Escape

by F.A.R

[meloncomedy-blog]

We made this in honour of World Mental Health Day & our late friend & original Melonhead who lost his battle with depression last year. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45, and one of the biggest killers of young people in general. Sharing how you feel, & letting others know they can do the same, will go a long way to reduce this harrowing statistic.

[mcatmemoranda]

[schoollifeandstuff]

No one is instantly a perfect student. It’s well known that ‘’perfect’’ studying requires some practice. Fortunately, there is a bunch of information available on this topic on the internet. In this way everyone can become a professional student.

1. Choosing the right study spot

Create a study space

Desk organisation

Study music (x) (x) (x)

Remove distractions

Study space guide

2. Being well equipped 

Studyblr on a budget

Organizing systems

How to stationery smart

Save money on stationery

School supplies shopping

Study apps everyone needs to use

Things you need in high school

Things that are useful in college

DIY school supplies

3. Getting focused

How to concentrate

Useful apps for focus

How to focus when a thousand things happen at the same time

Tips on staying focused

Academic goals

Getting started

4. Improve your handwriting

Handwriting goals 

Improve your handwriting (1) (2) (3)

Fake calligraphy

How to calligraphy

Some banners

Some fonts to try out

5. Taking useful notes

Cornell notes

Outline notes

Alternative to flashcards

Taking notes in class

Or during a lecture

Mindmaps

Highlighting

Typing your notes

Flashcards

Feymann’s technique

Colour coding

Sticky notes

Annotating

Decorate your notes

2 notebook method

Taking notes efficiently

6. Creating an efficient study routine in your life

How to create a study habit

Public transport productivity

Prevent the curve of forgetting

Make the most of your day

Study snacks

Succeed at school

Effective studying

Improve memory

Last minute studying

10 best study habits

After school routine

7. Planning your studies

Scheduling studying masterpost

Promodoro method

Plan during your study breaks

Bullet journalling

Plan for multiple tests using a calendar

Use printables

Use your productivity wisely

Be more productive with a planner

7 ways to better organise your study time

8. Study strategies

Types of learners + strategies

Study skills for test taking 

Study strategies masterpost

SQ3R reading method

Tips for effectively studying

Finding your perfect study method

How to memorise

Studying in a group

Study from textbooks

Quizing yourself

Secrets of a straigt A - student

My other masterposts

Scheduling studying

Acing vocab lists

[howtostudyquick]

How to go through your readings

I am the kind of person who likes to do things systematically, so here’s kind of a routine of how I go through my readings (this is applicable to all readings, and if you are wondering, I study law (thus this includes cases) and social sciences.

1. Glance through your reading once - look at the titles, have a brief idea of the structure of it.

Philosophical papers (social sciences readings), for example, typically have a structure and a main idea throughout the paper. This is the step where you try to figure out its structure and the point that the author is trying to illustrate.

For cases, you can have a look at how many judgements and a brief look at the facts to know what you are about to read.

2. Highlight your reading - colour coding is fundamental. It will help you to keep track of the structure and main point of the readings.

Red: main/central idea of the article

Pink: subsequent point

Orange: subsequent point of the points in pink

Yellow: other important information

Green: key words

Blue: conclusion

3. Type an outline of the article - you may skip this part if you want, but if your exams syllabus include that reading, it will be very handy for you to have an outline so that you don’t have to go back and read the reading once again.

Basically this part is where you type/write the information you deem important or that will be examined. You should do it in an outline format so that it will be easier for you to study.

4. Summarise the outline/reading on an index card - this is a way to show yourself that you have truly completed the reading. Have the very important information on index card will recall your memory regarding the reading, and the more index cards you got, the higher the motivation you will have to complete the readings since you can see tangible progress. It’s also a great way to review the information especially before/after lectures or before exams.

For more tips follow How To Study Quick!!

[amoebasisters]

A look at levels!

[studybllog-blog]

RARE STUDY TIPS

1. write down how much you study over time, then write down how you did on the quiz/test. this will help you see the amount of studying is nessecary for you to get a good grade and fully learn the material!!!

2. make your study space smell fresh, preferably of mint. mint helps you focus and stay sharp. other good smells would be lemon, etc.

