#school advice

[studycation]

my tips for students that struggle with consistency

[laurenluvss]

goals for the new academic year:

read lots of books.

do any assignments given either on the day or before the deadline.

take care of yourself!! drink water, do skincare or even try a new make up style!

revise/study before tests.

read notes after lessons/school.

stay organised by writing down assignments and their due date.

meet up with friends and take interest in your hobbies.

don't let your school life take over your out of school life!!

try and make new friends.

avoid any unnecessary arguments.

[theunaestheticstudyblr]

You should never have shame about your academic journey. It's a journey. You're growing and learning. You're going to face challenges alone for one of the first times in your life. Shit's hard. It's ok to struggle.

I haven't had a pretty journey at all. I'm graduating with a bachelor's degree at 25. I've been in college nonstop since I was 18. I've failed a lot of classes and had to go part time. So many things have happened. But I will have the degree. And that degree is worth the exact same as someone who got it in 3 years. The knowledge I have is mine to keep.

How I got here doesn't matter. I'm here. I am going to graduate in a few months. I have won this chapter of my life. And to those who try to shame me for how I got here and how long it took, I pray that you never experience the things I have that have made it take long. May you live a life of comfort and luxury and have hands soft as silk until you die. And hopefully I will get the same grace from the universe eventually.

[milkoomi]

₊˚⊹ ᰔ it-girl school tips ᝰ.ᐟ

a new semester is around the corner for a lot of us, and i’m seeing so many blog posts about study/school tips, and i thought i’d share a few of my own that i’ve began to implement into my own school routine that helped me succeed during the fall semester!

just to preface: i took 2, almost 3, gap years after my first year at a university. i realized i was so burnt out after high school and my mental health wasn’t where i needed it to be, so i took a very much needed break! i started back up in school earlier last year in the spring, and i am flourishing! i’ve reconnected with my love and passion for my education and i’ve eased myself back into a comfortable, but effective, routine that’s helped me succeed!

let’s begin !!

ᝰ.ᐟ find/create a good study environment

having a cozy, comfortable, and nice place to get your studying done will make your sessions so much more enjoyable! you’ll feel more motivated to get work done in a space that you feel good in! so whether it be your own space, your favorite café, or even your school’s library, having a good environment to focus on your schoolwork will increase your productivity and make you feel good about studying!

a darling mutual of mine created this post that has helpful tips on creating your desired study space - @glowettee ♡︎ i also highly recommend her page for other tips related to studying, personal growth, & just becoming that girl!

ᝰ.ᐟ make use of a planner

planners are essential in maintaining organization throughout the semester/school year! whether it’s a digital or physical planner, find one that’s appealing to you! find a planner that suits your aesthetic, or your desired aesthetic, and make good use of it. it’ll help you keep track of what days & times you have a certain class, important due dates, and planning out your homework schedule!

if you have a pretty plain planner, decorate it! use fun or aesthetically pleasing stickers and use fun colored pens & highlighters; just make it super personable to you!

ᝰ.ᐟ organize, organize, organize

make sure any and all paperwork for all of your courses are organized! i personally love using accordion folders because they have tabs that you can label for each class or each week of a class! having some kind of organization method will keep you and your schoolwork in check!

how to maintain organization:

as your semester progresses, it gets pretty easy to let your organization slip through the cracks and turn into a mess.

create an organized binder to store older papers from your courses! this will be useful when midterms or finals come around and you need to look back at old worksheets, handouts, etc. you can have a big binder that’s divided by different tabs dedicated to each class you’re taking or you can get different binders for each class and organize that way!

throw out anything that no longer serves you! amongst all the papers, notes, packets, there’s bound to be things that you will no longer need. toss them out, shred them, just get rid of them! the more papers you have stocked up in folders or binders, the less room you’ll have to keep track of the real important stuff

track each week of the semester! keep that syllabus handy so you can keep track of what’s going on for each week in your classes. when you reach the point of midterms, a long weekend, or even a break (like spring break) find some time to look at the past weeks & the weeks ahead and reorganize and just reset your organization of papers, notes, etc.

