Numbers and aggressive procrastination

25, Master student. European. Trying to be a woman in STEM, but I'm actually a raccoon. Original content at tag #quatposts

[quaternioninaskirt]

Back to the library with some time resolved spectroscopy and thesis work!

My university's main building has some kinda creepy vibe, but I can't say I dislike it.

I'm so close to my goals, I'm panicking but excited at the same time, all day long: I've got the last curricular exam on Thursday, then my new job at the lab will officially start, then a meeting with my supervisor (in which I plan to ask him if there's some PhD place available) and then another exam I'm just doing to raise my average grade. All in 2 weeks.

[quaternioninaskirt]

Oook, it's been a long while since my last post, and my life has been pretty hectic so far.

I will probably only reply to the prompts I like the most, otherwise it will get way too long and I have to go back to my thesis.

Plus, my former boss asked me to write my own recommendation letter for myself and I really don't know how to even start.

24th August - What three things would you take to your desert island?

The furry, cow-speckled lady in the main picture, pen and paper

25th August - Imagine that you could fill a swimming pool with anything except water and swim in it. What would your pool be filled with?

Ok, this is so interesting and I love this sort of questions.

Right now I'd say puppies, but might be just because I'm far away from my partner and I'm affection starved

26th August - Would you rather surf the waves or read a book?

Both, in different moments: spend the morning surfing, and then relax with a book

27th August - What’s happening once this summer is over? Returning to school or uni? Starting something new?

Discussing my thesis, my last exam, and hopefully starting my new job as a research assistant at the uni, and then PhD

[quaternioninaskirt]

Now I'm temporarily free: I'm going to rest a bit and work on my thesis.

Sometimes "self care" means waking up early and doing what you need to do to achieve your goals.

29th July - What colour do you associate with summer?

Mostly bright, vibrant colors

30th July - What would be your perfect summer day?

Waking up early, going for a run and then at the beach, and going out with my friends in the evening

31st July - Would you rather spend the day at the beach or at the swimming pool?

At the beach, no doubt!

1st August - What do you do when you go to the beach?

Mostly read, walk and swim

2nd August - What do you like most about the beach?

Honestly? Swimming in the sea

3rd August - What is your least favourite thing about the beach?

Screaming children

4th August - What is your song of the summer this year?

"Basso e batteria" by Baustelle

5th August - What is your ultimate summertime song?

Idk, depends on the year

6th August - What is your favourite summertime movie?

I don't like watching movies in the summer

7th August - Do you read a lot in the summer?

I really read a lot, even though not as much as I used to when I was a child with no responsibilities whatsoever

8th August - What book are you currently reading?

"Chaos" by J. Gleick and "What we cannot know" by M. du Sautoy

9th August - What is your favourite summer ‘beach read’ book?

Of all times? Has to be the Foundation and Robot cycles by Asimov

[quaternioninaskirt]

“Simulating the behavior of 100 billion neurons of human brain is not feasible by classical computer but quantum machine learning promises…

[quaternioninaskirt]

That magic moment when you go take an exam and come back with (maybe) a job.

I'm absolutely in love with quantum computing.

(Printable by @emmastudies )

24th July - Would you prefer your summer to be shorter or longer?

Way longer!

25th July - Daytime or nighttime – what’s your favourite time during summer?

Daytime, even though when I'm in Italy I absolutely love the nights out with my friends

26th July - Do your sleeping habits change during summer?

Kinda, mostly because I don't have lectures, so I don't have to wake up too early, but my sleeping patterns are fucked up anyway

27th July - Do your eating habits change during summer?

I cook way less (for obvious reasons), eating more salads and cold dishes

28th July - When you hear the word ‘summer’, what is the first thing that you think of?

Honestly? Italy: I rarely miss it as much as in summer

[quaternioninaskirt]

My life is a huge mess, but at least it's interesting: I was able to get the grade bonus for an exam, did my German test, the code for my thesis now works, and on Monday I've got my first "real" exam (and I really want it to go well because I love the subject).

13th July - What is your dream vacation?

Top of my head, I'd say visiting different places

14th July - Would you rather stay in one resort for a month or travel across the country for one month?

Travel across the country, absolutely!

15th July - Are there any special events for you in the summer? (for example, birthdays, festivals, etc.)

My mom and my best friend's birthdays

16th July - Do you have any summer traditions?

Does "doing a lot of sport" count?

17th July - What is your typical daily routine in the summer?

Lol I don't have one, it really depends on where I am and what I have to do

18th July - How do you stay motivated during the summer? (for example, to study)

Well, motivation is a huge issue for me, so I try to rely on self discipline instead

19th July - Do you stay indoors or outdoors more in the summer?