3. after studying for a long amount of time, go exercise for ~30 min. shower, get dressed, etc then review the info you had just been studying! you should come back fresher, and your brain is able to remember the info even better!

4. don’t always study in comfy/pj clothes. if you study a lot after school or classes, then it’s ok. but if all you plan on doing is studying for that day, for part of the day get dressed up! put on some business casual wear, that’s cute yet functional and do your hair, etc. this will put you in a “get shit done” mode.

5. after studying a unit/chapter, record yourself explaining it, as if to a person whose never heard of it. this helps SO MUCH. one, explaining/teaching helps you learn so much better, and two, you have a little video to review just before the test!!

6. study on the floor. if you have a carpeted area in your home, spread out all study materials, a white board, etc and study! it helps so much because you are comfertable and everything is within reach. do this if you need a break from desk studying.

[creatingbliss]

Life Cleanse - What I Did (Updated 5/2/18)

Deep clean your room - I’m talking about stripping the bed, going through clothes, papers, and belongings and having no mercy. Sweeping and damp mopping the floors. Dusting surfaces. Finding new homes for those miscellaneous items that just sit there in the way.

Delete old contacts - I went from having maybe 30-40 contacts to 14. In other words, delete contacts you haven’t messaged or called in the last two weeks to a month (if so long). If they text you don’t be afraid or feel guilty for asking who it is.

Go through your music library - Play all your songs and if you skip a song delete it without hesitation. The next time you hit shuffle on your playlist you won’t even notice it’s gone. What if you get in the mood for the song? That’s what YouTube is for my friend… or just add the song back onto your phone.

Go through clothes - That dress you haven’t worn once in the past year- donate/toss it. The shirt you swear fits if you don’t raise your arms- get rid of it. Those worn out clothes- dump them. *Of course there can be exceptions but within reason.

Journal/Do a brain dump - Write down any thoughts to cleanse your mind. Any ideas you might have. Good things that happened that day. Bad things that happened. Things you’re grateful for. It helps so much. Try it for at least three days straight and you’ll notice how much better you feel. Problems might not disappear completely but it’ll give you the strength to get through another day.

Don’t try to force things to work out - It’s so hard and it can be upsetting when things don’t, but sometimes the best thing you can do for you is accept the way (some)things are.

Don’t be hard on yourself for messing up -  It can be easy to physically or mentally punish yourself for making a mistake no matter how big or small, but I’ve learned that doing things like starving yourself, beating yourself  up (literally), or just scolding yourself repeatedly doesn’t improve the situation and it doesn’t improve yourself.

Cut toxic people off - Remove them from your life physically (which sometimes takes time). Unfriend them from social media. Remove prominent traces of them from your life. It’s like suddenly a weight comes off of your shoulders.

Practice self love -  I write/say this so often and sometimes I feel like it’s so harThe same do sometimes but it’s not. I’m talking about taking a break when you need to. Drinking water. Moisturising your skin. Getting enough sleep. Saying no. It’s the little things like that count as self love.

Don’t run away from your problems - It’s tempting and hard but it’s important to face any problems you’re facing. No one is saying you have to be strong 24/7, only that you should try.

Delete old files - Go through you computer, tablet, phone, USB drive etc. Delete old unimportant documents, old photos, music, apps and more.

Clean up your daily diet - Often times you’ll have a goal for what you want your daily diet to look like but you fall off the wagon once and end up staying off. So when you notice you’ve been drinking more soda/juice, swap your next beverage for some water. Cut down your portions or eat more often if you need to instead of starving yourself. Hopefully, you get the idea.

Reassess your goals/habits - It’s a necessary evil. Maybe you need to scratch a previous goal and pursue a new one or add a few extra steps so you reach it. The same thing goes for your habits. Maybe you need to exercise daily, or you need to break the habit of staying up on your phone instead of going to bed. Write them down and brainstorm how to build/break that habit.

[intellibujo-blog]

Happy Sunday! 💓

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how I make my notes and how I keep everything clear and organized, so I’ve compiled a quick list of some of my habits and tricks that keep my notes in order:

Use different coloured pens.

