Latest Posts by goldieslearning - Page 8
THIERRY FEUZ "Raingarden Salis" "Raingarden Aureum" 2021 Lacquer and acrylic on canvas 80 x 60 cm.
So, I just took the LSAT and got a 171. I had less than 3 months to study because I had to undergo surgery, so I had to prepare concise notes which I used to review questions I was getting consistently wrong.
I thought I'd share my notes for free in the hopes that it helps others:
I am not done uploading everything- I'm currently working on my application. But I'm uploading on a regular basis. And do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
And good luck with your studies!!
Hey, y'all! I got several questions on one of my posts, asking how I study for the LSAT. One of the best questions came from @procrastinatingculture. I won't purport to be an expert, but I have studied the LSAT for a few months now. I get consistently good scores with the following method. Of course, this is just my opinion. There is no single way to learn it best.
Familarize yourself with the sections, especially if you haven't seen the test before. Learn what each section demands from you and what skill set it is trying to test. For this task, I recommend Mike Kim's The LSAT Trainer. The book is really good for getting inside the mind of the test maker. It is my favorite prep book, but not the only one I have. It is notoriously weak about teaching logic games, which I'll talk about in a sec.
Take a practice test cold. Before you dive into hardcore studying, get your hands on a practice exam and take it. Keep yourself to the standard time limits, and don't worry if you can't answer all the questions on time. The LSAT is tricky to time, and learning to complete it is part of the journey. After the test, grade yourself. Note any sections that gave you trouble. Also note any question types that you struggled with.
Study logic games. Once you complete your practice test, you will probably find that you have aptitude for most parts of it. Often times, people who think they would be a good lawyer are correct about where their strengths lie. This is not the case with the logic games. The games are the least intuitive part of the test. They require a type of thinking (formal logic) that we do not employ in regular life or school work. Be prepared to dedicate a significant portion of time to logic games. To study logic games, I use Khan Academy's free LSAT prep course and Kaplan's Logic Games Unlocked. Kaplan is pretty controversial, but it works for me. Of course, there are plenty of books for different types of learners.
Practice and assess. Once you have the practice book of your choice, follow the drills there in. Once again, I recommend Mike Kim's book. It is particularly good for self-motivated students, who aren't seeking in person instruction. You should practice several hours per week for at least a month. Assess yourself periodically with a full practice test. You can purchase individual practice tests from Kaplan. I would recommend having at least 3. It is fine to reuse them.
Practice with the time. One of the toughest parts of the LSAT is the timing. Except for the very beginning of your studies, always time yourself. For individual practice questions, you can go over time. However, make sure you are always getting faster. Another reason I like Kim's book is the time suggestions it has.
Perfect practice makes perfect. After each practice, note your strengths and weaknesses. You will not improve quickly without self-evaluation. The Kim book and several others have self-evaluations throughout. Do not skip over them. You will get better through thoughtful practice, not through the raw amount of your practice.
Anyway, that's all I have to say. As I mentioned, this is just what worked for me. There's no perfect way to go about it, but I hope this helped someone.
08.05.2021 ✨ Study with me ✨
Say hello at my Instagram 🤗🤗
Instagram: andotherlawstories
Want to learn something new in 2022??
Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)
40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)
Excellent basic crochet video series
Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)
Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)
How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)
Another drawing character faces video
Literally my favorite art pose hack
Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??
Introduction to flying small aircrafts
French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding
Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)
Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)
Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)
Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:
Calculus 1 (full semester class)
Learn basic statistics (free textbook)
Introduction to college physics (free textbook)
Introduction to accounting (free textbook)
Learn a language:
Ancient Greek
Latin
Spanish
German
Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)
French
Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)
so metropolitan museum of art has a register of books they’ve published that are out of print and that you can download for free! they’re mostly books on art, archeology, architecture, fashion and history and i just think that’s super useful and interesting so i wanted to share! you can find all of the books available here!
Doses of Glamour ⚜️
Networking and the Social Hierarchy
Some personal background on my upbringing, both my late grandfather and father were influential in the political and business sector. We’d host politicians, two of whom are presidents today actually, their business colleagues and we were constant fixtures at society events.
