My Journey @webarebearslover - Tumblr Blog

Get Ahead Early: Back to School

My tendency in the past school semesters was to laze around and goof around during syllabus week. It is easily one of the most relaxed weeks of the school year. However, this year I am taking 18 hours and also searching for a job, so I couldn’t afford to now. If you’re like me and have a crap ton to do, then take advantage of this time to get ahead. You won’t regret it later.

Here’s how I, at the end of my first week of school, and a week and a half ahead:

Write out all of the due dates on your planner. You can do this multiple ways: through a traditional planner, through an online calendar, a bullet journal, a printed month calendar, even in a list format… just get them ALL down. Refer to your syllabus, the due dates listed online, and everything resource you have to make sure you have them all. I don’t color code my classes here, but I do highlight all of these due dates in pink or write them in red.

Decide what you will get done each day. This is when a monthly overview of what’s due comes to your advantage. Have a syllabus quiz in a few days that’s available online and that you can do now? Do it. Know that you will be going over Chapters 1 and 2 next week? Read them now and take extensive notes. Be prepared, and save yourself trouble later.

Create an hour-by-hour timeline. I used my bullet journal to create this (below). Each night before bed I map out what I want to do hour by hour for tomorrow: what I want to study, where I will be, and what I should accomplish. One of the first things I do each morning is look at it and remember: Okay, I have five big tasks I want to get done today. It helps to keep me on track and so far, this method has been working WONDERS for me. (Keep in mind, you need a lot of discipline, though.

Be motivated. Why do you want to work so hard? You have to have personal goals that you are extremely passionate about to force yourself up at 6 every morning and to bed at 10. They need to keep you going when you want to go waste several hours on YouTube and when you still have four more hard items on your to do list. For myself, I am trying to move out within the year. To move out, you need money, and to keep my job, I cannot compromise my grades. So I am working hard to earn myself the future I want at the time I want it.

Be disciplined. Motivation will only get you so far. When your alarm goes off, who is going to win the battle? Ever since I have been following such a rigorous schedule, I have been winning, but every day it’s a struggle. Being disciplined will take you places where most people can’t go.

Find productive ways to relax. Recently I have trying out yoga. It’s pretty simple; I’ve just been watching some youtube videos that I follow along with in the morning and the evening, and it’s been AMAZING. It wakes my body up and loosens my muscles. (I have been loving Boho Beautiful’s videos especially.) However, there’s a bunch of little things like this that gives you a way to relax and also isn’t overly time-consuming like social media. (For me, social media is the killer of productivity. You start me looking at Marvel memes, and I won’t stop anytime soon.) Make these habits a priority, and do not discard them even when you’re busy. They’ll keep you sane.

Prioritize. Work on the most urgent task or the most difficult. This is a trap we fall into too often. Math may be easier for you to understand, but if you spend all of your time on it, you will never understand History as well. Balance is the key, and knowing your own strengths and weaknesses.

I really hope you all have good first weeks back! Because I am so busy right now, it takes me awhile to answer messages, but I do love talking with you guys, so shoot me a message, and I will answer. :)

Previous #Studying Saturdays post: Study Tricks from Psychology

anapedia-studies

SOME MORE TIPS FROM A 4.0 STUDENT!

IF YOU HAVE TIME, DO IT AGAIN. You’re more likely to retain information if you do/see something more than once. If you have time, reread the chapter. Redo the work. Revisit old topics.

DON’T BOTHER MAKING YOUR CLASS NOTES PRETTY. The most important parts of your class notes is making sure they’re 1. Legible and 2. Understandable. You can make them pretty later. Just focus on getting down whatever you need.

SIT IN THE FRONT OF THE CLASS. My grades improved when I did this. Partly because I have myopia, and partly because sitting in the very front forces you to be more engaged. It’s a form of self discipline.

