Studidentity

university's student, F. I use my studyblr for staying organized ;)

[studidenty-blog]

I waste time deciding what I have to read from this book...hopefully, the time I spent to organize will have recompensed later if not...

[mindelevator]

To everyone studying for finals: You can make it. Don't give up.

[studidenty-blog]

Check out this playlist on @8tracks: homework mix pt. 2 by rmshoe.

My playlist for today!! :) Good vibes!

[marika-studies]

Tips for writing quality, long(ish) essays in a short time period

When I first came to college, the longest paper I had ever written was barely 5 pages and I’d had nearly a month to write it with almost constant feedback and instruction from my teacher. But all of a sudden, professors were calling 5-page essay “short” and giving me less than two weeks to write them! After three years, I’ve developed a strategy that works for me and I hope it helps some people in the studyblr community as well! (Disclaimer: pretty much essay I’ve written was argumentative in some way, so that’s where my experience is!) 1. Become familiar with the topic - When a professor assigns a prompt, make sure you fully understand the prompt. I’m majoring in political science so most of my essays relate to current events. When I first get a prompt, I just type some key words into Google and read a bunch of news from reputable sources about the topic (Briefings and primers are especially helpful!) to get a feel for it and make sure I have basic background knowledge. 2. Speak with your professor or TA - I like to go to office hours early on just to check in, discuss what I’m thinking of writing about, and make sure that I’m on the right track. If I have concerns about finding sources or being able to reach the page limit, professors are usually quick to help me find sources and send some! 3. Make an outline - I cannot emphasize this enough. When I was in high school, and even during my first year of undergrad, I heard countless people say “writing outline doesn’t help me” and I even thought that, too. However, outlines are a great way to get your thoughts organized so that your essay is not a jumbled mess and makes everything so much easier once you actually sit down to write. I personally like to start by taking notes on all of the sources that I plan to use then go through and add the other stuff that the prompt calls for (usually my own opinion backed by evidence). 4. Make your thesis - For some people, this step might be easier to do second but I do it after I’ve gathered all of my sources and looked through them so that instead of going with my gut on a controversial topic I know that I have sufficient evidence to back my claim. I’ve tried multiple times to write a thesis first then try and find sources to back what I want to say and trust me, it is so much easier to just argue what there is the most evidence for! Make sure your thesis strongly conveys what you want it to. Don’t worry about coming off strongly - that’s the whole point! 5. Speak with your professor or TA - I know had this step before, but I really think it’s best to talk to your professors a lot! After writing my thesis, I show it to my professor and see what he thinks. Usually, they will offer a bit of advice and I tweak it based on what they say. The first time I did this, I had already written a pretty detailed outline and I was worried that my prof was going to tell me that I was way off-base but these office hour trips usually just give me better direction and result in me making minor changes that really boost my essay! 6. Write your essay! - I like to follow my outline almost exactly - it’s there for a reason! For 5-page paper, this actual process generally takes me about two hours if I have a good outline and most recently, my 12-page paper took roughly four or five hours. I know that sounds like a lot, but if you put in the time and effort, you will have a much easier time writing essays and your grades will be better! 7. Proofread - Not much needs to be said about this step but please, please proofread. After writing your essay, take a break for a few hours (work on something else, chill with friends, just don’t think about your essay!) and read it from a fresh perspective. Be critical of yourself! If possible, have someone else read it through to get a truly fresh perspective! Yes, this sounds very time-consuming and I did say how to write a 5-page essay in under 2 weeks. But for me, this yields better results than just sitting down at 7pm the night before an essay is due and trying to write it cold. Another tip, if at any point you feel stuck or lost, talk to your professor! I know that going to office hours is really intimidating at first but they’re the ones who grade your papers so knowing exactly what they want is key to getting a good grade!

[girlystudy]

Essay checklist

[studidenty-blog]

so useful!! 

[lawteastudy]

How 2 semesters - 2500 pages - 5 exams in law school flashcards look like :’) they are the best tool for revision! I’m saving them for my bar exam as well. Would anyone want to see a post on how I organize them? Do you use flaschards? 💙 🎓 📖

[studidenty-blog]

Yeah! It would be awesome! I'm starting to use them for new vocabulary

[genspen]

week 5 ◦ suffering from a pretty bad burn out + sickness this week…… need me a big dose of sleep please!

[studidenty-blog]

good bujo organisation! ;) 

[eintsein]

Note-Taking

Hey guys! So I’ve been receiving questions regarding my note-taking style and strategy for quite some time now but I believe I have never answered them in detail. The good news is, I finally decided to make a post about this (plus, I had fun making the graphics :D). Note that I am a visual learner, so my note-taking methods may not be effective for some of you, but I hope you can all learn something.

Class Notes

I only use one notebook for all my class notes, an A4 grid notebook whose pages I divide into two columns.

I use the outline method for in-class notes, which means I write information chronologically, in the order that they are taught. Some teachers do not have properly structured presentations/lessons (good thing my physics teacher does) so when in need, I use arrows to connect related information.