ᝰ.ᐟ create a checklist for your assignments

as your classes pile up, so will your homework, and it starts to get overwhelming when you start thinking about everything you have to complete for the week. creating a checklist for what needs to get done will allow you to prioritize the most important assignments, help you practice time management, and also feel satisfaction as you check off each assignment!

this helped me immensely throughout the semester. majority of my classes were 8 week courses, so everything was pretty fast paced and due dates came up a lot sooner than i thought. whenever i made a checklist for everything i needed to do, it eased a lot of my stress because i allowed myself to break down each class and the corresponding assignments & it made me realize that i didn’t have too much to do (or at least i tricked my brain into thinking that)

i made my checklist literally through my notes app on my phone, and it was so satisfying to add the little green checkmark emoji after each assignment!

ᝰ.ᐟ don’t be afraid to ask questions

any time i struggled in a class and i was too afraid/embarrassed to ask a question, i ended up doing poorly in that class and it made studying and completing assignments so much more challenging for me. so don’t be afraid to ask questions! your teachers/professors/instructors are there to help you! they’re there to answer any and all questions you might have! asking questions also just helps you understand the material better and get any clarification you might need!

the more questions you ask, the better informed you are, and the more likely you’ll succeed!

ᝰ.ᐟ use school supplies you love

having those aesthetically pleasing school supplies actually gave me so much more motivation to get work done! using stuff that you’re excited to use during your semester will make doing schoolwork & studying so much more enjoyable for you!

ᝰ.ᐟ set the mood for your study sessions

listen to a good study playlist, light a candle, set up some cozy lighting, grab your favorite drink, and just set a good, calming mood for yourself while you study! i love having lofi play softly in the background while i’m studying, and since i do most of my studying at home, i make the lighting in my room nice and dim and get my desk lamp set up. i’ll also have a cup of coffee, tea, or water near by that i can sip on!

ᝰ.ᐟ take breaks

burn-out is extremely real and you’ll quickly feel it when you spend majority of your time studying and giving yourself way less time to rest and relax.

for longer study sessions, take 20 min. breaks after each hour! i remember taking an english course when i first started college and one of the books we were required to read was one on studying tips! (i really wish i remembered what it was called, i unfortunately misplaced it) one of the things i remembered from that book was the 20 minute rule. this time slot allows you an ample amount of time to rest your mind and take a break! you can rest your eyes, scroll through your phone, stand up/stretch and grab a snack, or just step away from your study area for 20 minutes!

set a timer! let’s say you wanna work on homework for an hour & a half, set a timer and just do all the work that you can within that time. once your timer goes off, stop doing what you’re doing and set another timer with the same amount of time to go do something you enjoy or get yourself to relax!

i can’t stress this enough: please take breaks. your mental/emotional well-being should always be your top priority! you can’t do your best in school if you, yourself, are not doing the best.

𝜗𝜚 final notes 𝜗𝜚

being that girl in school is only possible when you put your best foot forward. stay on top of your self care, keep yourself organized, and come up with a routine! a good routine will get you great results!

i wish you all a great start of your upcoming semester and i know that every single one of you will flourish during it too!

live and love, babe.

sincerely, juno ⭑.ᐟ

[mydearsnooopy]

Study Icons୨ৎ

Blair Waldorf

2. Spencer Hastings

3. Elle Woods

4. Rory Gilmore (when she was smart)

[positivelypresent]

Every day is a fresh start!

[audreys-diaryy]

Ultimate guide to acing college summer classes 🧋

It’s the first week of june and on my campus, summer 1 classes starts! So time for the ultimate guide to acing college summer classes ♡

Get a cute planner or digital app to track assignments and deadlines

Break down your goals for each week to manage your workload effectively

Find your study spot! Choose air conditioned libraries or shaded outdoor areas. Don’t stay in the heat too long and don’t forget to wear sunscreen everyday

Engage with the material through quizzes, discussions, and teaching concepts to friends

Take regular breaks for relaxation and self-care. Hit the pool, go for a walk, or indulge in a hobby

Join a study group! Find classmates to study with. You can support each other and make learning more fun

Treat yourself after completing big tasks. A little shopping spree or a fun outing can be a great motivator

Use other online resources for extra learning

Lastly, keep a positive mindset! Think about how these courses will help you achieve your future aspirations 💕

[femmefatalevibe]

Hiya lovely, do you have any wisdom for someone struggling to study? I've been out of school for 3 years due to illness (in my formative learning years) and now I'm gearing up for university with absolutely no study skills, low energy and a whole lot of insecurity around it. I have always been intelligent enough to learn quickly but there's a barrier I'm just not getting through, possibly due to the latent effects of the damage.

