#did i ever tell you guys I was originally going into microbiology major?
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Ever wonder what the combination of elf and human DNA in a body could do if an easily transmissible viral human disease encountered half elf defenses, acquired alterations to its structure (as viruses do) and then became transmissible to elves?
(Because I sure do!)
Glenwing: *staring very hard at Eragon one fine afternoon of sparring and training* Eragon: ....Can...are you...are you okay there, Glen? Glen: *suspicious squint* Eragon: ...Saphira could you uh...see what's up with him, he's kinda scaring me. Glen: You. Glen: You. Are a pandemic. Waiting to happen. Eragon: ???? Excuse me??? Glen: *turns and walks off muttering to himself about needing some books from Angela and Orrin to check some things and to get some surgical masks from Vilks*
#eragon#inheritance cycle#the cyclists#the world of eragon#the inheritance cycle#modern inheritance#ket's modern inheritance cycle#glen#glenwing#reminder that glenwing is literally a doctor MD and Psych#did i ever tell you guys I was originally going into microbiology major?#mic chat#mic chats
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Advice on How to Be a Straight A Student
Hey guys! So I got a seĂąor anon question on how to be a straight A student and my response got a bit long, so here it is in a text post.Â
Before I begin, Iâd like to say Iâm not an expert on this subject. This is just stuff that works for me.
So a little background information before I give some advice!
Iâm a sophomore in University, majoring in nursing, minoring in Spanish. I graduated high school with a 3.73 GPA, and the problem was I figured out how to study best for myself the second semester of my senior year of high school! So, I got to college and was freaking out. At my university, the lowest excepted GPA to get into the Fall 2018 nursing program was a 3.83, which is INCREDIBLY high. Never in my life did I think Iâd be able to get that GPA, since high school made me feel dumb. I was encouraged to take AP classes and I took too many, and while other kids succeeded, I fell behind. It made me feel incredibly incapable, yet, for money for my district, I was still encouraged to take more. Come Fall 2018, taking classes for pre-nursing to be able to apply into the program, I was a nervous wreck. I lacked self-confidence and I was praying for a 3.8 GPA, but I decided to make a promise to myself. My confidence wasnât great enough to promise a 4.0 GPA for all my prereqs, but it was for the first semester just so I didnât have to worry as much second semester about keeping my GPA high. Yet, against all my beliefs, I 4.0â˛d all my pre-nursing/pre-reqs classes, got into the Fall 2019 nursing program (I start September 4th), where usually 300 students apply, but only 72 are selected in the fall, 97 in the winter. I also received a 4.0 in a summer microbiology class that was originally 14-16 weeks long during the school year, but it was shortened into 6 weeks into the summer, made it onto the Deanâs List, and so much more. My new goal is to be one of And now, Iâm going to tell you how I did it.
Here is what I wish someone wouldâve told me when I started high school or college:
First things first, you HAVE to believe in yourself. This is VITAL.
If you walk into a class telling yourself youâre barely going to pass, chances are, youâre barely going to pass. You are your biggest enemy. Chemistry is a subject, it is not a person, it doesnât decide whether or not youâre going to pass or fail. Itâs literally a class, it holds absolutely NO power over you. It literally just exists. The only thing that holds power over you, is you. You decide your future, not Chemistry. When you say, âOh Iâm so bad at Chemistry, Iâll never pass.â Chemistry had absolutely nothing to do with it, it was ALL you. The class you hate and think youâre going to fail should be your favorite and top priority. Why? Because youâre going to have to spend the MOST time on it. If you cut yourself short by saying youâll never pass right off the bat and ignore the class, the harsh reality is, you allowed yourself to fail. Stop telling yourself that you are unable to do things, then complain when you get bad scores. Chemistry is difficult, but nothing is impossible.
My quote for this section:
âIt is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.â Seneca
Find your best way to study, preferably before college rolls around.
For me, this is flashcards, but I donât just use them for memorizing, I use them for connecting. I make questions that connect things from the chapter Iâm in along with prior chapters. Hereâs an example:
On a person in anatomical position, which bone in the forearm can be located more medial to the body?
This, is a great question. Not only am I asking location, but Iâm referencing prior topics at the same time. Anatomical position is lying flat on your back with palms facing outward. Medial is something that is closer to the midline of the body. Both of which are terms learned in previous chapters. Knowing this, I would be lead to believe the answer is the ulna. Now, I have not only learned, but reviewed.
My quote for this section:
âWe are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is then, not an act, but a habit.â Will Durant.
ASK QUESTIONS!
Listen guys, Iâm blunt and a bit harsh, so hereâs a reality check for you: I donât care whether or not you are shy, extroverted, confident, not confident, whatever, thereâs NO excuse to say you donât understand a topic if youâre not willing to ask questions to gain more knowledge or better understand it. If you receive a bad grade in a class and never ask questions or try to better understand it, shame on you. Donât blame your professor, donât blame the class for being âtoo hardâ, I donât want to hear it. So, in this section, Iâm going to tell you how to ask a good question and who to ask.
