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@scholair
Iām literally obsessed with my new desk- I got it secondhand and the buildersā label marks it as having been built in may of 1944, only a 30 minute drive from my house. The former owners said they think it was build for a womensā college in my city!
Also peep my cat being a flooff
Unlearning How White People Ask Personal Questions
http://www.samefacts.com/2014/05/culture-and-civil-society/unlearning-how-white-people-ask-personal-questions/
Holy shit. I have ALWAYS thought the people around me were being unconscionably intrusive and power-playing in their starter conversations and they told me I was antisocial and oblivious to culture norms. Turns out, maybe Iām just from a different culture.
****new link****
by Keith Humphreys - May 5, 2014 Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
When I met my fianceās African-American stepfather, things did not start well. Stumbling for some way to start a conversation with a man whose life was unlike mine in almost every respect, I asked āSo, what do you do for a living?ā.
He looked down at his shoes and said quietly āWell, Iām unemployedā.
At the time I cringed inwardly and recognized that I had committed a terrible social gaffe which seemed to scream āHey prospective in-law, since I am probably going to be a member of your family real soon, I thought I would let you know up front that I am a completely insensitive jackassā. But I felt even worse years later when I came to appreciate the racial dimension of how I had humiliated my stepfather-in-law to be.
For that painful but necessary bit of knowledge I owe a white friend who throughout her childhood attended Chicago schools in a majority Black district. She passed along a marvelous book that helped her make sense of her own inter-racial experiences. It was Kochmanās Black and White Styles in Conflict, and it had a lasting effect on me. One of the many things I learned from this anthropological treasure trove of a book is how race affects the personal questions we feel entitled to ask and the answers we receive in response.
My question to my stepfather was at the level of content a simple conversation starter (albeit a completely failed one). But at the level of process, it was an expression of power. Kochmanās book sensitized me to middle class whitesā tendency to ask personal questions without first considering whether they have a right to know the personal details of someone elseās life. When we ask someone what they do for a living for example, we are also asking for at least partial information on their income, their status in the class hierarchy and their perceived importance in the world. Unbidden, that question can be quite an invasion. The presumption that one is entitled to such information is rarely made explicit, but that doesnāt prevent it from forcing other people to make a painful choice: Disclose something they want to keep secret or flatly refuse to answer (which oddly enough usually makes them, rather than the questioner, look rude).
Kochmanās book taught me a new word, which describes an indirect conversational technique he studied in urban Black communities: āsignifyingā. He gives the example (as I recall it, 25 years on) of a marriage-minded black woman who is dating a man who pays for everything on their very nice dates. She wonders if he has a good job. But instead of grilling him with āSo what do you do for a living?ā, she signifies āWhatever oil well you own, I hope it keeps pumping!ā.
Her signifying in this way is a sensitive, respectful method to raise the issue she wants to know about because unlike my entitled direct question it keeps the control under the person whose personal information is of interest. Her comment could be reasonably responded to by her date as a funny joke, a bit of flirtation, or a wish for good luck. But of course it also shows that if the man freely chooses to reveal something like āThings look good for me financially: Iām a certified public accountant at a big, stable firmā, he can do so and know she will be interested.
Since reading Kochmanās book, I have never again directly asked anyone what they do for a living. Instead my line is āSo how do you spend your time?ā. Some people (particularly middle class white people) choose to answer that question in the bog standard way by describing their job. But other people choose to tell me about the compelling novel they are reading, what they enjoy about being a parent, the medical treatment they are getting for their bad back, whatever. Any of those answers flow just as smoothly from the signification in a way they wouldnāt from a direct question about their vocation.
From the perspective of ameliorating all the racial pain in the world, this change in my behavior is a grain of sand in the Sahara. But I pass this experience along nonetheless, for two reasons. First, very generally, if any of us human beings can easily engage in small kindnesses, we should. Second, specific to race, if those of us who have more power can learn to refrain from using it to harm people in any way ā major or minor ā we should do that too.
This is really useful stuff ā as someone whoās on disability and knows a ton of people in the same boat, āWhat do you do for a living?ā can be such a loaded question. āHow do you spend your time?ā is a much more compassionate thing to ask, because you can just enthuse about what youāre writing or how great your cats are or whatever.
OOhh boy, and here i though i should just stop telling people what i do for a living.Ā
Nobody asks that shit where i come from and i have been hit by that in almost every encounter with professionals.Ā
ive trying to consciously make studying enjoyable, but also rigorous and productive lately. started by downloading forest and tidying up my desk (a very good mix of art and law obvs). today is day one. hope everyone is staying safe.
Experiencing burnout in an area you love doesnāt mean you are no longer passionate about that thing, or are any less good at it. Itās often an indication that there are other parts of your life that need your care. A garden looks most beautiful when every flower is watered, and you deserve to nourish yourself in the same way. You will flourish again.
