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Rosanna | 23 | Dutch | Libra/Scorpio | INFP | Queer | Sociology student at Amsterdam University

[everything-studyblr]

I just want y'all to know that I had an assignment that I procrastinated till three minutes before the deadline and thought of skipping it, but made it anyway. Turned out I had to draw a political leader for my ‘women and politics’ course and this drawing got me a B+ and I’m just saying that sometimes you just gotta read the assignment before thinking about skipping it…. and yes I am in university 

[everything-studyblr]

I mean... she even called it perfect

[everything-studyblr]

I just want y'all to know that I had an assignment that I procrastinated till three minutes before the deadline and thought of skipping it, but made it anyway. Turned out I had to draw a political leader for my ‘women and politics’ course and this drawing got me a B+ and I’m just saying that sometimes you just gotta read the assignment before thinking about skipping it.... and yes I am in university 

[mild-clouds]

[everything-studyblr]

[everything-studyblr]

“1. It’ll get tough. Really fucking tough. You already knew that. But that’s life, accept it. Put away the books for an hour, drink some tea, cuddle your pets, stare at the ceiling, watch some Youtube videos, and then finish your homework. 2. There will be a lot of days where you wanna quit or can’t get out of bed. Don’t call in sick and don’t drop out. You can do this, you can survive this year like all the others. 3. Enjoy learning new things. Knowledge is power, knowledge is sexy. 4. Don’t pay attention to others, you are here for you, nobody really pays attention to others anyway. 5. Be nice to teachers and help fellow students. Kindness makes life so much easier. 6. ASK THINGS. Ask the most stupid questions and ask the hardest. Just ask anything you want to know. Teachers think you’re dumb? Fuck them. Students laugh at you? Fuck them. YOU need to pass that class and YOU need that degree. 7. Make your lunch the evening before if you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning. Breakfast helps you start up your day. If you don’t have time to eat at home, make some for in class. 8. Go to bed early. A good night’s rest is everything. It’ll make getting out of bed a lot easier. 9. Always carry a water bottle with you. 10. Take a deep fucking breath. It’s all going to be okay. Take a few steps back and look at your situation with a clear view. Realize how far you’ve come already. Be proud of yourself. Celebrate small victories. You are doing okay.”

— 10 steps on how to survive another year of school. // pt. 2

[angelsghost]

I love reading way too much

[eintsein]

Impostor Syndrome: What it is and how to deal with it

There may be times when you feel like a fraud, like at any moment people will find out that you have no clue what you’re doing and you don’t deserve any of your achievements. You think that you’re unworthy of praise, that you only succeeded out of luck.

This is known as Impostor Syndrome, and around 70% of people have struggled with it in their lives. The problem arises when high achievers fail to internalize their success, i.e. when you attribute your success not to your own abilities but rather to external factors.

Some say that impostor syndrome could be linked to traits like anxiety or neuroticism. Impostor syndrome has also been commonly attributed to behavioral causes like childhood experiences, e.g. being labeled as “the smart one” or “the talented one”.

Another huge factor is how well you think you fit into a certain group, e.g. impostor syndrome is common among people of a racial/ethnic/cultural minority, women in STEM, and international students at US universities.

Dr. Pauline R. Clance was the first to design a scale to measure impostor syndrome based on six factors

The impostor cycle, where someone is given an achievement-related task and they either (a) overprepare or (b) procrastinate

The need to be special/the best

Superhuman characteristics

Fear of failure

Denial of ability and discounting praise

Feeling fear and guilt about success

There are different types of impostors, as categorized by Dr. Valerie Young, an expert on impostor syndrome (note that these categories aren’t mutually exclusive):

I’ve personally dealt with the first two types. I’m fairly certain I can attribute being ‘the genius’ to childhood/adolescent circumstance: I’ve been known as ‘the smart one’ throughout elementary school and high school - every time I made a mistake, it was met with a chorus of ‘wahh jo made a mistake…’ Even last month when I had a mini-reunion with some of my high school friends, one of them said something along the lines of “I like when Jo makes mistakes because it reminds me that she’s human, too.” I can definitely say I’ve overcome that now because, you know, college - everyone’s as smart or smarter than you and works pretty hard.

