Getting Accepted, Rejected, and Everything Else

Samantha, class of 2018. Made this blog to record my senior year of high school, when I was applying and deciding where to go to school. Now I'm a freshman at UMich. GO BLUE! Personal blog: undeniableemotions

[anatomyandcappuccini]

MY study tips!!!

I think it’s time to share with you what I actually do when I study. Here’s a list (non-exhaustive) of the main tools I use before an exam. Enjoy! 

I read my notes consciously, then I hide them and try to write down everything I remember. Then I’ll take my notes again, and look for what’s missing. Not only it permits me to see what I still don’t know, but it also consolidates what I already know. This one really works if you have to learn pathways, key concepts, etc. Re-write as it comes to your mind, make a mind-map, use arrows, etc.

Once I identified what I don’t know, I’ll just put a mark on my notes, so I know that this specific part needs to be more reviewed.

When I feel overwhelmed by all the stuff I have to review, I’ll just divide it into sections and create a study plan! 99% of the time, this makes me realize that it’s not that terrible and I can get through this! I feel much better then!

The Forest App. I don’t use it systematically but it really helps me keeping distractions away (AKA my phone) and in the end, I can have a little peek view of my study session!

Whenever I’m reading something important that I know I won’t automatically remember, I write it down on a piece of paper. Indeed, I always use a bloc-notes when studying, so I just write down important points. By doing this, I become more active when learning and actually remember better! And sometimes I keep those pieces of paper so I can re-read them just before the exam.

I try to stick to a memorization routine. For example, if it’s the first time I read a specific topic that I have to memorize, I’ll re-read it 3 days after, then again a week after, then 10 days after, etc. This is the best way to memorize: « repetitio est mater studiorum » as my anatomy teacher says.

When reading your notes, always try to think about what could be the possible questions that are “exam askable”.

If you have any specific topics to learn about the same main subject, try to summarize each topic on only one paper sheet. It’s been proven that we tend to memorize more when we see the information only on one paper than many. For example, I’m currently preparing my microbiology exam, so I did a sheet for each virus or bacteria and put them in plastic sleeves and store them in a binder. By doing this, I’ll be able to re-read them all the days before the exam and retain the most important information! 

The textbook is cool, but sometimes I’m in a rush and summaries made from previous years students will do the job. Of course, I make sure there’re no mistakes inside. And it can actually help with difficult subjects. 

I only use flash cards for vocabulary (my dear Spanish!) or pharmacology. They are the PERFECT way to memorize some things by heart!

I multitask intelligently. For example, when I workout I listen to audiobooks or watch medical-related videos on youtube while walking on the treadmill 

I test myself. I take online quizzes, I ask some friends or my boyfriend to interrogate me so I train my brain to see the problems differently and learn more! 

[college-acceptance]

okay so idk if you'll really care about this but it's worth a shot- I live in Oklahoma and I really want to go to University of Oklahoma. I'm an A-B+ average student and I got a 25 on my ACT. I'll be a junior next year and my record is really nice, except for two things. I got a D one semester my freshman year math class and got a 2 on my ap european history test. their acceptance rate is 80% but I'm scared shitless I won't get in. what do you think?

hi! i know the ap exam really won’t matter, and I have to think that you’ll be okay as an Oklahoma resident especially since the D is from freshman year. A lot of colleges understand that freshman year is a lot of adjusting and the sophomore-junior year grades are much more reflective of your actual abilities. I would recommend talking to your guidance counselor and maybe putting something in the like “anything you’d like to add” section of the application and explain the circumstances behind the grade.

[college-acceptance]

When you were in high school preparing for college, what did you think was the most difficult step?

Hmmm, I'd say the first semester of senior year, filling out so many applications while taking very rigorous courses and studying for SAT 2s.

[attemptostudy-deactivated201510]

•September 5th• did revision on Islamic Studies and Additional Mathematics today 🌿 gonna continue with some Chemistry and then i’m done for the day 😌

[college-acceptance]

what are some of your favorite/least favorite things about michigan? i applied and im really hoping that i get accepted but im out of state so idk

Eeeeeeee omg i love michigan! 

my favorite things- school spirit, perfect balance of academics/social life, always something to do regardless of whether or not you drink/are in greek life, professors really care about you, discussion sections with GSIs are really helpful, ann arbor is the BEST college town ever I love it so so so much, community in the dorms, always being able to find like-minded people, always having people who went to/go to/have family who go to michigan connect with me whenever i wear michigan clothing, FOOTBALL SATURDAYS, zingerman’s, the wide range of classes available, my sorority, pizza house, cantina, btb, OKAY JUST THE FOOD IN GENERAL, the amazing campus feel but also being able to walk 5-10 minutes and be in a much more urban area, illiterati, so many places to study, traditions (don’t step on the M, walking through the fountain at the league, MEIJER MANIA!), the fight song, the amazing community i built there, and probably more i can’t think of

least favorite things- HUGE classes for intro levels which was really really hard freshman year, distance from home, sometimes feeling very confused/lost when it seems like everyone is from midwest/michigan (though i found people from east coast and nj/ny pretty quickly!), not having a car was hard (but the AA bus system is actually not that hard and free with your mcard!), NEGATIVE 33 DEGREES LAST YEAR, out of state tuition is hella high

I could go on for days about Michigan. My favorites far outweigh the least favorites. I love sitting in the diag and watching people walk by and studying there or at Starbucks on State or in the Union and there is this one area/corner (North U and South State) where there is a Panera, this organic pizza place called Silvio’s, a sushi place, Walgreens (my go-to for everything and my ATM basically lolz), Chipotle, M-Den, Ben and Jerry’s, a self serve fro-yo place, Potbelly’s, Starbucks, this CUTE coffee (comet coffee) with latte art, a couple of boutiques, etc. I love Michigan so much. It’s my ho][\/][e (teehee). I will be thinking of you and hoping that you get in! GO BLUE! 

