Grad Student Studies

Rachel. Grad student, blogging about studying.

[emmastudies]

one of my lecturers printed us a step-by-step guide to writing an essay for an assignment we had. i decided to type it up and share it with you guys. i think for the most part it is really useful and a super simple way to break down your essay. hope this helps :~)

[cookiemurderist-deactivated2016]

Me while not studying: “I love knowledge. Intelligence is power. I am always reading or writing” Me while studying: “This is going to kill me. I will be dead soon. Dead from death.”

[word-limits-deactivated20191012]

2 am study sessions that become 1 am study sessions >>>>

[sophrosyne-812]

12.5.15 // 3:15pm •• Today I begin my studies for finals. I’m not waiting to the last minute for it all to build up.

[positive-affirmation]

Stop, Breathe & Think

I’m sure I’ve seen a post about this before but nevermind. I’ve been using app for a little while and it’s available to download for free on iOS and Android as well as being available online. I highly recommend it and thought it may be helpful for others to know about it.

It’s a guided meditation app that allows you to input how you’re feeling mentally, physically and emotionally and then brings up suggestions for meditations.

It’s been so useful for me as I often have trouble relaxing and slowing down. All the meditations are brilliant and the woman who talks you through them has a lovely voice. The meditations are different time lengths so even if you only have a couple of minutes to spare you can still listen to one to unwind.

http://stopbreathethink.org/

[studysexcoffee-deactivated20170]

I tested the app myself and all I can say is: You should download it! It´s amazing!

[scholarl-y]

I use this app, and I love it!  I get really overwhelmed when I’m around people for too long or with a lot of them, and this really helps with that.

[studyception]

hey!! sooo time management is very very important. it helps you not procrastinate and sleep earlier. it’s helped me a lot this past school year so i thought i’d share some tips with you guys!!

make a to-do list.

or just put a checkbox next to every assignment in your assignment book.

i personally feel more accomplished when i have a list in front of me and I see all those checkmarks.

if you’re very busy, you can break it up into smaller to-do lists (i.e. one for the morning, one for the afternoon, one for the evening).

you can try setting a time limit for each task. if it takes longer than the allotted time, you should move on to the next task and come back to the previous one if you have time.

prioritize your assignments. 

do what’s most important to you first. 

i suggest doing everything due the next day first and ordering your assignments by deadline, but that’s just my personal preference. 

put your phone away. 

turn it off, put it on “airplane mode”, turn on “do not disturb”, put it in another room, on another floor, whatever. just make sure it can’t distract you.

break down a big goal into smaller goals, so you can do a little every day.

don’t do everything in one sitting. it’s ineffective and will only make you more stressed. 

for example, if you have a 16-page packet to annotate over the weekend, do half on saturday and half on sunday.

reward yourself!

it can be a snack, it can be a break, it can be phone time, whatever you want. anything that motivates you! 

do as much homework at school as you can.

not like, the homework that’s due today (if you really have to, then do it.) i mean the homework that’s due tomorrow. if your teacher gives you free time at the end of class to start your homework, then use that time, especially if you know you’re going to be super busy tonight. 

if lunch is boring, do some homework! (again, I’m talking about the homework that’s due tomorrow).

If you have free time in other classes, do your homework! But do not do your homework when you’re supposed to be taking notes. You will regret this. 

plan ahead. 

know the days when you’re super busy. know when all your appointments are, your sports practices, your extracurricular activities, your concerts, etc. every day, have a general idea for what you’re going to do that way.

i suggest using a planner or a bullet journal! but the assignment book that your school gives you is fine. write down everything in your planner or whatever you choose to use.

you should also have a clear picture of all the assignments you have and when they’re due.

try the pomodoro method [infographic].

when you’re super busy:

if you know you’re super busy and have a sports game monday night, do most of your homework sunday. If you have an english essay due tuesday, do it on sunday so you’re less stressed on monday. on the days when you’re super busy, do as much homework as you can at school (during lunch).

i like to go in order by period. if i have math first period, i do math first. so if you’re running really low on time, do all the classes you have before lunch first, because you’ll have to turn them in first. then you can do your afternoon classes during lunch if you have to. 

get the chrome extension stayfocusd.

ban yourself from going on websites for a set amount of time & set limits for how long you can go on those “banned sites”. 

block any time-wasting and distracting sites. 

you probably will not want to do your homework at all, but think of it this way: if you do it now, you get free time later. you get to be unstressed and you can laugh while watching your classmates freak out the day before something is due (jk don’t do that. but you can relax while they freak out and you can help others!!)

hope this helped!! :)

[dragonboy400]

I can’t wait to cry a lot this school year

[mindelevator]

Link to my study tips series (strive-for-da-best)

[studying-queen-blog]

I recommend this so much. Bless your soul.

