upload your peer assessment, do all the little things you need to do for someone else. That should cross out a big chunk of things from your list, and you’ll be left with the important stuff like finishing assignments and studying for exams. 

If you’re panicking (seeing the huge list of stuff which you have to finish in an impossibly short time will often do this!) then try an easy square breathing exercise. Breathe in for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, repeat. Splashing cold water on your face is helpful too, as is having a glass of water. Do not use this time to procrastinate! It might sound like a good idea to relax by watching Youtube or Netflix, scrolling through Instagram or playing a video game, but you’re going to be sucked back into the procrastination game that got you here in the first place. 

III. Create your plan of attack 

You’ve left it too late to be regularly revising, so our plan of attack is basically going to be: cram every subject consecutively. This is the best way to get everything done when you’re pressed for time like this - don’t switch tasks or subjects. Interleaving subjects is great when you’re on schedule, but right now you don’t want to spend quarter of an hour getting into the groove of a certain subject and then switching before an hour has passed. 

University is just one assignment after another, no breathing space in between, especially towards the end of the semester. All you need to do is work out what’s due first and what’s worth most, order everything according to those criteria and then focus on the first assessment until you’re done. Once the assignment is handed in or you’ve sat the exam, then you can move onto the next task.

If you have two different assignments due for different classes on the same day, plan ahead so you can dedicate a full day to each subject instead of working on both at the same time. 

Plan out every single day - make sure you’re scheduling in time to eat, shower, sleep, and take breaks as well as to study. Be specific when planning your time out each day as to what tasks you’re hoping to achieve - don’t allocate too much time to any single lecture, but at the same time, be realistic about how much you can cover in one hour. 

Choose wisely based on what you do or don’t know. There isn’t much point in spending this precious time revising the things you already know you’re good at, so suck it up and schedule in the hard stuff first up, but be prepared to move on if you can’t get it down. You’re far better off going into the exam knowing 10 things badly, than 1 thing really well, so focus on the basics and if you have time to learn the more complex details then go back and do that later. 

You also need to be flexible and prepared to adjust - sometimes an assignment will take longer than expected or a day just won’t be as productive as you thought it might be. Don’t panic, just re-plan and shift things around so you keep moving in the right direction. 

IV. Grind it out 

Now that you have a clear idea of what you need to achieve and when, it’s time to get it done.  

For once, you shouldn’t need to worry about simple procrastination. You’re  probably already panicking, so turn that anxiety into motivation which will fuel you and let you focus for long time periods. Fear can be a great driver - when the threat of the exam is looming over you, it’s amazing how well you can knuckle down, assuming you don’t want to fail. 

Pack a bag with everything you need - your laptop or tablet, your charger, headphones, a water bottle and a travel mug, snacks and meals for the day, and anything else you like to have with you when you’re studying. Then take yourself to the library, the local coffee shop, the office - wherever you like to study, but don’t sit at home. There’s too many opportunities for distraction and you cannot afford that right now. Being in an environment where other people are working will motivate you to do the same. 

If you’re working on an assignment, the best way to get things done quickly is to let go of any preconceptions of doing a great job, or having a perfect draft, and instead just focusing on having a draft. Bash out the worst draft you’ve ever written, fill it with run-on sentences and spelling mistakes. But make sure you finish a draft. Then all you have to do is edit it, and it’s a lot quicker to do it this way than it is getting bogged down in the details before you’ve even begun. 

When you’re studying for exams, the number one way to learn is through active recall. There is no point in wasting time writing out a full set of notes if you’re two days out from the test. Even if you feel like you don’t know a single thing, start off straight away by testing yourself - do past exams, drill flashcards, try and write outlines or mind maps and then check your notes or textbooks and fill in what you’ve missed. If you don’t know the answer or you get it wrong, look it up and try to understand it, and then test yourself again in twenty minutes. 

It’s important to strike a balance here: don’t overextend yourself, but don’t continually take breaks. If you think you need a break, you probably don’t. Take two minutes to stretch your legs and drink some water, but do not pick up your phone. If you’re starting to feel mentally fatigued, especially after a few hours, it can be helpful to switch locations - go outside and study on a park bench, or shift to the dining hall. Sometimes the change of scenery is all you need to feel refreshed. 

V. Rinse and repeat

This is your life now. Make sure you stick to a regular sleep schedule - aim for at least six hours a night - because otherwise your fatigue levels will seriously impact your memory, retention and critical thinking abilities. It’s not worth the few extra hours you might get in, and you probably won’t be productive anyway. 

