Swirlspill-study - Swirlspill-Study

☆*:.｡. 8.9.17 .｡.:*☆ back with another post!! i’m sure you guys can tell, but the theme for last week was paper airplanes. it’s not shown, but the song of the week was White Line by 天月!

just two days ago, i had walk through registration at school! so far, i only share classes with two of my friends, but i’m happy nonetheless, even if i do feel a bit lonely. i really hope i can use the opportunity to look on the brighter side instead of feeling left out- i can make new friends, and focus better in class! school starts next week and i’m terribly anxious yet somewhat excited…

on a side note, i bought school supplies! my mother was surprisingly okay with me buying a lot of pens… i hope to make a back-to-school haul post, but i’m not sure when it’ll be. i also ordered a lot of stationery off ebay, but they all arrive at different times, so i can’t make a post for those for another two months…

this is a dumb question, but how on earth does one get an interpretive thesis? everything I've come up with just sounds like it's describing stuff that happened, and I'm starting to think I'm just not cut out for writing this stuff....

oh man, okay, here is how to write an interpretive thesis:

find a but.

the easiest way to make your thesis interpretive is to have a “but” moment. It’s where you set up a particular picture of what other people might think is going on, and then you point out why that picture is incorrect, because X.

like my friend’s thesis which was “you may think that bioethics came into being in the wake of the the nuremburg trials, BUT the tuskegee syphilis experiments showed that these standards had yet to permeate the wider scientific culture”

or my thesis, which was “because of the way medical ethics developed as a discipline, it tends to focus on medicine through the lens of the clinical encounter BUT in our changing healthcare system, that is no longer a valid approach to take on the question of ethical practice”

it’s helpful if you find a lot of scholarship, or an influential scholar who you can disagree with; if you’re pushing back an established view within your field, or general knowledge. Most theses begin with a disagreement of some kind, and it’s a very fruitful place to begin.

I would also say there’s nothing wrong with….not writing a “but” thesis? One of my friends wrote his thesis on the intersection on current brain research, education, and those online services that claim to boost your brainpower. There’s not a lot of research in that specific area, so his was an exploratory thesis, suggesting a theory of its own based on what he had found.  If you’re already in a well-trod field with lots of literature around your topic, though, that might be harder.

Talk it over with your advisor! They should be able to point you in the right direction, or at least suggest some more avenues of research.

How to Read From a Textbook

Hi guys! So I’ve noticed that a lot of people, including myself, struggle with reading directly from a textbook and actually retaining all of the information. 

Well my friends I am here to change that [queue the victory music]. Recently I discovered a reading strategy known as the SQ3R technique. It stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review. I’ve found this technique to be extremely helpful when it comes to reading through textbooks, and so now I’m passing this information onto my dear followers.

1. Survey

The first step in this process is to get a basic idea of what you’re going to be reading. Most textbooks have chapter outlines or a brief summary at the beginning of each chapter. Take about five minutes to skim through these. By doing this, you’ll have the basic structure of what you’ll be learning in your head. 

2. Question

This step will be repeated multiple times throughout your reading, so pay attention! Within each chapter, there are section titles that give you a vague idea of what the next few paragraphs will be about. This step asks that you turn the section title into a question. For example, we’ll say that our section title is “The Changing Role of the States.” You can turn this into questions such as “how did the role of the states change” and “which states changed and how.” When you turn the titles into questions, you end up looking for the answers while you’re reading rather than simply reading. This stops you from reading the same line over and over again.

3. Read

This one’s the obvious one. Read your textbook. Take notes while you’re reading. Write down all the important definitions, concepts, names, dates, etc. But remember to take breaks! Taking a three minute break for every twenty minutes of reading allows information to settle in your brain. It also helps with memory retention.

4. Recite

I’ll admit I’m still a bit uncomfortable with this step but it’s helped me a lot with remembering what I’ve read. Basically, this step asks you to summarize what you’ve just read out loud. I do this after each section, and then I summarize the whole chapter once I’ve finished the chapter. (Pro Tip: If you’re uncomfortable with talking to yourself, try talking to a recording device or summarize to a nearby friend.)

5. Review

Review, review, review. I cannot stress this enough. Read over your notes the day after, then the week after. Studies show that you remember 60% more of the material you learned when you review it the next day. Don’t forget you can review with more than just your notes! Make flashcards or foldables with the most important information in the chapter and quiz yourself! So many textbooks have quizzes online for each chapter, so use them!!!! I find mind maps to be super helpful in studying too. Reviewing is a super important step, so don’t think that you can forget about studying just because you’ve read through a chapter!