Being ‘the expert’ is still something I’m still trying to overcome. Last spring when I was applying to internships, I only dared to apply to those where I met 100% of the requirements. I’ve been coding for like 4 years but I constantly think I’m incompetent. It once got up to the point where I literally took 3 similar courses to assure myself that I actually do know how to do full-stack web programming. I still struggle to draw the line between relearning something because I don’t think I really know it, versus learning something for the expansion of knowledge.

How do I deal with it?

Firstly acknowledge that you have impostor-related thoughts Awareness is the first step to changing how you think and how you act.

How does impostor syndrome look like in a school/college setting? Examples include

You refrain from asking questions because you think other students/TAs/the professor will think you’re dumb;

You don’t respond to questions even though you kind of know the answer but you always think your answers aren’t right enough or that they’re simply wrong;

You don’t participate in discussions because you feel that you won’t add any value; or

You prevent yourself from having an opinion because you feel like you have no right to have one.

Reframe your thoughts

Think of their possible effects Do these thoughts help or hinder me? Will anything useful come out of thinking this? Acknowledge that not speaking up may mean slowing your team down or depriving your classmates of potentially valuable insights.

Separate fact from feeling Are they factual or simply a misinterpretation of my environment?

Differentiate feelings of fraudulence from feeling like an outsider Does my work show that I’m incompetent or is the fact that I’m the only female in a team of males/POC in a team of Caucasians make me think I’m inferior?

Stop comparing yourself to other people You might think something along the lines of “there are already so many people who can do what I do but so much better, so what’s the point in even trying?” However, remember that these people were once where you were, and taking even the smallest of actions could help you get to where they are.

Be more forgiving with yourself

Rethink perfection Not everything has to be perfect. Even if you have high standards, not achieving those standards doesn’t make you any less worthy.

Reframe mistakes and identify areas of improvement It’s okay to be wrong or not to know everything. Think of mistakes as learning opportunities and indicators of gaps in your knowledge/understanding of something, as opposed to a negative measure of your self-worth. Being wrong doesn’t mean you’re fake; it just means you have more to learn.

For example, previously I would only answer a question in class if I was at least 90% sure that was the correct answer. That’s a high threshold, and I don’t think it’s very useful for helping me learn and grow. Over the course of a year, I’ve managed to lower that down to I’d say around 60% (50% with coffee lmao).

Collect positive experience

Remember and reflect on praises Think about the efforts you exerted to help you achieve something and the positive responses you garnered when you finally achieved it. Remind yourself of the words of encouragement other people have told you, no matter how small. You could even keep a folder/document/journal to look back on when you feel like a fraud.

Heck, sometimes I feel like my posts aren’t useful or my designs are terrible, but then you guys tell me such kind things and I think, maybe I’m not as bad as I thought.

However, while it’s good to remember the good words people have said, don’t work just for the sake of praise. Focus on the value of the work itself and not the validation that comes from it.

Focus on providing value

Focus on what you can say Instead of thinking about what you don’t know, focus on what you do know and what you can say. Even if what you say isn’t entirely correct or relevant, it’ll get others around you thinking.

Remind yourself that holding back is like robbing the world of your ideas There’s always some value in your words, even if you don’t initially think so. How that value affects the world or other people may differ. For example, when you put forward an idea/thought in a discussion, it could be that

If there were parts that were incorrect, other people might have had the same misconception and are more than happy for the clarification;

Again, if there were parts that weren’t correct, they might not have had the same misconception but now realize that there is a way in which the subject can be misinterpreted, thus allowing them to have a more comprehensive understanding of the subject; and/or

It’ll stimulate further thinking and discussion and raise more questions, especially if other people wouldn’t normally think what you just thought. Then other people could bounce off your idea and form an equally great one.

Take action You won’t feel as much of a fraud if you’re doing something that brings you a little closer to achieving your goals or that adds value to your work.