Ideally outdoors, but if I have to study a lot/the weather sucks then indoors

20th July - Are you a ‘summer person’?

I certainly am, it's my favorite season!

21st July - What is an unpopular opinion that you have about summer?

"I love the 40°C weather" (My partner says I'm Satan in person for this)

22nd July - What does summer feel like where you live?

In Germany it's not "real summer" for me: I grew up in Italy, so we usually got very warm and long and sunny summers, which I still have to see here

23rd July - Would you prefer summer to be hotter or colder than it usually is for you?

Definitely hotter, but mostly sunnier

[quaternioninaskirt]

The last few days were extremely hectic, so I couldn't really update.

I also blocked Tumblr and all the other social media on my phone from 00:00 to 22:00, because I really don't want any excuse to procrastinate.

Let's go on with the challenge:

6th July - What do you usually do during the summer? Is anything different this year? 

Well, I usually go on a trip with my parents and at my grandma’s: I hope this year won’t be different, even though I will have a lot to do with my Master thesis and (of course) less things will be possible due to corona.

 7th July - What did you do during the summer when you were a young child?

My summers usually consisted on three parts: the first, summer school (it’s fairly common in Italy, “estate ragazzi”), some sort of “day camping” in which children do some sport, play together and do their homeworks. Then I always went at my grandparents’ for a couple of weeks (my favorite part of my childhood summers) and then at the seaside with my parents.

 8th July - What’s your happiest summer memory from your childhood? 

Surely the weeks at my grandparents’, with all of my cousins

 9th July - Do you usually go on vacation during the summer? 

Usually I go on a small trip with my parents

 10th July - What is the best vacation you have ever been on? (note: doesn’t have to be a summer vacation) 

My first real solo trip: I went to Denmark, Sweden and Norway, traveling by train and sleeping wherever I found place. It was really an amazing vacation.

 11th July - What is your favourite vacation memory? 

A road trip with two of my best friends, right after we graduated high school.

 12th July - What is the worst vacation you have ever been on?

School trip with my abusive ex: yikes.

Bonus pictures: the huge stack of Spectroscopy notes (pen for scale) and the notebooks of the last 6 years

[briellestudies]

yooo how do u email a prof for a recommendation letter?

Hi Professor!

I am in the process of applying to ____ and they require letters of rec. I sincerely enjoyed your classes, and felt that they gave me a particularly good chance to display my strengths, such as ____ [class participation, writing, etc.] and would love for you to write me a letter, if you’d be willing. The due date is ____, and I can send you further instructions for submission later if you accept.

Attached to this email is ____, the piece of work I did in your class which best showcases my abilities, as well as my current CV [or resume]. If you agree to write me a letter, soon I will also send you drafts of my ____ [statement of purpose, personal statement, application essays, other relevant material] for my application to aid in your writing. I am also happy to meet in person to discuss this with you.

I want to stress that this application is quite competitive, so if you feel you will not be able to write me a strong letter then I completely understand - but please let me know. Thank you so much for your time!

Sincerely, ____

—

a few notes:

- you should have all your relevant materials (app essays, etc.) sent to them *at least* a month in advance to give them ample time to write the letter

- thus, your initial email asking them if they’d be willing to write a letter for you should be sent *over* a month in advance. professors are busy

- if you are applying for a really prestigious position/scholarship/fellowship, or grad school, it’s best to have at least a majority of your letter writers be professors (rather than adjuncts or post docs). ideally you’d want them to be full/tenured professors. in lots of cases, especially academic ones, *who* writes your letter matters - not just *what’s in* your letter

- the reason you send them the piece of work you did in their class that you are most proud of is to remind them of your abilities as a student and the quality of the work you produced for them. they have lots of students. sometimes they need a bit of help jogging their memory of exactly what you did in their class.

- the reason you send them your other application materials (personal statement, statement of purpose, CV) is so that they have information to draw from when writing your letter. they know what you’re passionate about, what you hope to do in the future, other experience you have, and can use this information when writing your letter

- on a similar note, this is also why you’d want to list the strengths you displayed in their class

- basically, you want to give them as much information as you can about your strengths, goals, and intentions - give them prompts they can use to write your letter

- the bit at the end about asking for a “strong letter” is important because some professors can only write you mediocre letters (e.g. “this student was always on time to class and gave their undivided attention during lecture” - what does this tell admission committees? well, it tells them that the professor has nothing positive to say about your *academic* abilities and so they’re resorting to other strengths. it’s a polite way of saying “this student was okay, but not spectacular in any notable way”. big red flag for admissions committees.) if all you’re going to get is a mediocre letter, you might as well not get a letter at all