I might include that, as of recent, many professors have been saying that there is a fourth ‘R’ to this process: Relate. With this step you simply relate the information you’ve just read back to something important in your life. When you make connections with your reading, it becomes easier to remember the material. 

Well that’s all I’ve got for you guys for now. I hope this helps at least a few of you. Keep on studying guys, and good luck on finals!  ╚(•⌂•)╝

this is a masterpost dedicated to those who want to organize themselves but are too lazy to start aka me everyday

01. organizing your schoolwork

there are so many ways to organize your papers nowadays, so it’s pretty important to find what works best for you

I personally use binders and sheet protectors for my handouts that I get at school

pros: binders keep your papers secure, you can use dividers for further organization

cons: that loud noise from opening the binder rings, can be heavy, the binder rings can mess up your papers, the plastic pockets on the inside of the binder often tears

as mentioned, to combat the tearing of papers, I use sheet protectors

if you’re not a fan of binders, a nice alternative is expandable file folders

see this video by @studyign/sareena for some more info!

pros: not as heavy as a binder, there is some organization already with the extra pockets

cons: depending on the brand, might be flimsy, the plastic pockets can tear

I currently use one of these to store all of my homework, and so far it’s worked out for me quite nicely! I would definitely recommend them

if you don’t get that many papers in class but still want to hold onto them, folders are always a nice choice

pros: are lightweight, capable of holding a lot of papers

cons: can tear, papers can fall out (unless you have the kind w/ brads)

I use both folders and binders bc sometimes I’m too lazy to open the rings of the binder oops

also, if you want to store more, it can help if you buy the folders that contain brads

psa: if you don’t keep binder clips or paper clips with you, then you should bc they’re extremely useful and will make your life easier when you’re sorting out papers

for more tips, see this masterpost by @tbhstudying/seo!

02. organizing your supplies

some of you might have a lot of stationary and pens lying around

for those that don’t, it’s totally fine and you might have it better off bc you don’t have to keep track of that many things ahahaha

it’s always nice to have a pen case or pouch to hold your supplies, it can really help you keep your supplies together

if you’re willing to make the investment, try the kipling 100 pens pencil case

here is a cheaper alternative

this website is also really nice, their products are super cute and they have a large variety of pen cases to choose from

when you’re organizing your supplies, it’s important to know what you need the most on a daily basis - it’s not helping you if you keep a complete set of staedtler triplus fineliners in your pen case when in reality you only use two colors every day

ask yourself: what do I need? will it be okay if I leave it behind?

if you choose to leave some supplies at home, be sure that you have a place to leave them hehe

03. organizing your desk space

okay so if you’re like me, you probably have a lot of papers and things that stay on your desk, such as stationary, extra paper, textbooks, etc.

to organize some of my pens/pencils, I recommend using a jar or cup of some sort to keep on your desk so that it’s within reach

for those extra packs of lined/graphed paper you might have, you can store it on your desk in a magazine file or in your drawer

going back to the magazine file: 11/10 would recommend

for me, I have a small desk, so I can’t afford to have everything being piled on my desk - the magazine files are really nice for organizing

be sure that when you’re working, you only have the things you need on your desk! anything that isn’t needed should be stored as neatly as possible

you can find different desk organizers and containers in places like target and amazon!

I hope this was helpful to you guys! I personally still struggle with organization, but over the course of my 2015-16 school year, I’m starting to find ways to keep my things and my life together. if you have any questions, feel free to drop an ask in my inbox ^-^

- soko ◟(๑•͈ᴗ•͈)◞

Medical Student Resources 101

I’ve been thinking about this post for quite a while now, and I have finally decided how I want to approach it. If you have any suggestions, please comment or message me! So, when I started medical school 18 months ago all I had available to me was a crazy long list of textbooks recommended by the university. It has been an uphill battle figuring out what textbooks are helpful and which are less than helpful. So this is my masterpost of resources I’ve used for medical school thus far, organised by systems! 

Basics

You’ll need a good anatomy atlas, physiology text and pathophysiology book as a bare minimum. Most universities also guide you towards a clinical skills book of some sort.