Personally, I use black for regular notes; blue or purple for what I consider “side notes” (i.e. extra information, examples, etc.); and red for key terms or concepts that I will need to remember the most. Keeping an organized colour theme helps when you go back to study for the exam, because it is a visual reminder of the least and most important bits of information!

Give each highlighter a specific purpose.

Depending on the notebook and course, I often switch up my highlighter plans ~ for no particular reason other than to keep myself entertained 😋 But I like to set one colour for, say, Chapter/Sub-unit headers, names, historical dates, etc. That way when your eyes are going quickly through your notes, you can easily locate the beginning or end of a particular topic. And as a very visual person, having a lot of different colours in my notes keeps me focused and less overwhelmed.

Make important headers stand out.

For me, this usually means a particular colour (like a blue highlighter) or some sort of border around the title. My easy go-to is the bubbly-border shown above. Make it easy on yourself when trying to locate a topic!

Print out and tape/glue key tables and diagrams.

Obviously this is more work than some people might be interested in, and often depends on the course. These are my pharmacology notes, so I didn’t need to print out so often that it drove me crazy. One way to alleviate this is by planning ahead and leaving space in your notebook for where you want a particular table/diagram to go, and then printing them all at the same time. It’s not for everyone, but I like the option when I know I will have to remember certain diagrams or tables!

Don’t try to fill up space.

If you end up with a short paragraph or lots of room on the sides, leave it be. The best way to study later on is by going through your notes and adding little extra pieces of information to solidify your understanding. For me, this often means writing definitions in the top margin of my pages… not ideal for neat-ness, but who cares! Your notes are meant to be filled up.

Don’t stress about imperfections.

If you find yourself hating how big and sloppy your writing has become, move on. The worst thing you can do for yourself is waste time rewriting information you already know. If you need to use white-out, use the white-out; if you need to cross out a word, scribble away! Your notes are your own domain and they do not need to be flawless.

I’m sure I’ll think of more tips and tricks, but that’s all for now. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask! We’re all in this together 🤓🤓🤓

Much love xx

[themed-student]

Medical School Resources! (and other human biology,physiology,biochemistry-related resources)

Hi Everyone! 

Update: I am now officially done with my second year! I know i’ve been MIA on here for a while now - but that’s only because I was drowning in textbooks and assignments! I will be writing a whole other post on what my second year in medical school was like - so watch out for that :)

I, for one, can not just rely on one method of learning. Meaning, I’ll jump from videos, to textbooks, to flashcards. In this post I’m going to list some of my holy grail youtube channels that have helped saved me. 

1) Handwritten Tutorials

https://www.youtube.com/user/harpinmartin

Every video in this channel is short, but not so much that you feel like you’re missing out on information. Definitely one to save as a favourite!

2) Armando Hasudungan

https://www.youtube.com/user/armandohasudungan

The best thing about this channel is the fact that there are over 300 videos, covering a wide range of core topics in endocrinology, neurology, physiology and pharmacology. Another pro is the presentation of topics (otherwise considered snooze-worthy) in an artistic manner!

3) Speed Pharmacology

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-i2EBYXH6-GAglvuDIaufQ

Raise your hand if you’ve ever fallen asleep trying to read about the mechanism of action of opioids, their side effects and contraindications. I know I have. Fret not, for this youtube channel will introduce you to a world where pharmacology is actually interesting.

4) Wendy Riggs 

https://www.youtube.com/user/wendogg1

Wendy Riggs is a very down-to-earth professor in Northern California, and she covers a wide range of  topics in Anatomy, Physiology and General Biology. 

5) Anatomy Zone

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheAnatomyZone

A better way to learn anatomy is to supplement your textbook information with videos from this channel. The explanations and visuals provided are absolute gold.

I hope you all find these channels as helpful as I did!

[thepowerwithin]

“During your journey to success, you’re going to have to go through tough times. It’ll take persistence, determination, and pure hard work. Nothing worth having ever comes easy, so keep on keeping on!”

