Oh boy my college experience was like 9 years total, 12 semesters long with breaks
So this is for US colleges/unis , not sure if fully applicable with other countries
First, there wonât be any structure given by professors. You make your own structure and schedule and try to stick to it and fail. If you have good relationship with parents and theyâre the type of people , you get a system where they check up on your progress based on some schedule.
Also, befriend roommates or neighbors (neurodivergents will find each other) and do study sessions together.
Thereâs often suggestions of going to office hours, and that may work but from personal experience, YouTube, self study sessions, any additional tutoring on campus that gets the ball rolling until youâre comfy enough with material to go to professor.
My uni had pilot programs - non TA led review classes with materials sourced from class , free no credits courses
Schedule your food intakes, eat well, donât survive off instant spicy ramen for a month. Treat yourself when you get relatively good grades (or increase in grade)
Uhhh figure out what time of day youâre most productive
disclaimer: I'm on adhd meds so if you're reading this like "fat chance I can do all that, you having a laugh?", bear with me bc I've kinda forgot what my daily life was like without them
I'm at a uk uni so things might be different but this is what's helped me:
â If you get stuck procrastinating a task, work with your brain rather than against it
If writing an email has become a Big Task, talk to them in person, or find someone who can email them for you (uni libraries are set up for stuff like this)
Procrastinating eating? Go study. Procrastinating studying? Go eat. Procrastinating both? Have a drink, tidy a shelf in your room, draw your favourite character, have a cup of tea
â Most unis have a disability support team and/or study support team. Talk to them. Itâs enough just to get the conversation started. They can help you with:
Understanding what you need to do for a coursework/assignment
Giving you advice on improving your studying (eg. keep a water bottle and snack in your bag, create mini-deadlines to work towards so you're not cramming, etc)
Proofreading your essays to help with report structure, paragraph structure, grammar, spelling, asking questions to help you come up with areas you can expand upon
Citing and references and academic wording (I use MyBib for referencing)
Advice on how to balance uni work with daily life, like surviving and being happy
They can even sit in silence for the whole hour while you work (ie. body doubling)
â If you need to do a lot of work but canât motivate yourself to study, do half an hour (or 10 or 20 minutes, whatever doesnât feel scary). The lack of pressure to do a lot will make it easier to actually do a lot, because as long as youâve done the 30 minutes youâve done well, anything extra is a bonus
â Studying with others is really helpful because you've now got a responsibility to other people to show up, and the body doubling helps with being focused (unless people are talking the entire time, then itâs better to study on your own)
â The instructions for my courseworks are written in wordy paragraphs, so I put aside an hour or two to rewrite it in a way I can understand (aka. bullet points)
You can refer back to your version when needed, rather than having to struggle with the paragraphs every time
Rewriting it in a different format will force you to fully process and understand the task, so hopefully you'll less likely to procrastinate on it bc you understand it so it seems less scary
â Adding on from what prev said, if scheduling meal times doesnât work, prioritise eating well. This is how I prioritise things:
Level 0: Some food is better than no food, even if it's a chocolate bar
Level 1: you can eat a carrot raw, you can have a can of chopped peaches for lunch, you can eat a whole ball of mozzarella in one sitting. Eating ready-meals, pot noodle or chicken nuggets and chips 5 days in a row will affect your mental state
Level 2: have snacks in your room, school bag and coat pockets. I buy a box of 26 Nature Valley cereal bars from amazon every month. Use them when youâre hungry and use the newfound absence of hunger to eat a bigger meal, or when youâre late for class
Level 3: tin/aluminium foil on a baking tray, chopped onions and carrots covered in a bit of oil, some sort of meat that can be cooked in 30 minutes, shove it all in the oven at fan 180°C (gas mark 6) for half an hour, eat it, and put the foil in the bin once the oil has cooled. Tadaa, no washing up
â Having a bad day where everything has gone to shit? Have a drink, eat the closest thing in reach, do a hobby you enjoy or chat with someone, then go to sleep and try again tomorrow.
â A short walk through some trees in a field or a park will make the rest of the day a little bit easier. Touch grass.
Even simply opening your curtains and seeing the sun before 11am will help
Join a disability club/support group if your campus has one, it's life changing to have community and I would not have survived my last year!
Learn what accomodations other people may have, you never know what'll be helpful.
Like other people have said body doubling (or accountability buddy) is SO CRUCIAL, even for room cleaning or personal hygiene, not just studying. Friends kept me alive.