I have high expectations for myself and I want to model myself off of your brand! Thank you very kindly in advance <3

Hi love! It sounds like you're in a difficult situation, especially for someone in their teens. My heart goes out to you for overcoming this and going after a university degree. This ambition and dedication takes a considerable amount of mental fortitude and strength, so please remember that. I'm flattered by your kind words <3

Here are some of my study tips to help you maintain your stamina and focus:

When in doubt, make everything into an itemized list (topics, timelines, organizing by subtopic, key facts/people/dates surrounding a significant event, concept, theory, or ideology, cause and effect, problem and solution, etc.)

Use real-life analogies and applications as often as possible to retain information (e.g. to remember acronyms, propositions through the "box" metaphor, etc.)

Reframe long-winded information into an ongoing narrative. Humans are better at retelling stories than retaining/regurgitating a laundry list of facts or statistics

Organize your study sessions to each focus on one main topic, concept, or chapter

Create a timeline for all your assignments. Plan in advance to work on projects in milestones rather than all at once

Utilize time-blocking to pace yourself through the information (e.g. devote 30 minutes to one task or an hour to studying a specific concept; take a fully unplugged break before resuming work or another study session). Use a countdown timer if you think it would be helpful for you – everyone is different

Prioritize rest, even if it sounds counterintuitive at first. You're most productive and focused when your mind is well-rested enough to achieve and maintain peak performance. Efficiency is more important than time spent on a task – the former is what makes all of the difference (and leads to a more well-rounded, fulfilling life, too)

Discover motivating playlists that keep you on task. I love the ones for ADHD from Jason Lewis - Mind Amend on YouTube (I'm listening to one now, lol). Coffee or caffeinated tea can also help your energy to power through a study session, just don't overdo it

Focus on one task, page, or concept at a time. Don't let the entirety of a project or the volume of your overall workload overwhelm you. Just focus & prioritize what's in front of you. Take one step closer to your goals every day. Perfectionism is the most stifling barrier to progress and long-term success. Remember that

You got this! Hope this helps xx

[autisticthings]

Annotating tips:

whenever I read an article that's printed out I always mark the page. I remember when I was younger, a lot of people thought the teachers were stupid for saying it, but numbering the paragraphs helps.

I also circle words I don't know and then look them up and define them. even if they're words I know but don't use everyday, a simplified definition is easier to understand.

ill highlight things I think are important, if it's for an assignment then I highlight the answers for each question and number what question it's for before answering the question. (I answer questions at the end)

then I also summarize each paragraph. just to the right of it. so then I don't have to reread the whole thing. it should be a couple words if it's a short paragraph. or one full sentence if it's a long paragraph.

[being-addie]

How to have a productive study session.

When your finals are in 2 days, and you've definitely NOT studied enough, it's normal to panic. You sit down to study and get a solid 30 minutes of calculus done, then jump down the rabbit hole called YouTube. Soon enough the dread creeps up because you're still not done.

As a girl who doesn't attend school regularly due to coaching classes I go to (I'll expand on this later), it's pretty easy to forget to study for exams and projects.

But there's nothing better than getting 98% on that exam. So I'm writing this as someone who's been scoring straight As all my life. Here's how to have a productive study session:

Note: This isn't a guide for romanticising studies. This is meant for a serious, productive session. I will, however, be making a guide to help romanticise studies because I've found it helps a lot.

Before you study

Identify what your distractions are: Let's be real, almost everyone has their phone on hand during study sessions. Put your phone on Do Not Disturb and keep it in a corner of the room. Add a few selected contacts that can reach you while your phone is on DND. If you can turn off notifications entirely, do that.

Taking measures: After I keep my phone away, my brain turns to the next thing it could be distracted by. My laptop and tablet. Put those devices in focus mode, so you won't be tempted to use any other apps and use a Chrome extension like StayFocused or WasteNoTime to not get sidetracked.

Resources: Make sure you have all your material on hand. Video lectures, notes, guides, your formula sheet, and flash cards. Keep everything on hand so you won't have to rifle through papers to find that reference sheet.

Your space: Clean your desk. Keep only the things you need. Your pens and pencils, chargers, annotation material and water bottle. If you want, light a candle. Do not clutter it unnecessarily. Your desk is a sacred space. Treat it that way.

When you sit down

The checklist: Do you have all the material required? Electronics, chargers, a snack and a drink? Water bottle? Extra pen? If you have everything beforehand, you'll be less likely to lose focus because you forgot to charge your headphones.