ASK FOR EXTRA WORK. Depending on the teacher, you don’t actually have to do the work. The fact that you even asked shows that you’re committed. Teachers dig commitment.

HAVE A GO-TO WAKE UP METHOD. Whether it’s coffee or Redbull, have something which will wake you up in case you need it. You’re not productive when you’re about to collapse from exhaustion.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO BE A KISS-ASS SOMETIMES IF IT GETS YOU THAT GRADE. In 5 years, you won’t care much about how many annoying stories you had to listen your teacher tell. You’ll care way more about the grade.

SET ACHIEVABLE, YET AMBITIOUS GOALS. Have something to work towards. It’s much easier to work when you have a goal in mind.

AND, LASTLY, DON’T BLAME YOURSELF TOO MUCH. Hating yourself won’t change that C into a B+. In fact, it won’t do anything. All you can really do is get up and vow to come back stronger than before. Mistakes are only human, after all.

studygreens

🌲🌿 Being A Green Student 🌿🌲

Hello my studious friends! I’ve decided I’d (finally) make the green student guide that I’ve been promising forever. Here you’ll find a handy list of ways you can stay environmentally conscious while hitting the books. Feel free to pick a choose what suggestions work best for you and your lifestyle. Again, these are purely suggestions, but I really recommend adopting as many as you can. All of us, especially those in the traditionally “western” nations with outrageous carbon footprints (aka America and many parts of Europe), need to start thinking about how we impact our planet in our daily lives. It’s the only one we have. At first, these suggestions may seem excessive or strange, but I promise, after a week or two, they’ll feel like second nature. So, I hope you take up these tips, and enjoy my guide to be a greener student!

Disclaimer: I understand that being green can be expensive, with little reward besides a cleaner lifestyle and conscious. I’m a financially impaired student, just like many of you. I’m not one to go around attacking people for not trying to be sustainable, just passing along tips I’ve picked up. That said, most of these tips can be modified, with a dash of creativity, to fit your monetary needs. And, obviously, I’m not saying that if you’re struggling to feed yourself you should go drop all your money on recycled notebooks, because that would be ridiculous.

Open the Read More to, well, read more!

transbodyhorror

Being a student can be detrimental to the environment - one example being papers. As many learn, they come from trees, who are our friends by releasing oxygen. They’re a bit crucial, and case in point, the Amazon rainforest is called the “Earth’s lungs”; however, it is a major site for deforestation. In addition, many highly concentrated areas combat overpopulation with planting trees. By reading these tips, you can learn how to easily change habits in favor of our planet - some of which you may already be using without knowing!

1. Ecosia Eco-what? As students, the majority of us rely on Google for resources and answering questions we have on assignments. However, by switching over to the search engine Ecosia, you can plant a tree every 45 searches! As trees release oxygen, they’re vital for life and fighting climate change. The browser is completely free, so at no cost but searching, you can make the world a better place. The German-based company goal is to plant 1 billion trees by 2020 - so why not help out?

2. Forest Ah yes, the infamous app that gets you to focus. The essantial principle is to stay off your phone by setting a timer; if you leave the app during that duration, your tree will wilt and die ): While you can plant pixelized trees for free, buying membership at the low cost of $2 will allow you to save up the points earned in staying off your phone and actually plant a tree - with no limit. They’re actually working on allowing you to keep track of the trees you planted, so stay tuned for that! By being productive and not on your phone, you can plant a tree - how wonderful is that?

3. Stationery As Japanese stationery is the most beloved in this community (for good reason), many are using, perhaps unsuspectinging, utensils which happen to be friendly to the environment; this is due to recycling being a much greater deal in Japan. This extends from Pilot Juice pens, Pilot Fruxion highlighters, Pentel Energel, Muji, and more!

