#strive-for-da-best

[southernstudyposts]

6.09.2018. Saturday.

I moved out of the house that I have been living in since my freshman year ended (shown above), and have moved into the home that I will be living in for at least the next three years. It’s beautiful, and exciting, and daunting all at once. It is new, and I love it.

[studyingonpointe-blog]

10/25 ▪ Remember if you feel as if you're in the midst of a work overload, take a step back and plan your actions down to the minute detail. Sometimes having a super detailed To-Do list can make you feel more in control and better able to handle whatever monstrous task comes your way.

[milkshakenotes-blog]

Kumusta! I’m Ariel (the mermaid). I have decided to make this studyblr not only because I’ve been following a lot of studyblrs lately but also because I have thought that this may help me into getting more productive and such.

*transition*

ABOUT ME

I’m seventeen years old

I’m a Filipino, also living in the Philippines

I enjoy reading and writing for fun (I’m currently reading ‘Always and Forever, Lara Jean’)

I am very shyyy

I want to learn Latin and French

I am planning to pursue Architecture in college

I’m smol for my age (some Filipinos are short for their age as well tho)

Here are some studyblrs/appblr that inspired me into making my own:

@studyquill, @aescademic, @studywithinspo, @educatier, @optomstudies, @appsademia, @izzystudies, @obsidianstudy, @universi-tea, @sipagmode, @focusign, @studyign, @tbhstudying, @studyplants, @academla, and @strive-for-da-best

That’s it for the intro! I hope that I may be able to make friends in the community! And also, I’m looking for amazing studyblrs to follow! Please like this post so that I could check on your blogs! x

[fuckstudy]

Sup home skillet!( new nickname if you're okay with it!) I noticed you had really epic notes and that you said you had a masterpost for them but I can't find it, could you shoot me the link to it? Thanks!

Hi! Thanks :) I actually…. haven’t made that masterpost yet (because I am an epic procrastinator; its been a year, I know orz) 

Usually my final exam notes would look like this: 

above: usually a booklet with a contents page, coloured tabs, each section w a different heading scheme colour. Handwritten comments added after practicing past exams  

As to how I took notes during uni, my method was very similar to that outlined by  @strive-for-da-best​ (see links below), cept I used microsoft word 

Cornell Method using OneNote 

How to use OneNote

How I use OneNote for University by @vanessastudies (bonus!)

+ for those who use MS word - I achieved my layout (e.g. headings, table of contents etc) using styles (see tutorial here by @mechanicalmisfit)

BUT I AIN’T GONNA LEAVE YOU HANGING, so here’s a bunch of other posts I’ve made which tangentially address my note taking method + some advice from other studyblrs: 

How I prepare my exam notes + using sticky tabs (Law focussed though)

How to avoid vomiting a rainbow (aka how to colour code)

Where I intend to post my series on notetaking 

This reply by @sundayscholar 

The notetaking section of this masterpost by @areistotle 

How to take notes from a textbook by @elkstudies 

How to colour code a highlight effectively by @graphis  

Colour coding - history by @thelogicofthetrance 

Using sticky notes by @etudiance 

How I take notes by @academicmind

(spot the number of times I’ve said something to the effect of “i’ll write up a post re: my note taking method lol fml)

/quietly retreats/ 

[littlestudyblrblog]

Day 25 [25.2.17]: Study routine

Establishing a study routine every night is super important and helpful. I come home and rest for a bit, then start on work after dinner. Also, thank you to @eintsein for the beautiful February wallpaper  and @thearialligraphyproject for the February printable!

[optomstudies]

Hello Optomstudies! Thank you for creating you blog! <3 What advice do you have for a high performing student who used to getting good uni grades, was very organised and dedicated but has lately fallen off that wagon and had to repeat courses? I've been coping with a loss of purpose and focus and I struggle with uni coursework, fear of if I'll graduate and a lack of direction. What are some changes or things or hobbies I should consider?

Hi there! I think it’s very common to experience a drop off in grades as you go further along in your degree - the courses get harder, the professors mark harsher and there’s just so many more things to juggle! I haven’t had to repeat anything thankfully, but I did have a little dip in marks a while back, so I can give you an explanation of how I kind of dealt with things here and there :)

First! I think you should remember that anyone can fail! I think I worked out that we have half the number of students we started out and 1/3rd of the students in my cohort were repeating at least 1 year, so don’t beat yourself up about it too much.

When you don’t do so well in a course, it can make you start to dislike the subject and hence make you procrastinate - this is because I really cared about the results I was getting and I was disappointed that I wasn’t doing well. So as a result, I would recommend you try and think of it like “I don’t care anymore what mark I get, I just want to pass”. Although it sounds counterintuitive, it actually helps you heaps to get over that barrier preventing you from starting on a task or starting on revising for it, etc. Since I do a lot of practical work as well, it helps to lessen anxiety about seeing patients and the unknown conditions they have.