I love this weather so much. Iām studying for uni, knitting my sweater and enjoying the view. Itās a lovely day š
The @thestudyingapolloās guide to summarising dense and long subjects!!
Hello guys! Iām back to normal posting schedule with something that I had been asked before and that is: how can I turn my big ass dense pile of notes into effective little summaries? Well, brace yourselves because this is something that has saved my ass in more than one occasion, and Iām hoping it will help at least one of you too!!Ā
As you can see in the first picture, I was working on my pathology notes, which is one of the longest and most dense subject at my uni. I had to learn lots of structures, pathologies, test and names, and I was going crazy before I paired with one of my friends and the two of us turned that scary set of notes (seriously, 700 pages for one subject is no joke) into a manageable little pile of summaries, charts and diagrams! Here is the process we followed:Ā
First of all, we worked wit our original class notes. They were dense, so we tried to highlight, following a colour-coding system, the most relevant bits of information. And you may ask yourself: how do I know what is important and what not? Well, if there is one word or sentence that helps you remember the simplest concept youāre working with and construct all the details around it, thatās what you MUST highlight. Doing it like that, you can look at your notes and remember the core of the concept, and work on remembering the rest from that simple concept.Ā
This is no magic trick, you need to work in order for this process to work, but I assure you, it makes difficult ass subject with a lot of material much more manageable. So, donāt leave this for a week before your exam, you will die guys! Working on the notes from your class of that same weeks helps you in remembering what your professor stressed in class and you will identify the essential information much more easily! Of course, if you donāt understand something, look it up, ask your classmates and specially your professor, itās their work help you understand the material!!!
Doing little diagrams and drawings in your original note will help you in remembering stuff and you can skip all the little details while making your summaries, concentrating only in the important stuff. The basic concepts will help you answer lots of questions in the exam and understand the little details and bits of information much better!
Try to make these little summaries after you have studied each chapter. To keep your notes organised, pick a color for each section: for example, I used orange for the digestive system, pink for the cardiovascular system, yellow for the nervous system, green for the lymphatic organs, and so on. Using bold titles written or highlighted in different colours for each section will improve your memory! Also, using BOLD TITLES is essential, and will organise your memory in little boxes and sub-sections. That way, you will remember the information easily, it will be like opening a Matryoshka doll! Of course, number each section of every chapter. Organisation is the key to success! (look at image number 3)
If there is one central branch of information, use diagrams to organise your thoughts! (just like in image 4). If there is something that refers to that information but doesnāt fit in the structure of your diagram, simply use little sticky notes! Again, use little drawings!!!
If something is too complex or there is a section that has lots of information, try to condense it into a table like in image 5! For example, in the table that you see in image 5, I compared the characteristics of the different types of Lymphoma! I put the different points I need to know of each one, and that helped me in realising the points they had in common and their differences; by doing this, you can learn the info that is common for all of them just one time, and then use your energy in memorising the differences, which is what your profs will probably test you in!Ā
Something important you need to know is that you only need to write IMPORTANT information. Especially in college and university, professor tend to ramble a lot when theyāre teaching a class, and thatās why you canāt put absolutely everything in your summaries notes, because this is not a guide on re-writing your notes, this is a guide on how to understand and organise the most important information! The basics of your subject are what are going to give you the most chances to pass, extra details are going to give you extra points, but if you donāt know the basics, extra details are useless! Also, if you have to learn difficult structures, color your drawings (like in image 6), that way you can visualise its different parts when youāre sitting the exam!Ā
Use red or another bold color for essential info! Also, remember that you can fit a lot of info in a single sheet of paper, so try not to over do it! Too many colours can get overwhelming, and using a super duper small handwriting to fit everything in your notes is a waste of time. I know that the summaries in image 7Ā look super menacing, but believe me, my class notes were much, much worse. It doesnāt have to be super pretty or colourful, you can do extremely useful summaries with a blue or black byro and a couple of contrasting colours. You may think this is time consuming, but there was no way I could fit 700 pages of info in my head in top of three other subjects that were not much better! It also helped me make revision much more peaceful: when I looked at the massive pile of class notes I got nauseous even, but I could take my little set of summaries anywhere around the house and revise easily. Also, since I had already worked on all the info, revising was much easier, because I had already worked with my chapters and tried to understand them as best I could so my summaries and tables and charts made sense!!!Ā
So, this is the process I follow for super dense subjects, and it works wonders for me, but it may not work for you! I learn a lot of stuff by writing it down in a much simpler way than it was given to me, and it makes revision for me much easier because I already worked with that. I hope this helps some of you, and if you liked this little guide, Iām open to suggestions on different ones that you may find helpful!!!Ā
P.S: You can click on the images to see the little notes I made on them better!!