[thevvventingmachine]

Recycling my old Muji notebooks as a review notebook and using another as my bullet journal. And I’ve got my favorite highlighter from Muji as well. I love that store so much it’s insane they should give me a loyalty award honestly.

Anyway, yesterday’s rain has stopped and the sun’s back out! Seemed a shame to stay in all day when it’s such a beautiful day outside, so I decided to take my books out on the porch! It’s such a great study location, I should have done this ages ago.

Talk to me! Where do you like to study? :)

[teastudystationery-blog]

[hayley-studies]

11-08-2015 // Studying with my baby girl Willow for company is so much more fun than studying alone.

[lyannamayauthor]

6:38 pm ||   So, I had a good day and cleaned a lot, so I am rewarding myself with Chai tea, and a summer study session! Also starting a new bullet journal 😄 Why did I ever stop studying just because it was summer? 

[carmenrios]

this is the best (via autostraddle)

[thepattystudy-deactivated201508]

Bullet Journal Pages

Here’s a list for possible Bullet Journal pages if you want to fill it up with other lists and pages!

School/Study: - Monthly View Page - Weekly View - Daily To-dos - Resource Pages (example list down websites, links, books for essay writing/language learning) - Semester View (list down the chapters you need to study for every subject with check boxes to keep track of em) - Color Scheme pages for schemes for notetaking - Advice Pages (if you stuble on good advice, write it down!) - Class schedules

Personal: - Password + Username list - Target, Walmart, Amazon, etc list (in w/c you list down what you want to buy when you go to the stores) - Gift Ideas - Recipes to try - Reward yo self list - Quotes I like - Expenses Page

Life: - Fitness Pages (write down workouts, scheds, healthy recipes) - Grocery List (duh) - Cleaning pages (laundry, mopping, trash disposals, organizing, etc)

Entertainment: - Books 2 read - Anime/TV Series tracker (make checkboxes to keep track of what ep ur in) - Movies 2 watch - Music discovered

[paperlovestory]

[aspiretostudy]

Intro

The time to get back to school, get organized and back into our routines is soon to come, and I am trying to do my part in making that a bit easier. Last year I created a post with some of the best resources I have gathered throughout my years in the academic field, and this year I have even more and better links, resources and help to give you. Best of luck this year, you will rock and I hope I can give you a little help for this year to come.

Staying organized and planned

Staying organized will not only help you keeping stress on a leash, but also your grades and marks where they need to be. Knowing what to do and when to do it makes a smart student, leaving space for actual life, and staying on track.

Bookmark and keep a to-do list on your dashboard

Everything you need to know about bullet journaling 

Making a syllabible 

Tips on using a planner and keeping organized 

Planner app to help you stay on track (iPhone) 

To-do list app

Keeping all your documents organized

Printable resources to stay organized

Stress, anxiety and managing it

School has the tendency of being both stressing and bringing out anxiety, and no matter how important your academic life is, your mental health and wellbeing is always the main importance. Know what resources you have, and use them.

Stress reduction activities for students 

The 10 rules of self help to keeping calm during tests

Have your place of quite and calmness 

Take a meditation break 

Learn about mental help

Dealing with test anxiety 

Take a 2 minute break for yourself 

20 tips to surivive your overloaded schedule

Reading and books

Books can be expensive, hard to understand and even harder to know where to start.

Alternatives to buying expensive books: Textbooknova, Reddit, Bookboon, Textbookrevolution, GaTech Math Textbooks, Ebookee, Freebookspot, Free-ebooks, Getfreeebooks, BookFinde, Oerconsortium and Project Gutenberg 

How to take notes while reading 

Effective reading and note-taking 

Read to learn 

Making an easy biblography 

Steps to reading a difficult book

Math and science

Just like any other subjects science and math can often be hard, and sometimes having a good set of resources to ask for help makes the whole thing a lot easier.

Balance chemical equations 

Periodic table 

Amazing chemistry masterpost 

Online advanced calculator 

Math problem solver 

Math cheat sheets 

Visualised math 

Anatomy and physiology animations 

Human anatomy online 

3D brain 

The physics classroom

Learning, revision and cramming

Nothing is better than good resources when your mind is tired from staring at the same old textbook, feeling like nothing goes in.

Figure out in which way you learn best

Learn about everything, simple and easy 

You can learn everything (KhanAcademy) 

Learning by visualisation (CrashCourse) 

Simple Wikipedia

Use mind mapping 

Make flashcards 

Seven days study plan

15 steps to success

Stay focused 

Find your motivation

Writing and essays

Essays are completely impossible to miss, and knowing where to start and finish may be really hard. Checklists, tips and help might be exactly what you need to make that a bit easier.

10 practical tips for writing better exam essays

Writing an essay

Writing application essays

Writing a personal statement

Genre characteristics

Writing a literary analysis essay

Answering essay questions

Get feedback

What is the word you´re looking for? 