The importance of networking is one of the most valuable things both the men in my life taught me. They were constantly building and nurturing relationships, irrespective of the individuals place on the totem pole. My father never failed to mention that it was the biggest component to his success.
If you’re not making an effort to expand your network and climb the social ladder, I can only assume you have no desire to advance in your career or improve your dating prospects. The sooner you understand that everyone is trying to achieve some kind of upward or social mobility, is the moment you’ll no longer pedestalize individuals in a higher social class and move through the spaces that once intimidated you with ease.
Hierarchies are omnipresent in all societies weather you’re aware of this or not. The social hierarchy is defined as an implicit or explicit rank order of individuals or groups with respect to a valued social dimension. Social hierarchies are influenced by income, wealth, education and occupation.
Based on where you presently rank in the social hierarchy the strategies you’ll implore for your advancement into a higher social class and the circles you’ll target will differ. As you advance up the pyramid your strategies for further advancement will have to be reevaluated and adjusted.
With that being said, here are the key factors that will determine your upward mobility in today’s social hierarchy as well as
How to navigate the challenges that come along with these factors.
How to achieve upward mobility through networking strategies.
Education:
I can’t emphasise enough how important it is that you get an education. If you have the opportunity to go to college weather it be an Ivy League or a community college please do so. If neither of those options are financially accessible to you, make use of free online courses, paid certifications and YouTube university.
There are a lot of well paying job opportunities that don’t require a college degree (I’ll do a post on this if anyone is interested) What’s important is that you become an expert at something, find what you’re skilled at and master it. Focus on mastering your skills through internships and practical training programs as it will equip you with experience making your transition into the workforce easier.
Where to find online courses and certifications:
Hubspot Academy
Edx
Coursera
Udemy
Future Learn
Stanford Online
Alison
DataCamp
Cybrary
Codecademy
On that note when you’re pursuing your education you must be networking by:
Connecting with professors, when they are well connected they could refer you for internship opportunities and write recommendation letters for you.
Making contact with professionals in your desired industry for guidance and mentorship opportunities through LinkedIn
Attending networking events related to your desired industry, to build a network of industry professionals thus opening doors for career opportunities in the future.
Joining industry and role specific Facebook and LinkedIn job groups, a lot of career opportunities are posted there by company employees and recruiters.
It’s always a plus when the job posting in the group is posted by a company employee, if you ask kindly most don’t mind putting in a good word for you to get your resume at the top of the pile of resumes.
Career:
Finding a well paying job at a entry level (entry level refers to 1-2 years of experience) can present as a challenge for many but it is not impossible.
Here are two ways to combat this challenge:
By mastering high paying hard and soft skills within your desired field. Hard skills are learned abilities acquired and enhanced through practice, repetition, and education. Hence why outside of your educational pursuits you should be acquiring these hard skills through online courses, training programs and internships as mentioned above.
Soft skills include attributes and personality traits that help employees interact with others and succeed in the workplace. Showcasing and highlighting both hard and soft skills in your resume will help you stand out with recruiters. ( I’ll do a post on resumes if anyone is interested as I’ve got HR experience) So it’s imperative that you research hard and soft skills within your desired industry for long term success.
I will always reiterate that the key to succeeding at any goal isn’t to work hard but rather to work smart. The second way to land a well paying job at a entry level is by targeting emerging or growing industries with a low-medium entry barrier. Research these industries, the roles that are most in demand and the skills required for that role then pursue the role that aligns with your personal career goals.
A obvious example of such an industry is the tech industry, there are plenty of technical and non technical roles that pay an average of 60k and upwards from customer success,sales,operations and digital marketing ( digital marketing skills are high in demand due to the technological age we live in). I am highlighting the tech industry because a lot of the opportunities in the tech industry are remote, meaning you have a shot at a well paying job regardless of what country you live in (Remote work from all industries can be found on LinkedIn)
As a career woman you should be networking by:
Attending top industry events hosted by successful companies and recognized industry professionals.
Ensuring that you purchase the best tickets for these events as they normally grant you access to VIP lounges, granting you the opportunity to expand your network into the realm of managers, directors and executives.
