life of a baby wolverine

frosh at the university of michigan ☆ from nj ☆ blogging for a social experiment ☆ follow me for the typical life of a mich wolverine

[ariistudies]

04/02/19 - 10/100 days of productivity

So it has been a while since I posted or have done anything productive and admittedly I did fall back into my bad habits of not doing anything and it’s hard to get out of this. I feel bad, I feel like I let myself down but you know, it’s a process. Anyways, over spring break I went to New York and visited a university that I was accepted at and honestly, I know I already live in a big city but I love New York City so much!!! As my friend so kindly put it, it’s like Chicago on crack.

[wordsfromawolverine-blog]

a question for studyblrs

i haven’t been too successful thus far with my michigan-themed tumblr... granted i haven’t posted as much as i think i originally had planned, which is probably why i’ve had so much trouble

but my project (which is about tumblr’s community, specifically the college & studyblr niches) is due next friday

so, if anyone could help me out (if anyone even sees this)... what do you think about the tumblr community and your interaction w other similar tumblr users? is it supportive? interactive? what don’t you like? 

please feel free to message me or reply or whatever (also i guess the interaction itself will help me answer some of my own questions)

[estudying-blog]

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”          – Confucius 

[estudying-blog]

the curve of forgetting

the curve of forgetting describes how we retain or get of information we absorb.

day 1: you go into a lecture knowing 0% and come out knowing 100% of what you know (regardless of whether you know it extremely well or not)

day 2: you did not do any reviewing of your notes from day 1 therefore you have lost 50%-80%

and as the days progress we forget less and less

think about midterms! notice how around midterms when you’re trying to study for something (that you haven’t been reviewing for regularly) it feels like the material is VERY difficult and almost as if you’ve never learned it before

formula to reshape the curve

within 24 hours of your lecture spend 10 minutes reviewing the material

a week later: it will only take 5 minutes to REACTIVATE the same material

ultimately, you will reshape the curve  

day 30: by this day your brain will only need 2-4 minutes to recall

information on the curve of forgetting was taken from the university of waterloo (x)

my formula to reshape the curve using the information above

before class: spend 10 minutes PREVIEWING the material. 

after class: spend 10 minutes REVIEWING the material

do this regularly. this will be your preview/review system for each class.

a week later: try to review a week later. i know that school/life can get pretty hectic, but try to make sure you are reviewing regularly.

maybe record yourself saying some important details/concepts from your notes the night before and on your daily commute to school plug in those earphones and listen to it. i am an auditory learner and i find that listening to my notes before i go to bed and right when i wake up have truly helped me retain information. studies have shown that the best time to study is right before going to bed and right when you wake up.

a month later: after a month, review what you’ve learned so far in your class. trust me this will be a very very short review. everything will look very familiar to you and it won’t look as difficult as it used to.

basically your review schedule should be the following: 

1 hour before learning the material

1 hour after learning the material (or within 24 hours of learning it b/c i know we’re all very busy people)

1 day later

1 week later

1 month later

remember everyone learns, studies, and retains information differently!! my personal belief is that your technique is what matters most. it is not about your innate ability/talent. find a technique that works for you.

more suggestions:

active learning > passive learning

when taking notes use the Cornell method. it forces you to ask questions and summarize what you’ve learned.

set frequent, short, review sessions

test yourself constantly! there are so many resources online. 

people who are under stress have difficulty remembering things so CHILL OUT

don’t rush, take your time

repetition is key

practice MAKES PERFECT

group items together

fish, vitamin b12, and green tea can help w/ memory

don’t give up. like morrissey said “these things take time.”

[yourbigsisnissi]

the older i get the more it’s clear that being smart doesn’t get you very far if you’re not disciplined. there are tons of people who are brilliant but not disciplined. they have amazing ideas but cannot finish a project. they are creative and innovative but cannot execute a plan. i see how important it is to set deadlines and boundaries for myself an to be disciplined.

[wordsfromawolverine-blog]

SO IMPORTANT.

[studysnooze]

tried to make a little inspiration for you guys 💖

[wordsfromawolverine-blog]

balance vs. 110% in college

something i’ve been considering lately:

in high school, i was never ok with B’s and pushed myself past my limits to always get a’s. that’s why i go to michigan, was able to compete when applying to ivies, and was always in the top 5% of my class.

but here at michigan, this semester, i find myself being OK with a b in econ 101 and i’m not sure why. i haven’t pushed myself that hard in the class AT ALL besides studying like crazy the night before my first two exams, but at the same time, i have a’s in all the rest of my classes w minimal work and am super happy socially/mentally

it’s made me think-- is it bad that i’ve become OK with the b? if i know i’ve only put in 65% effort, why am i not motivated to at least put in 90%. where did the high school 110% go?

