Remember the time you thought you never could survive?
You did, and you can do it again.
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@studyideas
Remember the time you thought you never could survive?
You did, and you can do it again.
Editable Geometric Assignment Tracker |
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No one else cares for your success, so you have to care. You have to force yourself to get up early, you have to force yourself to turn your phone off and revise, you have to force yourself to workout, you have to care for the whole world because no one else cares until they start seeing results. And they won’t ever see your results if you don’t care enough first. It’s your life, they are your goals, your dreams, it will be your success but it has to be your effort and your work first and foremost x
I’m
adapted from this response
1. Write your notes in a way where you can test your retention and understanding.
Many people write notes that do a great job summarizing their materials but their notes are not designed to promote learning, retention or diagnosis of their weaknesses. But my notes can – and so can yours. Simply put my notes can be used like flashcards because I write them in a form where I separate a “stimulus” from a “response.” The stimulus are cues or questions (think: front side of flashcard), while the response is the answer to the cue (think: back of flashcard). But the stimuli are to the left of a margin, while the responses are to the right. The key advantage of this is that just by putting a sheet of paper on top of your notes, you can hide the responses, while leaving the stimuli visible. You can have multiple margins and multiple levels of stimuli and response for greater information density. When you get good at this you can write notes in this form in real-time. To get some idea of what I’m talking about google for “Cornell Notetaking method”. My notetaking method is a variant of this. I usually use completely blank paper to do this because regular lined paper has too small a margin. To give you an idea of how powerful this notetaking method can be, I learned several courses just hours before the exam and still got an “A” in all of them during a difficult semester where I had too many competing priorities to spend long hours studying. Had it not been for this notetaking method I don’t think that would be possible. 2. Develop the ability to become an active reader (this is the perhaps the most important advice I have to share).
Don’t just passively read material you are given. But pose questions, develop hypotheses and actively test them as you read through the material. I think the hypotheses are part of what another poster referred to when he advised that you should develop a “mental model” of whatever concept they are teaching you. But a mental model can be much more than simple hypotheses. Sometimes the model resembles a story. Other times it looks more like a diagram. But what they all have in common is that the explain what is going on. Having a mental model will give you the intuition and ability to answer a wider range of questions than would be otherwise possible if you lacked such a mental model. Where do you get this model? You creatively develop one as you are reading to try to explain the facts as they are presented to you. It’s like guessing how the plot of a movie, before it unfolds. Sometimes you have to guess the model based on scarce evidence. Sometimes it is handed to you. If your model is a good one it should at least be able to explain what you are reading. Having a model also allows you to make predictions which can then be used to identify if your model is wrong. This allows you to be hypersensitive to disconfirming evidence that can quickly identify if your model is wrong. Oftentimes you may have two or more models that can explain the evidence, so your task will be to quickly formulate questions that can prove one model while disconfirming the others. To save yourself time, I suggest focusing on raising questions that could confirm/disprove the mostly likely model while disproving the others (think: differential diagnoses in medicine). But once you have such a model that (i) explains the evidence and (ii) passes all the disconfirming tests you can throw at it then you have something you can interpolate and extrapolate from to answer far more than was initially explained to you. Such models also make retention easier because you only need to remember the model as opposed to the endless array of facts it explains. But perhaps more importantly, such models give you intuition. Of course, your model could be wrong, but that is why you actively test it as you are reading, and adjust as necessary. Think of this process as the scientific method being applied by you, to try to discover the truth as best you can. Sometimes you will still be left with contradictions that even your best models cannot explain. I often found speaking to the professor after class to be a time efficient of resolving these contradictions. I discovered mental modelling as a survival mechanism to pass my studies at the University of Waterloo – where their teaching philosophy is misnomer because their teaching philosophy is to not teach as well as they could. You can see this from their grading philosophy. Although they don’t use a bell curve or other statistical grade adjustment, they make their exams so hard that the class average is usually between 68 (C+) and 72 (B-) in spite of the fact that their minimum admission grades are among the highest in Canada (you need more than A+ to get into several of their engineering programs). The only way they can achieve such low test averages from otherwise high performing students is by holding back some of what they know, and then testing what they didn’t explain well in lecture on their exams; or by not teaching to the best of their ability. This forces students to develop the ability to teach themselves, often from materials that do not explain things well, or lack the introductory background knowledge needed to understand the material. I realized I could defend against such tactics by reverse engineering the results into theories that would produce those same results; i.e. mental model induced from scarce facts. Then when I got to MIT I found myself in a place with the opposite teaching philosophy. Unlike Waterloo, if the whole class got an “A” the MIT professors would be happy and proud (whereas at Waterloo an “A” class average would be the cause for a professor’s reprimand). The mental modelling skills I developed at Waterloo definitely came in handy at graduate school because they enabled me to learn rapidly with scarce information. 3. Be of service to your fellow classmates.