Anatomy: 

Rohen and Yokochi “Color Atlas of Anatomy: A Photographic Study of the Human Body”

I used an old version of this book, and it was amazing for our human dissection block, I would strongly recommend it. 

Physiology:

Boron “Medical Physiology”

Guyton and Hall  “Textbook of Medical Physiology”

I used a combination of these two, Boron can be very heavy, so I only used it for topics I had a really good grasp of and wanted to know more about. I would recommend Guyton over Boron if you can only get one. 

Pathophysiology:

Robbins and Cotran “Pathologic Basis of Disease”

This is one of the best books ever written. I cannot recommend it highly enough. 

Clinical and Practical Skills:

Talley and O’Connor “Clinical Examination” 

This was recommended by my university. It is a good textbook, however I’ve recently discovered: 

Thomas and Monaghan “Oxford Handbook of Clinical Examination and Practical Skills”

and I personally prefer this, but it is much more concise, so Talley is great for all the background information. 

Cardiovascular

Lilly “Pathophysiology of Heart Disease” 

This textbook is fantastic, very easy to read and covered all of our cardiovascular block thoroughly.

Respiratory

West “Respiratory Physiology: The Essentials”

This book can be a bit hit and miss. I really didn’t like respiratory physiology, so I struggled a bit with this one, I used a combination of Guyton and Hall, and West. For pathophysiology you can’t go wrong with Robbins and Cotran.

Genitourinary

I didn’t use a specialised book for this block. For physiology I used Boron, which was insanely hard as a first year student. I also used Guyton and Hall at the end of the block, which was much better. So I’d definitely recommend Guyton and Hall for physiology and Robbins and Cotran for pathophysiology. 

Gastrointestinal

Chew “Crash Course Gastrointestinal System 3e” 

I really liked this book for this book, I thought it covered the hepatic system very well, overall it was very easy to read and understand. This book and Guyton and Hall if you wanted to supplement it would be great. As always, Robbins and Cotran for indepth pathophysiology. 

Endocrine and Reproductive

Porterfield and White “Endocrine Physiology”

This was one of my favourite blocks! The university recommended Greenspan’s “Basic and Clinical Endocrinology”, which for what we needed was probably too much. I found a fantastic little orange book at the library, which I will need to go get the name of, so keep an eye on this if you need a good endocrinology book. UPDATE: little orange book found!

Psychiatry

Kaplan and Saddock’s “Synopsis of Psychiatry”

This is actually a really great book for any psychiatry you might do. We only used it for four weeks, but I’d definitely recommend hiring a copy if you can! 

Neurology and Neuroanatomy

Yogarajah “Crash Course Neurology, 4e” 

Fix “BRS Neuroanatomy”

Young “Basic Clinical Neuroscience”

This has been an incredibly hard block to find a good text for, at a reasonable price. These two have been very helpful, and I find them easy to read. Only time will tell if it has been enough to pass! Update: Young’s book is also excellent!

Musculoskeletal

Jenkins “Hollinshead’s Functional Anatomy of the Limbs and Back”

This is the most amazing textbook for any block of all time ever. Literally. It is so good! I’ve used a combination of this book, and:

Moore and Dalley’s “Clinically Oriented Anatomy” 

for our musculoskeletal block. It’s been absolutely fantastic. I’ve enjoyed it so much! I would also recommend investing in some quality flashcards. I have:

Hansen “Netter’s Anatomy Flash Cards”

Which have been great, another really great resource has been WinkingSkull.com, which you do have to pay for, but it is helpful! 

Other

So, there are a few other resources I’ve used that have been very helpful. Mostly online databases and websites but I thought it would be handy to have them. Many (most?) universities have subscriptions to them so try your university library website! 

UpToDate: www.UpToDate.com 

Everything you ever needed about anything in medicine

Best Practice: www.bestpractice.bmj.com 

This is my favourite resource. Ever. It goes through signs, symptoms, risk factors, diagnostics, differentials, everything. It is a small slice of heaven in medical school.

Lancet Review Articles 

There were a really great series on Immunology in The Lancet, I would strongly recommend trying to find them for a concise overview of immunology

Life In The Fast Lane: www.lifeinthefastlane.com

Great series on ECGs!

Radiopedia: www.radiopaedia.org

These guys are great for understanding what you’re actually supposed to be seeing on any radiological film. I’ve been using it a lot for musculoskeletal, looking at Le Fort fractures, etc. 

