Educational Renaissance
47 posts
University27 - Dtusginy - Tumblr Blog
one of the hardest things to do as a college student is managing your time. you have friends to hang out with, parties to go to, papers to write, exams to study for, classes to attend, netflix shows to binge, and jobs to work. you only have 168 hours in a week, how the hell are supposed to get all this done?
*although this post is mainly targeted towards college/university students, I’m sure people at any age will find this helpful!
plan, plan, and plan
literally, the most boring and adult thing ever is planning. Just like anything though, if you want your planner to work for you, you actually have to use it. you gotta actually take it with you to class, take it out when the professor tells you about an upcoming down, and write it down (shocker, i know.) Thanks to the internet, there are many ways to make this more fun and creative! There are so many cute planners and journals out there. Find one and make it work for you!
planners to check out: bullet journals, ban.do planners, big sky planners, happy planner, passion planner, rifle paper co. planner, kikki k planners, erin condren life planner, filofax planner
read your syllabus
the most important part of doing well is reading your syllabus!! when you get it, write down the important dates in both your monthly calendar and your daily/weekly spread. Use reminders for exams and projects as deadlines approach. You do not want to be that person who forgot about the midterm because you didn’t read the syllabus.
create a schedule.
this doesn’t have to be an intense schedule of what you’re doing every minute of the day, but a rough sketch of what your week typically looks like. I had to do this as an assignment in my communications class and let me tell you, it was a life saver. I made this one in exel but I’ve started using google calendars as well! (or you can check out this awesome printable pack by @sara-laughed). It’s a great way for figuring out when/how you’re going to do things.
be realistic and prioritize.
if you need an hour every night to do absolutely nothing, give yourself the time for it. It’ll make your life a lot less complicated when you accept the fact that you will not function unless you get time to relax.
This also means saying no to fun plans for the sake of getting your work done. you’re here to get an education. Instead of spending the day going shopping or playing video games with friends, try going to a nice cafe or library with them instead! You’ll at least get some work done, and you’ll also get to hang out and goof off with your friends.
break it down.
Break down large assignments into smaller junks and spread them out over the time you have to do the assignment. Same goes simple textbook reading. A 45 page chapter is pretty daunting, but if you break it down into 15 page chunks over the course of a week, it’s not too bad. This will a) prevent burnout and b) help you get things done if you have a busy schedule.
take it with you.
if you take the bus to get to campus or to work, you’ve got a lot of time to work on stuff there. You don’t have to pull out your textbooks and start reading, but perhaps reviewing notes/flashcards or brainstorming ideas for your project will be a good use of that time. Those 30 minute bus rides can be a black hole for time. Make it a gold mine instead.
just do it
Ultimately, your success is up to you. All the planning and scheduling in the world can’t make a difference if you don’t just sit down and do the work. Getting started is always the hardest part. Promise yourself you’ll work for at least 15 minutes. If after 15 minutes you’re not into it, take a breather or move on to another task.
still having trouble?
go talk to a counselor, advisor, or trusted professor. They’re here to help you and they want you to succeed. Maybe working 20 hours a week as a full time student just isn’t the best option for you. You have tons of resources available at your university. Use them.
tips:
learn your learning style your life will be so much easier once you understand what works for you.
know what you have to do. I like to make a to do list everyday, but if you’re using your planner correctly, that should be good enough.
check out some apps to help minimize procrastination and distractions
keep some school/office work with you at all times. that 30 minute wait at the doctor’s office? boom. study session. you can cross that off your to do list
mess around with your schedule. try doing different things at different times. Maybe going grocery shopping at 3 pm when everyone and their mother is doing the same thing isn’t the best idea.
