studyblr

currently learning: french , fluent in dutch and english, 16, INFJ, slytherin

[enfjvenus]

today’s tea

[kwangiiya]

[wolfpilled]

“there’s a lot to unpack here” is the academic equivalent of “yikes”

[unregistered-hypercam2-deactiva]

found the funniest reply

[lovhiddleston]

Avengers Infinity War

[cwote]

success takes a of unseen effort. keep working!

[successupreme]

Every single girl that is determined to rise above sexism and misogyny, to overcome whatever difficulties life is throwing at her, and learn and prosper and excel in both her academic and future plans?? Y’all have no idea how much I’m rooting for you. Not only am I inspired every day by you, but I’m also so proud of you and certain you will succeed.

We’ve got this. You’ve got this.

[successupreme]

58/100 days of productivity:

Today’s study mood is spite! I was so angry I couldn’t crack this piece and I was so close to abandoning it, but my spite kept me going and, my dudes, after two hours of just staring at it, turns out I had copied the skeleton wrong!! Thank God. I was this close to deciding to finally drop out and become a shepherd.

(In other words; uni entry exams are approaching and I am Not taking it so well)

[laurelstudies-blog]

15/03/18 ~ going through old studyblr pictures and I realised that around 1/3 of them are pictures of my desk like these ones 🙈 but at least now I do have a nice overview of how my desk set up changed through the years

[chants-de-lune]

Millennials watching Gen Z organizing huge rallies and standing up to zero-action politicians 

[studylou]

THINKING ABOUT TAKING A GAP YEAR?

hi folks! as most of you will know, i’m currently taking a gap year. i’ve received so many questions about this (mostly asking me for advice) so i thought i’d just gather all the questions and the information i’ve gathered and make a little guide about it all! :-) i’ll be going through why i’m taking one, the advantages and disadvantages and what i’ve learned so far!

► what is a gap year?

first thing’s first: what is a gap year? according to the cambridge dictionary, the definition is as follows: ‘a year between leaving school and starting university that is usually spent travelling or working.’ most people will take a year out before starting uni, but it’s also often taken to prevent a burn out or stress from overwork in later years. the reasons for taking a year out before starting uni vary, but the most common reason is to have fun and explore the world before getting down to some serious studying. as a result of this, young people will have a chance to get to know themselves, and the world around them, a lot better. in general it’s seen as a positive thing, although the opportunity can be wasted if the year is spent being lazy and not doing anything interesting.

► why did i decide to take a gap year?

i made a post about this back in july (2016), but i’ll briefly explain this again. in my case, there were a few reasons why i decided to take a gap year instead of going straight to uni after graduating. the first being that the course i want to do is super expensive compared to the normal courses in my town, so my parents wanted me to work and save money to pay for it myself! since i really want to do the course, i totally didn’t mind the idea of working for a year and saving up the money. the second is that i was only 17 when i graduated, so i’d be moving to barcelona at a really young age to study there. that was something my parents and i weren’t so sure about (considering my age). a few other factors are that i wanted to finish my musical education before leaving, i wanted to have some fun and travel a little before studying and that i wanted to feel really ready for the move. 

► should you take a gap year?

i get asked a lot by my followers if i think they should also take one, and i honestly think it’s way too personal to let anyone else decide! you need to think of the reasons why you would want/ need to take a year out first. i suggest you make a list of reasons why and reasons not to. if one list has better reasons, go with that one! i also suggest you talk to your family, teachers or anyone else you know taking one/ or has taken one. but if you need a little more help, i’ve made a little list of the advantages and disadvantages that you can take a look at below.

► what are the advantages?

there are so many so i’ll try my best to list them all!

you don’t have to study: for some people this is a huge advantage. if you’re not too keen on studying, taking a gap year provides a nice long break to enjoy before going to uni to study even harder.

you can do the things you couldn’t as a student: think about it: you have a whole year to do whatever you want to! as a student you’re bound to certain activities like going to school, studying, etc. now you’re not in school you can travel or pick up a hobby you didn’t have the time for/ the money for/ or just plain couldn’t before!

you can experience the working world before your peers: this is an advantage i regard really highly. i’ve been working for almost 8 months now, and i have discovered so many things about the working world that i wouldn’t have otherwise known. you’ll find out how to find real jobs/ go to interviews/ etc before any of your peers. and with that comes the money.