I’ve personally observed and heard anecdotal stories that many students in highly competitive programs are reluctant to share what they know with their peers; a good example being the vast number of students in a top ranked science programs competing for the very few coveted spots in med school. I’ve seen people in such situations be afraid to share what they know because the fear it could lead to the other students “getting ahead” while leaving them behind. I would actually recommend doing the opposite: share liberally. You can’t expect help from others if you are unwilling to help others yourself. I spent hours tutoring people in subjects I was strong in. But, conversely those same people were usually happy to help me with my weaknesses when I needed it. I also found it easier to get good teammates – which is essential to getting good grades in team-based classes. I found I learned a LOT from other people. And their questions helped me to prepare for questions I may not have thought of – some of which would appear on the exams. 4. Understand how the professor grades.
Like the real world, the academic world is not always fair. You need to understand who is grading you and what they are looking for. Oddly, if you actually answer questions as written, you won’t get full marks from some teachers. Some professors expected more than the answer. Some only accepted the answers taught in class as opposed to other factually correct answers – which coincidentally can easily happen if you rely heavily on mental models. Some expected you to not even evaluate whether the answers to their multiple choice answers were true or not; only to notice which answer choices aligned or did not align with the theories taught in class. Some highly value participation in which case you ought to have a mental model of what they are teaching based on their assigned readings. The sooner you know who you are dealing with, the sooner you can adjust to their way of grading. Thankfully I considered the vast majority of my professors to have graded in a fair manner. 5. Get involved in research while still in undergrad.
Academics is a means to an end. To me that end was “solving problems” and “building stuff” specifically systems and organizations. Depending on the school you apply for, your research may be just as important, if not more important, than your grades. In fact if all you have are good grades your chances of getting into a top ranked CS program with a research component (e.g. MIT, CMU) are slim to nil; though you might still be able to get into a top-ranked courseware-based Masters (such as Stanford where there is no masters thesis). I did an Artificial Intelligence research project in undergrad and posted it on the internet. Not long after it was cited in three patents from IBM, AOL and another inventor. Then 40 other people cited my work. I feel this helped me get into MIT because they saw that I could come up with theories with practical applications. It also led to internships with top research teams whose work I am still in awe of. This research also helped my graduate application. None of this would have been possible if I didn’t do research in undergrad. 6. Attend classes.
I do not understand the students who claim they did well without attending class. Many professors will only say certain things in class. Many classes only present some of the material in class. If you don’t attend class you simply won’t get that material. You also won’t be able to ask immediate follow-up questions. I also found speaking to the professor after class was an efficient way to resolve contradictions I had found with my mental model. 7. Time management is key – especially in undergrad.
In my competitive undergrad program I once learned that a friend who achieved top 5% status actually timed how long he ate. While I do not suggest going to such extremes I offer this modest advice. I suggest spending no more than 30 minutes trying to solve a problem you can’t solve by yourself before appealing to office hours or another knowledgeable student. I also suggest you ask questions of your professor during or after class as opposed to leaving the class confused. This reduces wasted time in an environment when time is a very precious commodity. 8. Going out and having fun is conducive to good grades.