[allenstudy]

reblog if you’re an active studyblr

🍃 I want to follow more people 🍃

[wordsfromawolverine-blog]

surviving UMICH dining halls 101 - PART 4

if you read PART 2 and PART 3 of this series, you’ll learn about my weight gain and the 4 food-related causes of my freshman 15. these included:

unlimited soda

the daily ice-cream cone

choosing the fried food instead of the fresh food

late-night munchies after a night of drinking

here’s how I changed my habits in order to help lose the freshman 15 (these are successful tips by the way, because I did lose it!)

unlimited soda — growing up, soda was a special treat for me. my parents almost never bought it, unless for holidays, so i never had full access to it. because of this, when i came to school and had unlimited access to Coca-Cola, i drank it for lunch dinner and for random snacks throughout the day. i never realized how BAD it was for me. how did i combat this? disciplining myself to make soda like Coke a special treat again. for example, now I only drink it after a huge exam or maybe a huge game day post-dartying. don’t fight indulgences, but also don’t ~treat yourself~ every day. this also goes for lattes. i drank caramel lattes every single day first semester, which made me gain weight and broke my wallet. now i save mu money, get a coffee and add a sugar packet {which is free of charge}, and only get lattes on special days like after a super duper long week of studying or my birthday!

the daily ice-cream cone — this goes for any dessert. i’ve always been a sweets person, so unlimited soft serve was my achilles heel. how did i combat this? dark chocolate! like soda and lattes, soft serve has become a special treat for me. this doesn’t mean i don’t have something sweet while studying after dinner everyday, but instead its a square of Dove dark chocolate or some tea with honey.

choosing the fried food instead of the fresh food — THIS WAS A MAJOR COMPONENT TO MY WEIGHT GAIN and still CONTINUE to be a battle for me everyday. dining halls main purpose are to serve a large amount of students food in the most cost and time-efficient way, so a large portion of the food served is not necessarily the healthiest. how do i combat this? GET CREATIVE. my dining hall is not known to have the basics and im slightly picky. so how do i get around the weird food inventions they serve, while still eating healthily instead of eating pizza and fried chicken everyday? i look for innovative ways to mix it up. for example, a common thing i do is look for protein first. sometimes regular chicken, salmon, turkey, beef etc. is hidden within different funky meals. so i grab that with an extra plate and separate the meat from the rest of the meal. then i head to the salad bar and make my normal salad: romaine, spinach, cucumber, chickpeas, black beans, edamame, sometimes add some hardboiled egg. then i look for any grains, typically brown rice i find snuck in with different dishes around the dining hall. finally, i grab some sunflower seeds from the cereal/yogurt section. mix it all together with some balsamic vinaigrette and i have a super nutritious, but also tasty meal. this can be done without having to make a salad! just get creative :)

late-night munchies after a night of drinking— sneak healthy snacks from the dining hall! for example, my dining hall always has fresh fruit like apples, bananas as well as some other yummy goods, like fresh bagels, granola etc. if ur on a budget, invest in a container of peanut butter/almond butter and sneak some of the goodies mentioned above for late-night, drunk snacks. an apple with peanut butter or half of a bagel with peanut butter or even granola with some greek yogurt (which is super cheap and can be kept in ur dorm fridge)

these are just a couple of ways to stay healthy in dining halls… at first it was difficult, but NOT impossible and through these tips i’ve stayed super healthy, energized, and balanced

[wordsfromawolverine-blog]

surviving UMICH dining halls 101 - PART 3

stemming off of my last post, im going to talk about how i turned around my weight gain specifically with the way in which i ate (if you go to my last post, you can read the other reasons for my weight gain. im just trying to clarify that food was NOT the only reason)

as i mentioned in my last post, i never thought i’d gain the freshman 15, i had always eaten healthy and worked out a lot. so when i arrived at school in late august, i didn’t consider that food would be a problem for me. i ate what the dining halls gave me: decent breakfasts, lunches, dinners AND always dessert. i never really had realized how healthily my mom cooked until i started putting on weight at school. when i realized my pants were getting tight, my first reaction was “i eat 2-3 meals a day. nothing more than i would’ve ate at home… why am i gaining weight?” then i realized, it’s the little extra things, like:

unlimited soda

the daily ice-cream cone

choosing the fried food instead of the fresh food

late-night munchies after a night of drinking

(continue to PART 4 for advice on how i combatted these 4 things in the dining hall)

[photosbygy-deactivated20200605]

my motto for this year is TRYING, whatever I want, whatever I wanna achieve, I gotta at least try it out, if it won’t work out at least I’ll know that I tried….. otherwise I’ll live my life regretting that I didn’t try

[mkremy137]

Commit to a school that will love you as much as you love it!!!