Subcategories: - Switching A frequent tip I hear is to not use paper - at all. However, many teachers prefer to use paper notecards and printing out material, essantially making it impossible for some. U.S. residents - Target has sustainble notecards for /forty/ cents. While you could takes notes on a laptop, the fact remains that you absorb information upon writing it in your own words. This is where writing boards that have the ability to erase come in handy - and as many need to write down their thought process regarding a mathematical problem, they could come in handy. - Pens This will be short and sweet; when buying pens, make sure to buy only one instead of buying an enormous pack just to throw them away. Make sure to buy refills, so that you only use one pen continuously.

4. Backpacks Instead of buying cute trendy backpacks that won’t last a month, try getting one that will last you for years. Fast fashion not only exploits workers, but releases more than needed amounts of carbon dioxide. Kankens happen to be great ones - as there are still backpacks from the first time it came out (the 70’s) still being used and in prime condition! The company also makes “Re-Kanken"s, in which the classic backpack is made up of 100% recycled polyester and 11 water bottles. Either way, some proceedings go towards conserving the species of the arctic fox and other efforts against climate change.

5. Water Bottles Do you know how long it takes to biodegrade one plastic water bottle? Approximately 450 years - or even 1,000. Staying hydrated for a student is crucial for concentration, retaining information and brain functions, as our brain is made up of 90% water. Reusable water bottles will ensure that you stay hydrated and not be thrown out. Water fountains are practically everywhere, and stations to specifically fill up water bottles have been popping up at an increasing rate. And hey, it doesn’t hurt if you want to show off a cute bottle or your personality. Save money and the planet, invest in a resusable water bottle.

etudaire

Study methods, (sorted and organised af)

We all find ourselves in a pinch when studying for a particular subject, or some concepts or just studying in general. And then we play the blame game - I’m stupid, I suck at studying, I dumb, yadda yadda yadda.

But sometimes, the fault isn’t ours. Our study skills are largely influenced by external factors that have nothing to do with our brain (because well all humans have the same brain to begin with, yeah? It’s just some know how to use that thing, and some are still learning how to). So here’s so ways that might help you make the most of all sorts of things that are thrown your way:

1. Teachers

Teachers influence our academics deeply and therefore it is important to know how to adjust our methods according to the types of teachers that teach us!

“The best teacher ever”

You love them, and are generally doing well in their class.

They know how to balance the amount of speech and writing part in class just perfectly and their explanations are heavenly.

For their subjects, practice papers are the best because they’ll help you lock all the info in your mind for eternities.

Solve as many tests as you can find, and get all your doubts solved by them at the end and I promise you will never have difficulty with that particular chapter again!

“The I’m-gonna-fill-the-board-with-my-marker teacher”

Doesn’t even bother speaking, just enters the class and starts writing up stuff in the board.

Class is generally noisy because their backs are turned towards you 90% of the time.

Just copy down everything form the board. Don’t leave out a single word.

Review whatever you’ve written once you get home and find out what is it that you don’t understand.

You’re lucky if they teach you math /physics /numericals based topics, because you have an entire guide on how to solve each type of sum with steps and formulas!

Once you’ve marked your doubts, take them to the teacher, or to any other teacher who teaches the same topics and get it cleared. Pretty sure you’ll rock their subject!

“The speaker”

Babbles on and on all the time, doesn’t know that the board exists.

Won’t even breathe in between the doesn’t care if nobody is listening - they’ll finish their part at all costs.

Try recording their lectures, you don’t necessarily have to take notes in class.

Once you get home, play the entire lecture and take notes now - you’re most likely to cover all important points.

If there’s something you don’t understand /think you missed, get your doubts solved by them or maybe online. This way you can do some time pass in class while not missing out at the same time!

“The quiz master”

Asks hella lot of questions, engages the class as much as possible.

Best thing to do in their class is to sit in front (it won’t make you a loser really) and listen to their questions carefully, note them down and participate.

Participating will get you noticed and also help build your confidence - and you get to impress the teacher so it’s a win win!

