[why-the-heck-not]

everything is suddenly very important when you're procrastinating for your life

[luv4pwr]

REUN_REUN

[collegemode]

Okay, so you’ve been called smart all your life. As a kid, you were one of the smartest in your class. Maybe you could read at a much higher level than your peers, or you could fly through multiplication drills like they were nothing. Then, you get to high school and suddenly you’re surrounded by lots of people who were ‘gifted kids’. None of what made you ‘special’ seems all that important now. Your work is actually challenging, and it’s actually requiring effort.

If you’re experiencing this, just know that so many students have gone through the same thing. Maybe it happens in high school, maybe college. But a lot of us who were considered gifted as kids suddenly run into this and it challenges our entire identity. It can be paralyzing, but it’s 100% possible to overcome it and succeed! I’ve compiled a few tips for ex-gifted kids dealing with impostor syndrome and self-doubt. I’m not a therapist, psychologist, or any sort of education expert. I’m just speaking to my own experiences, and I welcome any input from others who have insight into this as well!

1. Understand that working hard does not mean you aren’t intelligent. If something doesn’t come naturally to you, that’s not a reason to give up. Believing that people can do things “just because they were born with a talent for it” is only going to hurt you. It’s not true! People may have natural aptitudes for things, but hard work is involved even for the smartest or most talented people. You are capable of learning anything, and you don’t have to be “good at it” right away to do so.

2. Comparison will kill you. You are your only competition. Focusing on how you rank with other students, and comparing yourself to your classmates is going to exhaust you. By focusing on others, you can’t put your full energy into focusing on your work and yourself. You belong. Even if you struggle with your work, you belong. Focus on your own self-improvement and doing your best.

3. Don’t focus on the goal, focus on your current actions. If you’re always thinking about the future, and about whether you’ll get into that school or that program or win that award or get that scholarship, you’re not using that time to get work done. Don’t worry about college applications, just do your homework. Focus on what you are doing now to reach your goals so you can apply to schools with confidence later.

4. Your grades may not reflect intelligence, but they do reflect work ethic. Don’t let others convince you that grades mean nothing. They sure as hell mean a lot to colleges, and thinking that you should “reject the current education system” is not going to harm anyone but yourself. If you don’t feel like you’re learning anything in your high school classes, that’s all the more reason to want to get into a university that will challenge you. If you put effort into your work, it will not let you down. Your hard work will be reflected on your transcript. Don’t lose focus.

5. Talk to someone. Let people know if you’re struggling. It can be hard to feel like you aren’t allowed to identify as “smart” or to feel pressure to constantly compete and improve. I went to a highly competitive high school that pushed kids to cope in dangerous ways. This is not healthy and not okay. If you’re feeling overwhelmed you need to find healthy coping mechanisms. Speak with someone you trust and don’t let yourself spiral. Don’t try to self medicate. Your well being is always more important than your grades. Period.

6. Enjoy yourself. School may seem like hell, and you may feel like it will never end and you’ll always be stressed and worried. But high school is only four years, and you can do things during that time that you probably won’t ever again. Take advantage of things that seem fun, even if people think they’re nerdy or weird. Try and remind yourself that you’re lucky to have your education and you have the power to do great things with it. Don’t lose sight of your own ability and your bright future!

[yuiana]

K-drama: Start-Up Opinions

THERE ARE SPOILERS UP TO EPISODE 8 IN THIS POST!!! 

Feel free to respond with your opinions and participate in friendly debate about your own opinions on the show.  I would like to know other’s perspectives about this as well. Disclaimer: I know that the way the show is panning out and the actions of the characters are all for the plot and to build the story 

I’ve been watching the K-drama Start-Up for the past few weeks and the further I watch (I’m on episode 8) the more I feel like Nam Do-san should not end up with Seo Dal-mi.  I feel that he doesn’t really have the right to be so possessive over his feeling for Dal-mi when he’s been lying to her from the start.  He was never the one that she was basing her feelings off of and and I think that 75% of Dal-mi’s feelings towards him are built upon the letters.  I also believe that the main reason that Do-san is into Dal-mi is because he’s finally experiencing someone who has blatant unconditional feelings for him.  From the beginning of the show, Dal mi has always shown interest in rediscovering “Nam Do-san” from her childhood letters and I feel that he has been taking advantage of those feelings by riding off of the relationship Dal-mi and Mr. Han developed through those letters.  While I do think that Dal-mi has some feeling for Do-san, I think that they were based off her interest in the person who comforted her through those letters while she was going to a hard time (she kind of hints at this when she listed the things she liked about him in a previous episode).