→ money: if you choose to work. you’ll be payed good money depending on the job, and with that money you’ll be able to travel or buy things you couldn’t before! you can save it for later life too, which will help you out a lot in the long run.

you’ll get to know yourself better: if all your friends decide to go to uni, you’ll probably not be able to spend all that much time with them anymore, leading to you being alone more often. but don’t worry! this can be a really good thing. you’ll get to know yourself better, and by working/ travelling/ picking up a hobby you can really work on yourself. i found that high school really messed up my ideas of myself by trying to fit in. you really get the chance to look after yourself better and to nurture your true nature and personality more.

► what are the disadvantages?

when there are advantages, there will always be some disadvantages!

you will feel a little isolated sometimes: if you don’t know anyone else taking a gap year, it’s very likely you’ll feel slightly isolated at times. friends going to school or uni will have a very different schedule than you, so you won’t always be able to hang out with them. this is very easily remedied by keeping yourself busy and active though!

you might get out of the habit of studying: because you won’t be in school or taking a course, you might find yourself getting out of the old habit of studying. i noticed how fast my hand got tired when writing for example! this isn’t a huge problem, because you can always keep your habits alive by following online courses or learning a new language for fun!

you might become less motivated: this sort of ties in with the previous point, but it’s possible you’ll notice yourself get lazier and lose motivation. the habit of routinely studying and doing your assignments won’t really be necessary during a gap year, so it might be hard for you to get back into the swing of things later on.

That’s it! Hopefully this was helpful to some of you!  :-)

+ gap year series

things i learned during my gap year

+ more posts

upgrade your notes!

how to start studying infographic

handy apps for economics students

five easy steps to becoming a better you

feed yo’ brain

dealing with lazy groupmembers

studying and gaming: playlists and soundtracks

how to be less prickly when stressed

practice tests

[carotriesstudy]

How to get good grades as a lazy procrastinator - doing the bare minimum

First of all sorry for being basically inactive for a few months. I have a hard time sticking to things and stay interested and honestly, school has been kicking my butt and mental energy and this blog have been the least of my worries. 

I don’t recommend not caring about school and only doing the bare minimum but for some all this A+ studyblr community can put really high expectations which isn’t always healthy. 

I wanted to make this post as a way to keep your grades when you are not able to put in as much effort as you would like or you simply don’t care enough. I talk about effort, motivation, procastination among other things. Personally, I don’t put in a lot of work in school and I basically do the bare minimum, at least my personal bare minimum. Which brings me to my first point.

Minimal Effort - what is yours? Finding what you believe is the bare minimum is important. For me, it is paying attention in class and doing written homework and assignments - not reading. For others, it may be hand-in homework and easy reading to get a better understanding of the topic. I have always gotten better than average grades (80-85%) in a school where getting top grades in all subjects is basically impossible and I won’t deny that I am just naturally good at school and some just aren’t. I am not naive.

Motivation - how to get/find it I am the least motivated person (okay maybe exaggerating but still). My motivation is very linked to my own minimal effort. I do my homework because I view it as an obligation both to myself but also my teachers. However, I work best under stress and deadlines so I tend to do things last minute. But I don’t half-ass things (often ). I try and do my best and if it is urgent and just needs to get done I will put less effort into it. It is all about balance. The most horrible thing about myself is that even though I need to work to get into my dream college it is not a motivator for me. My motivation is mostly short-term (like due dates, stress) and I wish this was a motivation. And it is on a higher level but in my everyday life, it sadly isn’t.  So find what motivates you and use it. Some like longterm goals and others it is as simple as one mark on one test. If you really can’t find motivation either just view as an obligation and something you have to do even if you don’t have to.Or the hard question, should you even be doing this if you have no motivation?