Set up some type of reward system for showing up to class. I signed up to be a notetaker so it was my literal job and I was getting paid before I became more physically disabled and had an even harder time getting to class.
If your university/college offers some type of exercise/dance/movement class that fits your level, sign up. It forces you to move in ways that you may forget to do, but it isn't high commitment as like being an athlete or on a dance team, and could still count for credit hours potentially. Otherwise, I was not having an exercise routine, and on the days I felt I was accomplishing nothing at least I was learning a dance move.
RSD is so real, but try not to let one bad experience with a professor set the stage for how you approach other classes and professors. There are kind, accommodating ones out there who actually care about how they teach. (this is so very much speaking from experience)
Ooh I just set up a university resource for many of these things so buckle up
If you (think you will) need something, ASK
My foolproof method to ask for small adaptations from lecturers and teachers is to 1. Introduce yourself, 2. State your commitment to the course/their class, 3. Explain what you struggle with (avoid labels! Describe specifically) and 4. Explain what you need to be able to take the class. 5. Check if they're cool with it but by this part of your story they usually are
E.g.
"Hi, I'm X, I'm really excited to take your class! I just wanted to let you know that I'm a bit sensitive to the noise in this lecture hall, which I worry will distract me from the lecture. Is it okay if I wear my headphones so I can focus on the material better?"
-> really in this example you wouldn't even need the statement about being excited for the class. By letting them know that you're worried you'll get distracted and want to use your adaptation to engage with what they have to say better, you're already letting them know you're committed to listening to them! People like being heard and appreciated
Don't be afraid to switch techniques
If you're anything like me, your standard study method or location that yielded amazing results for the past few weeks or months eventually starts failing. You get bored, you get distracted, it doesn't feel motivating anymore.
This is normal.
You have a brain that needs a weird balance of structure and change. Change your structure every once in a while.
Maybe you'll find a handful of techniques that will work again if you try them again after a while of doing something else. Then you can rotate them.
If not, don't beat yourself up about not following or committing to the method that was supposed to make you functional. When a method is done being useful, it's time to move on to a new one. Delight in the thrill of the search.
-> Keep a list of new techniques you could try! Make it exciting!
Change the stuff in your room/dorm/house around
You are a creature that stops seeing things when they're the same for too long. Appreciate your stuff more by putting it in a different spot every once in a while.
Move your desk, rearrange your chill area, redecorate your cabinet of trinkets. Put up that poster that's been lying around in a drawer because you couldn't decide on a good spot and forgot about it. Etc etc
It helps the depression that comes with sameness and can motivate you to start using your new environment for studies or hobbies or even clean an area that you've neglected for a while.
Pick whatever you want to change, but if you truly can't pick, try to look for a way to move the Problem Area in your room (for me usually my desk) or something adjacent to it (and I mean move the Whole Thing. I look to move my desk itself). Might motivate you to get rid of the current state of the problem, or it might help you identify what mess can be moved to somewhere less in the way.
Reward yourself *while* doing the thing
People talk plenty about how you can try to motivate yourself by giving yourself a reward after you finish things. You have a brain that has the logic that it can also just eat the chocolate now and/or doesn't process long-term rewards.
Just eat the chocolate while doing the homework.
This can look like a lot of things! I often get super hyped from musicals and will listen to those soundtracks while studying to get the dopamine flowing. I also like to make myself (or order at a cafe) a fancy ass coffee and put that next to my laptop so I HAVE to sit in the work spot and start doing the work to get to drink my fancy coffee. I then have to commit to trying to work for at least as long as it takes to drink my coffee.
The point is that you reward yourself for as little as attempting to start and continuing to try.
It's really hard to motivate yourself to get started! Reward the steps it takes you to get there!
I'll see if I can add more when I'm not unreasonably tired!
I need to talk about something serious that keeps happening on Tumblr, and honestly, itâs terrifying how easy it is to overlook.
There are minors pretending to be adults here, and adults accidentally getting into situations they NEVER wouldâve agreed to if they knew the truth. It is happening more than people think.
(And to be clear:
THIS IS NOT ABOUT MY GIRLFRIEND!
My relationship is safe, real, ID-verified, and weâve met in person, we did everything the right way. LDRs can absolutely work, but only with honesty and proper safety.)
Iâm mentioning this now because something like this happened just recently to someone and Iâm sharing this with her full permission.