Abbreviations to me are one of the most important things to master when taking notes. I personally make them up as I go along. Some examples of abbreviations I use are:

w/c - which

w/ - with

cpd - compound

envt - environment

digenz - digestive enzyme

It might be confusing, but to me, knowing the context and part of speech are enough for all abbreviations to be comprehended.

Here’s an example: ‘Indonesia’s tsunami pre-warning system is made up of two types of components’ could become ‘Indo’s snmi pre-warn sys 2 type comp’.

After Class

The first thing I would do is highlight keywords and terminology (and sometimes formulas). For physics, since my teacher is relatively succinct, I don’t really highlight, but for humanities and biology, I look for words that would be expected by a mark scheme, words that are crucial to the understanding of each particular piece of information.

I would then check if the material taught coincides with the syllabus, and if not, note down any points that are missing or have yet to be taught. You could write these on a post it or on the syllabus itself, but I prefer to highlight the syllabus’ pdf file.

Rewritten Notes

My rewritten notes are arranged based on the order they appear in the syllabus unless there are pieces of information that are related to more than one topic.

I use a black pen for rewriting notes as well as colored pens to write keywords and terminology only. I know some people who write whole sentences in colored pens but to me that is ineffective; we all have our own learning styles. When making tables, I usually use different colors for different columns (see the table for different types of radiation above) which is most often the color I associate with each word. For example, water would be blue, ocean would be a darker shade, ice would be a lighter shade, and water vapor would be purple.

I still abbreviate words in my rewritten notes, but they’re not as condensed as the ones in my class notes. Another thing I find helpful is leaving a bit of space between separate points especially if the page doesn’t have a lot of diagrams. I can’t think linearly, so I can’t remember super lengthy bullet points.

I use mildliners and a drawing pen to make my diagrams (more of these in my biology notes) but I only start with pencil if it’s a complex diagram. I rarely highlight my rewritten notes, but even if I do, it’s usually only the headings and formulas.

I don’t have a rough draft for my notes, but I try to visualize the layout. I try to alternate between words and pictures/diagrams so that when I’m sitting for an exam, all I have to do is imagine that I’m looking at that page and I can remember where everything is.

Well, that’s all from me. I hope that this information could be of some use to every single one of you. Don’t hesitate to ask me questions if you’re confused about note-taking or any other problems you might have :)

[studidenty-blog]

Note-taking

[cwote]

This is your daily reminder to do something that makes you happy today. Drink some tea, water or coffee if you want. Study a little extra so you ace that exam. Curl up with a good book or a watch your favorite movie. Listen to your favorite songs before you go to sleep. You are doing so great.

[studidenty-blog]

Late study! Suffering from insomnia...

[studypetals]

Hi-hi~ Soon (at the end of May) there will be my finals. Can you, please, give some tips like "how to deal with it without dying because of nervous"? :D

awhhh of course i can!!

FINALS PREPso those big exams are around the corner for us all. what we want is to be prepared and to knock’em dead. here’s a few tips that i found useful: 

get all of your notes organized by class

plan out your days by the hour

don’t forget to plan breakfast/lunch/dinner!

try to change up the subjects you’ll be studying each day 

prioritize by exam importance and/or amount of material needed to study

eat healthy

fruits

blueberries help with memory!

salads/other vegetables 

nuts 

limit the junk food even if it’s super tempting 

get sleep when you can 

try to go to bed early

if you can’t, try napping when you have time 

just know your body and when to rest it 

shower every two days; three is a stretch 

it’ll wake you up 

feeling fresher helps with focusing 

wash your face or just splash it with water

fast cleansing 

get you back into focus 

think positive 

don’t feel like you’re going to fail

imagine yourself acing your exams 

keep your brain healthy with positive thoughts 

if you need a break, TAKE ONE

don’t overwork yourself

know your limits

recharge

but get back to business afterwards 

lastly, concentrate on the end goal! you just gotta get through this small period of time. you’ll be able to relax once it’s over. stay on the grind now! good luck!

[studidenty-blog]

reaally good advice, a recopilation of them in fact. 

[marcaltenmay-deactivated2018081]

things that are not coffee that keep you awake

First of all, take a short break. In it you can:

eat apples (that works, I swear!! it’s scientifically proven)

drink black tea

get up and move around for a bit (stretch!!! or do jumping jacks or push ups or whatever)

open your window! fresh air! (beforehand make sure none of your papers will fly away due to wind!! optional: go for a walk!)

wash your face and forearms with cold water! (if you have time, you could also take a cold or cold-ish shower. you don’t need to freeze but water too warm makes you sleepy.)

drinking something really cold works for me too but I read somewhere that it’s unhealthy so idk but i personally love iced tea . (i just take normal tea and let it cool and put ice cubes in it cuz i’m a cheap person and it’s healthier.)

if you’re too tired, go to sleep or at least take a nap. seriously, if nothing you do can keep you awake, chances are, your work won’t yield great results

remember to start doing things earlier the next time!!! (haha most of us struggle with this, i know)

feel free to add on

[elladastinkardiamou]

Archaeologists Unearth Mass Graves at Faliron Delta

Archaeologists have revealed that the area of the Faliron Delta, 7.8 k south-west of the Athens center, is home to the largest cemetery of the Classical Age. A section of the site cleared in March revealed 80 skeletons – from a total of 1,500 – placed side by side in a 2.5-meter deep grave, half of them shackled. Metal handcuffs attached to many of the skeletons have led them to be known as the “captives of Faliron.”