— Nicole Addison @thepowerwithin

[dartmvthensis]

HOW TO STUDY/LEARN ANY LANGUAGE

Being a polyglot, I decided to make a post about how to study any language, Without further ado, here it is:

1) TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM ENGLISH

This is the most crucial step to studying/learning a new language. In order for your brain to pick up the new words and ideas, it needs to be more immersed in the language you’re learning. Now for most of us who are learning languages in school, that’s kind of hard, especially since most language classes do most of the work in English until you build a level of fluency. This is the primary reason why immersion programs or immersion schools are so much more successful in teaching a language: you’re forced to talk, write, speak, and think in the language you’re learning. Your brain makes connections faster and thus learns faster to understand and process the language. I would suggest that when you’re learning the language, whether it’s in class time or homework, try to work only in that language. Don’t automatically translate things into English because that’s only going to inhibit your process. Even if your knowledge of the language is limited, practicing thinking in the language, reading the language without translating, and speaking will greatly improve your progress. You’ll find yourself become more fluent and the language will flow rather than be halting because your brain is trying to translate things instead of thinking fluently.

2) LEARN AS MUCH VOCABULARY AS YOU CAN

Vocab is one of, if not the, most important aspect of learning a language. I would even go as far as saying it’s about 70-80% of effectively knowing a language. Think about it this way, if you’re at a restaurant and you’re asked to read the menu or if you’re out and you’re reading signs and advertisements, will knowing hundreds of verbs and their conjugations help you get by? Most likely not. Vocab on the other hand will make the difference between understanding and being totally clueless. If that example didn’t do it for you here’s another one: when you’re speaking to someone how can you express yourself if you don’t know the words? Chances are even if you know no grammar but know key words in the language someone will understand you. Most people don’t pay that much attention to grammar anyway when you’re speaking. As long as you have a basic understanding of it, you’ll be understood. I’m not saying that grammar isn’t important, far from it, but so many people underestimate vocab and focus on grammar and that hinders your learning. Try to learn as much vocab as you can because it will bring you one more step to being fluent. The key to knowing a language is to understand it to a high degree. You can’t understand if you don’t know the words. Find a list with the most common words in the language you’re learning and try to learn them all. Have a goal to learn 10-20 new words per day and you’ll go a long way. If you’re trying to learn vocab I would recommend to have a sheet with all the words you’re trying to learn and their definitions. Hide the words and try to write the vocab by seeing only the definitions. Writing down helps you remember and this method is foolproof. I’ve used it for 6+ years in French and it’s never failed me.

3) LEARN BASIC GRAMMAR

When I say basic grammar, I mean the typical verb tenses and some basic structures. This doesn’t mean learning every single verb conjugated in every single tense, but rather learning the patterns of grammar and how to apply them. Work smarter not harder. Learning the patterns makes it easier to recognize them when you’re reading and remember them when you’re writing. In my opinion, one fault with the way languages are taught in school is the way they teach grammar and how much time they spend on it. Most native speakers don’t worry as much about grammar as non-native speakers do. Again, I’m not saying grammar isn’t important because it is and  you have to know it, but the way it’s taught ruins it. Try to make a chart with all the verb tenses and the patterns that go with the different types of verbs and then a list with the irregular verbs/exceptions. This should be enough to help you gain a basic mastery of grammar. If you know the basic rules, it will become second nature as you speak, write, and read more.

4) READ, LISTEN, AND SPEAK

The language you learn at school is very very different from the language actually spoken in its native country. Most of the language you learn is very formal while in real life, formality is disregarded to a degree and slang is prevalent. In order to build a fluency, you need to read and listen to the language in its natural form to pick up the slang and words that are actually used and not the archaic words that nobody ever says. Listen to music from that language, watch the news in that language, read a book or magazine in that language etc. This will again help your brain learn and process the language better. It will also help with vocabulary and general understanding. Children’s books are the best when you’re starting out. The language is simple and the grammar isn’t to complicated. Start with children’s books and then work your way up to novels and other forms of literature. Listening to the language is also crucial. Try to find mediums where the language is spoken and just listen. Don’t translate or stress yourself out trying to understand it all because you won’t the first couple of times. Just let it sink in. Gradually, you’ll find yourself understanding more and more and you’ll improve. With the speaking aspect, speak as much as you can. Don’t be embarrassed if you stumble, can’t express yourself as much as you would like, or have an accent. I also find that watching/reading/listening to translated works is helpful. Find your favorite book and read it in the language you’re learning, it will help you understand and learn more because you already know what’s going on and can focus on the vocab and grammar. Find your favorite movie and watch it in the language you’re learning. Again, it will help you learn more vocab. The more you practice the better it will get. If you distance yourself from speaking you’ll never improve. Balancing reading, listening, and speaking is the key to being successful.