helpful links:
surviving college
time management strategies
getting your shit together by yours truly
a great pdf on time management
my tag on study tips
my tag on productivity
my tag on time management
other posts by me
5 tips for Mindmapping
1) Decide on your paper size Before you start writing anything it’s really important to work out what size paper you want to do your mindmap on. Be it A3, A4, A5 or any other size you can think of, deciding this early on will make things much easier in the long run and leave you with a much more organised mind map
2) Work out the basics Before you actually start writing anything it’s a really good idea to work out the basics of your mind map. What type of bubble do you want the title to be in? Spiky or a cloud or just a plain circle? What kind of lines to you want leading off from it? Arrows or just plain lines? Straight or curved? Taking 30 seconds to work these out before you start will make everything much easier in the long run and leave you with a much neater and better organised mind map
3) Choose what to write with This part is all down to personal preference. Do you prefer writing in a plain colour and then highlighting later? Do you want each section in a different colour? Felt tips or biros? Fineliners or pencils? This is the time when you can think about what you’re most comfortable writing with and what’s going to make it easiest for you to retain the information
4) Add pictures and diagrams Adding little drawings to aid your explanations is a really great way to help you remember what you write. You don’t have to be good at art to make this work, just add a few little diagrams here and there and you’ll be surprised how much more easily you retain the information
5) Have fun with it You may be looking at a picture of a mind map online and saying to yourself ‘that’s exactly what I want mine to look like’ but in reality that’ll never happen. You’ll never manage to get a mind map that looks exactly the same as someone else’s and in all honesty that would be a bit boring. Instead just get stuck in and create your own unique masterpiece
For more tips follow How To Study Quick!!
Saturday Study Tips
1.) Sleep in! I often make the mistake of thinking I need to pop up at the crack of dawn to get things done on Saturday, when in reality I need to recharge my batteries from grinding all week. Be good to yourself, and you’ll be more productive in the long run.
2.) Set a time to start studying and stick to it. If you set your alarm to sleep in until 10:30, give yourself a couple of hours to wake up, get dressed, eat, and drink coffee. Whenever your set study time rolls around, be ready to rock and roll!
3.) Pack all of the essentials. The #1 killer of a good study session is not having everything that you need–and I don’t just mean academic materials! Here’s a little list of what I like to pack:
— Coffee — Water bottle — Enough healthy food to last me the length of time I plan to study (this is hugely important!) — Earbuds — A sweatshirt or jacket (another important one!) — Phone charger + laptop charger — Gum or mints — Ponytail holder + bobby pins — Phone, laptop, textbooks, notebooks, pens, highlighters — Agenda
4.) Choose a study location that is best suited for you. Everyone is different–for me, I sometimes have a hard time focusing in the library because it’s too quiet/can feel isolating! For casual studying, I love places like Barnes & Noble or Starbucks because the buzz and bustle is energizing but also white noise I can tune out in the background. When I need to get serious, the library/a study room is the better option.
5.) Find a good playlist to help you get in the zone. I personally cannot listen to anything with lyrics, because I find myself focusing more on the words of the song and less on what I’m studying! There are great playlists on Youtube that are designed to facilitate studying and focus; search for ‘alpha wave studying music.’ I also enjoy listening to seasonal instrumental Pandora stations, like bluegrass in the fall and classical Christmas in the winter.
6.) Turn. Off. Your. Internet. Sign. Out. Of. All. Apps. This is the hardest part of studying for me and a terrible habit I am striving to kick. The impulse to check Facebook or Instagram or Tumblr is almost a reflex for most of us, so I find that turning off my internet on my laptop and signing out of my apps on my phone helps tremendously. Set small goals for yourself that will exercise and strengthen your self-control like a muscle. For example, “I will complete two reading assignments and then have 5-10 minutes to check social media before starting my next assignment.” It sounds pathetic, but compulsively checking social media is a learned behavior that you have to force yourself to unlearn in order to be truly productive. There’s an app for MacBooks called “SelfControl” that allows you to block certain websites for a set amount of time. I strongly recommend it!
7.) Set realistic goals and take breaks. The clock is your friend, not your enemy! I work best in about 50-minute increments before I need a tiny 5-10 minute break. During a regular study session, I usually can’t work for more than 3 hours before needing a larger break. Exercising is always my go-to. Get outside, breathe some fresh air, and let your body move. It also helps to set a cap on your studying; I often pick a time I want to be totally finished for the day and focus my energy toward meeting that goal.
