#Academic Life

[mindfulstudyquest]

❥﹒♡﹒☕﹒𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆

organization: i know it's the most trivial advice in the world, but i swear it works. before doing anything, i take my planner and review everything i have to do, i divide the study by subject, amount of things to study and review spaces for exams. realistically, you can't expect to do it all in one day, but a good plan could almost allow you to sleep at night!

a clean workspace: i can't fucking concentrate if there's a mess aroud me, i get distracted easily, even by dust, so before i start studying i always deep-clean my desk. i know that not everyone can afford a personal and quiet place to study in their houses, so try to find yourself a small angle where you can really focus.

go to study in a library / café: i didn't believe it at first, but it's actually useful. if you have the opportunity to go to a library or a café after school ( or near your house ) do so. being surrounded by people who are studying like you really helps to focus, you'll be less inclined to get distracted and procastinate. i would feel uncomfortable using my phone in a library with other people who are doing their work while i'm sitting there scrolling on tumblr.

breaks: ik ik, not very blair waldrof, hermione granger, spencer hastings, rory gilmore of me, isn't it? but is it worth it. sometimes i end up having really bad headaches from studying and, even if i keep studying, the quality of my work decreases significantly. breaks are fundamental. i would not recommend using social networks for your beak, because they litteraly drain your attention, rather do your skincare, prepare yourself a snack ( eating is important! it's what makes you focus ), read 10 pages of your book, dance a little bit in your room, do stretching, go outside and buy some mint chewingum, something like that.

EAT!: girls, boys and theys, we know. i honestly think that almost every person that craves academic validation ends up developing a sort of eating disorder. it's not even the food, is the fact that you are too busy studying that you forget to eat, ignoring stomach cramps, or the fact that you didn't get that answer right and now you don't feel like you deserve the lunch. i understand bc i AM like this, like you. but think about it: you need to do it in order to survive ( but this is secondary to the grades, right? ) and to keep your brain active. you can't walk around with blurred vision because you haven't eaten or drunk for fourteen continuous hours. i swear that eating like a normal human being helps you to keep going.

sleep: same thing as eating, but with our terrible sleeping schedules. i know that school is toxic so we end up finishing our homeworks at 2 am everyday ( if we're lucky ) but when you have the chance, take a nap and recover.

repeat things as if you were explaining them to someone: this is litterally the fastest way ever to learn fundamental concepts when you're studying. imagine that you're talking to a friend that doesn't know anything about the subject that you're studying and try to explain the topic to them. finding simple words for a difficult topic will help you understand it thoroughly, on this basis you can then build an articulated and more academic speech. repeat things out loud, doesn't matter if you look crazy, you already are <3

check and organize your notes the same day: i never have time to take proper notes in class, so i review them as soon as possible, with the lesson still fresh in mind. it really helps me understand the subject and makes the further study much easier.

watch youtube videos: youtube is my favourite class. sometimes teachers are dumber than students and you, who don't have a degree in that subject and are tackling a topic for the first time, don't understand a damn thing. ofc not!! sometimes professors are terrible at explaining stuff, but fazal from pakistan isn't. i passed my physics class with a 10/10 thanks to an indian guy on youtube. documentaries and yt videos are a simple and nice way to understand better topics and do insights for extra credits.

delete social media: i'm gonna do another post specifically for this.

"STUDY!" wallpaper: last but not least, the dumbest yet the smartest advice, set as lockscreen a white / black / whatever background with a big fat "STUDY!" written on it. everytime you're about to pick up your phone and procastinate the wallpaper will scold you.

hope this was useful or at least fun to read byee

[judassmyvirtue]

Hey folks, just dropping some resources here for those of you who, like me, are always on the hunt for free reading material, whether it's for research or just to satisfy your curiosity. Check these out:

Library of Congress: Absolute goldmine for academic researches and historical documents. You can spend hours diving into their collections.

Z-library: A treasure trove of books, articles, and papers on pretty much any topic you can think of. Quick downloads, no fuss.

Project Gutenberg: Free e-books galore, especially if you're into classics. Saved me from many a boring commute.

Internet Archive: A digital library offering free universal access to books, movies, and music, plus archived web pages. Endless hours of browsing joy.

Google Books: Sometimes you just need a quick peek inside a book without committing to buying it. Google Books has got your back.

Google Scholar: It scours through scholarly sources, journals, theses, and more. Just be ready to sift through some dense material.

JSTOR: Another heavyweight in the academic world. JSTOR is packed with scholarly articles, books, and primary sources across various disciplines. Some stuff may be behind a paywall, but there's still plenty to explore for free.

Newspaper Archive: Want to browse through historical newspapers? This site has a massive collection spanning centuries and covering a wide range of topics. Perfect for digging up primary sources.

Newspapers.com: Need more historical newspapers? Look no further.

Perseus Digital Library: Focuses on ancient Greco-Roman materials, perfect for those deep dives into classical history.

Digital Public Library of America: Another treasure trove of digitized materials, including photos, manuscripts, and more.

Europeana: European cultural heritage online. Images, texts, the whole shebang.

DOAJ: Open access journals. DOAJ indexes and provides access to high-quality, peer-reviewed open access research journals.

Open Library: Another digital library offering over 1.7 million free eBooks.

