Omfg First Class Of Uni Today, Im So So Scared But It's Intro To Sculpture So Im A Littleeeeee Relaxed

change and development in rural society~

i made one page of notes for this chapter and im TIRED

i havent been able to study since so many days and im DROWNING in guilt

*sobs dramatically* kaha leke jau yeh guilt? kYa karu iss guilt ka?

send hELp

sociology is in *counts* 10 DAYS AAJAGSHSHSVSBABBSBSBSBS

Unsolicited advice from a second year uni student

Since it's now September and most people I know will be heading either back to school or gearing up for university. And if anyone did what I did they might look at Tumblr to get some studying/life ideas (I did this during my A-levels and ended up making my own blog!). So I wanted to give some general advice from my perspective to anyone who might want it - also this will be specific to the UK but some of it is just general too. Also I want to be able to look back on this since I went back through my blog recently and realised I may have needed this advice even just a year ago.

For those who are about to go to university do not panic (cliché I know) but seriously. You will survive the first year I promise! It obviously varies from person to person and between unis and degrees but the first year will generally be a massive adjustment period in your life. And that will likely impact your mental health. This is totally normal. I got major impostor syndrome the first few months of uni. It wasn't until semester 2 that I started to feel comfortable. And largely because if was an entirely new way of learning and teaching, I had to completely relearn how to study, whilst also learning how to live on my own, and living in a new city and making friends.

You will make friends, it might not be immediately but you will find someone before the end of your first year. I got blessed by chance in making friends, but I know lots of people who it took the entire year to find their people. The unfortunate part of this advice is to make friends you do have to go outside and meet them (and I don't always mean going out drinking although this is definitely an option). Look for societies and clubs at your uni this will be 100% an easy way to meet people. And especially especially in the first few weeks of uni go to the welcome/fresher/first year events. I avoided them because I was anxious but turns out they're an amazing way to meet people because guess what? Everyone else is just as anxious as you are!

Expect your grades to go down at first and don't be discouraged, you can and will get those grades back up. And even if you don't (given that you are passing) it doesn't matter. Grades, especially at grad level are kind of inconsequential for most people. Two things to be mindful of are if you are going for a work placement or study abroad year (if you live in the UK) as first year grades do matter for those. Something no one will probably tell you till it's too late. But even then for most study programs you only need a 60% in your first year. And to just progress you only need a 40% (at most unis double check yours). Point being if there's ever a time for your grades to go down it's now, don't panic, your degree isn't over, you're not an impostor, you deserve to be here.

Everyone is struggling just as much as you are. Don't be fooled by Instagram or whatever. Even though I am guilty of it, we only show the nice parts of our lives online. When I get most stressed I step back from this blog, and you guys don't see the tears, sleepless nights, frustrating, and also kind of gross parts of being a student. So don't be fooled if Amanda from your seminar seems to have a perfect life on her Instagram, chances are she hasn't got it as together as you think, and you are no less better than anyone else in the room.

Save money anyway you can!!! I cannot stress this enough but one of the students biggest issues is spending. I'm guilty too but do your best especially in the first year to not overspend too much. Still enjoy yourself 100%, but do you really need to take out five times a week? Or the new shoes? Trust me by the time you get to your second year and your savings or your loan is gone you'll be wishing you held back a little.

If you are struggling. Talk to someone. For uni students, go to your mentor, academic lead, or look up the mental health service at your uni. Every uni (in the UK) has a mental health team. I know many of us are disillusioned with student support networks but I mean this when I say uni support systems are better funded, more rigorous and it serves them to support you. You are not just a student at the university, you are a customer paying a lot of money to be there. It's important that you are happy and you are progressing, otherwise both you and the uni lose! Don't be afraid to speak up when you need it, there will be someone there.

For UK students look up student groups for your university of Facebook. I'm being 100% serious when I say there is a gold mine of info on Facebook for unis. I never ever post on Facebook but it is so useful for staying in the know on events, stuff currently happening, and lots of student groups are pretty funny/gossipy. Some unis even have pages giving away free stuff from previous students, i.e. crockery, kitchen stuff, speakers etc. I managed to save some decent money on these groups. Also if you're into clubbing this is a pretty good way to learn where the good spots are in your city ;)

Romanticism will only go so far. Don't exhaust yourself on how you look. At the end of the day if you are getting the job done who cares if you did it hunched over a bag of cold McDonalds at 3 am? It's no better than someone with a green smoothie at a coffee shop.

I say a lot of this because my first semester was an emotional rollercoaster. During my GCSEs to A-Levels I thrived academically and then coming to Uni I felt like I was so out of my depth. And it wasn't until the second year I realised that this is, a) normal, and b) not that deep! So you scored a little low on an essay? Take the advice and work on the next one. You had some awkward conversation at a uni event? Everyone has forgotten about it already, give a different event a go. One of my favourite things about university is that it is surprisingly low consequence (in the grand scheme of things). Making mistakes won't end you it's okay. I know everyone on studyblr is a perfectionist but give yourself some leniency please. Anyway that's enough of my ranting. To be honest I expect no one to read this. But I am curious how I'll update it in a year's time once I'm going into third year.