Remember that the advice I’ve given you here is based on what I do when I am severely behind, not how I study on a daily basis when I’m on top of everything. These tips aren’t all great for long-term learning, but are the most efficient way to cram when you’re behind and under pressure. 

You’ve got this. 

Pick a bottle any bottle lol

I recently read an article about a therapy group for depressed people who had all attempted suicide at some point. The breakthrough question for them was, “If your goal was to be just as miserable as possible, what would you do?” Most of them listed things like not getting enough sleep, or isolating themselves from everyone… the list goes on, but the point is, they listed things they already do. But now they saw those “coping mechanisms” for what they really were: things that were actively making their condition worse.

I read that article at 2:00 AM, asked myself, am I TRYING to be miserable tomorrow? And it was easier than usual to put my phone down and fall asleep. Even my intrusive “lying down” thoughts about meaninglessness and existential dread were easier to suppress when I framed them as things I’d think about to purposefully make myself feel as awful as possible.

Fuck that is helpful

Since I just finished my bachelor thesis and have all this -for now- unnecessary knowledge swirling around in my head, I let it out here, in case anyone can find it useful.

I present: the biggest (formating & general) rules in thesis writing (as proposed by my German professor):

1. Per page: at least 2 maximum 4 paragraphs. Professors don't like to have one huge block of text for more than half a page. They will be less likely to want to read your paper.

2. Figures and Images: put them in the text where they are spoken about, don't just refer to them being in the appendix. It disrupts the reading flow and no professor likes to shuffle back and forth in a paper multiple times. Also, images and figures should be centralised on a page, seem coherent with each other in their entirety (especially if you created them yourself, use one colour and design pallette if possible) and be named correctly. Additionally, ich you use more than 3 or 4 images/figures, have a table of tables/figures in the front of your paper after table of contents.

3. Use figures and Images - be visual, make your thesis as easy as possible to understand. No one likes to read something and have his brain in knots the whole time.

4. Use times new Roman (or Arial) in size 12, 1.5

5. Recap: If your paper is really long, we're talking about 45 pages plus and you are talking about something from chapter 2 in chapter 7, briefly (!) recap it for ease of understanding and to reinforce your red string (roter Faden).

6. Subtitles: rather have too many than too few subtitles, they make it easier to navigate the paper and help you keep track of the smaller sections (they can also help in the writing process as too not lose focus of what you are doing).

7. Limitations and future research: at the end of your paper, after the discussion and before the conclusion, you have to name limitations. If you think you had none, look again. NO paper, none at all has no limitations. If you can think only of a few, you can also add them in one or two sentences to the conclusion, but it's better to have a separate part. For theses or papers in general, common limitations are time constraint, limited access to data, limited know-how, etc. After limitations, you can have another small chapter called "future research", here you can put all the ideas that you had during writing, which are in relation to your main topics. Maybe you would have liked to research more into a specific area, or you were missing key information somewhere. In future research you can put all the ideas you would like to see researched in the future.

8. Page numbers: i hope you were clever and formatted your document with page numbers, titles and subtitles before even starting to write (if you weren't, like me), it's not horrible, but it can be slightly annoying. Don't try to do it by yourself if your not sure. Just don't. You will probably get frustrated and your stress levels will rise even more. Just Google "how to multiple kinds of page numbers Microsoft word" and follow the instructions exactly. This saves you time and nerves. Usually in theses, you use Greek page numbers (I,II,III,IV,V,VI,...) For table of contents until the introduction, and then continue with them as soon as your bibliography starts. For the part in between (introduction until conclusion) you use Roman (?) numbers (1,2,3,...).

9. Titles: if you use 1. 1.2 1.2.1 etc., make sure that it is necessary to use things like 4.5.5.1.1. A rule of thumb is, if you can't say 2 (i.e. 4.5.5.1.1 but not 4.5.5.1.2) than you don't need to say 4.5.5.1.1 at all but put that part unter 4.5.5.1. Of course, this rule does not work all the time, but I like to check the necessity of my structure in this way.

10. Plan more days: When you are nearly done with your writing process, many of us estimate 1 day for formatting and 1 for proof reading. This is, was and never will be enough. Especially not if you are a perfectionist. Plan at least 1 week for formatting and proofreading. Honestly I would recommend 10 days. Because after writing a huge paper like this you are bound to be exhausted and will crash some days. Also, it is good to take 1-2 days of distance from your work to have a fresh point of view. If I would write a bachelor thesis again, I honestly would calculate 2 weeks for formatting and proofreading. If you have to "fix" your sources, definitely take 10 days. You will take 2 days for sources, if you have to find additional ones, or check them.