Librivox: Audiobooks for when your eyes need a break.

National Archives (UK): Offers access to a wealth of historical documents, including government records, maps, photographs, and more.

Sci-Hub: For the rebels. Access to scholarly articles.

Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB): Looking for free scholarly books? DOAB has got you covered with a vast collection.

Digital Commons Network: Free, full-text scholarly articles from hundreds of universities and colleges worldwide.

Directory of Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR): Find open access repositories worldwide.

Gallica (Bibliothèque nationale de France): French flair for your research.

DigitalNZ: Your gateway to New Zealand's digital heritage.

[xyymath]

A mathematician and an engineer are asked to design a cable system for a city.

The engineer calculates the shortest paths and designs a practical layout.

The mathematician claims the solution is trivial under the Steiner Tree Problem, writes “proof left to the reader,” and walks away.

[jstor]

Dear Professor: A Chronicle of Absences is an open access book on JSTOR that features more than 200 emails in which students excuse themselves for missing class.

Sample email:

Dear Professor,

Excuses section: I’m sorry that I had to leave early on Tuesday last week and was additionally unable to attend on Thursday. On Thursday something came up and I was sadly unable to attend any of my classes. For Tuesday I do not have such a good reason, if I am honest I left 20 minutes early because of a beautiful girl (the only and last time I would use this reason and I apologize, I let instinctual hedonism take over for better or worse!)

Interesting section: I have been working on this piece “To Fear with Love” and thought you might appreciate it as per our earlier discussion about writing. It is attached below for your enjoyment and I would love any feedback/criticism!

Best, Abraham

[lemiaule]

I’m finally done with all my finals, I feel so free so I went and got myself a book and biked around the nice part of the city.

I’m so excited to have a nice summer, before my roommate leaves for her hometown we are planning to go out and about and idk it just feels so nice to have someone to do stuff with, ha.

I’m planning to finish my course on the divine comedy finally! After having to pause it for school and work but I’m finally gonna have more time.

I also have planned to get in with my reading, I wanna eat up everything I have around my bookcase and all I can find on libby.

[drlinguo]

Source

[brandyvampirexx]

it’s never over

[afinestoutlove]

[sweetlikeshoneyy]

Another day, another exam 😮‍💨

[sunray-sunray]

Finding a typo shortly after submitting an important project

[bibiville]

i think about this all the time

[uhardite]

Hi , what's your ideal routine of the day usually

hi, im glad you asked!

my ideal routine of the day is to wake at 8, grab breakfast and get 2-3 hours of studying in. then get ready, eat lunch at 12.30pm, either go to classes if it's a weekday (i have afternoon theory classes since i live inside the campus), or meet up w friends and go on a walk. after coming back to my dorm, i hit the gym for 30mins, usually arms or the treadmill (since it's convenient), shower and study until 8pm. then eat dinner, call my parents and give night attendance, during which i relax and watch youtube as well. after that, back to the grind until about 11.30, when i start getting sleepy, call a friend and talk to them until 12.30 or 1, then go to sleep.

some additional details -

i try to eat the same portions at the same times every single day because that's better for your body

i also try to get in some form of cardio every single day, which isnt that hard since i go on walks every day without fail. the key is to have friends you have a consistent active routine with, such as a gym buddy or walking buddy

lately ive been trying to limit my screen time and mindless scrolling, as well as study at consistent times of the day, and so far it's working

things i need to improve -

physically i need to focus on hydrating throughout the day, putting on sunscreen regularly and being consistent with my haircare routine

also need to have breakfast more often, which is a direct consequence of me not getting up on time and a bad sleeping schedule in general (i will never promote skipping meals on this blog, so please eat all your meals and stay healthy, dont be like me)

i need to schedule more intentional breaks bcz it's very easy to burn out with a packed schedule like this, cut down on spending (and junk food) and be more regular about doing my chores

let me know if you want any tips, app recommendations or more details on how i workout etc. i'll be posting a studying masterpost soon, so stay tuned for that ₊˚⊹ ᡣ𐭩

[xypheris]

Me, revising my paper at 3 AM:

This is it. I’m almost done.

Five minutes later:

Why am I still fixing punctuation? I swear, there are no more typos left. This is just me becoming obsessed now.

[xyymath]

At the Races

An engineer, a mathematician, and a physicist are betting on horse races.

The engineer measures the horse’s weight and muscle power to pick their favorite.

The mathematician analyzes the statistics of every race in history.

The physicist assumes all horses are spheres.

None of them win.

[jstor]

Surprise!

For the last day of our Barbie Week, we offer you... a set of interesting documents regarding J. Robert Oppenheimer!

In the mid-1950s, during the height of the McCarthy Red Scare years (and just a few years before the introduction of the Barbie doll!), the president of the University of Washington blocked the appointment of Oppenheimer as a lecturer at the school supposedly because a Communist could not engage in free inquiry due to their ideology.

The University of Washington is sharing on JSTOR some fascinating correspondence from Alfred J. Schweppe, then dean of the University of Washington School of Law, defending the decision; a statement from the American Association of University Professors condemning it—albeit with some dissenters; and a more consistent objection from the University's student committee. We wonder which side lawyer Barbie would have taken...