In my early undergrad years I studied as hard as I could. And I thought this meant putting in as many studying hours as possible. But I later realized that going out and having fun refreshed the mind and increased grades. Unfortunately it took at least 2 years for me to understand this lesson. 9. Learn how to do advanced Google searches.
This is an essential skill that enables you to answer your own questions, quickly. At a minimum I suggest you learn how to use the following Google search operators ~, -,*, AND,OR, and numeric ranges via the double dot (“..”) operator. The “site:” operator is also often helpful. I also found adding the word “tutorial” to a Google search often yields great introductory materials.
10. Turn weaknesses into strengths.
While studying for standardized exams I learned the importance of addressing one’s weaknesses as opposed to ignoring them. If you make a mistake on a question, it is because of a weakness within you. If you do not address that weakness it will follow you to the exam. I learned this lesson when studying for standardized exams. I was able to legally buy 30 old exams and thought the best approach to studying for the exam was to do as many old problems as possible. But as I completed each exam I kept getting the same score (+/- 5%) over and over. I had plateaued! But then I made a tiny tweak and my scores kept going up. Specifically, after each old exam, I would identify my weaknesses that led to each wrong answer, prioritize the weaknesses according to the degree to which they affected my score, and would address them in that order. When I did that, my scores increased steadily all the way to the highest possible percentile (99%). I later realized that such standardized tests are designed to provide consistent scores (if the student does not study in between the subsequent exams to address their weaknesses). In fact that is one of the statistical measures used to measure the quality of a standardized exam and it’s called “Reliability” (Google for “psychometric reliability” to see what I’m talking about).
I think I’ve been doing everything wrong. Time to try this out!
hearing genuine laughter from the people you love is the most healing sound
Do you ever wanna see that one person, who bullied you back in days?? And let them know that you don’t hope their kids meet a person like their mother at school. I was bullied because apperently in her eyes I was ugly and didn’t deserve friends.
Reblog if it’s ok for people to give you $599.99
as you get older, you realize that you’re not always right and there’s so many things you could’ve handled better, so many situations where you could’ve been kinder and all you can really do is forgive yourself and let your mistakes make you a better person.
Anti anxiety.
Always important xx
This is so helpful 🌹🌹🌹
“Whomsoever increases in worry and sadness should recite: ‘There is no power and no strength except with Allāh .{ laā hawla wa lā quwwata illa Billāh ْ}””
— Zād al-Ma'ād 4/83 | ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله (via julaibib)
By: Kim | crimeofrhyme
The Ultimate Study Masterpost (updated)
I decided to compile EVERY RESOURCE that I have found useful. I hope they help you too!
Motivation/self-discipline
A reality check
self-discipline
Setting smart goals
self-discipline > motivation masterpost
Useful tips cos its not easy
Honestly love this mindset soo much
Burn-out
questions to ask b4 giving up
what to do when u don’t want to study
how to survive a crappy day
When ur burnt out
Sometimes ya just need to take the time for your body
dealing with failure
Fun study tings
These concepts by studyblr always seem to make me want to study
More study moods
And more!
Idk why but these study moods all seem fun to try out/just relate to
hogwarts houses as students
bk 2 skl tips a la harry potter
Organisation
study space hacks
Getting ur shizzle together
Organisation!!
