Muggerene

Study | Stan | Sleep

[study-like-you-mean-it]

50 Things that Top Students Do

Listen to everything they’re taught, not just hearing

Take notes

Listen to opinions they don’t like

Be open to having their minds changed

Don’t listen to music with words when studying

Practise

Commit

Keep a regimen of self-discipline even in the face of a lack of motivation

Take breaks

Sleep regularly and more than expected

Work very hard during the day

Exercise

Plan in advance

Get small tasks done when there isn’t time to do bigger ones

Engage

Take failures as a learning curve

Think positively

Do their best work at the start of the year so they get more slack later

Talk to those who teach them

Debate

Do a little every day instead of all at once

Ask for help

Help others

Drink water

Work hard but work smart

Know what study setup is their most productive

Hold themselves accountable

Figure out which work is a priority

Don’t waste time re-reading as a form of studying

Find out things they don’t understand

Test themselves frequently

Work backwards through things to understand why something works

Learn more than they need

Have more interests and hobbies than just academics

Find out the most important concepts in a course

Learn the most important 20% of the course to get 80% of the grade

Don’t complain

Tailor their courses to focus on what interests them the most

Play hard after working hard

Read in advance

Know how to say no but don’t say no unless they have to

Take every opportunity they can

Eat well

Defend their personal beliefs

Don’t use other people’s successes/failures as an excuse for anything they do

Don’t let studying become the main part of their life

Understand that everything is temporary

Set goals, short- and long-term

Put their phones away/on silent when studying

Don’t expect any results immediately

[jpn-langblr]

During the past 3 years at university, I’ve had to read a bunch of articles, a lot of which used some… creative… words, that I, in my ESL-ness, had some trouble making sense of. So here are the best of the worst weird English words I’ve run into in academic articles.

abstruse (adj) - difficult to understand; obscure (you don’t say)

apocrypha (n) - biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of Scripture; writings or reports not considered genuine

axiomatic (adj) - self-evident (clearly not)

biunivocal (adj) - beneficial to both sides (bi+uni????? why)

cogency (n) - the quality of being clear, logical, and convincing; lucidity

cogitation (n) - the action of thinking deeply about something; contemplation

delphic (adj) - deliberately obscure or ambiguous (again, why would u)

doldrum (n) - a state or period of stagnation or depression

dyadic (adj) - interactions between 2 people, the smallest possible group

effervescence (n) - vivacity; enthusiasm

elegiac (adj) - relating to or characteristic of an elegy (gotta love when the def of a word requires you to look up another word)

endogeneity (n) - a fancy word for a simple problem (WHY)

enfeoff (v) - (under the feudal system) give (someone) freehold property or land in exchange for their pledged service

eschatological (adj) - relating to death, judgement, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind

explicate (v) - analyse and develop (an idea or principle) in detail

expound (v) - present and explain (a theory or idea) in detail (so just write… ‘explain’………..)

homeomorphic (adj) - apparently a math/physics term. i have only been reading humanities stuff. i hate this

iconoclastic (adj) - criticizing or attacking cherished beliefs or institutions

impingement (n?) - to make an impression; have an effect or impact

intersubjectivity (adj) - shared by more than one conscious mind

mellifluously (adv) - pleasingly smooth and musical to hear

mendacious (adj) - not telling the truth; lying (mm oh my god stop fuckin being mendacious)

moratorium (n) - a temporary prohibition of an activity

occlude (v) -  stop, close up, or obstruct (an opening, orifice, or passage)

octogenarian (n) - a person who is between 80 and 89 years old (so specific)

paucity (adj) - the presence of something in only small or insufficient quantities or amounts

pejorative (adj) - expressing contempt or disapproval

perennial (adj) - enduring or continually recurring

putative (adj) - generally considered or reputed to be (just use SUPPOSED JFC)

ratiocination (n) - the process of exact thinking; a reasoned train of thought

solipsism (n) - the view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist

uxorilocal (adj) - located at or centered around the residence of the wife’s family or people

quiddity (n) - a distinctive feature; a peculiarity

veridic (adj) - corresponding to facts; not illusory

In conclusion: most published academics care less about their stuff being accessible than sounding Very Smart

[studyquill]

To Do Lists

to do lists by @apricot-studies​ let’s do this! by @thearialligraphyproject​ assignment tracker by @thearialligraphyproject​ hand drawn to do list printable by @setldwn​ to do lists by @studeying​ unresolved matter by @boligraff​ brain dump by emily ley to do lists by me 

Daily

daily planner v2 by @boligraff​ daily planner by @arystudies​ daily planner + today’s meals by @studyvet​ the simplified planner by emily ley daily schedule by buttoned up daily planning page by day designer

Weekly

weekly planner by @cofene​ one step at a time by @vestiblr​ weekly planner by @theorganisedstudent​ weekly planner by @arystudies

Monthly 

calendar series by @thearialligraphyproject 2016 calendars by @annistudio​

Studying

definitions of terms by @thearialligraphyproject​ exam study pack by @ennui-for-me​ formula sheet by @studyvet​ polyglot starter pack by @ennui-for-me​ overcoming the curve of forgetting by @studyingalpacas reading academic articles by @ennui-for-me

Trackers

productivity tracker by @hexaneandheels habit tracker by @studyvet goal getter by @theorganisedstudent monthly spending by buttoned up