Do-san also keeps claiming that Dal-mi is the “only thing he really has” to make Mr. Han back off, but she was never really his because he’s been manipulating her feelings.  He also asks Dal-mi to forget about the letters because he doesn’t like who he was in the past, but I feel like he’s just saying that to get rid of his guilt.  He feels guilty about lying to her about who he is and who the author of the letters are and he doesn’t want to hear her keep bringing up the letters because it’s a reminder to him that those feeling are actually towards Mr. Han.  He also feels guilty for cheating during the Math Olympiad and is somehow trying to use her to get rid of those feelings.  He knows that when she finds out about the truth she’s going to be hurt, but rather than telling her the truth quickly, he keeps dragging it out, which will hurt her more in the future.  She’s probably going to end up being conflicted about her feelings because she won’t know if her true feelings for him are bc of the letters or because of the experiences they shared together.

I feel like the grandma is also at fault because she’s been guilt tripping and hiding the truth from Dal-mi from the start just because she doesn’t want to see her cry and get hurt.  There have been multiple occasions where the grandma could have fessed up (and I know that its part of the show to drag it on for suspense), but she sees Dal-mi get excited one and decides not to tell her.  She also guilts both Do-san and Mr. Han from telling her the truth by continuously mentioning that she’s never seen Dal-mi so happy before.

I know nothing about running a business but I think that Dal-mi should be more transparent about the business side of their start up because it can cause major problems in the future.  If they weren’t able to secure Morning Group as one of their investors they would have quickly crashed and fallen into debt all because she didn’t disclose that she was having trouble securing funding to support the app.  She knew how much their app could cost them before it ever launched but never disclosed that information even when they were about to launch. I understand that she wanted Do-san to focus on coding and developing the software, but that could have destroyed their company and any chances they could have in the future because they would have been so in debt that no one would have wanted to help them.  This is especially true after the baseball player promoted the app, leading to an major increase in downloads.  

Dal-mi and Do-san also have a habit of bringing their relationship into business matters.  Yong-san and Chul-san bring this up in the during the beginning of the Sandbox competition and company distribution.  Although during both instances, there were valid reasons for choosing Dal-mi (she respected them as business partners rather than employees and it is true that the CEO should own the majority of the shares) Do-san seems to agree with and follow Dal-mi relatively quickly.  There was also the instance where he broke the name plate when having their initial meeting with the Morning Group.  He did it because he didn’t like the way the CEO (In Jae’s step-father) was treating Dal-mi, but I immediately knew that it would cost them in the future.  He acted rashly because of his emotions and didn’t stop to think about the consequences of his actions.  Imagine what could have happened if Dal-mi had not recorded their meetings.  He could have gone to jail and the reputation of their company would have plummeted.  Not to mention Do-san is the main coder and is supposed to be a genius prodigy that is capable of more than than Yong-san and Chul-san so they might not have been able to make up for his absence.

Overall, I feel like Do-san needs to stop running away from his problems just because someone else or himself might get hurt as a result, and that both him and Dal-mi need to stop letting their relationship get between the business.  

[knoweldge-blog]

the no bullshit guide to getting your shit together: for the lazy student

Let’s be honest: time management and organization? They’re really hard. Sure, at first you might feel like you’ve gotten the hang of them, that you’re in control of your life. But how often have you fallen off the wagon? Procrastinated on one thing and the next moment, you’re behind in all your classes? I know that sometimes laziness feels like a part of who you are, but honestly, fuck that. Do you really want to give up your success for the disinterest of a moment?

If your answer is no (it better be no, or you really need to get your priorities straight), let’s get to it. 

STEP ONE: BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF

“This class doesn’t even matter.” “I don’t care about my grades.” “I can finish this the day before.” Sound familiar? You might feel great now, but when you’re staring down at your report card later, it’ll feel like you just got punched. 