Toronto Notes

So I just borrowed a friend’s copy of Toronto, but I believe there may be online access. Maybe an online version. It’s great for an overview and is a little more clinically focused. I really liked it for gastrointestinal, psychiatry and neurology.

Anatomy Zone 

There’s a website and a YouTube channel with great tutorials and information for anatomy, particularly musculoskeletal. I’ve found it immensely helpful whilst studying for this block! 

I know I’ve probably missed a few things, I’ll add them as I think of them but I hope this helps a few pre-clinical medical students out there! If it’s helpful I’ll keep you posted as I move into my clinical years on new texts and resources I find helpful! 

26 . 01 . 16 // give me a shot to remember

Actual good first-time college student advice:

Wear jeans/pants that “breathe” and bring a sweater, even if it’s scorching hot out, until you know which building blasts the AC to 60 degrees F and which feels like a sauna

Backpacks with thick straps are your friend!  Messenger bags are cool and all but if you’re commuting with a lot of stuff, symmetrically styled backpacks are better for your back

You are your own person and you can walk out whenever you need to or want to, so long as you’re not disrupting the class.  Meaning you can go to the bathroom without permission, take a breather if you’re anxious, answer an important phone call, etc.

If you don’t like the class on the first day, if you can- DROP THAT CLASS AND TAKE ANOTHER ONE!  It’ll only get worse from there!

If you can, take a class outside your major; it’s a good break from your expected studies.

You are in charge of your schedule.  Your adviser and guidance counselor is there to ‘advise and guide’ but if you don’t like certain classes and you can substitute for others, that’s your choice.

Consequently, if you are changing anything drastic in your plan, talk with your adviser and instructors.

Pay attention to your credit hours and grades.  Never leave this to the last week of school, you will be sorry and stressed beyond belief!

Unless it’s a lab book or otherwise specified, go to the class for a week or so before buying an expensive textbook.  Some classes, while having it on their required list, do not actually use the textbook a whole lot and you might find some of it scanned online.  Rent if you can or buy used online (schools actually don’t give discounts).  Use your best judgement on what you think you need.

Tell the people who go up to you selling or advertising things you are not interested in that you are in a rush to class and don’t have time to listen to them.  It’s less rude and they’ll leave you alone.

The smaller the class, the better it is to have some sort of acquaintanceship with a couple classmates.  They might save your ass if you are absent one day or need to study.  And talking with them makes the time go by faster without it being so insufferable.

You don’t need to join a club or sport, but internships are cool and useful!

If you can afford it, take a day off once or twice each semester if you’re too exhausted.  Just be aware of what you missed and if it was worth missing!

Your health is the most important, this goes for mental health too!!  Note: College-age/upper teens is when mental disorders like depression and anxiety are most commonly diagnosed.  Most schools have therapy services, especially during exam time.  Look into it if you need to!

Communicate with your professor if you are having trouble with something.  Anything.

Eat and stay hydrated.  Bring a water bottle and snack to class.

All-nighters will happen but never go over 36 hours without sleep.

It’s going to be hard and there will be times you might think about giving up.  This WILL happen.  You just have to make sure what you’re doing isn’t making you absolutely miserable and/or there is something rewarding and positive to look forward to at the end!

Took around 2 hours to finish my A4 sheet of handwritten notes for my calculus test! The topic is confusing so I need to work hard in order to get good results!! 😊  Studygram: acadehmic

{ 15-4-17 } 70/100 days of productivity

Rose gold theme! Some HD photos taken with my DSLR of econ notes ♡

hey!! so a lot of us are interested about space but don’t know how to go about studying about it, this is a masterpost for all of those people who wish to learn about the universe <3

learn!!!

astronomy crash course

space + nasa news

bbc space

nasa space place

best space documentaries

best space books + sci-fi

best science + tech podcasts

posts + fun stuff!!

how we’d live on mars infographic

my space tag on my main blog!! [actually my url means space in maltese B-)]

the nasa instagram which is my fav!!!

nasa shop

nasa website yo!!!

spatial tunes

fav space app!!!!

25 best space movies

spatial studyspo here

my masterposts

notes, studying, and self-study resources

self-study resources

supplies

igcse resources

improving your handwriting

how to studyblr

literature masterpost

organisation

aesthetically pleasing notes

annotating

studying a foreign language

really great apps

math

college + uni

motivation

biology

+ more

hope this helps!!! feel free to come talk to me about space anytime <3