How to formate your paper

Plaglarism checker

Apps, software and programs

Living in a technical world we are blessed with the oppertunity to take our resources around with us everywhere we go.

Openoffice and Libreoffice

Dropnote

Google docs

EverNot

Prezi (For presentations.) 

Grammar check

Staying focused for Mac, Chrome and Firefox

Best apps for students masterpost

Homework help

How to take digital notes

Study related apps

Taking tests, exams and finals

Using the above studying tips will help you do well on your exams and tests, but sometimes it takes a bit more spesific techniques.

Study skills for test taking

How to take important tests 

Taking your first exam 

Multiple choice exams guide 

How to prepare for a test 

Checklist for essay tests

Learning languages

Whether you want to have the ability to learn a whole new language through the internet or to spark the knowledge you already have: I got you covered.

Learn terms and glossary in Quizlet

Learn a language with Duolingo

Learn a language with Busuu

Learn a language with Memrise

Learn a language with Babbel 

The language resources website

Living as a student

Being a student is for many of us not only classes, it is also living on a tight budget, being confused and having no idea how to do anything because you are growing up. So I gathered some resources for us confused kids.

Quick, easy and cheap recipes for students 

How to survive in a dorm

Introverts in college

How to coupon

What to do when you can´t pay your bills 

Make a doctor´s appointment 

How to do taxes 

How to buy a car 

What you need for your apartment

[historynsh-t]

WHAT’S IN MY PENCIL CASE?

Hello all! Thank you so much for 100+ subscribers! I know that I have been a terrible studyblr and haven’t been posting much, but that’s because I’ve been down south in Los Angeles! And while I was out of town, I did some stationery shopping. I finally have all of my supplies for the upcoming semester, even though school doesn’t start again for another month. I jumped the gun a bit, but really, how many of us can help it when it comes to school supplies? It’s a curse, I tell you. I have no idea if anyone will be interested in this, but I love seeing other people’s similar posts, so I figured I’d make one myself!

So while some of this stuff is old, some new, and all purchased from different places, I want to share my favorites with you. I will also preface this by saying that I have more than one pencil case in my backpack, but this is my ‘go bag’, the one that can get me by even if I don’t have all of my pretty Mildliners or gel pens with me. If I’m rushing to class or to meet someone, I can just throw this one in any purse or bag I may have without taking up too much space. I can show you my other three pencil cases and their contents later, if you guys want!

I’ve tried to find each item online, though I did not spend a ton of time looking for the cheapest deal - I’m sure that if you did some searching you could find some better prices. I am not affiliated with any of these companies or websites in any way whatsoever.

First, the pencil case itself:

Lihit Labs Smart Fit Bright Label Pencil Case

Purchased at Kinokuniya Bookstore in Los Angeles for around $19.00 USD, but I found it online here, (for a bit less, too) if you’re interested! I love this pencil case because I can store a ton of stuff in it without it getting super bulky. It fits all of my favorite supplies with room to spare.

Now for the writing utensils:

Pilot FriXion Point 04 Gel Ink Pen

Also purchased at Kinokuniya for $3.00 USD each. I carry both black and blue. You can also find them online here at jetpens.com. I love these pens for their fine point and their erasable ink - that erases absolutely without a trace. For as long as I’ve used them, I haven’t had an ‘eraser’ wear down at all.

MUJI Gel Ink Ball Point Pen 0.38mm

I snagged these from the MUJI store in Santa Monica (it’s about fifteen minutes away from Kinokuniya - in traffic). They’ll run you $1.50 USD each. The US MUJI website’s online store seems to be under construction, but I found a pack of them online here. On the MUJI website, you can just buy single pens if you don’t need 10 of them! They write very smoothly and have very little bleed-through on most papers. I prefer the 0.38 point over the 0.5, but that’s just me.

Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.5mm Pen - Limited Edition (French Casual)

Another pen I purchased at Kinokuniya, though quite awhile ago for about $1.50 USD. I found it online (and in other colors!) here. I love it’s cute design (it has a pony on it!!) and its soft grip - it has also been through two or three ink refills and is still going strong! I have a few of the other Sarasa pens in the 0.38mm point, and they are also very nice - super fine lines!

Uni-ball Signo White Gel Ink Pen - Broad Point

I bought this pen at my favorite local stationery store, Paper Source, for about $4.00 USD (pricey, I know). You can find it online here. I don’t use it much, really only for doodling on the dark covers of my notebooks when I’m procrastination not studying. But I like it, so I keep it around!