Joining a master mind group, a master mind group being a peer-to-peer mentoring group used to help members solve their problems with input and advice from the other group members.
Joining business organizations, as this will expand your network and offer you opportunities to grow in your career.
Where to find networking and industry specific events:
Eventbrite
Meetup
Allevents.in
Event Browse
The Business Journals
All conference alert
By joining your city’s chamber of commerce
Conclusion:
We all have different starting posts, by no means does that imply that you will not be successful at the goals you’ve set for yourself. I am simply stating that your goals should be paced in terms of your present circumstances, so that you are fully equipped for the position you desire to hold in society. There are two other key factors in addition to the ones mentioned above that I will expand on in another post.
Signed
Doses of Glamour ⚜️
There were many reasons why I stepped away from archaeology & academia just 16 months post-PhD but the one that still angers me most today has to be the ways in which the Institution™ categorizes folklore vs science when it comes to Indigenous people. Ancestral knowledge of the ‘Old World’ is seen as a form of early science—curiosity leading to rigorous study and eventual advancement—with their fairytales and folklore viewed as purposefully allegorical. The Indigenous people of Africa, Turtle Island, and the rest of the so-called Americas never got that same respect. Outside of a handful of tokenized and understudied societies, most Indigenous ancestral knowledge is viewed through the lens of folklore—and no grace is given to allegory or metaphor or philosophy, either. The assumption is that our people can only think in literal, concrete terms. And it’s fucking insulting. There’s this joke in academia that if archaeologists don’t know an artifact’s usage they’ll deem it as ‘ritualistic purposes’; and it’s funny or whatever but nine times out of ten those artifacts are from [insert literally any Turtle Island or Mesoamerican nation] and not from much-older Greek civilizations. But it’s not well-studied because we’re not well-respected, and therefore nobody bothered to ask our still-living people who are very much aware of what said artifact was meant for (spoiler alert: not ritualistic).
Early on in my first Master’s program I got into a huge fight with a white professor who wanted to use a widely misinterpreted SuPeRsTiTiOn from MY tribe as an example of a persistent folktale. The folktale being that: Chiricahua Apache women don’t take baths during pregnancy bc we think the water is evil. It is true that, after being moved onto the rez, birthing + postpartum women were becoming ill when they bathed. This isn’t some ancient happening stoked by mythology—this is 100 years ago to recent times; midwives saw it happening and acted by cautioning against bathing. My grandmother, an Indigenous midwife, saw it play out and is very hesitant to recommend bathing to pregnant women on the rez today. This isn’t because she or any other Chiricahua thinks water is evil; it’s because water quality has been so horrific that it quite literally was infecting the womb at its most vulnerable time. Had this been a European society, this knowledge would be considered evidence-based but since we’re Indigenous, they slap some contrived faux folkways mythos onto it and call it superstitious.
This is just one example of what happens on a constant basis when it comes to communities who are being oppressed by the same systems that set the standards for what science, history, and art are.
It’s maddening and sickening to me to this day.
(Tangentially, the next time I see a non-ndn upload or reblog our artifacts and crafts and tag it as “primitive art”, I’m going to scalp you. You’ve been duly warned)
cool stuff available on youtube
archaeology related and not really (just things I watch while knitting = you can learn something but it shouldn’t bore you to death)
Irving Finkel:
The First Ghost Stories - ancient Mesopotamian beliefs
The Ark Before Noah: A Great Adventure - story of one really exciting cuneiform tablet and bearded guy who make reconstructing the ark possible
Short story of deciphering the cuneiform writing
How to write cuneiform - (or short video that shows you that you really couldn’t do that)
Genevieve von Petzinger ‘s TED talk about 32 symbols found in caves all over Europe
Museum Tour: Ötzi the Iceman - 3D printing a replica of Ötzi, what did he eat, what did he carry, etc.