Being organised + studying
weekly scheduling
PLAN UR MONTH HUN
school organisation
How to plan for study
Getting ahead
What to do when you miss class
schedule ur study time
when you have TOO MUCH to do
Productivity
things to do to help you feel productive
productivity 101
types of procrastination and how to stop urself
The ivy lee method for productivity
being productive after school
Being productive in the mornings
Being productive in general
Self care and productivity
Masterposts
Honestly areistotle does the best masterposts
Nifty school masterpost
A studyblr masterpost
Tumblr resources 4 the school year
Masterpost of everything pt 1
And pt 2
Pt1 of a studying masterpost
And pt2
a huge masterpost
Some gr8 masterposts
Some oF THE BEst gcse resources
Good language science and maths resources
Printables
awesome free printables
Academic printables
Bullet journals
starting a bujo
ideas for bujo pages if ur into that
Study
awesome tips 4 studying
Straight from the horse’s mouth (no offense)
Another gr8 round of study tips
When to use what method
Study tips 4 exams
rare stoody tips
Studying smarter
effective studying
Studying successfully in college
study smarter,, not harder,,
study habits in and out of class
Study skills masterpost
Study methods to try this year
Studying like a straight a student
lazy kid’s study guide
Exams
studying for an exam in a short time
Exams don’t have to stink
advice for GCSE students
finals guide
School life
We all have a shit teacher so here’s how to deal with them
how to get a 4.0 and generally do well
tips for high schoolers
how to approach classes
homework help and hints
Foolproof guide to school success
school survival guide
How to get a’s without the frills
secrets of str8 A students
More tips for getting straight a’s
getting straight a’s in uni
Notes
taking efficient notes
Making revision notes
Upgrade yo notes
taking effective class notes
More on notetaking
Taking notes
lecture notes
More notes which is similar to what i do
taking notes from a textbook
Getting straight a’s yet again
Back to school
Making your life a lil bit easier this year ;)
brace urself for the new school year
More back to school
More back to school tips
this is great for back to school
Back to school masterpost there are so many of these but still
Back to school tips that acc help
What to do during summer
another one for the last days of summer
Back 2 skl r u ready??
going to school like a badass
Career/adult stuff
Really good for anything to do with jobs
Template for sending thx after interviews
THE BEST COVER LETTER ADVICE ADDAKFASK
Resume cheat sheet
Great personal statement guide (UCAS)
Bettering urself
how to live a better life
Some things that are easy to forget
Feeling strong and ready for anything
Things to do
Healthier habits
Life cleansing
Health tips to practice regularly
Some suggestions
Relax
productive breaks that AREN’T studying
Cute tips based on the senses
Ways to relax
Treat yo self without breaking the bank
100 tips woah
Style/skincare
Back to school glo up
how to feel like a nymph
how to feel like an ancient empress (my FAV)
how to feel like a faerie queen/king
How to feel like a dryad
How to feel like a princess getting ready for a politically important ball
how to feel like a star maiden
how to be a delicate angel
English
annotating efficiently
annotating a text
writing x characters when u aren’t x
how to get that 8/9 in an english essay
annotating literature
How to annotate an english text
ap lit terms and tips
ap lit review
list of literary techniques
Maths
GCSE maths youtube channels
super tips for maths my (least) fav subject
Science
Awesome for chemistry
lil biology masterpost
science resources
Languages
Spanish filler words
small talk in french
How to get an a in a foreign language
Essays
Essay writing websites for when ur normal program ain’t cutting it
how to structure essays
essay basics
Writing academically
Battling essays like mulan
Writing a 5 paragraph essay
Other subjects
a guide to new spec history
Morning/night routines
study in the morning
before skl checklist
nail dat afterschool routine ya feel?
morning habits to get into
more sleepytime
waking up easily
Morning habits for productivity
Getting up earlier when ur not a morning person
How to wake up
waking up happier :)
get up early and enjoy the day!!
Sleep
Morning and night routine ideas
Better sleep = better health = better grades
Tech
STAY OFF UR PHONE
Gr8 study apps
Food + drink
Recipes for students bc u gotta eat
study snacks
Drinks for diff moods
quick food recipes
5 easy recipes
Music
Some rlly good soundtracks here and also other misc songs
Haven’t tried this but seems cool
when you don’t want to listen to beethoven for the 67569540th time
ambient sounds for writers
melodic studying
concept playlists
Okay so thats pretty much every single useful thing I’ve ever reblogged. If you have any more suggestions please PLEASE let me know because I’m going to constantly update this list and any additions are welcome :)
Do u ever wanna punch urself in the face for procrastinating and ruining ur life
yeah but I never get around to it
idk if this is funny or sad
People look so different once you don’t care about them anymore
Me #inspired not a bad day #study #notes #humanbio 😩😩
16/2/16{15/308} stationary from typo makes me happy 😇