8.) Remember that constant studying is not healthy and perfect/imperfect grades do not define you. You are more than your perceived academic abilities. Working hard to achieve success is important but not everything. There is a beautiful world out there beyond your desk. Don’t be afraid to take time off to explore it :)
concept: me, lying in bed. my roof is glass. i look up at the moon and stars. my mind is clear like the beautiful night sky. everything is still. everything is calm.
how to study efficiently
don’t spend more time more time making your notes than actually revising them
note-taking itself honestly isn’t the best study method when used by itself; you’re overloading your brain with content and you can go on autopilot very quickly
the key to note-taking being extremely useful for your studying is making testable notes. before uni I was into flashcards, but I was definitely guilty of making the mistake I first outlined; taking forever to actually flashcard everything and not using the flashcards enough times. the easiest way to get around this is making cornell notes, and I 100% recommend doing so digitally.
type your lecture/class notes like you would normally, and then in a separate document, create a table with two columns and make the column on the left side significantly narrower. copy the lecture notes you took and paste them into the larger column on the right. colour code these notes if you wish (I recommend it). I personally underline headings, use arrow subheadings, have yellow highlight for terms and bolded orange for any important information.
write the cue questions in the narrower column.
this cuts down the time you take to actually organise/make your revision notes like no tomorrow, so when exams come around you can just say the cue question, recite the information verbally or write down your answer depending on what type of learner you are, and write down the information you missed on a blank sheet of paper.
rule of thumb: don’t handwrite EVERYTHING. it takes forever, and time is of the essence. type the things that will help you understand content, handwrite content that is super vital/you struggle with, which are definitely not mutually exclusive. think of typing as the bones and flesh, handwriting for the bones and any flesh that you keep forgetting about. weird analogy, let’s move on.
don’t listen to music when you study. or at least, try not to. this is crazy for me to say personally, because in high school I HAD to have music to be able to do any work. but first year has led to this bizarre shift of not listening to anything at all, and I recommend trying it out. if it’s still not working, I have a suggestion; listen to a genre of music that you NEVER or RARELY ever listen to in any other area of your life (preferably a genre with limited words). for me that was jazz. that way, you’ll only associate the playlist with studying. sometimes when I have zero motivation, I play my jazz playlist to get myself working, and then around 5 minutes in I have to pause the playlist to focus on my work. i never thought that would ever happen but here we are.
this one’s a little more ~controversial~ but don’t take super rigid and routinely breaks. say you have a system of studying for an hour and taking a ten minute break. a lot of the time, this will work and satisfy you. but sometimes, you’ll get to around the half an hour mark, and already feel tired/drained/antsy/not in the mood/done with the content already, you name it. it’s better to take a micro break then to re-energise so you can plough through that revision than wait for your scheduled break; you’ll probably spend the rest of the hour unfocused and impatient, and by the time you get to your break you’ll probably end up taking a much longer one than you anticipated because you were tired long before. will you ever actually return to your work that day? hm.
so, allow flexibility for study and break times.
examples of micro breaks; making a beverage, writing a quick journal entry, decluttering your desk (depending on how messy your desk is tbh, don’t worry, we’ve all been there), checking the news, staring at the wall for a bit (again, we’ve all been there), finding study quotes on google, looking at pictures of Elle Woods etc etc etc
if you’re in a time crunch and you can’t do as many timed essays as you need, please type up essay plans (I say type instead of handwrite because typing makes it 500 times easier to edit and add sections). low-key for certain subjects plans can be more helpful than writing full essays
past papers are your best friend, but only if you; mark them, write down why you got an answer wrong (usually best for calculations or mcq), edit your response with the marking criteria (usually best for short answers), rewrite the marking criteria word for word if your answer and the criteria answer are vastly different (i.e the energy of reading and comparing the two and wondering if the responses were for two completely different questions or alas even courses), redo the questions you get wrong (all of them pls). simply doing a past paper and adding some ticks and crosses here and there isn’t going to do anything, there’s no magic involved.
voice memos are also extremely helpful, especially if you’re an auditory learner. don’t drone out information for each topic word for word (the voice notes will be like three hours long, and if that isn’t enough to demotivate future you, listening to it will feel…well…will you feel anything at all? that’s the true question), but definitely record yourself explaining a topic or question type to yourself. voice memos are also really great for working on assignments. trying to flesh out your thesis? record yourself and title it thesis. trying to figure out what the heck your arguments should be? record yourself and title it what the heck are my arguments. trying to understand a crucial part of set reading? title it help me what is happening with ‘title of set reading’
definitely not saying you have to use all of the above study strategies at once (oh my), but I hope that integrating one of them into your study routine (or even using just one, it’s all about studying less but studying well) helps you out!