Paying attention in class Paying attention in class often allows me to not do the assigned reading (be aware I am in high school not college or uni!!!!) as most of the things are covered in class. But paying attention in class can be very difficult for some students. And I am definitely not excused. Sometimes my mental energy is just too low or I am not presented with material that is new or challenging enough for my brain to want to pay attention. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I hate when teachers go through things I already understand because I feel like I am wasting time. So I am trying to take notes again to write down stuff I missed the first time. For my physics is the big problem here. We go through the same topic many times and it bores me.But try to keep paying attention. Rewrite your notes on the topic or ask questions. Do something to keep engaged.  If you tend to talk a lot during class - this used to be me, try and sit next to someone you don’t talk to much outside the school and the chances of talking about something unrelated to the lessons drops. If you don’t get even more bored by it, try and sit alone or next to someone you don’t talk to at all. I moved away from all my fellow student in my sophomore math class and it really helped. And it made my teacher realize I wasn’t actually the one talking all the time and it showed a willingness to fix the problem. This is actually my next point. 

Homework and good impressions Doing homework is a good way to learn, get good grades, and make your teachers like you and think of you as a good student. Getting good grades at the beginning of a semester and leaving a good impression can keep your grades up even if you start to slack later on when your motivation drops. Ask you teachers small questions after class to show you are engaged in the subject and class. If you get grades based on class participation and in-school work like me this helps boost your grades. I obviously don’t ask questions after every class but it is important to do sometimes. 

Procrastination - how to battle it I am a very big procrastinator and I have yet to rid myself of it and I never will. It is not going to happen. I am a procrastinator for many reasons. I have long days about 11-12 hours from when I leave my house to when I come back. I am very tired when I get home and often fall into the trap of going immediatly to my bed to relax. But I try to sit at my desk instead. Even if I am just scrolling through social media I am at my desk, and trust me it is a lot easier to start doing homework from your desk than getting out of your bed. I like to use the do not disturb function on my phone from when I am studying and need my phone but I don’t need notifications from social media. I will check them when I get a break not immediately as they pop up on my screen. I will not lie and despite knowing this I still go to my bed 7/10 times. 

Get things done - how to plan your day I have just started planning my days for my exam studying and it works very well. Write down time intervals and what you want to do in that amount of time. I use either a small piece of paper but I am currently trying out @emmastudies free daily planner printable and I am enjoying it very much - little tip: put it in a smooth sheet protector so you can use dry-erase markers on it. It makes it a lot easier to change your day if something comes up and it saves paper as it is reusable.  I will admit I don’t always stick to it (like now I am writing this post instead of studying) but it gives a clear overview and helps me stick to doing work. I do 30-45 minutes work and 15 minute breaks with a longer break for lunch and between lunch and dinner. 

Music and Netflix - when to do what I listen to music while I study rather than watching tv as moving pictures tend to take your attention. I listen to anything really but sometimes I will find a playlist I don’t know as it helps me concentrate rather that sing along to my favourite songs. Right now I am listening to The Pretty Reckless (one of my favourite bands of all time) but I haven’t listened to it in a while which was something I wanted to and it doesn’t distract me - win-win. I watch Netflix sometimes when I study. If what I am doing is easy or I am rewriting notes. Not if I am doing hard problems or something like that. I also recommend watching something you have watched before. I watch B99 or friends mostly or even teen wolf as I have watched all those shows more than 4 times each. They work as background noise to cancel out the distracting sounds around me. 

Thanks for listening to my ramble. I just wanted to post something here and I have been wanting to do a post like this for a while. If you want me to go more in depth about any of these points send an ask or message me and I will!

[studying-the-light-of-laurelin]

!LANGUAGE RESOURCE ALERT OMG!

Okay guys! I just recently came across a really cool resource with a WHOLE BUNCH OF LANGUAGE BOOOKS. Like, I’m talking about SO MANY BOOKS HERE. You can see below some of the languages and the books - ever wanted to learn Middle English??? - There are language books from Arabic to  Yoruba and seriously it’s the best thing I’ve ever found. The books are in alphabetical order of language and are in .pdf format so hopefully that shouldn’t be a problem for anyone! 

