anyone else grieving & mourning & lamenting & kicked apart by nostalgia & going silently about their lives?
Note-taking is one of the most essential skills a student should master. It allows you to record and review information to be used in the future. But what’s the best way to do so? Here’s an overview of note-taking styles that can help you maximize your learning!
Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami, 1990)
for ish
🐭
i’m returning to university after taking a year hiatus, so here are some study/uni tips that i discovered the first 2 years of uni/wish i had implemented more often
study every day for at least an hour
write down study notes + lecture notes
rewrite these - both by hand and typing - as often as possible
seriously. rewrite your notes. have them down somewhere so that they’re legible, but then handwrite your notes as many times as you can, even if it isn’t legible
repetition helps with not only memorization, but comprehension as well
say notes aloud as often as possible
if you’ve safe access to a library, take yourself out on a date
make it a habit 2x-4x a week at specific times going to your library and finding a spot and just studying for 3-4 hours
i would always go tuesday, wednesday and thursday nights from 2pm-8pm. this is when i would get my homework assignments and reading done for most of the week/get ahead where i could
grab yourself a coffee and a snack and remember to take breaks in between!!! every 45 minutes, take a 5 minute break <3
use gum, perfume, or [**diluted**] essential oils as aids during studying, and remember to repeat when taking exams
if you’re studying for an exam and chewing peppermint gum, by chewing the peppermint gum during the exam, it can help trigger the memories of what you were studying
plan ahead
mark out in a planner or calendar when all of your weekly assignments are due, quizzes, exams, and papers
set time aside each day of the week where you are able to work on upcoming projects
for papers that are due in, say, a month
as soon as you have the topic picked out, spend a few moments each day finding academic sources
when reading the material that will be pertinent, highlight/bookmark as you go along. this will help you in the long run (especially if you are using secondary sources and need a quick quote or citation)
send rough drafts to your professor or your schools writing services for thoughts and additions; it can be super nerve-wracking at first, but i promise it helps a lot
you don’t need to color coordinate, but it can help
keep it simple, too much color can and will distract you. but highlighting vocab words, dates and other important things like that can help a lot if you’re trying to find something specific in your study notes
take breaks often, but don’t procrastinate or get distracted (i’ll write another post soon on how to specifically avoid distraction and burn out)
know that grades do not define you. i promise, they don’t.
speak to your professor or advisor if you are falling behind in a class or multiple classes and need aid or extensions. they are there to help you and to teach you. they are your biggest resource. use it.
if you need someone to talk to, i’m here <3
Liz Berube’s “Beauty on a Budget” feature that appeared in romance comics. 1960s-70s.
Deepika Padukone, Piku (2015)
Robert Kushner - The Queen in Her Boudoir, 2019
someday i will live in a home where there are no sad stories within the walls. i can leave my door open and never worry about who may wander in. pieces of me will be everywhere, not just my bedroom. my books in the living room and my candle on the bathroom counter. a table where everyone is fed and loved and no one has to hold their tongue. if i open the windows there is no chance of all the peace escaping with the breeze because there is peace to spare. the war is left on the welcome mat. i will not need to lock my door because i can trust that anyone who comes knocking just wants to know what we should eat for dinner, just wants to show me something on the tv, just wants to say hi and see my face and hear my voice. maybe the fear will never leave. some things you simply can’t put down so long as your body remembers. but there is peace to spare. i will light the candle and read the book and leave my door open, and someone will stop by just to see my face and hear my voice.