11. Last but not least: if possible, register your bachelor thesis (i.e. in Germany that is the point when you officially start your writing period (usually around 9-12 weeks) as late as possible. Do as much research, etc. before this time starts. I won't say write at least half of your thesis before you start this period and have all your questionnaires/interviews/or whatever research type you use ready to go. I won't say that, but well... Just, 9 weeks is nothing. Honestly, think about the 2 weeks towards proofreading, sources and formatting (+trying to get calm after being stressed continuously for 7 weeks (I was)). Just, if you think now is the time to register, wait another two weeks.

That's all for now, I know I will use this again for my master thesis, so I will leave this here for now. I hope it helps some of you too.🤗

♡ channel your inner elle woods and dive into your studies with a “what, like it’s hard?“ mindset

studying will only be hard if you assume it to be. uplift yourself before starting your study session. go on a rampage on how you’re the best student at your school and that you’re successful at everything you do! the only person that will be with you from the beginning till the end is you. be your own cheerleader despite it all.

♡ romanticize your studies

life is better when you romanticize it and nothing beats playing some music to level your head, looking at photos & scenes of your favorite characters studying and acing their tests! 

clean your desk, light some candles, buy cute stationary, pretend you’re being filmed, visualize how it would feel when you have straight A’s and see that perfect score on the corner of your test/exams.

make a playlist with a cute cover and choose a vibe. dark or light academia? classics? rnb? cafe jazz? make it fun. mix it all together or make multiple playlists for the different moods you’ll be in. don’t listen to lyrical music. i recommend brown noise! and going to a cafe or a library helps me focus a lot. the background chatter doesn’t ever get too much for me so it gets easy for me to tune it out.

bambi’s supplies:

♡ finding a study place

i love to study at libraries and local cafes. i also use this time to go on adventures to explore my city and find hidden gems. make sure it’s a place where you like the vibe, there are no distractions. something about looking like that mysterious, studious girl who stays to herself >>>>

before you indulge in your studies, be aware of your surroundings. get familiar with the place by grazing your eyes over the area and begin :)

make a checklist of all the items you need. laptop, charger, pens, notebooks, textbooks, a book to read if you want to spend more time at the place you’re at, headphones, calculator, etc!

if you’d rather stay inside, make your area is clean of clutter and clear of distractions.

♡ time management 

now that you’ve set out a place, let’s talk about time. what hours in the day work for you? morning, afternoons or at night? what weekdays work the best for you to keep up with this schedule?

be reasonable with yourself here. pick a time where your schedule is free and you won’t be distracted by obligations. tell your friends and family you’ll be busy during those hours on selected weekdays, not everyday will be the same. life can be hectic so this is where you take responsibility. work around your appointments. make use of your time and run flash cards while you wait to get called in or you’re in line, while you exercise, get creative! 

setting time away to eat and make sure you drink enough water is not equally but more important than any other thing. take care of yourself. 

utilize your time wisely. no one and nothing is going to achieve those goals. you are. 

now, let’s actually get into how i study. 

♡ scheduling & staying on track

create a system that works for you. keep a list of all of your assignments, finals, exams, tests, projects in an excel spreadsheet organized and ascended by the due dates and the progress of its completion. here are two very simple examples i made. 

as you progress through the list, it’s always so good to see the growing checkmarks! like yes, you did that and you can continue doing so! i always advocate for keeping track of your accomplishments no matter what ♡

as for day to day classes and schedules, you can use notion or google calendar. there are plenty of cute and practical templates out there to use.

let me know if i should share mine or make some

♡ how i study, stay ahead, and be the best student i can be

the most important thing a student can do is put themselves first! find out what works for you. your strengths, your weaknesses, and obstacles you tend to come across and work around them to make the best out of it. 

we’ve already covered the topics of time and place so great! now, that you’re all set, additional things i keep in mind to make sure i am all nice and comfortable are…

the most important questions of all: are there any illnesses you have that affect your studying and focus? what is something you often find that gets in your way?

as hard as dealing with illnesses gets on a daily basis, it’s easy to forget that it can affect your studies just as much. you need to work with them. i used to think i was stupid, slow, and downright crazy for not understanding material right away or for how easily distracted i got because of my random bursts of energy. then it just dawned upon me one day and i said “oh… duh?”

so, what did i do? i found out what worked for me, monitored my studying techniques and personally modified them to work better with my attention deficit.

tackle the important tasks first. low maintenance assignments like reading and writing notes on a section, annotations, and worksheets can wait if they’re easy but this way might not be for everyone. 