[seminalstudy]

3.23.19

study date with @lilacdreams-00 💕

it’s finally nice enough to get off campus without having to walk through piles of snow

[wordsfromawolverine-blog]

surviving UMICH dining halls 101 - PART 2

every one always jokes about the freshman 15, but no one ever expects to actually get it. i was one of those people. i’ve been a competitive soccer player since i was little; i’ve always been active whether i was running from one practice to the gym or playing 3 games in one day at a tournament or just enjoying a light run and some weightlifting in the off szn. my eating habits? im one of those people who loves junk food, but also realllllly likes healthy foods (don’t judge, homemade salads with avocado, seeds, and grilled chicken OR rich smoothies with protein powder OR greek yogurt with chocolate granola and peanut butter… ALL to die for)

basically, what i’m trying to say, is that i never thought it was in the cards for me to gain the freshman 15.

i was wrong. i started off college at 115 pounds, 5 foot 3.5 inches and about 2 months into school (during parents weekend in november) my mom came to visit and her first reaction: “r u ok?” my face was a tad swollen and pale, my jeans were a little ~extra tight~, and i was complaining about being exhausted. we went to the doctor to figure out what was wrong only to find out i had strep and was 132 pounds.

the culprit of my weight gain?

being sick almost all of first semester with strep (twice) and eventually the flu in december

drinking!!!!!!!!!!!!! (going out 4/7 nights a week was an entire additional amount of calories that I was NOT used to —> vodka, chasers, and boxed wine {not to mention munchies} ADD UP PEOPLE

less sleep than i was used to (this is REAL…get ur sleep people)

AND FINALLY… food (keep reading to PART 3 to read about how I learned to manage my unlimited meal plan and turn around my weight gain)

[mkremy137]

College Reminders!!!!!

1. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WORK 24/7!! Sometimes you have to let your brain rest in between work. Rest your eyes, relax your mind. Do something fun. You do not have to stay up all night reading. Your brain needs sleep to retain what it has learned.

2. STAY ORGANIZED!!! Write down due dates, keep track of your work, and plan your day. I personally use a @passionplanner to write down to-do lists, due dates, class times, and things I am thankful for. 

3. ASK FOR HELP!!! Office hours are your best friend. Talking to a professor can help you figure out something that you have been struggling with but also enables you to build a professional relationship with members of your college. 

4. GET INVOLVED!!! I know that sometimes it feels hard to find the right club for you. I personally really struggled with this first semester. However, involvement doesn’t always mean joining a club. I spend most of my time attending events hosted by the Philosophy and English Departments. This way you can meet new people who have similar academic interests. 

5. TAKE FUN NEW CLASSES!!! Even if you know what you are going to major in there is nothing wrong with taking some ~exploratory~ classes. I took a lot of art classes just for giggles. 

6. DON’T STRESS ABOUT ROOMMATES!!!! Sometimes roommates work out really well, sometimes they don’t. Be polite to your living partners but don’t feel obliged to hang out with them if they are not your type of people. 

7. IF IT’S NOT THE BEST TIME OF YOUR LIFE, IT’S OKAY!!! People are quick to say that college is the best time of their lives. For me, I’m really more excited about my late 20s (ikr. lame). If partying it up in college and letting loose isn’t your thing it’s okay. Take pride in your education and have fun, but don’t feel like you are at your peak just yet. 

[wordsfromawolverine-blog]

surviving UMICH dining halls 101 - PART 1

LOCATION: EAST QUAD

personally, i live in east quad, which happens to have it’s own dining hall, which is super convenient for me since I can just walk downstairs to eat whenever I want

PROS:

small and easy to navigate

more healthy options than anywhere else

lines are shorter than other dining locations

CONS:

doesn’t always have the basics (ex: grilled chicken/classic burger)

ALL of Ross (right across the street) and a lot of frat boys (who live nearby) on dining plans eat here, so sometimes seating is difficult to find

sometimes they run out of the meals you want bc it’s so small

LOCATION: MOJO

i don’t live here, but from my experience, it has WAY MORE options than east quad!

PROS:

lots of options

social

big

CONS:

bc it’s big and meant to feed all the people living on the hill (including Markley dorms), it’s SUPER packed

LOCATION: SOUTH DINING

i don’t live here, but from my experience, it has WAY MORE options than east quad!

LOCATION: TWIGS (OXFORD DINING HALL)

honestly, the only time I ever eat here is post-dartying at frats on saturday afternoons so the ONLY thing I’ve ever gotten here is a personalized burger & fries (THE BEST if you are a burger lover)

PROS:

burgers all day every day :)

small and social since it is a small community!

CONS:

super small so not too many options

im assuming seating is crowded because of its small size (it is on darty days)

[note: im 75% positive that if you live here, you don’t really eat all of your meals here bc its not close to central campus, therefore a lot of these residents eat at central dining halls during the day between classes!]

[chanelbagsandcigarettedrags]

[wordsfromawolverine-blog]

something every college student needs to hear... me especially right now

[wordsfromawolverine-blog]

also-- a current favorite esp. in honor of valentine’s day despite being hopelessly single