A Neanderthal Perspective on Human Origins - lecture by Svante Pääbo, who’s worked on neanderthal genome
History of fashion and whatever Karolina Żebrowska is up to these days
Ask a Mortician - everything you want to know about death, iconic corpses, flying corpses, well, a lot of corpses in general
Art history with Waldemar Januszczak
Know what's great? Books. Know what's even better? Free books. I meant to put together this list ages ago and was just reminded of it yesterday, so here's just about every method I know of to (legally) obtain free ebooks and audiobooks. I'll add to this list if I come across any more.
Free Ebooks:
*Librivox - Provides access to audiobooks in the public domain, run by volunteers. Mostly classics.
*Project Gutenberg - Provides access to ebooks in the public domain. Mostly classics.
Digital Public Library of America - Provides access to books in the public domain.
hoopla - Free app that lets you access ebooks and audiobooks available through your library. Requires your library card info.
*Libby - Same concept as hoopla. Run by Overdrive.
Sora - Similar concept as hoopla and Libby but instead it's for schools (requires your school info). Also by Overdrive.
The Palace Project - Another app like Libby and hoopla that provides access to library books. This one also allows you to download books from DPLA right from the app if you don't have a library card/your library is not yet signed up with them. The downside is they don't seem to yet have access to as many libraries as Libby or hoopla.
*Riveted by Simon Teen - Provides access to full ebooks and extended excerpts of popular YA books. The books available switch out monthly so you'll have to read in the given time frame.
*Tor.com Newsletter - Weekly emails highlighting their blog, scifi/fantasy news, and short fiction. Occasionally they pop in a freebie that you can download from book depository (I got Gideon the Ninth this way). Just make sure you download the book before the deadline.
*Bookbub - Newsletter that emails you daily ebook deals curated to your tastes, often includes 1-2 free ebooks in most of its daily recs. Also a great way to discover lesser known books.
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*Chirp - Newsletter that emails daily audiobook deals. I've never seen a free audiobook here but I figured they'd still be worthwhile to mention. Prices usually range from .99c to ~$4.99. Must download the Chirp app to listen, but it's a great alternative to Audible.
*currently using these ones myself
Ted Talks for aspiring polyglots
I love these all for various reasons so I highly recommend checking them out!
How to learn any language in six months — Chris Lonsdale
The secrets of learning a new language — Lýdia Machová
How to learn any language easily — Matthew Youlden
Why We Struggle Learning Languages — Gabriel Wyner
Learning a language? Speak it like you’re playing a video game — Marianna Pascal
Hacking language learning — Benny Lewis
How to Talk Like a Native Speaker — Marc Green
It took me embarrassingly long to figure this out, but it turns out trying to blow off all your hobbies to study more does not in fact result in studying more. It results in pretending to study more. Now instead of drawing or writing when I get tired I get on my phone instead, because I can’t stop studying, but I can “take a quick break” in the middle of studying. Trying to fix that now.
when i pass people on the duolingo leaderboards i hope they know i'm doing it with gleeful malice in my heart. i'm not doing it on accident and i'm not thinking haha yay i'm thinking everybody get fucked this is call of duty to me
// march 2022
i’m actually really liking this theme! i was a little dubious about it when i first started drawing it but now i really like it.
Abnormal Study/Work Things that Actually Help Me
Scrolling through Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube, etc. for study vibes. Lots of people would say this is a waste of time, but getting in the mood to study significantly helps me. As someone that rarely has the motivation to do things and struggles with low-energy levels daily, seeing aesthetic pictures or watching study-with-me videos gives me the inspiration and motivation I need.
Multitasking is my best friend. If I’m interested in what I’m working on, this isn’t always necessary, but usually, having multiple things to do at once is helpful. Jumping between similar assignments, working 20min on one long assignment or chore, then finishing a smaller one, then going back to that longer thing, etc. It helps me avoid burn-out and taking breaks that turn into just giving up.
On the subject of breaks, taking breaks isn’t always the best for me. I know a lot of people rave about the pomodoro method, and while it works to help me get started on something, I eventually let go of that timer once I’m in the groove of working. Taking a break– long or short– will usually just incentivise me to stop working altogether because that ‘break’ is sooo much better than working. I much prefer long hours or scheduled out work vs play times.