Who:
First, your professor/teacher obviously. Donât be afraid, most professors donât bite. Theyâre not going to get annoyed with you. Their job is literally to talk about what they love, for hours on end. Everyoneâs favorite topic is themselves, their hobbies, anything that correlates around them. If you ask them a question deeper than the material provided, out of confusion, or just for further knowledge, chances are theyâd LOVE to answer it for you! Bonus: the more questions you ask, the more theyâll know you, and the more theyâll be willing to help you, especially when youâre in a time of need. You donât need to always ask questions during lecture/class, though it is preferable. If youâre shy or introverted, write down your questions on a sheet of paper, preferably with the slide youâre referencing, then ask after class.
Next, tutors! Most universities have a tutoring center, or if youâre in college, ask a counselor to find you one. If your professor is a bit intimidating for you, or flat out doesnât want to answer questions, this is a GREAT idea! Itâs much easier to talk to someone in your age range as well, so if youâre a super shy person, this might be a better option for you. Also, the tutors arenât the experts of the subject, which plays in your favor. They know how to break the subject down into ways youâll be able to understand, sometimes in better ways than your professor.Â
Lastly, anyone that has taken the class before you. In nursing school, they recommend we make friends with someone thatâs in the year above us and attach ourselves to them, which I plan on doing. Theyâve experienced everything before you, so youâll have the freshest advice. Which prof should I take? Ask them. Do I need to buy the book for this class? Hmm... theyâll know.
Good questions:
Connecting questions. When you link two topics together, preferably from another chapter, youâre learning in the BEST way possible. Ask the question. Your professor will love you, the class will love you, and you will love you, because more than likely, your professor will either: agree with the connection, disagree with the connection and tell you where you went wrong (still learning), and congratulate you on your good question. Itâs a win-win situation.
another very important point:Â even if you are wrong in whatever you are asking, that does NOT make it a bad question. Good questions lead to learning, whether it is agreeing or disagreeing. Humility and humbleness are attractive qualities, and the willingness to do such is probably the best way to be successful. You have to be willing to be wrong to eventually learn and be right.
Any question where you are confused. You paying for a class is paying for your professor to talk. Use your money wisely. Hold up the damn class, get your answer. Learn and grow in your knowledge. Chances are, other people are confused too, and arenât bold enough to ask.
Why? This might be the best question ever. Actually, I take that back, it is. One word asks fifty other questions and tells 100 more. Hereâs what the professor gets out of âwhyâ questions: I might not have explained the topic enough so Iâm going to talk about it more, said student wants to know more about the topic, this is a learning opportunity for the class, etc.
My quotes for this section:
âToo many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.â Les Brown
âThe only bad question is one that you can find the answer to on the syllabus.â SmoljoelitoÂ
â Excuses are born out of fear. Eliminate your fear and there will be no excuses.â Unknown
When someone asks you if you can help them with something in a class, always say yes, even if you donât know the answer.
One of the best ways Iâve found that I learn is by explaining things to other people. My friend Molly used to text me a lot during Biology and ask me if I knew what said thing meant or if I could explain said thing better. I always said yes, even if I didnât know what the hell she was talking about. Why? Because obviously, I need to study it too, and what better way than to teach someone else.
The best way to look at information you donât understand: If someone were to break this down for me, how would I want it to sound to best understand?
So, Iâd break it down for her, and weâd both learn something new. Saying ânoâ wouldâve lost me and her a learning opportunity. Also, we were competing for the same spot in the nursing program, butÂ
My quote for this section (doesnât fit as well):Â
âBy doing what you love you inspire and awaken the hearts of others.â Satsuki Shibuya
Elaborative rehearsal
This is a term from psychology. I took this class after Biology, so I never realized this is what I was doing the whole year. Basically, elaborative rehearsal is memorizing information by connecting new information to old information, and it is the BEST way to memorize as I learned in class. This can come in many forms: making an analogy to learn a subject (to memorize transcription in Biology I made a story connecting transcription to pre-gaming and it worked so well), asking questions to connect new topics to prior topics, etc. Every time I break down a subject to better understand it, I try to connect it with something I know, whether itâs past information, pre-gaming, realizing a reason why something happens, anything, and I never forget it.
This section is short so it doesnât get a quote
Get ahead of your professor (university students and AP students mostly).
The BEST thing Iâve ever done for myself would have to be being ahead of my professors by two and three chapters at a time! Hereâs the tea: the busiest time of your semester in school should be the first month. Of course, your first month is the easiest, so youâre probably wondering, why should it be the busiest? Because come one month later, each class is going to start dropping exams, and youâre going to start falling behind. Get ahead early. I just bought my pathophysiology book (August 19th) and my classes donât start until September 4th. This class is going to kick my ass, so my plan is to kick its ass by starting classes early. Itâll never see me coming.