the reason why i advise this is because at the beginning of a study session, i have the most energy/brain power so i’d rather shift my energy towards the assignments that need more of my focus!

plan what tasks you intend on focusing on that day. look at your assignment spreadsheet. which ones are more important/urgent? due the soonest? write them out in order and follow the list.

immediately writing down my thoughts. i’m very forgetful so making this a habit has helped me so much for when i get any new ideas and remember to do something very important.

find out what learning style fits you. visual, auditory, reading and writing, kinesthetic. making powerpoints, study guides, drawing diagrams, color coding systems, interactive notes. cater your study methods to your needs. here is a pinterest board with examples!

take a self assessment quiz. if you want, check these quizzes out to figure out what kind of learner you are and what study habits you can improve! remember that you can always be more than one thing just because quizzes give you a single result. you know you!

active recall. it’s a study method to help with retention, memorization, and informational retrieval. it reduces forgetfulness all the while actively stimulating your brain rather than writing notes, highlighting text information. 

check your work and understanding to make sure that all of the information you’re studying is correct! it won’t hurt to do a little review here and there. you never know when a mistake might’ve snuck it’s way in.

make your own study guide. (if that’s your method) for every unit and section, covering every topic. this can be on google docs and whenever you learn something new that you think is important to know, add it via docs app or write it on a notepad so that you can fill it in later.

on the go. you don’t have to do this ALL the time (or at all) but if you think you need more time to soak your mind with information but you’re on a bus, waiting in line, etc. pull out your flashcards or google docs app to quickly review. there’s no harm in that! (just make sure you’re aware of your surroundings please)

OFFICE HOURS! go to office hours even if you don’t have any specific questions or struggles! it’s always an extra learning opportunity because you can listen to teachers and teaching assistants answer questions you might have later on AND the more you attend office hours, you’ll build a connection and get to know the teachers. that is always important.

starting assignments ahead of time. don’t put off working on a project just because it’s due in 3 weeks or so. start ahead of time so you don’t stress yourself out and cram. stretch them out. plus, even if you don’t actually put yourself to work, get a feel of the materials you’ll need to know, the instructions, etc because if you have any questions, you’ll have more/easy access to teachers for help since not many people will be there at the beginning of when a project is assigned.

ADVANCE READING! this is so fun to do. you basically just read ahead on current/future topics the teacher will cover to grasp onto the information. write down any questions you have and personally ask the teacher for a more clear answer for your understanding.

do not multitask. remember, if multitasking has always worked for you, don’t stop! for me, it’s truly better to focus on the task at hand to strengthen skills and concentration rather than having to do 2 or 3 different things at once. efficiency is key and staying true to one task at a time is the best way to do so.

BUT when my adhd gets in the way, be consistently inconsistent. don’t unnecessarily guilt trip yourself when you suddenly feel like doing another task. go with the flow. follow whatever your brain feels like doing at the moment! MOVEMENT IS MOVEMENT.

additional tip: take breaks at certain times even if you don’t feel like it. like the advice above, it doesn’t necessarily have to be resting. it can be as simple as taking a trip to get a beverage, tidying up your area, something easy & light to keep your mind occupied and to avoid burn out.

 breaking down the assignments into sections. this defeats procrastination. it can seem overwhelming when all the information is pieced together into one so divide the tasks into small sections. 

study groups. it’s collaborative— a chance to ask and also help others on topics you don’t know and make connections! the smaller the better in my opinion.

don’t look at studying as something you “have" to do. it’s an activity. a choice. it can either be stressful or something you can easily get through— how you approach this will ;

participate! ask questions! don’t be afraid to ask questions and raise your hand to put your two cents in when it’s an open discussion! just do it.

focus on the now. don’t overwhelm yourself by looking at all the assignments you have due. the task you’re working on at the present moment is the one that needs the most attention and focus.

advice from others won’t always work for you. we are all different! what might work for others won’t always work for you. this is why it’s important to monitor your study sessions, habits, behaviors, and find out what works and what you like better through trial and error. 

except for when i tell you to take care of yourself. if there’s anything you should take away from my posts, it is to put your needs first. always!

♡ keeping up momentum. motivation vs. self discipline.

“think of motivation as a power boost at the starting line and your foot pressing on the pedal of your car is discipline, it’s what keeps you going forward on your journey. motivation, as fleeting as it is won’t bring you far but self-discipline will.“

remind yourself of the life you want to live, the businesses you will own, the cases you’ll win, the people you’ll be able to help with your knowledge, the feelings you’ll have because of your amazing accomplishments if you just keep. on. going. 

read the “continuing to strengthen self discipline” section in my dream girl guide post. i guarantee it will help in finding what really works best for you when it comes to identifying roadblocks and how to work around these struggles.