However, be careful not to overwork yourself. Every time you start doing something, pause and think: is this really important to my progress or am I just trying to prove myself?

Instead of working on too many things, do something outside your comfort zone each day no matter how small. Once you do this, focus on quality (your growth) instead of quantity (the number of things you do).

Also, for those of you who fall into the ‘expert’ category, this also means practicing just-in-time learning, i.e. learning things when you need it, not just to comfort yourself.

I hope that was helpful, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions/comments/suggestions :)

[daisystudies]

lazy study tips

1. use quizlet. quizlet is amazing because you can access your flashcards on your phone!! this way you can easily flip through them while waiting in line, watching tv, etc.

2. use the pomodoro technique. if you’re lazy like i am, sitting down for 6+ hours a day to study can be daunting. giving yourself multiple breaks throughout a study session will help to keep you going!

3. watch youtube videos. watching videos or listening to podcasts on the topic you’re studying could be a huge time saver and is a lot more interesting than flipping through a textbook. and you can easily do this in bed!! (i would not advise to do this instead of using a textbook all together just in case information is left out of the video)

4. try to build a steady study routine. block out a chunk of time in the middle of the day every day for studying. this way, you know that when the time is up, you have the rest of the day to relax!

5. get sleep. i’ve found that i’m at my laziest when i haven’t been sleeping much. avoid being sluggish throughout the day and get some rest! this will cut back on nap/rest time and increase productivity during the day.

6. consider the consequences of not studying. which will benefit you more in the long run- getting your work done now, or watching another episode?

7. reward yourself. give yourself a little treat (a piece of candy, etc.) after completing a set amount of work. this will keep you motivated to keep studying!

8. just start. the hardest part of studying is starting- force yourself to sit down and open up your notes.

as always, thanks for reading! x

[historixn]

you know, life doesn’t have to be competitive. you don’t have to get in the very best university; you don’t have to get the highest paying career there is. you don’t need to compare and compete with everyone else in the world. you need to do what’s right for you. you need to relax, take a breath, and say ‘what do i want, for myself, to live as i want to’. and, if that involves high ambitions, then that’s fine. because you chose those ambitions on what you desire as an individual, and not on what is expected in order to succeed. let’s be ourselves this year.

[freckledstudy]

27 Sept ‘18 // Working in my college library this morn on some reading for my thesis. Cambridge is still yawning from the summer, weirdly quiet and gradually shading into myriad oranges. Michaelmas term officially resumes in a week, and the undergraduates start arriving in full force this weekend.

[liberomicro]

Monday 3 June 2019

I love this corner of the library. Perfect silence, perfect temperature, perfect view.

Radcliffe Science Library, Oxford

[everything-studyblr]

I know you’re tired, I know it seems impossible, but you can do this. You really can. Take a deep breath. All your problems can be fixed, one by one. Don’t think about how much work you still have to do in a month, just start. Start somewhere, anywhere. Remind yourself what you’re doing it for.

little mantra to keep me sane when school’s killing me (via everything-studyblr)

[like-fairy-tales]

By: http://instagram.com/crimeofrhyme

[studyrose]

i finally finished setting up my workspace in my new apartment and honestly??? i’m completely in love 

[freckledstudy]

“My advice to young women thinking about an academic career is to pick an area they’re really excited about. It’s most important that students pick questions they find fascinating, because you’re going to spend night and day on those same questions for years. If you’re not really interested, and it doesn’t fascinate you, then it’s nothing but work, work, work. And while I’ve worked seven days a week for a long time, I didn’t really think of it as work. I’m intrigued. I’m interested.”

— Elinor Ostrom  (via womenlikeher)

[softanddisabled]

I know a lot of people have this idea that they should be pushing themselves past their limits to achieve something. My illnesses and disability have taught me that pushing myself past my limits can only harm me. Yet, everyone expects me to do so. Here is your reminder that you do not have to push yourself past your limits. Those limits are there for a reason. Just take your time and do things at your own pace.

[galina]

My workspace 🌱📑🖊