180819 // Productive Morning

Math/Science Nerd Culture™

being really fast at math when you write it out, but taking 62.476 seconds to do 3 x 8 when someone asks you

you either hate odd numbers or you love them and this is causes great division of math nerds

teachers start teaching on the first day and assign homework

working with chemicals is only fun if it a) explodes, b) requires a bunsen burner, or c) turns a pretty color (like pink)

catching yourself using math in the real world and thinking “oh my god *insert 2nd grade teacher’s name here* was right”

dad jokes

not knowing you have a favorite animal until the existence of the water bear is made known in biology

getting excited when you can use a calculator

realizing that using a calculator means the test questions will be harder

one of your parents is good at math/science and the other is not

“i’m cold” “go stand in the corner, it’s about 90 degrees”

the textbooks are larger than any other subject

there’s always one historic figure in the subject that feels like a favorite uncle/aunt even though they’ve been dead for 105 years

the teachers don’t go in order of the chapters so you never know what to expect when you walk into class

there’s so many quizzes that you could fail three of them and get a solid A+ anyway

feel free to add more lol

Chemistry notes

09.09.19 // this semester just might be the death of me

What my morning has been looking like. Starting to feel unprepared for this exam ahhh. 

Just one week until my courses begin, though I already had some precourses for my maths and physics lectures.

Ms. Codex 1262 - [Literary miscellany]

This manuscript is a collection of Latin poetry and prose, consisting of mostly classical sources, but it also features some medieval works. It contains some marginal and interlinear notes and corrections in various near-contemporary hands, and some short marginal poems in red in a different hand, along with some commentary arranged in geometric patterns in the margins.

It was written in Italy, around 1471 CE.

Click here for additional information, or here for the facsimile.

10 Things I Wish I Knew Before University

You are going to feel like dropping out. I would say to stick it out for the first year and sit for finals. If you get a good grade for your finals, that could really give your confidence a boost and motivate you to keep going. And then, if you still feel like dropping out or changing majors, you should do as much research as possible.

Feeling pressured to do more things. During my first year, I said yes to everything–even things that I didn’t feel like doing. I felt like if I didn’t, I’d be missing out on something really important or fun. FOMO, basically. However, more often than not, I wasn’t missing much and these opportunities will arise again very soon.

Buying too many unnecessary things. I bought so many stationery and notebooks before I started uni in hopes that they would motivate me to study. I ended up not using even half of them my first year. At least, I’d be set for supplies until I graduate.

Revising in uni is not the same as revising in high school. I used to think I could study last minute for a test, like I did in high school. I learned the hard way that that wasn’t the case at all. Now, I review the topics after every lecture. The key is to keep up because all those lectures are going to pile up really fast.

Past papers are your new best friend. I find that professors have their favourite questions that they like to give out. During finals, they might even use the same exact questions as they did in tests!

Failing/Getting a low grade in a test isn’t going to ruin your life. I once got so caught up on that one test. But luckily during finals, I snapped out of it and just tried my best. My final grade wasn’t too bad. You live and you learn.

Wear whatever you want (as long as it doesn’t get you in trouble). When I wear a hoodie and sweatpants, I get comments that I look like I just rolled out of bed (which I did, duh). And when I have really nice makeup on and do my hair, I’m trying to impress someone. I think people just like to run their mouth and it’s nothing personal, so you shouldn’t care what they say anyway. 

Keep in touch with friends outside your university. It can really come in handy during times when you really have to vent about someone in your classes. They can also help you keep grounded and have a different perspective.

You don’t have to love the library. I’m the kind of girl who studies lying on her stomach on the bed with papers and books surrounding me and my cat stepping on them occasionally. I think the library is too quiet and public for me. And if you’re the same way and prefer the cafe or elsewhere, then that’s okay too. The goal here is that you get your studying done.

Stay healthy. Whenever it’s near finals, I would abandon every other responsibility except studying. I would stop eating healthy and quit exercising, all in the name of making time to study. But they should go hand-in-hand with studying and not one or the other. I find that the better I take care of myself, the better my grades are. You should also get enough sleep–this, I never fail to do.

I was so fed up with school because it seemed like my best was not even enough. I gave it my all and I still received bad grades. It’s all good though, tomorrow is a new day and I will try again.

ig: studyplants

5 things to do at the end of a semester

Reorganize your desk and your computer

Whether you’re out of school for 3 months or just a couple of days, cleaning out your desk is the first thing you should do. Put the textbooks away and rearrange everything : you won’t think about school as much and it’ll most likely be relaxing. And don’t forget about your computer ! Delete the unnecessary documents and reorganize your files.

Store your notes and your exams

Buy a big binder or a folder and put all of your revision guides/flashcards/notes/etc in it. I don’t recommend ever getting rid of your old notes because you never know if you’ll need them later down the line. Also, if you have some of your exams, put them in there. They might come in handy someday !

Think about what you did

Think about your semester : what you did right and what you did wrong. Could you have studied more ? Should you have started your essay earlier ? Did you like your classes ? Your schedule ? Ask yourself some questions and use the answer to prep for next semester.

Start prepping

Make lists (things you’ll need to buy, things you want to work on), research planners and printables, buy some school supplies, try out some study schedules and new techniques (mind maps, apps, cornell notes). It’s never too early to start preparing for your next semester !

Treat yourself

Give yourself a break. Watch some netflix, eat some cookies, sleep in, stop drinking coffee for a few days, go buy yourself a new dress, do whatever makes you feel better !