I was able to upload the .zip file of all of the books to my google drive SO if you want access to this AWESOME RESOURCE go here. Let me know what you think about the books and I will try to find more resources!! 

I’m super excited to share this with you guys! Hope you enjoy!! - Lo

[studyblr]

be ambitious. kill distractions and obstacles. you can reach your goals. do it.

[slowspinningredemption]

Any tips for newbies in programming? :)

[cracks knuckles] [screams]

dabble around in script writing first tbh. it’s not ““real”“ programming but it’s very good for teaching syntax, logic, the feel of things, etc, and you can mess around and do some cool stuff with it without having to worry about the nitty gritty stuff just yet. it’s a good playground for practising, and gives you a general background for how things be.

know that programming is a very practical skill. you’re not going to be able to learn just from reading, so please don’t be afraid to break out everything you got and follow along with the guides/lessons/however you’re learning. you’ll learn so much easier by physically doing it.

CodeAcademy is your friend!

get comfortable with code and learn to read it. look at the source code of websites you’re familiar with and learn what translates to what. the more you get used to reading code, the easier it’ll be. plus if you want a career in programming, you’re going to be reading a lot of other people’s code. it’s another language, so the more exposure you have to it, the quicker you’ll be able to visualise what the finished product will look like, whether it’s a webpage or a full piece of software. this will help you write your own programs one day!

you’re gonna fuck up. don’t be afraid of that. it’ll probably be wildly hilarious.

follow what you love, as cheesy as that sounds. as you learn you’re probably going to find languages you love and applications you’re passionate about. learn everything you can but don’t be afraid to streamline and commit. whether you want to go into system security or video game design, don’t be afraid to throw yourself into it and learn everything you can.

[screen darkens] prepare for hell

fun hell

most of the time

don’t be afraid to ask questions! yeah you’ll get some assholes but you get that in every field. majority of programmers I’ve met are psyched to be able to infodump on someone who’ll understand even 5% of what they’re saying, so if you’re stuck or you see something cool you want to learn about, just try asking!

good luck baby programmer… [wipes a tear] hack the planet…

[theartisangeek]

So I’ve been following a Japanese course at the university for about 7 weeks now and I’m surprised at how much Japanese I already know, so I thought I’d share some of the ways I study Japanese: First off, learn hiragana and katakana as fast as possible. The sooner you get rid of romaji, the beter. I learned hiragana mostly through this game called Kana Invaders (you can find the link here) STUDY BOOK It’s essential to have a good book explaining all the grammar in a clear and interesting way. Genki Textbooks are great for that. They also provide you with notes such as how you should say goodbye in different situations. DICTIONARY As soon as you’ve mastered hiragana and katakana move on to Kanji. A great way is by going through Japanese books WITH furigana (so you can find the characters easily) and just looking up the kanji and memorising them. I bought the Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary (you can find it here) which also shows the stroke order which is amazing!

FLASHCARDS To speak a language you’re going to have to learn the vocabulary. I usually use flashcards, because flashcards are awesome. I write hiragana on one side and then English translation and kanji on the other. That’s because I first learn how to pronounce the word (so English to hiragana) and then afterwards I learn how to write it (hiragana to kanji).

LITERATURE BOOK I posted a picture earlier this month with a new book I bought. It’s a parallel book and parallel books are amazing for learning language. You can check out my post here.

NETFLIX If you don’t have Netflix you can also just use youtube. You have tons of manga on Youtube, but I prefer Netflix, because I can watch with Japanese subtitles and also rewatch series dubbed in Japanese.

CULTURE Culture is ingrained in every since language. Japan has a rich history with a lot of ancient traditions. Learning about the culture makes it easier to understand the language. And of course it’s super fun and interesting.

MUSIC Listening to music helps me a lot. It doesn’t matter if you have no idea what their exactly saying, just try and sing along. It’s super fun and it helps a lot with pronunciation (tip: check out J-pop).

[theartisangeek]

Reblogging this for people who want to learn Japanese :)

[thingsprogrammersshout]

Things Programmers Shout #702

“Just fucking stop.” // submitted by @major-quack