24.05.19 // 7am challenge: day two recap
A huge day today with a good mix of study and socialising and chill time. Highlights include a productive morning, an amazing soy latte, chilling with new friends and having a skin care night! Currently doing a face mask after my peel (Philosophy resurfacing peel) while watching Jess and Gabriel (again) and planning my day tomorrow. Iām going to catch up on some lectures and sleep soon so Iām bright and energetic for tomorrowās 7am! Iām definitely noticing Iām more productive and Iām snowballing!
IG: @fightostudy
8 things I learnt after 88 days in medical school
So itās been about 3 months into medical school, and I just thought Iād share some smol thoughts!!
Learning to learn: this is so important. In my school, our curriculum is structured in a way such that we have a test almost every day. In the beginnjng, I stressed over getting good grades for each test, but looking at the big picture, each test is just a small percentage. Discovering your studying style and picking resources that work for you is so important in the long run!!
Take breaks: know yourself, what helps you relax, and set aside some time every or every 2 days to indulge in that. For me, itās either exercising, watching tv shows, listening to music or just lazing on my bed. Spending time with yourself is key to preventing burnouts, which is all too easy to fall into when youāre in university. Youāll likely be more productive too after taking a break, and less likely to procrastinate!
Be flexible: not everything is going to work out like it should. We have to be flexible and adapt accordingly. Be it studying methods, schedules, plans with friends/family, etc. It took some time for me to deal with this as Iām more of a planner, and hate it when my plans are ruined!! But Iāve learnt to be okay with imperfection!
Itās ok to not know everything. This is so important. In any discipline youāre in, not just in medicinal school, learning is a life long journey. Itās impossible to know every small detail about everything- and ITāS OK!! Being comfortable with this uncertainty takes practice, but itāll help your wellbeing in the long run.
On that note, itās OK TO FAIL! So so important too. We all want to be high achievers and pass every subject with flying colours, and when we fail, we hit rock bottom. Being ok with failure + having a growth mindset means bouncing back stronger than before. RESILIENCE!! So important! Endurance shows how long you can last, but resilience shows how quick you can pick yourself up after a fall.
Learn from others. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. Next time, we will be forced to work in teams. Picking on othersā faults and shortcomings is not going to help. Instead, Iāve learnt to look at things and people optimistically, adapt to their styles and be open to ideas. You can always learn something from each and every one!
Focus on improving yourself and people around you. Thereās no point comparing to students from other schools or programmes. Everywhere you go, there will be flaws in the curriculum, education system etc. Thatās something we canāt really change, at least for now. What we can do is to improve ourselves, our skills and our knowledge. Complaining and comparing to others will not make us better than them!
Lastly, itās tough, but it will be worth it. One fail grade does not make you a bad doctor. What matters is the learning, and having the heart to serve people.
Hopefully this helps those who are reading this post, regardless of university/course, to consolidate thoughts, realign perspectives and remind yourself why you started this journey in the first place!
My inbox is always open to chat :)
January 26 2019
Anyone have any advice on how to ~network~
Iām having lunch with my research group and they want me to meet an former member who is now in a biotech & cancer drug research company and Iām like /nervous
Stressed because midterms lol but I think this quarter is actually flying by (when things are going really well the time never lasts long enough :// )
August 28 2019
The daniel caesar concert I went to last night was insane omg š yesterday overall was a good day because I balanced life with studying, sleeping, eating, aNd relaxing ,,,why canāt everyday be balanced like that
iām so lucky to love what iām doing so, so much. despite the exam stress, despite the immense responsibility, i can see how much iām thriving studying medicine, and it makes me so happy, every day. it does all work out in the end.
Very Fast Study Tipā¢
If you are a university student, especially a STEM major, ESPECIALLY AN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY STUDENT, you need a whiteboard.
You can revise all the notes in your respective hemisphere but without active repetitionĀ it means nothing. Write your mechanism/structure/wedding vows. Erase part of it. Write it again. Erase more of it. Repeat.Ā
Get a big one so that you can sit on the floor/bed/table without straining your back from looking down. I have no attention span but I can white-board for hours.
[ 16.01.17 ] āļø starting the day with coffee, biochem and tarot! iām quite up to date on my schedule with biochem, which is good, because thereās a lot to memorize and that way i can consolidate my knowledge a bit more until saturday. also, this deck is one i got in 2015 but never really picked it up much since. lately though iāve been feeling it a lot!
may 30/2018: cell biology and alternative mechanisms of Rubisco besides carbon fixation to RuPB
did you know hippos have pink sweat?
12/5/20
making today into a mini-readathon for myself!! i had loads of books i wanted to finish off, so i completed where the crawdads sing this morning which was BEAUTIFUL and iāve been making my way through why we sleep and the art of thinking clearly this afternoon.
16-02-2020 | The second storm of this month has begun and it has been raining and blowing all day long. I still went out for a run and was amazed - I'd forgotten how cathartic it can be to run and to just let yourself get soaked! Picked some pretty leaves in lieu of flowers. Now compiling a to-read list of Scandinavian books.