This is a cliche, but the greatest obstacle to your success is yourself - especially the lies you tell yourself! Sit yourself down and be honest about what you need to improve on. Be as blunt as you can, but for god’s sake, don’t throw yourself a pity party! There’s no use agonizing over what you can’t change. Instead, set realistic, achievable goals, and make a game plan. Struggling with math? Go to extra help. Behind in all your classes? Stay in for a couple nights and actually work. 

STEP TWO: STOP WITH THE FANCY SHIT

Now you know what your goals are, but maybe you want some inspiration, so you log on to tumblr and are instantly bombarded by all these beautiful, well lit shots of the most gorgeous bullet journals, planners, and notes. Impressive, right? Well, I’m gonna let you in on a little secret: they’re all useless! A simple phone planner works just as well, if not better, than a fancy agenda, because you’ll always have it on you, it’s not a hassle to carry around, and you don’t feel obligated to make it look pretty. 

Riddle me this, where are you going to find all this extra motivation to keep prettying up your bullet journal? To write all your notes in perfect, colour coded printing? There aren’t many times in life where taking the easy was out will actually benefit you, so take advantage! Stop wasting your time; get a phone planner and write your notes in your natural goddamn handwriting. 

STEP THREE: CLEAN YOUR ROOM

Yep, your entire room - not just your study space! This one can be put on the back burner for a bit if you’re on a really pressing deadline, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I’m notoriously messy, and if I don’t watch myself, I’d find myself in dirty-laundry-and-old-notes hell. A little bit of organized chaos is fine, I even encourage it! But try working when your desk is covered in mounds of paper and you have nowhere to put your laptop – it’s just not conducive to success. 

Keeping your entire room clean is a way to stave off stress, frustration, and even embarrassment, because nobody wants to show potential roommates how much of a mess they are. 

STEP FOUR: ACTUALLY WORK

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: “actually work? Who does this girl think she is?” I’d probably think the same thing, except I’ve learned the valuable lesson of sucking it the hell up, and you will too. When you get home from work, grab a snack and work. When you have a free period, figure out what’s due and work. Stop reasoning yourself out of work: you’re not going to finish this later, and that will be on the test. There’s really not much to say about this one, because it’s the step that requires the most raw effort, and you’re really only going to find that within yourself. Tell yourself what’s at stake, and realize that, by setting the standard for your mediocrity now, you’re potentially trapping yourself in a cycle that will last for years. 

STEP FIVE: CUT YOURSELF SOME SLACK

Maybe you’ve been on top of your shit for a day, a week, or even a month, and that’s really great. But then… you fail. You miss a deadline or you bomb a test. So what do you do now? Do you allow yourself to fall back into your old habits? Fuck no! Everyone fails, even that studyblr with those perfect bullet journal photos and a perpetually clean study space. I’m going to tell you something that’ll sound really strange: you should value your failures, especially if you worked hard to avoid them. What?! Be HAPPY about failing when I actually TRIED? Yeah, you heard me right. If you don’t know how to handle failure, then when you inevitably experience it, your reaction will be much worse. 

Failing hurts, and boy, I know how embarrassing it can be. But learning how to deal with failure, and especially how to keep trying after it happens, is an invaluable lesson. 

STEP SIX: TREAT. YO. SELF.

Disclaimer: I’m not suggesting you treat yourself after the most basic of tasks, because please. Treat yourself when you know you goddamn well deserve it. Remember that “all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.” If all you do is study and do your homework, then, pardon my french, your life sucks. If you don’t have friends, play a video game! Eat an entire jumbo chocolate bar! Indulge in whatever the fuck you want, you deserve it. I’m someone that has trouble prioritizing future benefits over immediate gratification, so by allowing myself little pleasures, I save myself from crashing and burning. 

Hope these tips helped, but remember to take them with a grain of salt - you’re you and I’m me, and different things work for different people. Good luck!

[why-the-heck-not]

20.01.21, wednesday

my expertise is studying for 6 hours with very minimal results 

[yuiana]

Does anyone else get annoyed by how blatantly people are cheating now that most classes are online?  Most of my classes these past few semesters have created group chats so that we can remind each other about upcoming due dates or help clarify material that others are struggling with, but it seems like people either have either stopped caring about the risks or just don’t think that far ahead because almost all of my chats have had someone blatantly mention methods for cheating on assignments.  I could honestly care less if that is a decision someone decides to make towards their education, but I don’t want to get dragged into it.  