A woman was played by a 16-year-old who pretended to be older, invented an entire fake life, used stolen work stories, and manipulated her into trusting her. She poured real emotions, time, and affection into something she believed was safe and genuine.
When the truth came out, she was left devastated, violated, and disgusted, not because she did anything wrong, but because a crazy teenager lied and dragged her into something she never consented to.
This is the damage a single lie can do. This is the reality of unsafe spaces online.
Anyone can claim to be 18+ here. Anyone can fake their age, their life, their job. Anyone can steal identities, and yes even calling someone does NOT prove their age.
Tumblr has sadly no age verification, yet the platform is full of adult content, smut blogs, flirty chats, private messages, and photo exchanges. People trust each other way too easily here, and it only takes ONE lie for someone to end up hurt, scared, violated, or traumatized, even when they did absolutely nothing wrong.
Please understand: You cannot tell who is behind a screen. You cannot rely on someoneâs word about their age. You cannot assume âthey sound mature so itâs fine.â Your safety matters. Their safety matters. Everyoneâs safety matters.
Before you share private content, flirt, talk intimately, send photos, or plan to meet someone, please, verify who youâre talking to. ID check, social footprint, consistent video callsâŠanything that ensures youâre not being misled.
This isnât paranoia. Itâs protection. Tumblr desperately needs age verification, and until then: stay alert, stay safe, and NEVER feel bad for asking for proof! If someone makes you feel weird about prioritizing your safety, thatâs a red flag.
Spread awareness. Protect each other. This matters more than people realise.
I'd really appreciate a separate serie and frieren x male reader flufg fic. I don't really have anything specific in mind do as you please^_^
Serie and Frieren x male reader
Tags: crushes, fluff, ambiguous ending, mortal reader, late night confessions, secret crushes, reader decides the ending
The two elves had always prided themselves on being untouchable. Serie, sharp-eyed and refined, carried herself like the very concept of perfection in elven form. Frieren, on the other hand, walked through centuries with a quiet dignity that made most mortals quiver under her gaze. Between their magical prowess and their centuries of experience, they had long ago accepted that no blade, spell, or clever scheme could ever reach them.
And yet, there you were.
You hadnât come into their lives with thunder or fire. No dazzling display of power, no mighty oath to prove your worth. You slipped into their world quietly, the way dawn sneaks into the sky, soft and unnoticed until the light is already everywhere. You made them laugh when they werenât supposed to. You stood in the little silences theyâd grown used to filling with wards and study, and instead of being crushed by the weight of their presence, you smiled at them like they were simply⊠people.
Serie kept her feelings carefully hidden, as if they were a state secret. Every glance she let linger on you, every twitch of her lips threatening to curl into a smile, she buried it under layers of arrogance and control. After all, what would it mean if the most accomplished elf in generations admitted that her weakness was not a spell she hadnât yet mastered, but a mortal boy who looked at her with unassuming eyes?
Frieren, meanwhile, was softer in her silence. She wasnât blind to her own heart, but she had no idea how to act on it. She had lived long enough to know what attachments cost, and she feared the ache of losing more than any battle. And so, she too held her tongue, keeping her affection tucked behind long gazes and small, awkward gestures, an extra portion of food offered when she thought you werenât looking, or a subtle protective spell woven around you when the group traveled.
Neither knew the otherâs secret. When Serie caught Frierenâs eyes following you across the clearing, she assumed it was her fellow elf being cautious, protective of a fragile mortal. And when Frieren noticed Serieâs voice soften when she addressed you, Frieren told herself she must be imagining it, Serie didnât soften for anyone.
But both of them knew one thing: you were different. Somehow, without trying, you had slipped past their centuries-hardened walls, their carefully crafted defenses. And now, two elves who could face down armies without blinking found themselves undone by the curve of your smile and the warmth of your hand brushing theirs.
The secret weighed heavily on them, month after month. Their hearts beat too loud in their ears whenever you drew near. Their words caught in their throats, stuck between confession and restraint. And all the while, they each believed they were alone in this quiet, impossible longing, never realizing the otherâs heart was echoing the same ache.
At first, neither of them wanted to admit it aloud. Serie was too proud, the ancient and unrivaled high elf who had spent centuries honing her strength, building her reputation, and guarding her dignity like it was the rarest treasure. To admit that her heart fluttered because of a mortal boy, because of you, felt beneath her⊠yet she couldnât deny the warmth in her chest whenever you smiled or the way her ears twitched when your voice cut through the silence of the training grounds.
