Work hard, play hard

Denny, 18, Bulgaria. Trying to get through senior year studying mathematics Applying to Oxford, Harvard, Stanford, Princeton and MIT. Now with a facebook at https://www.facebook.com/studyjustbecos

[study-just-becos]

I'm also asking family and friends to read it, but I thought someone who doesn't know me will be able to give unbiased feedback on how the essay portrays me. also, I'm an international student, so few people here know what a good CommonApp essay should be like. that's why I'm reaching out to appblrs. if you're okay reading it, should I send it through email?

Okay, you can send it over to starkindler9797 at gmail

[study-just-becos]

Hi Denny!! Do you mind sharing why you chose Oxford?

My top reason was the fact that the schoolyear is only 6 months in Oxbridge, while it’s closer to 8-9 months in other unis. I knew that I could handle the increased intensity if that meant spending more time at home. As for Oxford vs Cambridge, it mostly came down to me knowing more people in Oxford, Cambridge not really providing a good maths&cs program and the overall atmosphere of the university.As for Oxford vs MIT - I felt that MIT would be so much more work, I don’t enjoy the US style of learning with how impersonal and rushed it feels; of course, also the fact that it would be much farther away from home and I wouldn’t be getting any EU benefits.I hope this answers your question :) 

[study-just-becos]

Back from the dead!

Hey guys, after taking a break for summer, I’m back. I’ll be going to Oxford from Sunday and am wondering what to do with this blog.

My main issue is, the typical ‘studyblr’ way of working is very, very suboptimal for me. Taking the time to do my notes pretty and make flashcards is completely useless to me as a mathematician/computer scientist, so I will definitely not be posting anymore attempts at making a pretty.

What I could do instead is post my messy writings, my coding work, how I actually manage my time most efficiently, etc. In essence, no more ‘rich girl’ sugarcoating of the learning process. I could also post some cool science-y/math stuff for people to educate themselves with. Would anybody be up for that kind of blogging or is it better to do it off the studyblr tag?

[study-just-becos]

Congrats on all your acceptances! What do you think got you into such good schools?

Thank you! Um, it's difficult to know exactly what got me into the schools. I'm privileged with having attended the best high school in my country and being an olympiad-level competitor in mathematics for seven years. But I guess a thing I'm proud of is my insight into the way my extracurriculars shaped me and influences my further decisions. I managed to put everything in perspective and intertwine all the important moments in my past to show the person I've become. In the end, admissions is a really random process and your best bet is to be honest with yourself. I hope this helps, good luck with your application :)

[study-just-becos]

Congrats on Princeton!! Let me know if you have any questions about the campus. We'd be so excited to have you!

Thank you! :) So far, I don't know which university to choose, but I'll definitely ask if there's anything I'm curious about

[alexander]

Me: Hey FAFSA can I have financial aid? FAFSA:

[nerdnamedkat]

Dear Future and Current Appblrs,

When I logged onto the Studyblr/Appblr community today, I saw all of these posts about people getting into Ivies. I was so excited, but also a little intimidated. Part of me thought I shouldn’t bother posting about my acceptances. I didn’t think anyone would care about me getting into a state school with a 70% acceptance rate. But here’s the thing (for all underclassmen): it is not always about the prestige or the name value of a school. Don’t let anyone tell you different.

If you visit somewhere and your heart swells and all you want to do is buy merchandise and tell everyone all about it, then that is where you should go. I cried like a baby when I got into Virginia Tech, even though I had a pretty clear shot of being admitted. I was that happy. I hope all of you class of 2017s get into the place that makes you feel like that. And for all you 2016s still deciding: go with your heart. Loans can be repaid. Ivies can be turned down. Go to the place where you will thrive academically and love living. That is what this process is about.

[booksandbooch]

you know, i’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and i think schools like the Ivies and the UC’s and other schools that are fairly selective and grouped up like those schools should have a limit on how many schools within that group that each applicant can apply to.

like, a large part of why schools like that have such low acceptance rates (that get lower each year) is because so many students apply to them all (like i know multiple kids who applied to 5+ Ivies, and I applied to 6 UC’s). like you have kids applying to all 8 ivies, but really only want to go to harvard or yale or whatever and apply to the rest “just cuz.” which is fine, like i obviously don’t blame the students who do that (esp cuz I did it with UC’s and CSU’s) because there’s so much pressure on applicants to succeed and get into top schools.