Prepare some questions for them in advance and keep asking, this will create a sense of ‘I’m a good student’ kinda thing in you (trust me I feel like a heavenly potato) and get your queries solved!

2. Subjects

There are subjects that you’re so good at you could practically teach them, and then there’s math (no offence, math lovers). And physics. And chemistry. And everything that you don’t know.

Problem solving subjects

Math and physics can be a real pain, but referring to solved examples in your textbook, or your teacher’s solutions makes then 37363x easier.

A list of formulas is a must, I prefer sorting my formulas chapter wise in sticky notes but you can totally make a 'formula + solving methods cheatsheet’ to help for finals!

Practice problems are life savers!! Keep solving until you’re pretty sure you’ll crack these types of questions.

Mostly there is a certain way of solving certain problems, figure out that common way for a bunch of problems and nite the method down. All you need to do during the exam is figure out what type of problem you are dealing with and how to solve it will be known to you automatically!

Find a good teacher - maybe a school teacher, a tutor, a classmate or maybe your dad who happens to be a math expert. You need one person to guide you through the “numerical labyrinth”. There are many awesome people on the Internet (studyblrs I’m looking at y'all) who can help.

“Theory based subjects”

History and essay writing type of subjects can be difficult to tackle, since there’s no logic you need to apply here - they only test your memory half the time.

Bullet points are so helpful when taking notes for such subjects idk I just fall in love with words that are bullet pointed.

Aesthetic note making, embellishments and all that jazz totally works here because the more time you spend with the information, the better you remember it and are able to retain it.

Try recording the lectures and playing them in your free time (as podcasts and all), maybe when cleaning your room or making yourself breakfast or doing mundane chores.

I once slept with my earphones on and was playing 'the French revolution’ and the next day I topped our test on that topic. Now this may not be a legit tip but hey - you’re sleeping. Come on.

“Diagram and sciency subjects”

Most of us consider biology to be our favourite, but fail to do well in it sometimes. This is because we’re studying the whole thing wrongly.

Biology can be a very visual subject so all you artists bring out your creativity!

Imagining the structures of your body, an animal’s body, plant’s body, cell’s body heck any body will help you clarify the concepts in your mind.

Try breaking up large words to understand what they mean. I began learning Latin (and abandoned the effort) to grasp the biological terms better and it helps! Your language is strong - your biology is strong.

Aesthetic notes all the way down!

Chemistry can be made pretty looking with colourful reactions on paper, and there’s always mnemonics to make it fun.

I always try to form mnemonics which reference my favourite songs/dialogue /fandom stuff to spice stuff up. For example, to remember the preference order of functional groups during nomenclature I came up with “PS Sam Winchester Loves Eileen And they go on A date Next friday” (hey spn peeps how’s this?). Write down the first initial of every word you need to remember and come up with combinations, you’ll love it!

“Easy af subjects”

Personality Development and Social Science were these type of subjects for me.

All I did was read through the textbook the night before exams and I’d get a pretty good score.

Tree diagrams and tables often help with these.

Explaining the stuff to someone does the job too!

“Languages”

Three things - Duolingo /memrise /any app, flashcards, YouTube.

Your textbook is likely to have lots of practice activities, solve each one of them.

YouTube will help you with the pronouncing part - check out songs in your target language to improve!

Grammar is important, so you understand your grammar in the beginning and your base is strong.

Come up with terms in your head in your target language, although they’re wrong - there will be a point where you’ll be thinking in that language as a habit.

Don’t be afraid to mispronounce, vomit words as much as possible.

If you don’t have a vocabulary book, make one right away!

Langblrs are so amazing don’t let that resource slip out of your hands!

3. Random tips

Change of environment usually motivate you so keep changing your study space from time to time.

Ana Mascara, study with jess, @studyquill @revisign @tbhstudying @studywithinspo have some fabulous YouTube channels and they make 'study with me’ vids too which are just too motivating so check them out!