Having multiple drinks on my desk. This is another form of multitasking to me. Water is always a necessity, but juice, coffee, tea, etc. is a needed addition. Similar to chewing gum, it helps stabilize me and prevent burn-out since my brain has multiple forms of stimuli.
Long to-do lists. I will literally have 20-30 things on a to-do list typically. Sure, I don’t always finish it all in a day, but writing out that to-do list helps get my mind organized and keeps me focused. Plus, it also helps to avoid procrastination. If I only write out 5-6 things, I’d think “Sure, I can wait to do those. There’s only a few” whereas 20-30 things pushes me to work as soon as possible.
A lot of people would disagree with how I work, or tell me that there’s a better way, but these are just some things that work for me. Some of us are wired a bit differently, and that’s perfectly fine. Do what works best for you.
chinese artist 卢思 Lu Si
A Resource for Reading Practice: The Chinese Reading World
I wanted to share a resource for reading practice that I stumbled across recently. It’s called the Chinese Reading World, and it was a project led by the University of Iowa.
The site was put together from 2005 to 2008, so it’s not super up to date. However, there is a ton of content! Everything is sorted into 3 levels: beginning, intermediate, and advanced.
Each level has 30 units, and each unit has 10 lessons. The lessons begin with a vocab pre-test, then there is a reading with some comprehension questions. Lastly, there is a vocab post-test, which is the same as the initial test (at least for the lessons I’ve done so far). There’s audio for each lesson text, but unfortunately it can’t be streamed—you have to download it. There is also an achievement test at the end of each unit.
My experience has actually been that I already know all the words on the vocabulary tests, but the reading passages contain other words that I’m not familiar with.
So far, the readings I’ve encountered are not very long. This is nice since reading longer pieces can be frustrating at times. With shorter readings, you can just read 1 or 2 on some days and read more when you have more time/patience. I believe the readings are taken from Chinese newspapers.
Also, every unit has a theme. With 90 units total, there are bound to be themes that interest you. Example unit topics:
Directions and Asking Direction 方向和问路
Sports and Outdoor Activities 体育和户外运动
Chinese Music and Musicians 中国音乐和音乐家
Chinese Minorities and Local Customs 地方习俗和民族风情
Chinese Sports and Olympic Games 体育和奥林匹克
Contemporary Chinese Literature and Writers 中国当代文学和作家
The 3 levels also each come with 5 proficiency tests. They seem to be based on vocabulary knowledge, so expanding your vocab is clearly a huge focus of this site. The only thing I’m unclear is about is I’m not sure exactly when the proficiency tests are meant to be taken. After completing all units? Or are they spaced out so you are supposed to take test 1 after the first few units, test 2 after the next few, etc.?
I’ve started working my way through the advanced section this week. With 300 advanced lessons alone, it really feels like I have an infinite number of articles to go through!
Agnes Pelton, conceptualist artist, 1881 -1961
In one of my ADHD groups, a question about motivation and inability to start came up. This is one of the comments:
"Mel Robbins (who is also ADHD) talks about 54321-go. She wrote a whole book on it, but its mainly as soon as you think of something or have / want to do something, you count down from 5 to 1 then MOVE YOUR BODY TOWARDS WHAT EVER IT IS YOU NEED TO DO before your brain can talk you out of it. There loads of neuroscience why this works and before I was diagnosed I used this technique all the time. From getting out of bed, to getting a shower, to reading, stopping scrolling, stopping watching tv to literally everything if I needed to. I still do. It really helps me. And like you say, once you get started its okay, and then the dopamine kicks in. She did a talk on it, I think if you google it will come up. Also, tyrosine and theanine is good for me too. Hope this helps."
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I looked it up and I'm going to try it.
https://kaizenlife.org/2018/01/20/the-5-second-rule-54321-go/
It’s okay to be a beginner at the things you are interested in. There is no reason to feel intimidated by people more advanced than you are, because they too were in your place at one point. Keep learning and growing and expanding in whatever it is that you love and let nothing and no one stop you. You don’t have to be at the same stage as someone else. You can just be at your stage and that one is okay too.
🪄 let’s find happiness!