KEEP UP THE MOMENTUM. you’ve been on top of your game so when it comes to engaging in activities that don’t revolve around school work, make it worthwhile. stay off your phone, say no to silly distractions and do something you’ll thoroughly enjoy. paint, draw, write, read a book, go on a walk! this will keep you going in doing your very best every day and it doesn’t have to be a strenuous activity! stagnancy who?

DOING ANYTHING THAT BRINGS YOU JOY AND FULFILLMENT IS PRODUCTIVE. 

♡ the most important tips of all

TAKE BREAKS. GO TO SLEEP. EAT WELL.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.

DO NOT PUT THIS ON THE BACK BURNER. you want good grades and to do your very best, that can’t happen unless you TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.

if it’s past your usual bedtime and your eyes are drooping, struggling to stay open, how are you able to retain all the information from that moment on? go to bed because then you’ll get a good night’s sleep and you’ll be refreshed for your next day’s class! OR if you don’t have class, you’ll be able to bounce back into studying in amazing condition.

PAMPER YOURSELF. 

good heavens, take a shower, wash your face, go for a walk, move your body, stretch, take time to just stay to yourself. enjoy the silence, play some calming music, watch a show, take a nap. your body is a temple, treat it with love. 

if you’re constantly stressed out all the while continuously flooding your brain with so much information without resting:

it decreases concentration → you won’t be able to retain any new information (so studying is automatically deemed useless) → poor sleep → you attend class and your inability to focus and overall school performance has degraded→ you isolate yourself from social interactions → fall into depression → difficulty picking yourself back up and the list goes on…

in summary, you will not be able to continue and put in your best work.

always remember that pushing yourself past your limit does more harm than good. 

you WILL crash and all that hard work will go to waste once you’re physically and mentally unable to show up for yourself.

and if it means you have to get anything lower than a 80, IT IS OKAY. nothing is worth more than your health. trust me.

♡ helpful resources

okay my love! that’s all for this post. i wish you the best! ₊˚⊹♡ as always, here is the google doc version

— kisses from straight a student, bambi ♡

               SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION

INVEST IN YOURSELF: FALL + SCHOOL EDITION GUIDE HERE

good things will happen 🧿

things that are meant to be will fall into place 🧿

THIS ONE FUCKING WORKS. REBLOG IT.

Okay I reblogged and got into the entrepreneurship program I wanted. This WORKS

I POSTET THIS HALF AN HOUR BEFORE MY JOB INTERVIEW AND I GOT THE JOB OH MY GOD

How to Kill the MCAT in 5 Weeks

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of posting these past few months. It’s been a whirlwind, with schoolwork, starting to apply to medical school (HCEC >__>), studying and taking the MCAT, writing an honors thesis, preparing another manuscript for publication, etc. I’m happy to say that I’m (mostly) back and will be trying to answer all of your questions! But this post is mostly dedicated to how I studied and prepared for the MCAT. While a lot of people spend months preparing for the exam, I didn’t start studying until the beginning of winter break and spent only 5 weeks (albeit a brutal 5 weeks) preparing for the exam. Scores were released yesterday, and I’ll just say that I’m very happy with my score. I’ll be discussing many aspects of how I prepared, and hopefully it’ll help someone out there.

1. Classes

If you really think about it, studying for the MCAT should really just be review. You’ve learned 95% of the material in your classes before, so re-learning it shouldn’t be as hard as the first time. In my opinion, the new MCAT really favors students who work in research labs since there are a lot of passages that require data interpretation. The exam seems also to focus heavily on biochemistry. I was lucky and took biochem just this past fall, along with another course called “Nutrition and Disease” (NS4410). Surprisingly, a lot of the content in NS4410 ended up being on the MCAT as well. Having taken biochem so recently, most of it was fresh in my head so it was not nearly as difficult to learn as it should have been. Realistically, you probably will only really remember material from classes you took from the past year - anything past that you’ll likely have to re-learn. My recommendation would be to take biochemistry right before the exam, since it is such an important component on the MCAT and you want it fresh in your mind. What is on the MCAT is really just a watered down version of all your premed classes - don’t forget that. It may seem like a monster to study for, but all the knowledge is somewhere in your brain - you just have to dust it off.