Khanacademy, CrashCourse, ASAP science are there to clear your doubts - use the resources!

Keep two notebooks - one for class which has messy notes and scribbles and another for home with the neat and aesthetic ish.

Keep track of your portion and note your syllabus.

Highly recommended - study journal. Want me make a long ass post about it? Lemme know!

Playing teacher is a promised way to engrave the info in your mind. So go teach your friends or mom or dog or teddy! Teach me if you want to!

Make sure you have a no study day at least once 2 weeks? Because it’s important. We don’t want to get burned out!

Ted talks can be motivating!

Writing mock exams is so helpful you should totally do it!

Sleep is more important than you think it is, so sleep. Go dream the hell out!

That’s all for now folks, hope this helps a bit! My inbox is always open if you guys have any questions!

studywithmariana

School Advice Masterpost!

I figured it would be useful to write a masterpost where I link detailed advice on a lot of school and college topics so you have a nice and condensed list for the future! Just click the topic you need some help on and you’ll be hyperlinked right through it ;)

♥ The Best, Fastest Note Taking Method! (Updated Method!)

♥ Time Management Tips // How to Plan for School/College!

♥ How to Kickstart School/Freshman Year

♥ Textbook Studying Tips, Tricks & Advice

♥ How to Study With Mindmaps and Charts

♥ My Note Taking Method + Color Coordination (Old Method)

♥ My Top 40 Study Tricks and Tips

♥ Binder Organization and Setup

♥ Backpack Essentials + How to Choose a bag for School

♥ 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Studying

starry-eyes-and-blissful-nights

Back To School Tips Master Post!

I had a few people asking me to do a back to school tips/ how to do well in school post so here it is. I’m a sophomore in college and an honors student so I plan on sharing the things that have helped me succeed. Even though these tips are things I use now in college, most of them I also used in high school so it can be applied there as well.

Organization The most beneficial thing you can do is stay organized.

Get a planner.- I bought mine this year at Walgreens for around $7 but it has a plastic cover so all paper ones are even cheaper. A planner is good for keeping track of when everything is due. When I get my syllabi for my classes I go through them and write down the due dates of homework, essays, tests, etc, on the day they are due. You can color code your classes or just write the class next to the assignment. This way you can look at a whole week and see everything you have due for all of your classes in one place. It’s also easier to add in things or make changes if your professor decides to due so.

Use a white board- I know white boards can be expensive, so if you can’t afford one, expo markers will write on laminated paper which you can get for around $4 on Amazon. I use this to keep on my wall and write the next really important date for each class. So I have all my classes listed on the board and let’s say my next big date in Psych is a test. I’d write that date on the board, then after the test, I’d erase it and write the next important date. These dates should be in your planner as well but it’s nice to have them right in front of you at all times so you don’t turn to the next week in your planner and realize you have a test on Monday.

Buy durable folders- If you’re going to be using your folders all year make sure they’ll last all year. You want to lose any of your assignments. I get plastic folders at Office Depot for $0.39 a piece. I chose a color for each class and write the class at the top in sharpie and I’m good to go!

Notebooks too!- You’re going to be taking a lot of notes so make sure to keep a notebook for each class as well. Mine were $3 each at Office Depot but they have a plastic cover so if you need to save some money get the paper covers because you most likely wont reuse a notebook.

Get a pack of loose leaf paper- Sometimes you have to turn things in and if you’re like me then you hate tearing it out of your notebook. But if you don’t have a problem with that then don’t worry about it!

Use some sort of bag/backpack- This will help you not lose anything plus you can put water, snacks, etc in it as well!

Study Tips Tests are often the biggest portion of your grade so knowing the best ways to study will help you out the most.