If someone decides to cheat then they should do it on their own accord and not mention it to the rest of the class.  No one knows who might tell who, they might directly mention it to a prof/TA or it can get to them by word of mouth.  And, if a prof does come to learn about the cheating, they might decide to punish the entire class in addition to those guilty.  Online learning is already a struggle for some people, and it shouldn’t become even more difficult as a result of the insincere actions of others.

[yuiana]

An unhealthy habit that I started realizing within the past year was that I tend to overindulge in things as an excuse of using it as a mental break.  I don’t even think that my indulgence in things is even relatively justifiable in comparison to the amount of work I did at the time.  I have a bad habit of being too lenient on myself which is just as bad as being too strict.  I’m not making any progress in the areas that I want because I’ve been justifying my laziness as a reward for my “hard work.”   I’d complete an hour or two’s work and then take a 4 hour break and I would tell myself that its okay because I deserve it although I know I still have more work that I need to complete by the end of the day.  Then I have the audacity to complain and feel bad about the stress of having to complete my assignments in a time crunch.  

I excuse my procrastination as a mental break and take absolute advantage of my reasoning to spend more time than I should doing other things, pushing my guilty conscience deeper and deeper away until I look at the clock and realize that I only have a few hours left in the day and still have several assignments to finish.  But I feel like the worst part of it is that I somehow manage to finish my work on time and still get good grades.  I don’t feel pressured to fix my problem because it doesn’t have any major negative consequences yet.  

So far with the new semester I’ve been able to complete most of my assignments at least a day early which is an improvement from starting them a few hours before they’re due, but a small part of my is afraid that I’ll revert back to my worse procrastination habits.  My goal is to slowly progress into starting (and hopefully finishing) my assignments the day that they are assigned.  This would lead to less stress from trying to juggle multiple assignments as well as open up more free time to do things that I want to do.  

[yuiana]

college tips pt. 2

With the beginning of a new semester, I decided to write a post that focuses on assignments and course work.  These could apply to non-college students as well.

My first tip would be to use a calendar.  It doesn’t have to be a physical calendar, it could be a digital one like the default on your computer or Google Calendar.  Take some time to write out all your assignment due dates for the entire semester. It might take some time depending on how many classes you’re taking or the amount of course work assigned, but it’ll be a life saver.  Having all your due dates written out in one place can save the hassle of having to constantly refer to multiple syllabi and it will keep you organized.  Professors won’t always take the time to remind the class about upcoming due dates and while trying to juggle multiple classes and other activities you might have in your life, it can easily slip your mind.  Don’t rely on your classmates to remind you either.   Just because they reminded you before does not mean they will again, or they might have forgotten as well. 

If you use a physical calendar, hang it up in a place where you can easily see and refer to it.  This could be by your bed, your desk, or where ever you spend most of your time.  If you use an online/digital calendar then you could set reminders for upcoming due dates.  I would recommend checking your calendar everyday regardless of its format just to make sure you are caught up with what you need to do. 

 It might also help to color coordinate your classes so that it is easier to distinguish between assignments.  There might be overlapping due dates and having different colors can lessen confusion.

Check your school email multiple times a day! Checking emails can seem boring, but you never know when a prof is going to send an important email.  This could be regarding an assignment, due date, or even what to study for an upcoming quiz/test.  It is also a good way to keep up with what it happening in your school.  There might be updates about tutoring services, changes in building closing hours, weather updates, and safety warnings.  I would recommend checking your email at least three times a day: when you wake up, in the middle of your day, and before you go to sleep.  It would also be beneficial to turn on notifications for your school email either on your desktop or on your device.  This is an easy way to skim through your email important messages rather than constantly checking through your inbox.  For example, I have my desktop and phone notifications on, so I immediately know when I get an email on my school account.  From here I can easily stop what I’m doing for a few second to check the sender and subject and determine if it is something that I need to check immediately (like an update from a prof) or if its something that I can ignore (general BB announcements).

