studying with jay

she/they | 22 | philosophy grad student | working toward my MA | main blog is cryptic-corvids-blog

[studyingwithjay]

i realized i needed to make a new introductory post so here we go !

hi everyone ! my name is jay !

when i first started this blog i was an undergraduate student studying philosophy, and now i can say that i am now a graduate student working toward my masters in philosophy !

this blog is dedicated to my journey in academia, and i’ll post study updates, talk about what i’m working on, and my own advice for studying !

[studyingwithjay]

wow it’s been a minute since i’ve posted here ! this semester has been brutal, so much has happened.

here is a collection of cafe pictures from the past two months !

sending good vibes to everyone throughout this semester, you’ve got this !!

[maimabuhamda]

Please read this even if it hurts.

The world says the war is “over,” but tell me how is it over when my mother still wakes up gasping for breath? When every night I pray she survives until morning because I can’t afford the device that keeps her heart alive?

We lost our home. We lost everything. And now I’m watching the person who gave me life slowly fade in front of me —because we have nothing left but hope.

She needs a new heart device — $35,000 — to live. I’m begging you: don’t scroll past this like it’s just another post. Please donate, reblog, or share anything. Your act of kindness could literally save a life tonight.

💳 Donate here ➡️ PayPal ✅ Verified fundraiser 📢 Reblog don’t let her story be forgotten.

[maimabuhamda]

We are one step from losing everything in Gaza two years trapped in a tent, cold, fear, illness.

Please help now. My mother’s heart is failing and urgently needs to leave Gaza for treatment and a new heart device. My father is barely alive.

We need 404 AUD (≈ $270 USD) today. Last PayPal donation was over a week ago.

In 4 days it’s my birthday… please help me save my family. Every share, every help could mean life or death.

[studyingwithjay]

Hello!

I’ve just finished my first semester of my undergrad studying humanities, and I’m wondering how you’d respond to the type of people who say that arts/humanity degrees are “much easier than STEM”.

:)

hello ! first of all, major congrats on finishing your first semester !!

second, i’ve definitely heard this rhetoric before, and it can be incredibly frustrating. the arts and humanities are so important. unfortunately, sometimes you have to pick your battles, and there will always be people who will think a STEM degree is better or more useful or more difficult.

however !! i think the most important thing is to make sure YOU believe that what you are doing is worthwhile. if you can surround yourself with people and fellow students who see the value in all studies, no matter what field they may be in, it’s truly such a game changer !

additionally, i’m a huge advocate for interdisciplinary work, and i love learning from my friends in STEM ! some people will always have an arbitrary hierarchy about degrees and studies, but there are so many people who have a deep respect for other fields, and who enjoy engaging with people outside of their own discipline. STEM and humanities/arts often teach students to think about things differently from each other. working in a chemistry lab requires a different set of skills than analyzing literature. the skills you learn in one field can often compliment your work in a different subject, and they are all important skills !

at the end of the day, being able to study what you want to study is a monumental privilege and beautiful experience ! if you enjoy it and believe in yourself and what you are doing, you will find people who also believe in yourself, and will support your work ! i’ve found that trying to convince people who don’t see what i do as difficult or worthwhile that it actually is difficult and worthwhile, that i will always end up more upset at the end of the conversation.

the best thing is to believe in what you are doing and hold on to your passion and drive. that will take you far !

[studyingwithjay]

How do i start learning philosophy from scratch since i am interested in it??

hi !! this is such a great question, and here’s my two cents !

philosophy is so vast, which is one of the best things about it in my opinion ! generally, there are four super broad categories of philosophy, each concerned with different questions (though this division is controversial, but it can serve a purpose here):

1. metaphysics: the study of reality. deals with things like the existence of time, what is everything made of, etc.

2. epistemology: the study of knowledge. deals with questions like: what is knowledge? how do we get knowledge? etc.

3. logic: the study of (correct) reasoning and argumentation. symbolic logic is incredibly similar to geometry !

4. ethics: the study of right/wrong. ethics asks questions about the inherent goodness or badness of actions, and what it means to act justly.

5. aesthetics: aesthetics is not always considered one of the main categories, but i find it worth distinguishing ! aesthetics often asks questions about value judgments and is associated with art.

rather than starting out with a specific philosopher, i would figure out what questions you are interested in, and then start looking into those specific fields ! additionally, applied philosophy is becoming more popular, and there are books and articles about relating philosophy to TV shows, movies, books, even DnD !

the stanford encyclopedia of philosophy is online, free, and is a great resource that breaks down a lot of thinkers and concepts really well !

the short version of this answer is: find a question or interest you have, and start reading about that specific question/interest ! philosophy can relate to just about everything, so find where your specific passion lies and see where that journey takes you !

[studyingwithjay]

hi everyone ! after finishing up the semester, i am traveling on the train for the day ! if you have any questions about philosophy, grad school, etc., feel free to send an ask my way !

best of luck to anyone finishing out their own semesters !

[studyingwithjay]

wintertime studying !

[studyingwithjay]

some coffee shop studying photos from the past few weeks !

[studyingwithjay]

still discovering new study spots on campus !

[studyingwithjay]

nothing more validating than being chosen to watch someone’s things while studying in the library

[apophony]

28/10/2025

i still dont understand this topic but we move on. had my last genling tute of the term this morning it went well (my tutors really nice!! even though my essay was late :) we're moving onto morphology next week which is very exciting. i have some phonology work for tomorrow but its quite short so i can get it done quickly i think

as for psychology, i'm hoping to do some reading for my essay next week today. its on child language acquisition which is one of my biggest areas of interest so im eager to get started. unfortunately i have a lot i want to do today (function tonight) so i might not get much done

[studyingwithjay]

another busy week has begun ! i’ve been enjoying the fall weather, and have been trying to establish a good schedule for the upcoming week.

[ghoulishbrunch]

10/8

What a wonderful, rainy day.

I have a lot of reading for my infectious disease epidemiology class today, but no complaints 😌

[studyingwithjay]

this week has largely been focused on developing abstracts for some grad conferences — i’m hoping to submit them in the next couple days. i didn’t have much luck with submitting to conferences in undergrad, so i am hoping with more experience (and having experienced rejections before) that i will get accepted to one !

[philosophybits]

“A man is as much affected pleasurably or painfully by the image of a thing past or future as by the image of a thing present.”

— Baruch Spinoza, Ethics

[studyingwithjay]

happy october !

i am enjoying the transition into fall, and settling into a routine with all my classes. i love being a TA, even when it takes up a lot of my time !

i am working on applying to conferences and submitting abstracts. i submitted abstracts and papers to conferences in undergrad, but was never accepted, so i am hoping that this will change now that i’ve got more experience !

[sabrutus]

Day 1/100 - first day of classes featuring textbooks and my desk setup

Today’s my first day of grad school :) i just have one in person class today, (and a lot of reading to do) wish me luck!