Uni Alpha Gel Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil - 0.5 mm - Turquoise Blue

I bought this pencil online at jetpens.com for $14.00 USD. You can find it here, and also in other colors! I don’t use pencils very often, really only for Math or Science classes - and as I’m a history major, those tend to be few and far between. However, when I do use pencils (and I will be in my Chemistry class this fall) I am very picky. So when I say that I love this pencil, I really love this pencil. These ‘Kuru Toga’ pencils allow the lead to rotate/spin so you get less breakage. The ‘Alpha Gel’ grip is nice and squishy (but not too squishy!) and it is very lightweight. I can’t speak to the quality of the eraser because I don’t use it. I have had this pencil since I was a junior in high school (circa 2012) and it is still going strong!

Uni Alpha Gel HD Shaka Shaker Mechanical Pencil - 0.5 mm - Rose Pink

This pencil is also from jetpens.com for $10.00 USD, and you can find it here in a bunch of different colors too! Can you see a theme? I love these Uni pencils, and I love their grips even more! The grip on this one is slightly thicker and squishier than the Kuru Toga. This is also a ‘Shaker’ pencil, meaning that if you run out of lead while you write, you just give it a quick shake! I just bought this one a few weeks ago, so I can’t speak to the durability so far. When I spend so much money on a pencil, I expect it to last. It’s the same brand as the other, so we’ll see! I really like both of these pencils equally, so if you’re trying to choose, I will say that this one is cheaper!

Uni E-Knock Eraser - Dust-Gathering - Fine - Green

I bought this at jetpens.com for $1.65 USD, right here. You can find it in other colors there as well! Because I don’t use the erasers on my pencils (I like keeping the caps on and it’s too tedious to take them on and off, makes lead re-fill easier as well) I rely on separate ones like this. I really like this eraser. The shavings/dust clump together nicely so I don’t have a huge mess and it erases quite well - better than the eraser sticks I was using before. It also matches the pencil case!

MUJI Plastic Eraser, Large, Black

I picked this up at MUJI Santa Monica when I was down there for $3.00 USD since my other one was almost reduced to a centimeter-wide nub. Again, the online store isn’t working in the US, but here it is on Amazon! I really like this eraser. I use it over my E-Knock when I have large areas to erase, or I’ll use both in conjunction just to make sure if I’m correcting a Scantron answer or something like that. It comes in black and white and in both a large and a small size. I don’t really know what the color difference is for so I couldn’t recommend one or the other… I just like the look of the black better!

Pentel Stein Enhanced Silica Pencil Lead - 0.5 mm - HB Hard

I purchased this lead for $3.30 USD at jetpens.com, here. It comes in all sorts of softness and shades! I tend to be very heavy-handed when I write and carry a lot on tension in my hand, but I also like a fine point. It tends to be a problem because the finer the point, the weaker the lead. Because of this, I need a strong lead that won’t break. This has been the answer! I use it with all of my pencils and love it! I’ve been using it for two years and have only gone through one and a half containers of it (each one has 40 pieces). That being said, I don’t use pencils all that often. To my knowledge, this lead is also fine for Scantron tests! Just to be safe, though, I will at times revert back to a standard Ticonderoga pencil (I have badass-looking black ones from Target).

On to highlighters and miscellaneous tools!

Sharpie® Clear View Highlighters, 3pk

I picked these up at my local Staples for $3.00 USD as soon as they came out! They’re on the website here. I was very excited. I love the vibrant colors of the Sharpie inks and the clear tip is a lifesaver when highlighting textbooks or printed articles. I bought the 3-pack of yellow, orange, and pink, but I think that they also make a green one. They are similar in shape and feel to the Stabilo Boss highlighters. I only wish these had the same range of colors! I have not had these smudge any of my gel inks, which is awesome.

Uni Propus Window Soft Color Double-Sided Highlighter Pen

I bought these at Kinokuniya when I was down there. I was happy to find window-tipped highlighters in colors I was missing! You can find them individually online here, and also in a pack of 5 colors here! I purchased the Aqua Blue, Lime Green, and Lavender purple for $1.50 USD each.

Pilot FriXion Light US Erasable Highlighter - Blue

This is from Kinokuniya as well. They’re also online here as well. I wanted to try out one of these highlighters since I love the pens so much, and I wasn’t disappointed. It erases just as well as the pens, and that makes up for the fact that it doesn’t have one of those nifty new window tips. Eventually, when my other highlighters run out, I may have to grab the soft-colored set of these (you can see them here). So pretty!

BIC® Wite-Out® Brand Mini Correction Tape

I actually picked this up from the Office Supply section of my local drugstore for about $3.50 USD, but you can find it online here. It’s your average correction tape, but I do like the small size for portability/space saving.

Plus Tape Glue 7mm

I picked this up from DAISO Japan for $1.50 USD when I was down in Los Angeles. I can’t seem to find the exact model online, but there’s a similar one here. This stuff is just plain handy to have around. This particular one is nice and compact and draws a thin line. I’ve had more expensive models in the past but this works just as well, in my opinion.

Thanks for taking a look, guys! If you have any questions or would like to see my other pencil cases, let me know!