2. Study Materials

Personally, I am a self-studier. I’ve never done well with prep courses. I don’t really know why, but for some reason I think there’s always a part of me that feels like I’m getting ripped off since they are so expensive. There’s no reason you can’t self-study, especially since that’s what you do during the school year. As for me, I decided to go with the full set of books from ExamKrackers (EK) and Kaplan, which together totaled around $350 (vs. a $2000 Kaplan course). EK, in my opinion, is great because they explain everything so well and succinctly and are able to cover 95% of what is on the exam in half the length of other prep material. EK splits each book into chapters, and each book consists of anywhere from 4-7 chapters (each 60-70 pages long). For example, chemistry (organic and inorganic were combined) had 7 chapters and consisted of around 450 pages of content. The organic chemistry book alone for Kaplan, on the other hand, was 400 pages (general chemistry was ~600 pages). Since I was trying to get through all of the content within 2-3 weeks, EK was great because it was so short. EK also had practice passages in the back, which aren’t the same as the actual exam (they’re a bit more difficult) but are good for practice. I used Kaplan mostly for practice, since the full book set also came with online materials (including 3 full length tests). What I didn’t like about Kaplan was how long it was (as I mentioned before) and how detailed it went. They seemed to focus much more on facts unlike EK which focused on concepts. I also bought both full-length tests from AAMC (which together cost $60).

The one comment I have is about the psychology and sociology section is that I felt neither really adequately covered what I was tested. I had bought the Kaplan books because I heard they covered the psych/soc sections much better, but in the end there were a ton of terms on the actual test that weren’t covered in the books. I think this will improve as time goes on and more tests are released, as the test companies will get a better understanding of what is actually on the test.

3. Study Schedule

I set a very strict schedule for myself. I began studying the day after I got home from my last final. I studied every single day of winter break, 10-12 hours a day for 5 weeks straight (there were about 3 days [holidays] where I only studied ~4 hours). It’s brutal and takes discipline, but for me, this was the right decision since I knew spreading it out over the course of 3 months would be excruciating and I wouldn’t be able to retain the information as well. I promised myself that I would work through 2 chapters of EK each day, which is around 120-140 pages of content and I thought was very reasonable (I’m also a bit of a slow reader). At this rate, I was able to finish all the content in 2.5 weeks. After going through all the material, I took a single full-length practice test from Kaplan. The next day, I reviewed the test and spent the next week and a half going over every single subject again (doing 1 subject, like physics, every day). This entailed redoing all the practice passages in EK, all the book problems in the Kaplan books, and all the practice online passages for Kaplan that pertained to that subject. I spent the entire last week doing the other passages (the remaining 2 full-length Kaplan and the 2 full-length AAMC). I did a test every other day, and every day in-between I would go over the previous day’s test. On days that I did tests, I would watch a movie afterwards (as a reward for having just taken a 7.5 hour test), eat, and then go straight to sleep.

4. Practice

The best way you can study is practice. A realization I had while studying for the MCAT was that this, like many other standardized tests, is one that can be learned. There are very obvious patterns to questions (especially in CARS), and EK was great at giving you pointers for choosing the right answer. It’s tricky because something as simple as a single word could mean that an answer is wrong. So much of the MCAT is strategy and endurance, so be sure to take multiple full-length tests. Diversifying your study materials will help you adapt to different types of tests. For me, CARS was my weakest section, and I needed tons of additional help on it. I used Khan Academy’s free materials (they have 50+ passages you can practice on). Also be sure to review answers you got right (and why you got them right) in addition to the answers you got wrong. The two AAMC full-length tests are very good predictors of how you will do, in my opinion. There aren’t many full-length tests out there, so treat them preciously. Once you take one, you can’t really take it again as if it were “new.” It’s important that you don’t take a full-length test until you finish reviewing all the material at least once because there’s really no point in taking it if you’re going to get a bunch of questions wrong. On days that you take full-length tests, try to emulate test day. Go to sleep early the night before, wake up early, eat breakfast, find a quiet spot you can work for several hours, and begin your test before 8AM. Do NOT go on your phone or on the internet during your breaks. Treating the test as if it were real helps with mental preparation for the actual test along with time management.

To put things in perspective, I scored a 506 on my full-length Kaplan test, which was 2.5 weeks before my actual test. Following a week of review of all the content, I scored another 506 on a Kaplan test (which was pretty discouraging). I next took the scored AAMC test, which I scored a 513 on. I took another Kaplan test and scored a 510, and my final AAMC test I scored ~518 (it’s not scored, but that’s the approximate score according to the percentages). Improvement can be quick and drastic when you’re taking multiple full length tests.