5) DON’T BE AFRAID TO MESS UP

Nobody becomes fluent over night. Cliche but true. Don’t expect to instantly know everything. It’s normal to struggle and have trouble. Failing is part of the learning process and if you stop practicing because you’re afraid, you’re never going to learn anything. Let go of your fears and insecurities and go for it. If you fall down, pick yourself up and start again. Don’t be embarrassed if you mess up but rather learn from your mistakes and grow. The things we remember most are usually the things where we’ve messed up or had a negative experience with. So use the hiccups as a learning experience and your language skills will improve. 

If you follow these steps, I’m confided that you’ll be better in no time :) The key is to enjoy what you do and have fun! Good luck!

[dartmvthensis]

HOW TO STUDY/LEARN ANY LANGUAGE

Being a polyglot, I decided to make a post about how to study any language, Without further ado, here it is:

1) TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM ENGLISH

This is the most crucial step to studying/learning a new language. In order for your brain to pick up the new words and ideas, it needs to be more immersed in the language you’re learning. Now for most of us who are learning languages in school, that’s kind of hard, especially since most language classes do most of the work in English until you build a level of fluency. This is the primary reason why immersion programs or immersion schools are so much more successful in teaching a language: you’re forced to talk, write, speak, and think in the language you’re learning. Your brain makes connections faster and thus learns faster to understand and process the language. I would suggest that when you’re learning the language, whether it’s in class time or homework, try to work only in that language. Don’t automatically translate things into English because that’s only going to inhibit your process. Even if your knowledge of the language is limited, practicing thinking in the language, reading the language without translating, and speaking will greatly improve your progress. You’ll find yourself become more fluent and the language will flow rather than be halting because your brain is trying to translate things instead of thinking fluently.

2) LEARN AS MUCH VOCABULARY AS YOU CAN

Vocab is one of, if not the, most important aspect of learning a language. I would even go as far as saying it’s about 70-80% of effectively knowing a language. Think about it this way, if you’re at a restaurant and you’re asked to read the menu or if you’re out and you’re reading signs and advertisements, will knowing hundreds of verbs and their conjugations help you get by? Most likely not. Vocab on the other hand will make the difference between understanding and being totally clueless. If that example didn’t do it for you here’s another one: when you’re speaking to someone how can you express yourself if you don’t know the words? Chances are even if you know no grammar but know key words in the language someone will understand you. Most people don’t pay that much attention to grammar anyway when you’re speaking. As long as you have a basic understanding of it, you’ll be understood. I’m not saying that grammar isn’t important, far from it, but so many people underestimate vocab and focus on grammar and that hinders your learning. Try to learn as much vocab as you can because it will bring you one more step to being fluent. The key to knowing a language is to understand it to a high degree. You can’t understand if you don’t know the words. Find a list with the most common words in the language you’re learning and try to learn them all. Have a goal to learn 10-20 new words per day and you’ll go a long way. If you’re trying to learn vocab I would recommend to have a sheet with all the words you’re trying to learn and their definitions. Hide the words and try to write the vocab by seeing only the definitions. Writing down helps you remember and this method is foolproof. I’ve used it for 6+ years in French and it’s never failed me.

3) LEARN BASIC GRAMMAR

When I say basic grammar, I mean the typical verb tenses and some basic structures. This doesn’t mean learning every single verb conjugated in every single tense, but rather learning the patterns of grammar and how to apply them. Work smarter not harder. Learning the patterns makes it easier to recognize them when you’re reading and remember them when you’re writing. In my opinion, one fault with the way languages are taught in school is the way they teach grammar and how much time they spend on it. Most native speakers don’t worry as much about grammar as non-native speakers do. Again, I’m not saying grammar isn’t important because it is and  you have to know it, but the way it’s taught ruins it. Try to make a chart with all the verb tenses and the patterns that go with the different types of verbs and then a list with the irregular verbs/exceptions. This should be enough to help you gain a basic mastery of grammar. If you know the basic rules, it will become second nature as you speak, write, and read more.