A tip that seems like common sense is to do your assignments.  It may seem weird for this to be a tip, but many people simply decide not to do an assignment because it doesn’t weigh heavily on their final grade, but this should not be used as an excuse to not do work.  I know that it might be tempting to skip a few assignments out of the many that are only worth 10%, but you never know when you are going to need those points.  At some point in the semester you might not do too well on other work that impacts your grade heavier, and those few points could save your grade. “Oh its just 2 points off my final grade”, but what if you end up with a 68 at the end of that semester and those 2 points are what determines if you pass or fail your class?  Do your assignments.  Heck if you really just cannot complete it by its due date then do half of it.  Or if your prof lets you turn work in late, turn it in late.  Any grade is better than a zero.  In addition, those assignments might help you master material that you were struggling with.

[yuiana]

college tips pt. 1

I saw a post on Instagram a few days ago about tips for college and decided to share some of my own tips based on my experiences.  For reference, I am an American college sophomore about to start my second semester.

My first tip would be to understand what works best for you.  

While this seems like common sense, a lot of people might try to create their class schedules based off other people’s recommendations and experiences (such as whether to take mainly morning or evening classes) but everyone is different and it is best to plan according to what would be best for yourself.  You should take in consideration things like commute, class length, work load, how much time you would like for break between classes, etc.  If you know that certain subjects are more draining for you than others, it might be good to schedule a break afterwards.  Don’t try to have back to back classes just so you can get your classes done and over with.  Not only can this be mentally draining, but its good to have time between classes in case something happens.  You might need to go to the library to print something out, finish some last minute homework/studying, or visit your prof during office hours.  Things happen and its better to have some time available.  

If you can, I would recommend using your first semester as a time figure out what class times best work for you.  You might find that morning classes aren’t as bad as you thought they’d be or that late night classes are too inconvenient.  You might like having a spaced out schedule with a couple hours between your classes to rest and work on assignments.  Maybe you’d be okay with having shorter breaks between classes and you can handle longer classes.  Some people are okay with having a class that meets once a week, while others prefer to meeting multiple times.  

Consider commute time and factors that could change the total time such as traffic and bridge openings.  How much of an impact will it have on your commute time if you wake up late?  Will you get stuck in a morning rush? If you live on campus, know how long it takes to walk to your classes from various buildings (dorm, library, dinning hall).  It might benefit you to stay in nearby buildings between classes instead of going back to your dorm.  

Before the semester/classes start, take some time to explore campus.  Familiarize yourself with where buildings are and how long it would take to travel between building when you are walking casually.  This is especially important in regards for your own classes.  This can help minimize the chances of you getting lost.  If you do, don’t be afraid to ask someone for help.  You could also use something like Google maps.  I personally used it when I was exploring campus for the first few times.  

After you are familiar with campus, it might benefit you to find shortcuts.  Cutting through a building might be quicker than walking around it.  There might be other paths you could take get to class that might be quicker than the one that you usually use.  Cutting through buildings can also be a way to escape the weather.  During the winter, I liked to walk through as many building as possible to avoid the cold winds on the way back to my dorm, especially at night.  You could also use this as a safer alternative to walking around campus at night.  Of course the building will eventually close, but if its daylight savings and its dark af outside at like 6 then you might feel safer walking though a building instead alone through a dark campus. 

Always check the weather.  Check it the night before. Check the morning of.  Know what the temperature is going to be like throughout the day and what the chances of rain are.  Is it going to be windy? Humid?  Take all of this into consideration when planning your day.  Heavy rains could lead to slower driving, so if its going to rain the next day you might want to leave earlier than normal.  Its okay if you end up arriving earlier than normal, its better to be safe than sorry.  

Knowing the forecast for the day is also good for planning outfits because you don’t want to be wearing your favorite shoes only for you to step in a puddle because of rain or wear a cute dress and have it keep blowing up because of the strong winds.  Its good to always have an umbrella just in case.  Have a small one in your bag because sometimes it might rain earlier than expected.  It’s also nice to always have a sweater with you.  Even if its hot outside, the AC could be blasting in the buildings.  Having water with you can also be beneficial.  Refilling water bottles is free and its better than wasting money by having to buy new water all the time.  Its also more convenient because you won’t have to go out of your way to buy water.  Most if not all buildings should have a water fountain where you can refill your bottle at, and some might even have designated places to refill your water bottle (those automatic water things that count how many plastic water bottles that aren’t being used by the amount of water that it has refilled).