5. Test Day

How you treat test day plays a large part in how well you will do. This is where taking practice tests and treating it like the real thing helps. For me, I had been taking practice tests for the entire week so it was kind of like just waking up and taking another practice test. Trust that you’re prepared, even if you don’t 100% feel it (no one ever feels 100% prepared going into these tests!). I went to bed early, but was pretty nervous and woke up a few times during the night. I didn’t feel particularly tired, however, and I felt surprisingly calm going into the testing center (besides the normal level of nerves). I know it’s easy to say “stay calm” when it feels like your future is on the line, but just take a deep breath every time you feel your heart beat getting a bit faster. Mentality is everything. There will be a surprising amount of security at the test center, but just roll with it. The testing center will have noise cancelling headphones, but since you’re in a pretty quiet room I didn’t find them necessary (I actually put them on for a second but found them to be quite uncomfortable, and I had been studying at a noisy Barnes & Noble so I was used to any noise). People may be coming in and out of the room (quietly), so try to request a computer farther away from the door. Once you start, just let your instincts take over. You’ve been preparing for this - you know how to do it, you’ve just spent weeks/months studying!

Here’s my biggest piece of advice: realize that every single question on that test has an answer and can be answered. If you read a question and are very confused because nothing in your studies covered the topic, then the answer is in the passage. The MCAT will NOT give you a question that cannot be answered. If the question seems to be discrete but you just seemingly can’t figure out the answer, refer back to the passage and look for the answer. It’s there! I promise!

At the end of the MCAT, you will have the option to void your score. Resist your temptation to void your score. No one ever feels good coming out of that test - it’s absolutely normal. You’ve worked so hard for the test - trust that your preparation was sufficient. Unless you actually like fell asleep and didn’t answer 50% of the test, do NOT void your score.

6. Post-MCAT

Congratulations! You’re done!!! Go and celebrate! Do something to take your mind off all things MCAT! I went and saw a broadway show with a friend, and it was amazing. The next month of waiting will be excruciating, but you’ll get through it! The day of score release, I had such bad anxiety the entire day (I had woken up at least 8 times the night before). When my score came out, the website crashed and I wasn’t able to see my score for over an hour (which was the worst). When I finally saw my score, however, I was ecstatic. All my hard work had paid off, and to be perfectly honest, I was crying tears of joy. If you’ve worked as hard as you can, then be confident that you’ll be happy too.

I hope this helps someone out there. I won’t post my score right now (perhaps after I get accepted somewhere), but I will say that my score will allow me to be competitive at the top 10 schools. The MCAT is intimidating, but it’s possible to crush it if you work hard. Put things in perspective: this is only the first of many tests you’ll have to take if you want to be a doctor. It’s just a stepping stone in your career, and you’ve already made it this far.

DS

Studying from home.

Hey! so i just created my very first studygram (shameless self promo @decafstudy follow me) and one of my irl friends saw my stories and posts and asked “How many hours does your day have? ´cause mine only has 24″ and that got me thinking abt how i take the most advantage of my days to make them feel (or look) 48 hours long! Here are a few of the things I incorporate on my daily student life to be more productive!

• IF YOUR FIRST CLASS STARTS LATE IN THE MORNING WAKE UP 2 HOURS EARLIER THAN NEEDED i know, am i crazy? ok so here´s the deal. If your first class starts, let´s say, at 11:00 A.M you might be tempted to wake up at 10:00 A.M, get dressed, and head to school. Not only does this create bad habits for when you get assigned a 7:00 A.M class (which will happen) but you lose MANY HOURS OF PRECIOUS TIME. Get your 8-9 hours of sleep and do not let yourself wake up later than needed. My class sometimes starts at 11:30 A.M so i wake up at 8:00 have a nice morning, relax, work out a bit, light up a candle and get ahead on reading and work for school! Your day will start and feel more productive!

• NEVER LEAVE CLASS WITH A DOUBT ON YOUR MIND I know this might create anxiety for people who are shy and do not like asking questions during class (i am one of those people) If you feel just too scared to ask during class APPROACH THE TEACHER AFTER CLASS ENDS. as soon as he dismisses class, approach him and ask the question. If you are not able to do so DO NOT STRESS, BUT WRITE THAT QUESTION DOWN ASAP ON A POST IT AND STICK IT YOUR NOTEBOOK. that way you will have the question at hand and you can seek tutoring later and ask, or even ask a friend BUT NEVER LET A QUESTION GO, NEVER think “i will ask it later” BECAUSE YOU WON´T and IT WILL DOOM YOU. This will save so much time when you study, because all your questions will be at hand and you will know what you have to focus on studying.