Frieren, by contrast, was quieter about it. She had lived lifetimes, watched friends and lovers fade away like smoke in the wind, and she had promised herself she wouldnât let another attachment grow too deep. But with you, no matter how she tried to push the thought aside, she always found her eyes drifting toward you during practice, lingering on your stance, the way you pushed yourself to exhaustion even though you were human and so much more fragile than either of them. Something about your determination, your refusal to be small in a world filled with gods and monsters, snuck under her defenses.
It was almost inevitable that the two of them discovered each otherâs secret.
It started with stolen glances. Serie had taken to standing at the edge of the training field, pretending she was merely there to "evaluate your progress," though the softness in her gaze betrayed her. One evening, Frieren arrived earlier than usual and caught Serieâs eyes following your every movement. There was no mistaking it.
Frieren, normally so reserved, simply tilted her head and said, âYou admire him too, donât you?â
Serie froze. A thousand retorts came to mind, every sharp, prideful word she could use to deny it. But then she saw the knowing look in Frierenâs eyes, the quiet acceptance there, and she knew there was no use. Slowly, almost begrudgingly, she exhaled and replied, ââŠPerhaps.â
After that, the dam broke little by little. In stolen moments of conversation, they confessed what drew them in, how you carried yourself despite your mortality, how you dared to spar with beings centuries older than you, how you didnât fear them the way others did.
What surprised them both was the comfort they found in sharing. Instead of rivalry, there was a strange camaraderie in it, as though confessing their admiration for you lessened the weight of it. Soon, it became almost routine: training ended, and the two elves would linger together, speaking in hushed tones as they watched you wipe the sweat from your brow.
Sometimes, they even laughed quietly when you fumbled a move or pushed yourself too hard, whispering about how endearing it was that you never gave up.
Other times, their silence stretched on, neither needing words as they simply⊠observed you.
And though they didnât know how or when to tell you, one thing was certain, both Serie and Frieren, two of the strongest elves to ever walk the earth, found themselves utterly disarmed by you.
The night was still and hushed, campfires smoldering low across the field as the others had long since retreated to their tents. You were lying back against your bedroll, staring up at the night sky, tracing constellations in silence, when you heard the soft crunch of footsteps approaching. Two familiar presences lingered just outside the circle of firelight, their long shadows cast against the ground.
Frieren was the first to step closer, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her robe. Her golden eyes avoided yours, though you could tell she was working up the nerve to speak. Beside her, Serie stood straighter, almost regal in her usual composure, though the faint tension in her jaw betrayed her unease.
âCould we⊠talk to you?â Frieren asked softly, her voice almost lost beneath the whisper of the wind.
You sat up, brushing stray grass from your tunic. âOf course. Is something wrong?â
Serie shook her head, though she took a moment before answering, her piercing gaze briefly meeting yours. âNot wrong,â she said carefully. âBut important.â
They exchanged a glance, one of those wordless conversations only two who had known each other for centuries could share. Frieren hesitated, then knelt across from you, her cheeks tinged with pink.
âFor a long time now,â she began, âIâve admired you. More than admired, youâve⊠youâve managed to reach me in ways no spell, no battle, no century of existence ever has. Youâve slipped past every wall Iâve built.â Her hands curled into her lap as she admitted it, and when she finally looked up, her gaze was trembling but steady. âI love you.â
Your heart stuttered in your chest. Before you could even respond, Serie spoke, her tone smooth but tinged with a vulnerability you had never once heard from her.
âAnd so do I,â she said, her voice quieter than usual. âYouâve disarmed me completely, in ways I thought impossible. And when I discovered that Frieren felt the same⊠I expected resentment, or bitterness.â She paused, her expression softening as she turned toward Frieren. âBut instead, I found comfort. Understanding. Perhaps even⊠relief.â
Frieren nodded faintly, glancing back at you, her lips curving in the smallest of smiles. âWe donât want to fight over you,â she admitted. âThat would only hurt all of us. Instead⊠we realized thereâs another way. If youâll have us.â
Serie finally took a step closer, her usual commanding aura fading into something warmer, more intimate. She extended her hand toward you, her voice steady but gentle.
âWe want to be with you. Together. Both of us.â
The words hung in the quiet night, heavy and sincere, as both elves waited, two immortals, powerful beyond measure, yet suddenly fragile in the way only love could make them.