but if you could only apply to two Ivies or UC’s or whatever, then you’d probably only apply to the ones you really really like, which would significantly cut down the size of the applicant pool for each school (esp the schools like UCLA or Harvard that underqualified people often apply to just on the off-chance that they might get in). A college list consisting of 16 schools (like mine) would be cut down to like 8-10 schools which is a lot more manageable for the applicant.

i’m sick of these schools benefiting from having such low acceptance rates and something needs to be done because schools like Stanford having a 4.69% acceptance rate is so ridiculous

idk just my opinion. and since we basically do it for early decision (not quite the same but very similar) it’s not like we can’t do it during the regular application season

[study-just-becos]

Well, in the UK Oxford and Cambridge have the same system - you can only apply to one of them. And they seem to be doing quite well. I’m only worried that US schools might get funding per applicant and thus wouldn’t want to cut their pools down to size.

[study-just-becos]

Results of Ivy Day are in!

Harvard - reject, Princeton - accepted!

[mildgraymoved]

refresh for a mid-chapter test in math class tomorrow, hopefully the weather’s nicer and the roads are less icy

[etudiestudie]

did aprils layout in advance in case i dont have time during the week :p

[maxwellsequations]

[paperad-deactivated20170605]

147pm ☀️ learned some logarithms today

[etudiestudie]

content cramming for history essay

[studyhappier]

Trying to get some through reading some book reviews. It’s been a bit of a trying day (tea-related disaster, arguments with house mates etc.) but something is better than nothing.

[studyquill]

how to take studyblr photos

hi guys! here’s some advice on how to take photos of your notes and other things for your studyblrs. i’m not an authority on this or anything, this is just how i personally take and edit my pictures. i hope this helps for any new studyblrs out there, or helps out more experienced studyblrs!

try to take pictures in natural lighting.

i have a nice big window in my room, although this isn’t the best day for photography as it’s cloudy. 

things always look better in the sunlight than in the harsh artificial light of your desk lamp.

this may be harder if you study when it’s dark out, i recommend studying during the daytime - not only for easier photo ops. working with the sun streaming in will keep you awake and make you feel invigorated.

choose a background that works.

i have a variety of backgrounds in my photos, but it’s not because i have thirteen thousand desks. 

i use my 14x17 sketchbook for a white background, but no worries if you don’t have one! white paper can work if you’re taking a picture of a small thing. 

you don’t need a white background either! i often use my wooden desk as a background because it looks pretty nice. i prefer the white paper though, because my desk has paint stains everywhere. (whoops)

make sure you choose a background that will complement the thing you’re photographing! if it’s mostly white, use a dark background. if it’s colorful and bright, use white. if there’s barely any color on it, you could even use patterned scrapbook paper as a background to add a pop of color to your photo. place your item on a variety of backgrounds to see how it looks.

put stuff around it.

try framing your notes with different things - pens, pencils, even potted plants. see what looks nice.

try some different angles too.

maybe a closeup? straight-on? or a diagonal like this one? play around with your options and see what you think looks good.

once you’re satisfied with a photo, it’s time to edit it!

i use polarr, a desktop app you can get for free on the chrome web store. any photo editing application works though, whatever you prefer!

i usually increase the exposure and contrast, and a bit of the saturation. don’t saturate your photos too much, they’ll look too bright and unnatural.

just fiddle around until you’re satisfied!

tada!

now it’s time to post it! if you want your post to be noticed, tag it with #studyblr and #studyspo, and if your favorite blogs track tags, tag them too! if you tag a post with #tbwstudies, i’ll see it and probably reblog it! :)

a short, important psa

you can be a wonderful studyblr without jumping through so many hoops to take photos. in fact, i encourage you not to do this often. if you spend more time embellishing and photographing your notes than actually studying them, you have a problem. that’s not the purpose of the studyblr community.

i personally love taking pictures of my notes and sharing them because it encourages me to write them neatly and keep organized, and seeing them come up on my dash reminds me to get off tumblr and actually study. 

you can be part of the pretty notes section of studyblr or not, it’s all your personal choice. don’t feel pressured to have beautiful notes just because some studyblrs do. it’s their style of learning and reviewing, and if it doesn’t work for you, don’t bother.

[study-just-becos]

I got rejected by Stanford too but it was my very top pick and I'm heartbroken

Oh, I'm really sorry to hear that :( Please don't think that this is a judgement on your character, anon, or your qualities. Admissions is a very random process and you never kniw what they're looking for at the moment they read your app. It might have been that the admissions officer had an ex with the same name or hobby as you and just couldn't see the awesomeness in you :)