[justjennanicole-deactivated2016]

Having the absolute worst body image right now but I’m not going to let that make me do something self destructive No matter how big I feel behaviors won’t help

[college-acceptance]

YES JENNA THIS IS 500% TRUE SO PROUD

[undeniableemotions]

I ate a nice yummy dinner and I snacked beforehand cause my body needed the foodz and I was SUPER full and had urges but waited a bit with my family watching Friends and then retreated downstairs when I knew logically that my body had already started its digesting thang and didn’t use behaviors and I’m not full anymore and mayyyybeeee I’ll have some pumpkin pie in a bit 

[undeniableemotions]

I JUST HAD PIE WOWZA

[justjennanicole-deactivated2016]

YES OMG IM GRINNING WITH PRIDE

[college-acceptance]

TY JENNA

you can always share pie with me just come on over to NJ :)

[study-aesthetics]

Dec 6th || Not study related but a reminder of sanity: in the midst of chaos, please find time to do something good for you. These may not be really good but, after a breakdown and low productivity I followed wiser people’s advice, and painted a bit again. Please don’t let stress get the best of you.

[grilledcheese-samwich-deactivat]

finals

[equipoises-deactivated20160317]

When you can’t leave the coffee shop, you have no choice but to be productive.

[thesadghostclub]

[gryhffindors-deactivated2016061]

19.11.15 // it’s hot af inside my house and I’m having trouble concentrating but I’ve opened all the windows and am now attempting to write some notes for my science test which is next week.  

[haleystudies-deactivated2017062]

Lab final review sheet

[everybodyhasabrain]

Neurons are pretty amazing things. They’re cells that essentially carry information around in the brain, and almost every animal has them including us. And we have around 100 billion of them!

Physically, neurons are made up of a central part called the soma, an axon that relays information in and out, and outreaching branches called dendrites. They look a bit like trees or roots. On their own, neurons are pretty basic building blocks - but they can bond together to make complex neural networks. There are even specialized neurons that focus on specific parts of the nervous system - ones for things like motor response, sight, and sound.

We’re generating new neurons all the time. Although we grow most of them when we’re young, we can develop better connections, called synapses, between them as we get older. This has a huge effect on our learning and memory. Neuron connections can be rerouted all of the time, even when they’ve already been formed. This can happen when you relearn something that you thought was wrong, or have a different outlook on an experience or memory you once had. 

So how do we take good care of our neurons? Most things point to exercise and having a good environment around you. There’s a lot of studies going on both of those things, but one of the most interesting ones is with “environmental enrichment.” Studies around this are showing that the more “enriched” our environments are, the better our neurons grow and connect. Although most of these studies in the past have been on mice and rats, there’s some newer studies with humans showing that we can learn some things from them.

Putting ourselves in environments where we socialize and learn some kind of skill repeatedly seem like great ways to improve our neuron connections. Things like learning from a mentor, dancing the tango, or exercise programs are all showing increased brain activity in some studies. Sounds great to me!

- Matt

—

A few of the sources I used to research and write this:

Evidence Grows for Brain Benefits of Enriched Environments in Normal Aging and Disease

Wikipedia - Neuron

Wikipedia - Environment Enrichment

[queenofheartsonthesleeve]

[howtomusicmajor]

7 Study Moods

So you wanna study, but somehow the mood just isn’t right. Maybe try these? Pick your favorite, or do one each day of the week!

The Classy: Green tea, classical string quartets, reading articles in a park.

Great for when you need to read 120 pages of something. It’s way nicer to read when you’re in a nice place!

The Hipster: Coffee, jazz, writing summaries of the material in a coffee shop.

You’ll look very cosmopolitan, with all your notes in front of you. Make sure your summaries are coherent though, and you’re not too busy looking great to study well.

The Grad Student: Wine/sparkling cider, Adele, writing papers, curled up in blankets in bed.

Papers are easiest for me to write when I’m comfortable. If I feel a little fancy at the same time, so much the better.

The Focuser: Cold water, nature sounds, taking practice tests in a sunlight place.

The best way to study for a test is to take a test. The best way to kill test-anxiety is to take a practice test and feel calm while you do it. This is a great way to feel calm and prepared when you do a practice test, and that leads to a better actual test.

The Party-er: Energy drink, dubstep, drilling flashcards on the floor.

Flashcards for me are a speed thing. If I’m drilling them, my goal is to know those definitions as fast as possible. Caffeine and fast music raise my heart rate, and sitting on the floor gives me room to spread out the cards however I need to.

The Morning Person: Orange juice, early American hymns, transcribing notes at your desk.

Not necessarily done during the morning! Orange juice helps keep you alert without making you open to distraction, and old American hymns just make me feel happy, so putting them together helps make transcribing a better time.

The Finals Prepper: Black tea, folk music, interleaving any/all of the above, at the library.

This can be done whenever, and is especially useful for just keeping yourself up to speed.

Don’t worry about doing any of these exactly, these are just moods! Mix and match parts of them, make your own, whatever. I’d recommend choosing one or two moods that work really well for you and then doing them consistently, just to really get in the habit.

Good luck!

[rynofslytherin-deactivated20211]

Usual mood: 

Last Minute Lucy: Coffee, tears, headphones on for music due the time of night, in your bed, messy hair and pajamas, papers everywhere

You should not do this but everyone does anyway

[suicideisnotanoption4u]