• WHENEVER YOU HAVE FREE TIME, USE IT TO WORK WHILE DOING SOMETHING FUN instead of just diving head first into watching a movie, ask yourself if there is something more productive that you could be doing rn (reading ahead, reviewing, doing extra math exercises) if the answer is yes, then put that movie on mute and work while taking a peek at the movie ever once in a while. This will not only help you with discipline and learning to keep yourself from distractions, but it will occupy your free time in something that your future self will thank you for later on.

• NEVER ASSUME THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DO IT LATER again, think in terms of your FUTURE SELF how much would your future self love it if instead of studying 3 days before the exam, you studied a week before it? How much would your future self love it of instead of reading until 12:00 PM tomorrow, you divided the reading between today and tomorrow? never assume that you will have spare time ahead because chances are that you won´t and you will end up with A BUNCH of work that you didn´t do and that you can´t do at the moment. FUTURE SELF THINKING has saved my life.

• LEAVE TIME OPEN FOR MENTAL HEALTH/PHYSICAL/RECREATIVE CARE as much as i always put work first, I KEEP MY THERAPIST VISIT AND MY GYM ROUTINE STABLE no matter how much work i have. This helps me feel more balanced and like i am on top of everything, not just school, feeling good=more productivity.

• POMODORO TECHNIQUE i know many people know about this but if you don´t, this is basically a studying technique in which you work or study for 25-30 minutes straight NO DISTRACTIONS and then have a 5-6 minute break, and then repeat the process as many hours as you need. This really helps me not get burnt out when I have a heavy load of work. Watching study with me videos on yt is a good way of keeping the pomodoro system going. Some good apps that I use for POMODORO are Forest and Tide.

• HAVE AN APP CARPET ON YOUR PHONE THAT IS CALLED “PRODUCTIVITY” ie. download a BUNCH of cute as hell apps that help you get motivated and organised when you look at them. This will make you more prone to look at your phone as an INSTRUMENT rather than a DISTRACTION. (my fave apps are Taskade, Forest, Tide, Brainscape and Pocket)

• Lastly, GET MOTIVATED i know this sounds cliché, but the reason why i love keeping my day busy is because i surround myself with a romanticised idea of studying. Doing these kinds of posts, following a bunch of accounts with pretty notes, having a clean room and desk, going to the library and appreciating the color scheme or sounds around you, listening to relaxing sounds or music while working, downloading many pretty apps to keep myself on track while having a cute aesthetic… all of these things might seem small, but they make you feel cleaner, more balanced and more prone to LIKING the work you do.

Anyways i know most of you already do these cause yall are on top of your game alllll the tiiiiime girl, but if any of these helps, ill be very happy!

at this point how are you not anti-capitalist? don’t you think it’s messed up that people can work 2 jobs but are living paycheck to paycheck but are supposed to have thousands in savings, and be expected to pay for healthcare, food, and rent? how about the fact that you can probably never own a house in your lifetime, and if you want to live away from your family you will need to share a place with 6 roommates just to keep things afloat? does it make you angry that you’re dying for a living? don’t you think it’s mind boggling how the last time there was a technological space race it was between two super power countries but recently it has between the 2 richest men in the world? don’t you think the wealth gap between average person is far too wide? don’t you feel angry reading about “self made” success stories about how “hard” they worked when there is an obvious inequality in the opportunities they had in the first place? doesn’t it make you scared that the earth is being destroyed by exploitative capitalism? doesn’t it make you angry?

“But if you forget to reblog Madame Zeroni, you and your family will be cursed for always and eternity.”

not even risking that shit

scrolled past this, re-evaluated my life, then SCROOOLLLED back up and hit the damn reblog button. 

Nope. I know better, have your reblog Madame Zeroni.

who the fuck is Madame Zeroni

Look at these stupid children who don’t know who Madame Zeroni is

Man lissen if you don’t know you better ask somebody AFTER you hit the reblog button

Idk who she is but I have an exam today so I’ll reblog her

idk who she is but i have an exam today so i’ll reblog her

^Haiku^bot^0.4. Sometimes I do stupid things (but I have improved with syllables!). Beep-boop!

Because wise, I am.

Oh fucks no she’s back lmao must reblog. I’m sorry guys

I tried to scroll past twice and I couldn’t. Fuck this website man.

I’m sorry yall but I’m too superstitious

I just opened up a check in the mail, went to the ATM & found 20$ 😭 I’m not passing these shits up NO more on my mama!

Even if I do not receive money or good news, I did smile at seeing this smiling Buddha.

^^^^

He’s wholesome, so why wouldn’t I share this with people?

Have some very good news in the New Year, my friends.

“But if you forget to reblog Madame Zeroni, you and your family will be cursed for always and eternity.”

Bruh…