Also I think despite the fact that I try and think to myself “I just want to pass” I actually maintain the mindset that I want to be the best optometrist that I can be - I never stop at trying to improve my knowledge so that I can do better and improve on my scores that I’m getting for clinic. It’s just part of my overall attitude as a person and as an optometrist. So I think you should find something like that too - like to be the best engineer, doctor, physicist, accountant, etc. you can be.

Get into the habit of doing all your work the day you get it. Try and do homework when you get home from uni, just like how you used to work hard in high school you should work for at least a few hours everyday after uni.

Do menial tasks first if you are too tired to think - it helps you to get started when you don’t really want to do it. And employ all your usual methods of anti-procrastination, e.g. removing distractions, pomodoro methods, etc.

Try and identify what made you fail in the first place - was it because you had too many commitments? Didn’t understand the course material? Didn’t study enough? And try and remedy it by being prepared this time around!

Whilst you’re still studying a less-than-full-course load, it might be good to try and factor in revision for your other subjects, even if you only schedule 1-2 days a week where you pop over to the library and do some study during the day. It’ll help you with transitioning back into being a full time student.

As the workload gets heavier, it’s important that you get enough sleep as well! Your mood will be better, and you’ll be more motivated to get work done. Secondly, it’s easier to tackle difficult tasks that require more critical thinking.

And of course, sometimes life gets in the way as well. You might need to travel long hours, or attend events last minute, take care of family, etc. but try your best to stick to the schedule you’ve set yourself and don’t give up if a few days don’t go so well!

As for hobbies to consider - I’d actually recommend you do something that engages you a little bit? I found that when I just watched videos to improve my mood, I’d feel better, but only until the episode ends and whatever funny lines that were said were forgotten. For example, I try and learn languages in my spare time. It happens to be handy for my profession, but doing something constructive really improves the quality of satisfaction you get out of it.

At the end of the day, as long as you are satisfied with the time and effort you put into studying, and you know that you’ve tried your best, it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to get to the finish line. It might be a bit more difficult, but it’s an experience you’ll have in your life and one that you’ll learn from (hopefully!)

Best of luck, I hope that helps!! ^_^

MY STUDY TIPS

Please see my #optomstudies tag or my study tips directory (web only) for the full list of study tips + see my kpop vocab lists + stationery + bujo spreads! ^_^

WHAT I WISH I’D KNOWN BEFORE UNIVERSITY STUDY TIPS SERIES 0 Choosing a Degree , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10-1 , 10-2 Saving Money 11 Adapting to Uni Study , 12 Study From Textbooks in Uni new

[noteology]

Lots of people, including myself, have included “read more books” on their list of New Year’s Resolutions. So I thought I’d compile some book recommendations to provide you guys with inspiration! In no particular order, here’s a list of 101 books I’ve read and loved.

FICTION

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (my all-time favorite!)

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Room by Emma Donoghue

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope

Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith (an underrated but oh-so-beautiful book)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (duh)

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

The Odyssey by Homer (I recommend the Robert Fagles translation)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

It by Stephen King

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (even better if you can read it in the original French!)

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

Savvy by Ingrid Law

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland by Rebekah Crane

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Hunger by Knut Hamsun

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

The World According to Garp by John Irving

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (love, love, love!)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

1984 by George Orwell

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis (a book whose message is especially relevant in light of the recent election)

Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran

NONFICTION/POETRY

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be by Frank Bruni (a must-read for anyone stressed out about college admissions and the Ivy League hype)

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida

salt. by Nayyirah Waheed

Killing the Rising Sun by Bill O'Reilly

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Night by Elie Wiesel

Ariel by Sylvia Plath

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (this is the memoir that baby memoirs want to be when they grow up)

Cosmos by Carl Sagan

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

The Ethics of Ambiguity by Simone de Beauvoir

Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon

How to Become a Straight‑A Student by Cal Newport

The Color of Water by James McBride

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Road to Character by David Brooks

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (all of Gladwell’s books are great tbh)

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

No Matter the Wreckage by Sarah Kay

Our Numbered Days by Neil Hilborn

P.S. If you’re trying to read more in 2017, check out my posts about goal-setting and habits!

Thanks for reading! If you have questions, feedback, or post requests, feel free to drop me an ask.

+Click here for the rest of my original reference posts!

—Sophia :)

[fightstudysmile]

Studying in real life

Inspired by this post by the amazing @universi-tea, I took a photo of my desk this morning while I was studying. It’s nothing to write home about, but it’s the reality. Sometimes (a lot of the times) studying is not glamorous, perfect and something you want to share with the world. Sometimes, it’s working so much on so many things all at once while going to school, work and trying to have a life, that you don’t have the energy or motivation to make everything look pretty. 

And that’s okay.