- if the professor you ask accepts, then be sure to send them polite reminders as the date approaches. (i usually send a reminder at the 1-month-till-due-date mark when i send the other application materials, and then again at the 2 week and 1 week marks, and, if necessary, every day after the final 3 days leading up to the due date

—

i know this was a lot, but i remember being in your shoes and being completely lost when it came to applying for stuff so i know how daunting it can be. i figured i’d just throw all this information at you to be of as much help as possible.

for reference, i’ve applied to graduate programs, fellowships, and scholarships. i have been accepted into several of the top 10 graduate programs in my area, as well as received multiple scholarships and a fellowship, and received honorable mentions for some of the most competitive fellowships in the US. i have also worked with the admissions committee at my graduate program to organize multiple informational events for those interested in applying to graduate school and, in the process, have learned a lot about what makes a strong application.

so while you should absolutely take my advice with a grain of salt (different circumstances call for different standards), i do have quite a bit of experience with applications and what makes a strong letter of rec.

i hope this helped! best of luck with whatever you’re applying for :)

[quaternioninaskirt]

I already started doing my colorful schemes and bought a lot of frozen fruit: must be why my partner says I'm a toddler with a university degree.

04/07: the most important task I need to complete

Lmao my exams

05/07: something special planned for this summer

My best friend will come over for a few days, then we'll go back to Italy together, and I also hope I will go on a trip with my partner

[quaternioninaskirt]

Let's start this challenge!

01/07: my plans for this summer

For now I'd say pass the last exams and write my thesis, and of course travel and enjoy the summer

02/07: my goals

My main goal is to pass the last exams with very good grades, and finish the research part of my thesis

03/07: do I have many things to do for university?

Oh boy, where do I start

I won't be able to update every day, so I think I'll always post every two-three days, but I'm going to use this challenge to keep my sanity during the (hopefully) last pandemic summer

[quaternioninaskirt]

Working on my thesis at the university, with the statue of Ohm in the background, side eyeing me.

I like the topic, but the source code does a great job in making me feel like an idiot.

I really want to give concrete contribution to my supervisor's research.

The last exams are getting way too close.

[myhoneststudyblr]

It’s here y’all!!! The 2021 Summer Studying Challenge! 

I’ve literally been planning on doing this since my last summer challenge so i’m so happy to finally have it out in the world and i can’t wait to see what everyone posts and discover some amazing new studyblrs! i am genuinely so excited to get back to posting consistently and finally having the time to engage with you all after my exams so please get involved and give it ago! 

so without further ado, here’s all you need to know:

✨Info ✨

If you do the challenge, use the tag #summer studying challenge so i (and others) can see your posts

I will try to reblog as many posts in the tag as possible (and it doesn’t matter if you think they aren’t ‘aesthetic’ cause i will reblog them!)

This challenge will run for two months - from the 1st July to the 31st August

There are daily prompts for every day of July and August 

But, as always, I don’t expect everyone to be able to post every day so you can always do catch-up posts or answer the prompts in batches

Likewise, you don’t have to post for the entire period - it is completely up to you but i will be posting for the entire two months 

If you have any questions, feel free to send me an ask!

✨Rules ✨

If you want to do the challenge, please reblog this post

If you do it on any other social media platform (ie. Instagram), please give credit. My Instagram is also @/myhoneststudyblr

The challenge will officially start on the 1st July, but if you come across this later, you can definitely start anytime during these two months!

✨ Prompts ✨

1st July - What are your plans for this summer?

2nd July - Do you have a specific goal for this summer?

3rd July - Do you have a lot of work to do for school, university or your job this summer?

4th July - What is the most important task that you need to complete this summer? 

5th July -  Do you have any special plans or activities for this summer?

6th July - What do you usually do during the summer? Is anything different this year?

7th July - What did you do during the summer when you were a young child?

8th July - What’s your happiest summer memory from your childhood?

9th July - Do you usually go on vacation during the summer?

10th July - What is the best vacation you have ever been on? (note: doesn’t have to be a summer vacation)

11th July - What is your favourite vacation memory?

12th July - What is the worst vacation you have ever been on?

13th July - What is your dream vacation?

14th July - Would you rather stay in one resort for a month or travel across the country for one month? 

15th July - Are there any special events for you in the summer? (for example, birthdays, festivals, etc.)

16th July - Do you have any summer traditions?

17th July - What is your typical daily routine in the summer?

18th July -  How do you stay motivated during the summer? (for example, to study)

19th July - Do you stay indoors or outdoors more in the summer?

20th July - Are you a ‘summer person’?