1. Prioritize
What does your school schedule look like/when do you have class?
How much time do you need to study?
What subject do you need the most time for?
How long does it take you to get ready in the morning/for bed in the evening?
When do you meet with friends?
How long does the way from school/college take?
How much freetime do you want to have?
How many breaks between studying?
How much time do your hobbies take away?
Etc.
Count the hours/minutes you need for everything you do - but always plan some buffer time! Then write down on what day you do what so that you have a roughly overview to put in every column.
Example:
Monday: Piano lessons (one hour) , History class (two hours), morning routine (30 min.), dinner (one hour)…
Tuesday: Meeting with friends (three hours), Tumblr (one hour), Workout (30 min.)..
Wednesday: Englisch class (three hours)…
2. Make your Plan
You can use a program, an app, a printable sheet, a calender.. Whatever you want! I always find it helpful to colour-cordinate everything.
Example:
Green - Study Time
Yellow - Class
Blue - Family Time
Red - Hobbys
Pink - Free Time
Printables + Useful programs
Create A Online Study Plan
EssentialPIM
Make my Solution
Free Printable Planners
Schedule Template
My Study Plan App
3. Stick to your Plan
write your goals right next to your plan
Take enough breaks - not only when you are studying (don´t stress yourself!)
Change your plan if you realize that you don´t like something
If you realize that a plan isn´t right for you, then that´s ok. It doesn´t work for everyone
Take enough time to do the things you love
Be realistic
Find out when it´s the best time for you to study, do a workout etc.
Change Things up - don´t work on math for three hours and then on chemistry for two… you will get bored fast (if you don´t love to do these things)
Pictures of Plans
1 (source: psychstudentstudy)
2 (source: study-inspo)
3 (source: studying-engineering)
4 (source: star-student)
I hope this is helpful! If you have a question just message me here. Request a post here.
10 Traits that lead to Success
1. Independence 2. Self-confidence 3. Persistence 4. Creative thinking 5. Being thick skinned 6. Knowing who you are and what you want from life 7. Setting clear goals – and going after them 8. Being focused 9. Optimism 10. Passion and enthusiasm.
every time someone tries to tell me pursuing my passions is a waste of time it only makes me more determined to beat the system and show them I can be whatever the fuck I wanna be
This is a matter very close to my heart. I have bipolar I disorder and ADHD as a result of bipolar. There aren’t many big posts about studying with mental illnesses so I figured I would compile a huge list of tips and posts! I’m going to be making a video about this very soon. I hope for all of you struggling that this can help or at least remind you that mental health is more important than school sometimes. Take care of yourself in any way you can. lets get started…
Studying with Mental Illness
Take things slowly. Don’t be afraid to take a week doing one assignment. Making sure that you can focus on assignments can be draining so breaking them down day by day can truly help you. Make a task list with each portion of an assignment mapped out so that you can see exactly what you need to do. I know that i get overwhelmed very easily and seeing smaller things is less daunting then having a list full of HUGE things like research papers and midterms. Seeing it as “write paragraph one” or “review unit one vocab” makes everything less scary.
Nothing has to be pretty. Notes don’t, papers don’t have to be perfect, study guides don’t need to be colorful and cute. What really matters is getting things done. My mom always tells me “even an F is better than a zero” which is so true. Turning things in late is not shameful because you are still turning it in. You still did it and that is something to be proud of.