Other

class information printable by me (shameless plug) 2016 calendar by emily ley meal planner by elegance and enchantment chore schedule by me (another plug)

[storm-lesbian]

These are some of the study habits and tips I have learnt / found most helpful in years 7-10. It’s mostly aimed at students in years 9-12, but can be applied to older and younger students too. Hope you find this helpful (:

1. Find a homework organisation system that works for you. Some schools (my school) may try to push particular methods on you, but ultimately you should use what is best for you personally. You can use a traditional organiser like a planner or homework app, or get more creative with something like a bullet journal system. I myself use a site called Trello, which although not designed for homework management works very well for it. Within a ‘board’, you can have seperate lists for homework that is overdue, due tomorrow, due soon, due in a long time, and done. Tasks can be moved between these lists as their status changes, and each task can be colour coded by subject and have a due date and checklist of subtasks / checkpoints. I find the system works extremely well. And remember, you can always use more than one system.

2. Keep a list of skills / concepts that you have trouble with, and use it as reference for getting help at the start of each class. This way you won’t forget something that needs clearing up, and bits of information won’t be missing from your knowledge when exam time approaches.

3. You need to know vocab, so get in to the habit of making flashcards. Even if you understand the concepts behind a topic, you will not do well in an exam if you can’t communicate your knowledge through accurate, subject-specific terms. This is important for all subjects, but especially those with a lot of complex definitions such as biology. 

4. I know you’ve heard this before, but please don’t leave your work to the last minute. I know it is hard not to procrastinate, but I’ve been using a technique this year that has made it so much easier for me. The idea is that rather than assigning a list of tasks that need to get done in the day and then stopping once they are complete (and leaving non-essential tasks for later), assign each day a particular length of time that you will study for. Work out approximately how long you need each night for homework + extra study and revision, and then adjust based on which days you have other responsibilities. Then, work until either the time runs out or you have no work left set (even if its not due for weeks, it still counts as set). If you don’t complete everything in time then keep going until all essential tasks (those due the next day) are done, and if you finish early use the remaining time for extra study and revision. I’ve found this technique to be all around beneficial - I don’t procrastinate much at all, I never have to rush on tasks because I left them to the last minute, I am way less stressed, and I’ve also improved how I manage the time I spend on homework.

5. Revise consistently, not just in preparation for tests and exams. If you do so, you’ll have learnt all the basic vocabulary and concepts by exam time, and you can focus your time right before exams on deepening your understanding and completing practice questions. I’ll do a detailed post on how I schedule my revision sometime, but basically I make concept summary cards and vocabulary cards at the end of every week (for my maths and science subjects), and I begin other revision (practice tests, concept maps, etc) halfway to each test (eg. in week 5 for a test at the end of a 10 week unit, or at the end of term one for a unit that runs for a semester). I do this for both small unit tests and end of semester / year exams.

6. When it comes to test time, reinforce conceptual understanding through videos. It’s like you’re being taught the concept all over again, but in a summarised manner so you can work on remembering the key points. Also, things are often easier to understand when presented visually. You can also use this technique when you are struggling to understand a concept. Some great YouTube playlists for revising concepts are:

maths

chemistry

biology

physics + 2 + 3

sociology

philosophy + 2 + 3

literature

world history

us history

us government and politics

world politics

economics

astronomy

psychology

earth sciences

anatomy and physiology 

various

7. Studying with friends is fun, but don’t let yourself get distracted. If you are going to study with someone else, use them to help explain things and bounce ideas off, rather than as a distraction. Set an amount of time you are going to dedicate to study, then afterwards you can do something fun together.

8. Learn the subject so you could teach it to someone else. By doing so you ensure you have a complete and thorough understanding of the topic, without any gaps in your knowledge. Try teaching the content to a friend or sibling, or creating a mini-guide / lesson plan as if you are a teacher preparing to deliver the subject. Make sure you can elaborate on any questions someone may ask you on the topic.

9. Don’t study as soon as you get home from school, but don’t leave it too late either. Take a break when you get home to have a snack, check social media / emails, and maybe practice a musical instrument or do something artsy. Start your homework so you can complete 2/3 to ¾ of it before dinner, and then finish the rest afterwards. At least an hour before bedtime, stop studying and instead watch tv, read, or do something creative. This way you get plenty of sleep and don’t have to study for too long at once.

10. Work on applying theories to real-life examples and problems. This is another way to ensure you have a full understanding of all concepts and vocabulary. Your textbook should have plenty of application problems, or you could try writing a research essay or lab report to demonstrate your understanding. If you’re good at applying concepts to a variety of problems, it will make short and extended response questions in an exam so much easier.

Hope this was helpful (:

[sweetlystudy-blog]

Hey guys! These are 7 (technically 8) tips on how to get straight A’s! I’m sorry for the mistakes — ONE: the tip “Some Study Methods” should actually be number 7, not number 1 hehe. TWO: in tip number 6, “Doing your homework”, it says ‘always remember tip number 6!’ what I mean is *always remember tip number 5!* STUDYBLRS — reblog this for a possible follow hehe (see tip 3). Anyway this whole thing took me HOURS. Hopefully it helps someone! ily all & good luck!

[muggerene]

Just a little motivation for all to get our desired results!!