21st July - What is an unpopular opinion that you have about summer?

22nd July - What does summer feel like where you live?

23rd July - Would you prefer summer to be hotter or colder than it usually is for you?

24th July - Would you prefer your summer to be shorter or longer?

25th July - Daytime or nighttime – what’s your favourite time during summer?

26th July - Do your sleeping habits change during summer?

27th July - Do your eating habits change during summer?

28th July - When you hear the word ‘summer’, what is the first thing that you think of?

29th July - What colour do you associate with summer?

30th July - What would be your perfect summer day?

31st July - Would you rather spend the day at the beach or at the swimming pool?

1st August - What do you do when you go to the beach?

2nd August - What do you like most about the beach?

3rd August - What is your least favourite thing about the beach?

4th August - What is your song of the summer this year?

5th August - What is your ultimate summertime song?

6th August - What is your favourite summertime movie?

7th August - Do you read a lot in the summer?

8th August - What book are you currently reading?

9th August - What is your favourite summer ‘beach read’ book?

10th August - What TV show are you currently watching?

11th August - What was the last movie you watched?

12th August - What is your favourite summertime snack?

13th August - What is your favourite seasonal fruit to eat during the summer?

14th August - What is your favourite meal to have on the beach?

15th August - What is your favourite ice cream flavour?

16th August - What is the weirdest ice cream flavour that you’ve ever seen (and maybe even tasted?

17th August - If you could make up a new ice cream flavour, what ingredients would you use? What would you call it?  

18th August -  What is your favourite summer drink?

19th August - What is your go-to summer outfit?

20th August - Do you like wearing sunglasses?

21st August - Sandals or flip flops? 

22nd August - Do you wear sunscreen?

23rd August - Have you ever been really badly sunburnt? 

24th August - What three things would you take to your desert island? 

25th August - Imagine that you could fill a swimming pool with anything except water and swim in it. What would your pool be filled with?

26th August - Would you rather surf the waves or read a book?

27th August - What’s happening once this summer is over? Returning to school or uni? Starting something new? 

28th August - Have you managed to complete your main task and goal for the summer?

29th August - When you remember this summer, what three adjectives will define it?

30th August - What did you learn over the summer? (note: this doesn’t have to be academic-related)

31st August - What was your favourite memory from this summer?

✨ So this is the challenge! I hope that you will join in and enjoy doing it during the summer! Please message me or send me an ask if you have any questions about it or just want to have a chat <3 ✨

[Taglist under the cut:]

Keep reading

[quaternioninaskirt]

Days 98-100/100 (and honest update):

So, first the unsavoury update: my health (both mental and physical) has been severely declining in the last couple of months, for several reasons.

I decided to take a break from social media because of this, that's why the hiatus.

Now I started taking new medication and I finally got vaccinated, so I hope things will improve soon enough. My doctor also thinks I'm on the spectrum, and while finding it out at 25 is not particularly helpful, it gives me something to work with.

And, regarding my studies:

Things are slowly going back to normal, I'm trying to regain control of my academic life. Now I'm doing my assignment for Advanced Optical Spectroscopy of Semiconductor Nanomaterials, working on my thesis (I have a few technical issues I'm trying to solve with the help of my supervisor) and I started meeting again with the usual friend to study together.

[redlitmusbluelitmus]

<transcript below>

Okumaya devam et

[quaternioninaskirt]

Day 97/100:

Some graph theory at the university: I focus way more when I'm there than at home, so I'm trying to stop being lazy and go there more often.

My thesis supervisor suggested a couple seminars I could attend, so I hope he will sign me up for them. Now I'm just learning Julia in order to be able to use his and his team's source code to perform my simulations: I just need the data of the plasma experiment they did, and then I can officially start.

One month left at my current job: I want to leave them a positive idea of me, so I'm doing my best to work my ass off. Then I'll look for something at the university.

I think I know what drains all my motivation: it's mostly the lack of work life balance, I barely do anything for my own pleasure nowadays.

Bonus pictures: the two cute little pots my partner got for me, and our day trip to Regensburg.

[quaternioninaskirt]

Day 96/100:

The semester started, and I have way too many courses to follow (plus work and my master thesis).

I have to say I'm weirdly motivated: I like summer semesters, and it looks like it finally stopped snowing.

This semester I want to:

Reach a full B2 level of German (yes, including speaking)

Pass all my exams

Raise my average grade

Write my master thesis

Find a job at the university

Find a PhD position

Become a healthier person, both physically and mentally

[quaternioninaskirt]

I think I'm gonna start learning Dutch: any suggestions for someone who's terrible at Germanic languages but who would like to learn her partner's language?