Study somewhere other than your room or your house. Make sure there are people there. Surrounding yourself with others will allow you to feel less isolated and sometimes more motivated to do things. You can’t take naps when you’re at a Panera or Starbucks either. People can be motivating, they can remind you that you are not alone, they can hold you accountable for what you have to do. Get out of your bed where you can sit and stare at the wall and go to a coffee shop or the library where other people are doing work. This always helps me get on track.
Study in short bursts. Don’t wear yourself out with work. Find out when your concentration peaks and go with that. I usually work the best around 2pm so I have to make sure that I have eaten and showered before then so that I can capture that time to focus on my studies.
Don’t beat yourself up. Studying just takes a lot more effort other days when depression hits you the worst. There might be days when you can barely get yourself out of bed but know that you do have the ability to succeed and that depression just has to suck sometimes.
Get yourself out of bed. Shower. Change your clothes. Read a single page. Look at only one thing you have to do so you aren’t overwhelmed. That is something to be proud of and know that I am proud of what you did!
Study in a routine style. Let yourself have a routine that you can fall into. Try pomodoros or study games, Create a routine that you can stick to
If you don’t feel like doing anything… work for 5 minutes. You may feel more motivated or up, or you will at least be able to say that you have done something.
HYDRATE. I’m really awful at drinking a lot of water, but it helps so much with both anxiety and depression. Water keeps you moving and awake. SO drink that H2O guys
Helpful Links
Staying Sane on Campus
Tips to stay mentally and emotionally healthy while you study
How to school when mentally Ill
Depression
Studying with Depression
Depression study tips
Studying through Depression
6 Tips To Get Motivated When You’re Feeling Depressed
Five Ways To Deal With Depression During Exams
Anxiety
Anxiety in Grad school
Dealing with Stress and Anxiety
Studying with Anxiety
Get Ready for School If You Suffer From Anxiety
Living & Studying with Anxiety
ADHD
How to succeed with ADHD
10 Study tips for ADHD students
I couldn’t find any resources about OCD, BPD, PTSD, or bipolar for that fact so keep on the lookout for any additions to this post if I find anything more! If all else fails, just google things. That always helps me. Message me personally if you have any questions about my struggles or need some specific advice! I love you all so much and I am so proud of you!! xx Haley
Transition Words For Your Essays
Transition Signals:
Transitions are words and phrases that connect ideas and show how they are related.
To repeat and ideas just stated:
In other words,
That is,
To repeat,
Again,
To illustrate an idea:
For example,
For instance,
In particular,
To illustrate,
In this manner,
Thus,
To announce a contrast, a change in direction:
Yet,
However,
Still,
Nevertheless,
On the other hand,
In contrast,
Instead of,
On the contrary,
Conversely,
Notwithstanding,
In spite of this,
Time:
At once,
In the interim,
At length,
Immediately,
At last,
Meanwhile,
In the meantime,
Presently,
At the same time,
Shortly,
In the end,
Temporarily,
Thereafter,
To restate an idea more precisely:
To be exact,
To be specific,
To be precise,
More specifically,
More precisely,
To mark a new idea as an addition to what has been said:
Similarly,
Also,
Too,
Besides,
Furthermore,
Further,
Moreover,
In addition,
To show cause and effect:
As a result,
For this reason,
Thereafter,
Hence,
Consequently,
Accordingly,
Conclusion:
In short,
To conclude,
In brief,
On the whole,
In summary,
To sum up,
eVERYONE has to write essays but these links could make it a lil less painful?
advice for in class essay
thesis statement tips
essay checklist
organize essay notes
mind map planning
planning / organizing
essay plan printable
word choice advice
tumblr powerpoint tbh
general advice for it
writing checker ahhhh
how to structure it
gsce essay help
intro + conclusions
extra tips wow
conclusion advice
citation reference tools
citation program ooh
citiations from google
cite social media source
masterposts!!!
productive summers
starting a study blog
time managements
succeed @ school
ap world history
web resources
ap psychology
bullet journals
ace ur exams
stress reliefs
annotations
essay writin
printables
sat help
+more
hope these help! xoxo sareena
i get a LOT of questions about time management and getting better grades so i decided to put a boat load of advice and links in one place :]
time management methods
start a bullet journal ( +mine / +insp )
the 5 day study plan - it works!