Make a plan: I cannot stress this enough. You'll sit down and just start studying, and next thing you know, it's 7pm and all you've done is watch videos on celebrity drama. Make a goddamn plan. Write down a realistic number of chapters you can complete and then STICK TO IT.

Begin: Reread and review your notes. I usually like to rewrite my notes in neater handwriting, because my handwriting in class is appalling. To really solidify information, I recommend the 'Blurting' method. Read a paragraph, then close the book and say what you understood out loud. Reread to see what you missed and take note. I did this for my history exam and got a 100%. This shit works for a reason. Use the Pomodoro technique to maximise productivity. Set an alarm for 25 minutes, and do intensive study. Once that's done, take a 5-minute break. Return and repeat.

IMPORTANT

Take a break: Ah yes, if you don't get up every 40 minutes or so for a break, eventually whatever you're studying will start looking like garbage and you'll be back to square one. GET UP. Walk around. STRETCH. You've been looking like a croissant🥐. Eat something. Rehydrate.

Forgive yourself: If you couldn't hit your target, don't be harsh on yourself. Find out the cause: Were you distracted? Did something unavoidable come up? Then try to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Study buddy: This is a double-edged sword. Studying with a friend can either increase your productivity by a massive amount, or it can help you get absolutely zero work done. When revising with a friend, make sure you study with someone who has the same goals as you and won't get distracted by things.

It's 2023, procrastination is cancelled. Go drink some water, eat a granola bar and finish that assignment you've been delaying. Be the person who finishes all their work, on time and perfectly. You can do it.

<3

[glitchyycatt]

graphed my grades vs number of absences in that class. now as we see here, i should be skipping three classes in each class every quarter to achieve the highest possible grades

its backed up by science :3

[averysmallcetacean]

does anyone have any good advice for writing concise notes, whenever I try I just end up writing way too much, I can never tell what is necessary and what isn't

[ashersbraincell]

The best piece of advice I can give you, as someone who’s done with it and deeply regrets just about everything:

Don’t sell your entire childhood for praise. Don’t waste your entire childhood chasing a dream that can throw you away the moment you’re no longer performing at your unrealistic best all of the time. You have a life, you’re not some kind of drone ffs.

And when it’s all done, will you truly be able to look back on everything and say with absolute certainty that this is what you truly desire? That this path you forged is what fulfills you?

When there’s no longer anybody there to tell you that you’ve done a good job, how will you find that validation within yourself?

[theunaestheticstudyblr]

Something that schools don't teach you but is much needed: how to have a work/life balance that works for you.

As someone who works fulltime and does classes and attempts a social life and hobbies, this gets very hard and stressful. But here are some tips I have for helping:

Learn to say no and not feel guilty. Picking up that extra shift when you had plans? Politely decline. Your friend is begging you to take ANOTHER class when your plate is full so you can have one together? Just be honest and say you can't.

Prioritize your sleep and eating. You can't function well if you don't sleep and eat enough. These are not things you can just push aside and do when you get the time. These are basic things you need to survive. These are literally basic needs. Don't throw them to the side. Your body does its best to take care of you. Make sure you take care of it too.

Have boundaries and be firm with them. If you tell your manager you can only work x, y, and z, don't let them add a or b to it. Respectfully but firmly let them know that you can't take on those things and if they have you do a or b, your work overall is going to majorly decrease in quality. Schedule time for yourself. For studying. For going out. And treat those set aside times just like you would if they were work or school times or appointments. You are the most important part of your life.

Understand that some weeks are going to be absolute hell. You're not going to have enough time. You're going to be exhausted and cry and throw things and want to quit everything. You got this babe. Take breaks and remind yourself how amazing you are and treat yourself after.

Prioritize things and adopt better habits. Wash your dishes right after using them. Get a set bedtime. Get easy breakfast things. Take a walk.

Your friends will understand if you just need time alone. I promise. They love you and don't hate you because you're overwhelmed. I PROMISE. And if they don't, maybe they aren't really your friends.

Not everyone is a friend. Some people are acquaintances. Some people are a 5 minute smoke break at work for your sanity. Some people are drinking buddies. Some people are library study date friends. And that's ok! Not everyone has to be your bestie. And trying to put that much energy into that many people will drain you.

