Latest Posts by studywithnele - Page 4

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.

Source.

My cat fell asleep on my desk.

Today I had a little breakdown because I worry so much about the oral exam but I've gotten better and took more notes. I'll just do my best!

jk rowling told me personally that hedwig was the duolingo owl the whole time. anytime she’s not actively delivering a message to harry, she’s threatening people everywhere to make sure they do their german lesson. this is never mentioned because it’s not relevant to harry’s journey

Week 34#

the best thing you’ll see all day

Sometimes you have to just treat yourself like an overtired toddler.

“Okay, as soon as you finish this assignment you can take a little nap.”

“You just cleaned your room, good job!”

“Hmm..maybe eating a snack will stop you from wanting to cry.”

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 !

5 Ways to Feel Better in 5 Minutes

I know at least one person who has lost all motivation now that summer has begun. There’s something about not being in a regular, structured environment full of like-minded peers that just kinda brings people down, you know? However, you don’t have to succumb to feeling gross now that summer is here. Here are five tips that can be completed in five minutes to make life feel a little better.

Wash your face.

It doesn’t have to even be a full wash. In summer, sometimes a facial wipe-down with a damp cloth can do wonders. It’s cool, it’s refreshing, and it can help energize you to do whatever you wanna get done.

Put away three items.

Right now, look to your right and put away the first three items you see that are out of place. You can keep going if you want. It’s not required, though! Just three seems to be enough for me to feel useful but not put-upon. Plus, now your living space is three items tidier, which is good for morale.

Light a candle and watch it flicker.

Meditation is boring. That’s fair. However, watching a candle burn is similar, in that it allows your mind to empty out and focus on nothing. I could watch a fire burn for ages, lost in my thoughts. Plus, most candles smell nice. Bonus!

Change clothes.

If you’re in a summer funk, I’d bet money you’re wearing at least one article of clothing that you’ve been living in for about a day too long. Go change, now. I feel the most human on days where I dress nice and wear my fancy linen cardigan. You probably have a similar outfit. Go wear it.

Drink a glass of water.

I have once again lost my good water bottle, so I have a new one coming in the mail. Until then, and for the past few weeks, I will be and have been dehydrated. Dehydration can mess with your head in a bunch of ways, none of them good. My willpower decreases, I get lazier, and I don’t sleep as well. So drink a glass of water for me and maybe we’ll both feel better.

Obviously none of these are cure-alls or quick fixes for something more than a minor slump. But for a quick mood boost, there’s few things I’ve found that are more effective. Go kick that summer slump’s butt. You got this!

*This probably only applies to those of you entering college, as high school lab work seems to be much more chill. Also, this is just my experience and may very well vary from place to place.*

Sleep a decent amount of hours (if you can, have a nap right before) and EAT BEFORE YOU GO THERE - lab work is physically exhausting, you’re usually there for several hours and you can count the times you get to sit down on one hand.

Read whatever information you are given about your lab work beforehand. You don’t want to get there and not know what’s going on.

Be active! There’s nothing worse than a lab partner than needs to be told to do things. If you’ve read whatever info you were given, you’ll have an idea of what to do so take the initiative. Offer to do stuff. Don’t just stand around waiting for orders.

Wear layers. Labs are freezing cold 10% of the time and scorching hot 90% of the time (especially once you put on your lab coat). The heat is specially bad because you may even get dizzy so please wear layers (the lightest one should be a short-sleeve or tank fop).

Don’t forget:

Water bottle - heat = dehydration

Hair tie - tie your hair up. Just do it.

WEAR COMFY SHOES - you may think those boots are soo comfy and chic but I guarantee you’ll change your mind after there hours of standing. Sneakers are the way to go 

Yes you can just have one lab coat. But you still need to wash it. Volatile solvents don’t mask B.O.

Things break. Try your best not to break them but know that it’s not that big of a deal so don’t worry too much if you do.

‘Water’ always means deionized water. Always. Unless stated otherwise. Seriously, it can ruin your whole experiment. Also when you’re washing any equipment, you should always give them one last rinse with deionized water.