Itâs not just getting prepared for exams, but by even having the chapters prepared ahead of time for a lecture when your professor is lecturing, itâs no longer learning, but understanding. Instead of trying to pick up on everything the prof is saying, youâre being reminded of things noted in the book, things you remember, and also things you need further clarity on. Instead of reading the chapter after and having an âoh shit what does this mean?â moment, you can figure it out during lecture. Bonus: if your prof doesnât lecture on it, ask for further clarity on the subject anyway. You might get lucky and be told not to worry about it. It may not be on the exam at all.
Start early, get ahead, thank me later.
My quote for this section:
âDo something today that your future self will thank you for.â Sean Patrick FlaneryÂ
Take notes! (if they help you)
All the studyblrs are gonna hate me for this, but I really donât take notes. I have a Microsoft Surface Book 2 laptop and the screen detaches from the keyboard so I write right on the PowerPoints my teachers have, then turn them into flashcards. Why? Because itâs like portable notes. For me personally, when I stopped wasting so much time on notes for Biology, I got higher test scores. Instead of writing notes, I spent the time going over my flashcards. And instead of taking notes on the chapters outside of class, Iâd read them twice before class, highlight stuff, then make flashcards off the things not gone over in class. It worked better for me. Even in psychology, Iâd highlight the things my prof went over on the PowerPoints, then make flashcards after class. For me, I function better by paying attention to what the prof is saying, rather than focusing on writing every word down.Â
Classes Iâve taken that you are more than welcome to ask me questions about in my ask:
Here are classes I have taken, some from high school, some from college. I will answer to the best of my ability, or find you things that are more equipped to answer them.
Biology 1 (uni)
Intro to Chemistry (uni)
Intro to Logic (uni)
Intro to Organic Chemistry & Biochemistry (uni)
AP Calculus AB (high school)
General Chemistry (high school)
Organic Chemistry (high school)
Anatomy & Physiology (uni & high school)
Algebra, Pre-Calc, math in general (high school)
Physics (high school)
Intro to Psychology (uni)
Spanish 1-4, AP Spanish 4, AP Spanish 6 (high school)
AP Language & Culture and AP Literature & Culture
AP Chemistry (high school)
Any kinda Art
Also, if you have questions about high school or college, anything at all, feel free to ask me!
Other things to help you!
studyblrs! They have masterlists of how to take notes, stationery to buy that's cheap, what to write down in lecture, etc. If you want me to link some, send me an ask.
Iâm a stationery fanatic as well, so if you guys want cheap pens that are high quality, good highlighters, paper, useful things, etc, hmu. I can make a whole amazon wishlist.
Tutoring centers.
Libraries. My uni has a part of the library called The Writing Center where profs will go to help you write essays and such.Â
Websites & YouTube. Khan Academy is an amazing resource along with Crash Course, one of my personal faves. For Biology, I used Crash Course a lot and one of my friends used this channel I believe is called the Amoeba Sisters? I canât remember. If you want the link Iâll find it for you.
Quotes I live by
Whatever your situation, getting the career youâd like, passing a class, graduating valedictorian, here are some quotes to encourage you to keep on going.Â
âDeciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.â Steve Jobs
âIf I quit now, I will soon be back to where I started. And when I started, I was desperately wishing to be where I am now.â Unknown
âWhen you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. When you have fun, you can do amazing things.â Joe Namath
âOne of the greatest discoveries a person makes is to find out they can do what they were afraid they couldnât do.â Henry Ford. This quote makes me emotional.
âSelf-esteem is the ability to see yourself as a flawed individual and still hold yourself in regard.â Ester Perel
âDo what you dream of doing even while youâre afraid.â Arianna Huffingtin.
âBe the one who decided to go for it.â
âEverything you want to be, you already are. Youâre simply on the path to discovering it.â Alicia Keys
âDonât let the noise of othersâ opinions drown out your inner voice. Have the courage to follow your own heart and intuition.â Steve Jobs.
âIf we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.â John Quincy Adams
âIf you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done.â Unknown
âThere is no person living who isn't capable of doing more than they think they can do.â Henry FordÂ
âDecide that you want it more than you are afraid of it.â Unknown
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.â Winston ChurchillÂ
âSuccess isn't about how your life looks to others. It's about how it feels to you.â Michelle ObamaÂ
In conclusion
I know what it feels like to feel like an idiot, to wish I was as good at something as someone else is. Comparison is the silent killer. The moment you start to think you are less than someone else, you start to believe it. Drop the comparison, let everything go, be humble, and focus on your purpose. There is not a thing you canât do or be good at. There is not a person in the world that isnât born with some kind of talent, something they are one of the best at. I have found by âbestâ and I have grown and learned from it. For a while, I thought Iâd fail, that Iâd be laughed at and humiliated, but when I let all that go, all the pain, the lies, and focused on my purpose, my goal came as easy as taking a breath of fresh air. So, I leave you with this:
âWhat would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?â Robert H. Schuller
#em's tips#study#studying#cnco#school#school help#writing help#success#inspiration#quotes#em's school tips
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