[milkoomi]

hi angel! mindy here!

i wanted to ask you, what are your personal study methods you use?

tysm! and happy new years, love! <3

omg hi hii love! happy new year! 💓 i’d be so happy to answer your question!! ( and tysm for asking hehe <3 )

₊˚⊹ ᰔ my personal study methods ᝰ.ᐟ

just to preface: i was honestly never taught how to study, so most of what i do are super basic methods, but it wasn’t until this past fall semester that i started incorporating study methods i’ve found through tiktok! i have been super successful with how i’ve been studying, and i believe doing what works best personally for you is what will help you succeed! even with just the basics, i’ve been able to maintain a 4.0 gpa all throughout high school and even now in my college years!

let’s begin !!

ᝰ.ᐟ rewriting my notes

i know a lot of people find this to be really useful, and i’m one of them! however, as of this recent past semester, i’ve stopped taking notes during lectures. i have ADD & i realized that it was so much harder for me to stay focused and concentrate if i tried taking notes during lecture. to me, my mind struggled to balance my thoughts of writing down what i needed to remember and trying to keep up with what my professors were saying, so i stopped taking notes during lectures entirely!

luckily, my professors give out study guides and will give us extra bits of information that we should also know for any quiz or exam that’s coming up, so with that information i’ll go back into the lecture powerpoints and even to our textbooks to go over the material i need to know!

i also take a lot of online courses as well, so while there is an instructor there for me that i can reach out to with any additional questions, most of my learning is on my own! i prefer online classes honestly because i can go at my own pace, but even when i do take notes of my own, i’ll still go back and rewrite all of my notes while still looking back at the chapters/course modules!

rewriting notes, for me at least, allows me to rewrite the information i learned/read into my own words! it helps me in determining whether or not i fully grasp the material especially if i can write the information all in my own way!

ᝰ.ᐟ utilizing quizlet

i LOVE flashcards, but i’ve been trying to keep everything digital for myself especially now that i have an ipad! quizlet is one of the easiest ways for me to create flashcards, and since i’m in a medical field program, there’s a whole lot of medical terms & abbreviations i need to know.

i also love that quizlet not only has a flashcard feature, but other ways of studying the information i need to know like through practice tests!

ᝰ.ᐟ teaching to loved ones

oh. my. god. this is my all time favorite way of studying! for every quiz and exam that came up, i asked my parents, my fiancé, and my friends if i could sit them down and teach them the material i learned.

just like rewriting my notes, this “teaching others” method allows to me to decide which parts of the material i fully comprehend and which other parts i still need to go over! it’s also really nice too because anyone that i’m teaching will ask questions and even that helps me get a better grasp on what i’m learning! getting those questions asked encourages me to dive deeper into the material!

ᝰ.ᐟ active recall

i saw this method be talked about a lot on tiktok (and i even reblogged one of your posts that touched on it too, mindy!!) but this method has been extremely helpful during my study sessions!

while i rewrite my notes, i write possible quiz/test questions for each section of a chapter(s) i’m learning and i go back to those questions and ask myself them to see if i can answer them correctly without reading through my notes! i usually make a separate page for these questions!

active recall and teaching others have definitely been the most effective study methods for me so far!

ᝰ.ᐟ rereading chapters

this one’s a bit boring, but it does help me! especially if i’m going back to rewriting my notes, rereading sections of different chapters helps me comprehend what i’m reading better. i’m not too sure how exactly, but it’s just something i’ve always done and, hey, if it works why would i stop doing it ya know?

𝜗𝜚 final notes 𝜗𝜚

again, these are the top methods that have helped me personally! i also seriously appreciate you, mindy, for being my first ask here on my new blog! yay!! so thank you again for asking <3

if you guys have your own favorite methods or ones that you’ve been wanting to try out for yourself, feel free to comment them or send them my way through my ask box!! i’d love to hear what works for everyone else, and maybe i could implement any new ones to my own little routine!

live and love, babes.

sincerely, juno ⭑.ᐟ

[mydearsnooopy]

This School Year's Mindset ⠀⏜ ◌ ୨ ୧ ◌ ⏜

Stay Organized

Manage Time Wisely

Take Breaks and practice self care

Don't compare yourself to others

Read your book ahead of your class

Finish assignments on time or early

Try not to be late

Write down or keep your goals in mind

Set timers for yourself

Listen to lo-fi or some classical music

Try different environments

Plan your day, create to-do lists

Scroll through Tumblr or Pinterest during your breaks

Study sooner than later

Write flash cards and short summary's

Stay persistent

I hope you beauties have a great school year!🦢୨ৎ