If you need to take away from something you’re weighting or a liquid you’re transfering with a pippete, that never goes back into the ‘original tub’. It’s a residue.

Painted nails + organic solvents equal ruined nails. Gloves don’t help. Beware. But, gloves are great and v recommended if you’re dealing with oh idk rat pee.

Once you get home, you’re probably just going to want to pass out. Don’t. Do whatever you have to do (have coffee ready?) to write as much as you remember about what you’ve done. It makes writing the lab write-up. So. Much. Easier.

On the same note, if you know you have something due the day after a lab, get it done beforehand because you probably won’t have the energy to do it afterwards. If you have lab work all week long (like I do), get as much done on the weekend as possible 

Listen, if you know an upper classman who’s taken that class, ask to borrow their write-ups. Beg for them if you must. They will save your life.

Have a lab write-up template. You can look for one online or model It after your professor’s directions or an upper-classman’s write-up. Having something that you can just ‘fill in’ is super convenient.

Other masterposts

How To Stop Procrastinating

How To Stop Skipping Class

Skincare 101

Memorization Tips

Implementing a Study Routine

Use Studyblr to Become Productive

Astrophysics

“After substitutions, expansions, and sacrifices to the right gods…” -Astrophysics professor describing how to get the vis visa equation

Lab notes!🔬

Rewriting some chemistry notes

03/12 || Physics on a rainy Saturday morning.

I don’t know how I can be so ambitious and so lazy in the same time.

nikkiinwanderland

one of my only real issues with studyblr is that it just ?? makes me want to study everything ?? like i’ll see a law student and be like,, damn I wanna learn law now !! or i’ll see a medicine student and decide I want to learn medicine or see a physics student and decide I want to be a physicist and I just ??? want to learn everything ever ??

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

How to Handle Having TOO MUCH To Do

So let’s say you’re in the same boat I am (this is a running theme, have you noticed?) and you’ve just got, like, SO MUCH STUFF that HAS to get done YESTERDAY or you will DIE (or fail/get fired/mope). Everything needs to be done yesterday, you’re sick, and for whatever reason you are focusing on the least important stuff first. What to do!

Take a deep breath, because this is a boot camp in prioritization.

Make a 3 by 4 grid. Make it pretty big. The line above your top row goes like this: Due YESTERDAY - due TOMORROW - due LATER. Along the side, write: Takes 5 min - Takes 30 min - Takes hours - Takes DAYS.

Divide ALL your tasks into one of these squares, based on how much work you still have to do. A thank you note for a present you received two weeks ago? That takes 5 minutes and was due YESTERDAY. Put it in that square. A five page paper that’s due tomorrow? That takes an hour/hours, place it appropriately. Tomorrow’s speech you just need to rehearse? Half an hour, due TOMORROW. Do the same for ALL of your tasks

Your priority goes like this:

5 minutes due YESTERDAY

5 minutes due TOMORROW

Half-hour due YESTERDAY

Half-hour due TOMORROW

Hours due YESTERDAY

Hours due TOMORROW

5 minutes due LATER

Half-hour due LATER

Hours due LATER

DAYS due YESTERDAY

DAYS due TOMORROW

DAYS due LATER

At this point you just go down the list in each section. If something feels especially urgent, for whatever reason - a certain professor is hounding you, you’re especially worried about that speech, whatever - you can bump that up to the top of the entire list. However, going through the list like this is what I find most efficient.

Some people do like to save the 5 minute tasks for kind of a break between longer-running tasks. If that’s what you want to try, go for it! You’re the one studying here.

So that’s how to prioritize. Now, how to actually do shit? That’s where the 20/10 method comes in. It’s simple: do stuff like a stuff-doing FIEND for 20 minutes, then take a ten minute break and do whatever you want. Repeat ad infinitum. It’s how I’ve gotten through my to do list, concussed and everything.

You’ve got this. Get a drink and start - we can do our stuff together!

190219 | stroke pathophys and prevention

220319 | finally a pharmacology lecture