Figure out what type of learner you are- This can greatly improve your study skills. There are visual learners; these people learn best with charts, graphs, and anything that show a visual relationship between information. So if you’re this type of person, to help study you could make charts, graphs, tables, draws arrows between points of information, or watch videos. Anything to help you see it. There are also auditory learners; these people learn best when hearing the information. So the best way for these people to study is to recite information out loud, or if your course has an audio book to listen to it. You could also have a friend read information to you and you say it as well. Some people are reading/writing learners; they do best when reading the text and writing down important points/taking notes. This is the type of learner I am so to help me study, I write out my own flashcards, I copy power points into my notes, and as I read my chapters I write the important information. Something else that is good for these kind of learners is to make little quizzes for yourself. There are also kinesthetic learners; they learn best with more hands on activities. This can be hard to do especially with some subjects. If you can physically do what you’re studying then do it. If not, make a game out of it. For example, ask yourself questions and if you get it right take a shot at a basketball hoop or a soccer goal (if you don’t have these things use a paper ball and your trashcan or anything you can substitute. Figuring out which learner you are will greatly improve how you study.

Don’t wait until right before a test- Cramming your brain with all the information a few days before a test will not help you remember and only stress you out. This is called Massed Practice and is proven to be a waste of time and information is not retained well. Study a little everyday or every other day. This is called the Spacing Effect and is proven to improve retention and recall of information. So it is best to do short sessions of study over a long period of time rather than a long session all at once.

Find a good place to study- If you like quiet places and your house/dorm is too loud go to a library or outside if it’ s a nice day. If you like a lot of background noise play some music or go to a coffee shop.

Overall Tips These tips are still really important but I don’t have enough that fit together to make another header.

Work on what’s due first- Some people think it’s always best to work on the important things first but that’s not always the case. If your essay is due in two weeks and you have an assignment due in a few days then finish the assignment first. You’ll still have plenty of time for your essay. I suggest doing all your work but if something happens to where you just can’t then yes do the more important thing because it’ll be a bigger part of your grade.

Writing Centers- A lot of colleges/universities have writing centers. If you’re not the best at writing or just need some help you can make an appointment at the writing center where someone highly qualified in writing will read your paper/essay and help you with grammar, punctuation, idea flow, overall organization etc. I highly suggest checking to see if your school has one of these.

Check your email/Blackboard/whatever your professor uses- This is where they may add extra assignments/ cancel class and not mention it in class. It’s always important to check.

Try to relax- I know it can be hard, especially for students with depression, anxiety, and other mental/physical illnesses but it’s important to always take a moment and calm down. Take breaks from your work and do something you enjoy for at least a few minutes everyday. If you need a nap, take a nap. just set an alarm to pick back up on your work later.

Don’t worry about being perfect- This is still something I’m working on myself but getting better at. Last semester I got a B for the first time since my sophomore year of high school and it bothered me to no end. But, I told myself I did my best, and as a person with bad social anxiety I’m okay with my B in public speaking. So for anyone else who feels like they have to keep their 4.0 all 4 years, don’ t panic if you don’t. There’s nothing wrong with not being perfect, almost no one graduates college with a 4.0. Always do your best, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I cannot stress this enough.

Take classes you enjoy- Hopefully you’re in a major that you enjoy so you wont hate your classes too much but it’s still important to try to take a fun class every once in awhile. If you like art, take an art class. Then, you’re still doing work but also doing something you like.

Get a tutor- If you’re not doing as well in a class as you would like, don’t be afraid to get a tutor. Most universities offer tutors who are students that would love to help you and wont be judgmental at all. There’s nothing wrong with getting a little extra help and tutors are often people who have already passed the class with an A so they’ll be very good resources.

Take care of yourself- Overall, make sure you’re eating well and drinking water throughout the day. Sometimes it’s impossible, but try to get enough sleep. If you go out to party watch out for yourself and others. Practice self care and if things get too stressful and you need help don’t be afraid to ask.

I know this post is very long, but I wanted to share everything I could for anyone who wanted help. If I think of anything else I’ll definitely add it later. I hope everyone has a great semester and school year! Good luck to everyone!