The bodies recovered belong to well-built young men with excellent teeth and no bone fractures. The remains indicate that the men enjoyed good health until the time of death, possibly by mass execution. The skeletons were lined up, some on their backs and some on their stomachs. “The fact that half were shackled doesn’t mean all of them weren’t,” says archeologist Sevos Agouras who is involved in the excavations at the ancient cemetery. “They were all positioned with their hands behind their backs, and this indicates that they were probably bound in some way.”

Though there are some instances of shackled bodies in antiquity, such burials go against the practices of the Greek ancient world. “There are few incidents of bound captives uncovered in graves around Greece, however finding so many shackled skeletons together is unique to Faliron,” says Agouras.

[studidenty-blog]

Death without violence?!

[thatlittlebiologist]

My Guide to Note-Taking

I’ve been getting a lot of messages pertaining to my note-taking methods. I’ve decided to put together a little guide and hopefully this will answer most of your questions.

Remember, what works for me might not work for everyone, if anything use this as a guide to pick ideas from and create your own perfect note taking system!

Read a passage and take very detailed notes of everything. This includes not only the main important topics, but things that might help you understand the overall picture later on. 

Make sure you do this with the entire chapter/session you are studying. This will probably be a tad time-consuming, but the important thing is that as you are reading, comprehending and noting down passages you are also studying. Don’t think of this portion as “note taking”, think of it as part of the overall studying process.

After you have taken very detailed notes, feel free to put your book or reading source aside. You are done extracting the information.

At this point you will have a nice thick set of notes to work with. Remember, the more detailed the notes you took at first the better! Start reading your detailed notes and further intertwining concepts and ideas. As you begin absorbing the material, begin crossing out the parts that you feel you have memorized well enough and are not necessary anymore. In other words, get rid of things that you feel are not adding much anymore.

It’s really important to make sure you have a concept down before you do this. Do not discard information or concepts that you are not fully comfortable with.

At this point, you will begin to rewrite your notes. You will create a condensed final version.

In my experience, the amount of information I learn and retain when I take my own notes is vastly greater than if I just read from the book before an exam. Reading straight from a book does absolutely nothing for me. A book is there for you to extract the information and adapt it to fit your own study methods.

This is the point where I get “creative”, which is the portion of note taking I get the most questions about.

If you are a visual person like me, colors, shapes, and all kinds of different creative approaches will make sure a concept truly sticks with you. If I am having trouble in an exam, I’ve been able to get back on track more often than not by remembering the diagrams and colors used to distinguish things.

Here are some of my favorite tips in regards to creativity:

 WHEN USING COLOR, BE CONSISTENT! Make sure you use a different color for different concepts, do not use the same color for two different things, trust me this will just complicate the process. Remember you are using color as a way to help you memorize, therefore it is very important to create an association between a color and a concept.

CREATE LISTS This is extremely helpful for concepts used to “identify” or “diagnose”. A lot of times books will not break things down for you and they’ll just give you everything in a couple of sentences. Make sure you break the concepts down yourself! Make a list! It is a lot easier to look at something from a  “1, 2, 3” perspective, than a long sentence.

DIAGRAMS AND OTHER METHODS Create charts, circles, drawings, and all kinds of fun methods. Have fun and get creative! This is all part of the process! You are solidifying concepts by translating them into different formats.  If any of you have taken Biology, you might be aware of the Krebs Cycle and what a pain it can be to name all those products and enzymes *shudders*. I got the concept down pretty darn fast while everyone struggled by drawing the whole thing out. I created a flow of colors and information. When my test rolled around, I was able to visualize every single step without problems.  Draw it out!!

OTHER OPTIONS Besides colors, you can also use different methods to further highlight the importance of a word or passage. You can circle or underline. This will add an extra layer of “urgency” or “importance” to a specific word/passage that may hold the key to the entire concept you are studying.

[studeity]

26-03-2016 // 9:05pm Business notes can be made pretty too!

[studidenty-blog]

Good schema for reviewing

[studypetals]

4.6.16+11:45am // 30/100 days of productivity // made a reference page for frames (with a different color scheme!) to use while taking notes! i switched to the purple pilot g-2 because my navy one is almost out ): zoom in for better quality! 

song of the day: “smiling” by harry gregson-williams

[studyquirk]

Put together another fun little info post about lecture notetaking! (See my first post on lecture notetaking here.)This time I though I’d sketch it out by hand and scan it into my computer instead of typing it out. Hope it helps!