schedule blocks of study time
use excel to schedule study
how to schedule study
the sticky note method
an app that organizes time for u
15 ways to beat procrastination
balancing multiple AP classes
decision making and time management
use the pomodoro technique
the task box prioritizing method
how to cram a lot of information in
get organized!!!!!
make and use a syllabible
great organization advice
organize ur study space
more tips on study spaces
basic organization tips
cute infographic
printable planner sheets
simple 2 pocket folder method
study methods!!!
watch youtube crashcourses
best study tips ever tbh
tips on memorizing effectively
add color for visual interest
make cause and effect diagrams
making good flashcards
create summary foldables
margin note taking
the 2 notebook method
for when ur not motivated
reading long textbook passages
studying for a test ooh
basic note taking
+note taking tips
note taking in microsoft word
bs study guide
how to plan out an essay
more essay planning
annotating literature for english
how to make concept maps
really interesting way of studying
shit load of study methods
web resources!!!!
search engine that plants trees!
to do list web program
bedtime calculator [avoid grogginess]
the dictionaries u need omg
how to pull an all nighter
advice on how to properly use google
final grade calculator
>100 places to download literature
cute af school supply list
alternatives to overpriced textbooks
rly this is better than google
best writing checker ever its my fave
free academic journals for research
AP cramming packets
every website to make a bibliography
online used book store
mind map making software from tufts
khanacademy aka bless this site
stop procrastinating websites
free powerpoint
awesome synonym finder
apps u need to download!!!
google chrome app i love it
taking digital notes
like 14 useful school apps
attn: all writers get this
super cute time manager
>9 different studying apps
post it note app
study + give water to needy!!
relaxation n meditation help
sat help!!!!!
all kinds of essential vocab [2k+]
big collection of links
v solid page with lots of references
rly good advice imo
how to do well on the sat
general big exam advices
stress reliefs!!!!
rly good study snacks
badass instrumental playlist!
finish ur essay songs!
+all my fave study playlists!
treat urself on a low budget
read some rad articles
teach urself computer science
take the 10 day study challenge
rip some crap online
good things to do in study breaks
+100 more things in study breaks
if u tired and uninspired
avoid student burnout
watch a ton of broadway musicals
nice things for urself
anxiety relieving background sound
+masterposts!!!
back to school advice
productive summers
note taking methods
starting a study blog
time managements
succeed @ school
ap world history
study instagram
web resources
ap psychology
bullet journals
school advice
happy things
ace ur exams
study sounds
stress reliefs
annotations
essay writin
study 101
printables
sat help
+more
i hope some of this was helpful ~ i also have a youtube channel and instagram account with a whole bunch of study resources!!!! ~ xoxo sareena
how to take standardized tests
wow okay so!! a very close friend of mine has a standardized test coming up soon, inspiring me to compile some resources for taking standardized tests (or maybe just tests in general)
standardized tests/multiple choice tests - general
before you study for a standardized test
eight standardized test-taking tips
top standardized test-taking tips
tips for answering multiple-choice answers
7 misconceptions about standardized tests
brain food
what to eat before an exam
healthy food for brain power
the best brain food for test-takers
sat/act test
free sat practice test(s)
when should i take the sat/act/psat?
detailed site about what the sat is about and tips on taking it
tips for taking the PSAT/NMSQT
7 step wikihow on how to score high on the sat exam
6 tips for act success
tips for act success from actstudent.org
act reading tips
act writing tips from actstudent.org
how to sleep well the night before/all-nighters
tips from stanford uni
very detailed guide on sleeping well (8 steps)
slideshow on sleeping better
all-nighter wikihow
veryveryvery brief guide on all-nighters
very good guide on process of all-nighters!
tip that i remember from a source i do NOT remember: after pulling an all-nighter, you’re bound to be tired the next day, so bring one hot and one cold drink to school and drink the cold drink and then immediately the hot drink. that’ll get your blood pumping.
that’s all! hope i didn’t miss anything.
Kimi-studies: Ten techniques. This describes me, especially when it comes to tax — practice testing works so well for me.