4) READ, LISTEN, AND SPEAK

The language you learn at school is very very different from the language actually spoken in its native country. Most of the language you learn is very formal while in real life, formality is disregarded to a degree and slang is prevalent. In order to build a fluency, you need to read and listen to the language in its natural form to pick up the slang and words that are actually used and not the archaic words that nobody ever says. Listen to music from that language, watch the news in that language, read a book or magazine in that language etc. This will again help your brain learn and process the language better. It will also help with vocabulary and general understanding. Children’s books are the best when you’re starting out. The language is simple and the grammar isn’t to complicated. Start with children’s books and then work your way up to novels and other forms of literature. Listening to the language is also crucial. Try to find mediums where the language is spoken and just listen. Don’t translate or stress yourself out trying to understand it all because you won’t the first couple of times. Just let it sink in. Gradually, you’ll find yourself understanding more and more and you’ll improve. With the speaking aspect, speak as much as you can. Don’t be embarrassed if you stumble, can’t express yourself as much as you would like, or have an accent. I also find that watching/reading/listening to translated works is helpful. Find your favorite book and read it in the language you’re learning, it will help you understand and learn more because you already know what’s going on and can focus on the vocab and grammar. Find your favorite movie and watch it in the language you’re learning. Again, it will help you learn more vocab. The more you practice the better it will get. If you distance yourself from speaking you’ll never improve. Balancing reading, listening, and speaking is the key to being successful.

5) DON’T BE AFRAID TO MESS UP

Nobody becomes fluent over night. Cliche but true. Don’t expect to instantly know everything. It’s normal to struggle and have trouble. Failing is part of the learning process and if you stop practicing because you’re afraid, you’re never going to learn anything. Let go of your fears and insecurities and go for it. If you fall down, pick yourself up and start again. Don’t be embarrassed if you mess up but rather learn from your mistakes and grow. The things we remember most are usually the things where we’ve messed up or had a negative experience with. So use the hiccups as a learning experience and your language skills will improve. 

If you follow these steps, I’m confided that you’ll be better in no time :) The key is to enjoy what you do and have fun! Good luck!

[emilykstudies-blog]

A Few Tips On Motivation

Motivation is definitely an important factor in studying. There are some times when you don’t want to do anything at all. It only lowers productivity when you study or do work without any motivation. But it isn’t good to throw down all your work and do nothing just because you lack motivation. That only makes an excuse. So, I’ve made a list of a few tips - very subjective - on how to get motivated. I think it’s best to find your own way that suits you the most, so just keep these as examples :)

Find a motivating song and listen to it. Energetic ones, or ones that are meaningful. In my case, I listen to One Direction’s Drag Me Down. It’s really energetic and stops me from lagging. Also Listen To The Beethoven from the movie, Warrior. Listening to it reminds me of the scenes from the movie and motivates me to carry on with my work. Plus the music is wonderful. Remember, find one that best works for you.

Write inspiring quotes on sticky notes and post it on the wall. In my opinion, Momentum provides many useful ones. Pick one you like, write it, and post it. I have ‘Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your two ears. - Laird Hamilton -’ on the wall. One small tip : put it right on the space you stare at when you daydream. It makes me return to my senses again, and somehow allows me to go back to my work again! 

Think of someone you like. Your favorite celeb, your crush, your role model, whatever. Imagine that person telling you to study or do work. Maybe teaching you about things you need to cover. It works out really well with me. I have a crush at school - an upper classman - and imagining him teaching me and telling me to stop procrastinating is verrrrrry helpful.

Do something else for a short amount of time. If you can’t concentrate at all and you don’t want to do any of the things you need to, simply do something else. Read a chapter from a book, draw something quickly, organize your study space, play a quick game. Just make sure you don’t spend your entire study time in doing those things. Refresh yourself, and continue on!

These are just a very few tips, and might not work out well for you. As I have said above, be sure to find your own way of motivating yourself, and use these as examples! Best wishes on motivation x

[motivationalquotesxyz]

“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.”

—

Unknown

(via resqectable)

[oofta-oofta]

Cancer

The normal cell cycle follows this path:

G0

G1

S

G2

Mitosis.

Tumour growth

Tumour growth rate is rapid but slows due to lack of blood supply. Symptoms appear with 10(9) cells. Proto-oncogenes turn to oncogenes, causing the inactivation of tumour suppression genes.

Benign ones are slow but can be damaging to CNS. 

Malignant are rapid and metastasise

Leukaemias aren’t technically cancer: it affects haemopoetic tissue by replacing healthy bone marrow and causing platelet, erythrocyte and WBC loss. 

Carcinoma affects epithelial cells

Sarcoma affects connective tissue.

Hallmarks of cancer

Self-sufficient growth signals

Insensitive to anti-growth signals

tissue invasion / metastasis

unlimited replicative potential

sustained angiogenesis

apoptosis evasion

[thehistorygrad]

Great Tips for PhD students

By Alison Garden @ The Guardian

1. Network and get online

I hate the word (Caroline Magennis has written a great piece on this – she’s also on Twitter), but it is important and, if you love your research, it can be fun. It’ll also help with those feelings of isolation.

Get on Twitter. There’s loads on there, including engaged researchers in your area, commentators on academia and job postings you might not see otherwise.

2. Conferences Now this one is obvious, but it pays to be strategic. There’s no point applying to go to five in one summer (or even worse, in your final year). You won’t get enough of your thesis written and you’ll be stressed all year.

Plan to work your way up: start with one or two postgraduate conferences in your first year and work from there. I find it works to balance big, important national and international ones in your subject with small, intimate ones where you’ll present to a room full of experts in your field who will give you better feedback, networking and publishing opportunities.

Don’t be afraid to put together a panel. Start with fellow postgraduates. At a later stage, get in touch with researchers who you respect in your field about putting together a panel. They can only say no (and most will be flattered to be asked). Enquire to see if the organisers have any bursaries or travel awards for postgraduates – and if they do, make sure you apply.

3. If you can, teach and get a Higher Education Academy accreditation for it Try and get some teaching in your department. If it isn’t offered to PhDs, ask your supervisor if you can shadow them for a few classes. Try and lead one or two tutorials, or give a lecture. You could also ask neighbouring universities if they’re looking for someone to teach. (This is a good thing to do towards the end of the PhD when you’re looking for work). Attend training seminars hosted by your university. Try and get HEA accreditation at associate fellow level if you get some teaching experience.

4. Host a symposium, conference or workshop It doesn’t have to be a massive, multi-panel, three-day affair. A simple day or half day, hosted with a fellow PhD or early career academic will suffice. You’ll get to meet people who share your passion for your subject and get in touch with academics whose work you really admire. Plus, you’ll probably have to apply for funding and this is excellent in itself (see below). It’ll also give you some handy administrative experience, which seems to keep cropping up on academic job adverts these days.

5. Apply for funding Just try first for little pots to host a conference; go on a research trip; develop a skills training workshop; a visiting fellowship at a library. If you want to continue in academia, you’ll have to really perfect your grant writing skills, so you might as well start as soon as you can. Start small, it all adds up. Practice makes perfect. Try your university, any national association for your subject or the research councils. Ask people who you respect to look over your funding applications and reward readers with cake.

More great tips here

[phd-in-crying]

Hello, I was wondering if you have any advice about approaching professors regarding mental health issues and discussing extensions and stuff? I’m going through a difficult time mentally and I have a lot of assignments weighing me down and idk what to do :(

I have been there (and I’m basically there now). My best advice is to talk to the profs as soon as possible so they know what’s going on. It’s easier to help someone before something is due than after it’s a week late. University can get unmanageable for a lot of us at times, and profs know that, so I usually go with, “my mental health isn’t great right now, and I’m trying really hard, but I don’t think I’ll be able to get x done on time - would I be able to get an extension?” I’ve talked to about 7 or 8 different professors about things like this over my degrees, and they’ve always been understanding. I hope that helps!

[frozenfafa]

It is something that can be unmanageable if we didn't talk to anyone.