If anyone has any questions about university my DMs are open. (I actually am now a paid guide for welcoming first years so it is literally my job lol).

Study Tips Tag Master-Post

I tag every study tip I reblog and like it, so there’s at least 1000 in there, so here’s a master-post.

If anyone would like their post(s) removed from the master-post just send me a message :)

Study Tips 1: Notes, Studying and Self-Study Resources Things NOT To Do When Studying Revision Tips Some Study Tips 20 things i’ve found out about studying in the last year (this blog does have autoplay) How to Cram Efficiently  Top 5 Study Tips How to Study For an Exam Learning How to Study Exam Prep Tips Study Tips From a lazy wannabe good student

Study Tips 2: Tips for Studying Effectively Studying Masterpost 21 Tips to Become the Most Productive Person You Know Studying Advice Library Studying Tips Scientifically Proven Study Tips! Studying with a bad memory 11 Studying Tips from Someone who Needs to Study More Study101 Starting College on the Right Foot

Study Tips 3: 101 Study Tips A Complete Guide to Studying Well Giving Amazing Presentations How to Do Well in Online Classes All About Groupwork How to Survive High School Study Methods 13 Study Methods to Try This Year Advice for A Levels Masterpost

Essays: Essays and Homework Essay Writing Help Tips for In Class Essays Proofreading Tips Transition Words for Essays Essay Writing Tips How to Write an Essay How to Prepare For a Timed Literature Essay How to Write a University Level Essay Essay Writing Masterpost

Anti-Procrastination Tips: How to Defeat Procrastination Starting to Study Get Motivation to Study Anti-Procrastination Masterpost 100 Reasons to Study Motivation Tips

Planning & Timetables: Planning Your Study Time A Complete Exam Study Guide How to Tackle a Big Project Tips on Time Management How to Establish a Good Study Routine 5 Habits of Organised Students Guide to Time Management 10 Steps to Time Management How to Improve your Productivity Time Saving Ideas

Note-taking: Biology Note-Taking Method Tips for Taking Efficient Notes in Class How I Take Notes A Visual Learner’s Guide to Textbook Note Taking `Annotations Annotations & Note-taking Note taking Strategies & Skills Cornell Note-taking How to Use Sticky Notes 20 Uses for a Post It note 5 Tips for Mindmapping Notetaking Masterpost What is Mindmapping 27 Flashcard Apps and Websites How I Organise Myself

Subject Related: How Do I Study For ______ Art History/Studying People Biology Biology Resources Biology Resource My Revision for Biology Some Tips for Calculus Chemistry Tips for Studying Chemistry English Literature Masterpost French Tips for Beginners Language Learning Tips + Resources Language Learning Masterpost How to study for Math Studying for Physics

(any more suggestions for these would be greatly appreciated- I couldn’t find any for the Humanities) 

AP Resources & Tips: An Imperfect Guide on: AP Classes Studying for AP Bio Experiences & Tips for AP Classes

Music/Miscellaneous: Study Music Masterpost 8tracks Playlists Masterpost Spotify Playlists Study Tunes Instrumental Only Study Background Music and Playlists Study Music/White Noise

Confidence, Disabilities & Health: How to Care Less about what Other People Think 6 scientifically proven ways to have a better day Six Reasons Why You’re (going to be) Okay How to Improve Your Confidence Balancing Sleep and Education 81 Awesome Mental Health Resources When You Can’t Afford A Therapist Studying With Depression Surviving Uni as an Introvert A Brief Guide to Talking to your Professors About your Chronic Illness/Disability Tips for the Autistic College Student All of my Spoonie Student Resources  Avoiding Burnout Trying to Relieve Stress Studying When on your period Small Self Care Masterpost Set Yourself Up for a Good Day Tips for Introverts Stress Reduction -Frankie

had a mini heart attack when i realised my first graphic design assignment was due at 11:59 a.m. and not 11:59 p.m.

thankfully i was almost done with the assignment beforehand and only had to add few finishing touches (⁠◡⁠ ⁠ω⁠ ⁠◡⁠)

tried cleaning up my study space hoping it gives me motivation to get work done ༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ

let's see if that works out lololol

STUDY TIPS (note to self):

Sometimes, messy notes work better. Spending years on studyblr and studytwt cemented the idea in my mind that my notes have to be picture-worthy with perfect handwriting and an aesthetically-pleasing color-coding system ALL THE TIME. And while I acknowledge that this works well for others, it simply doesn't for me.

My brain works really quickly when it's trying to understand a topic. So quickly that I often have multiple ideas at a time, and with the addition of my professor's inputs or my classmates' inputs, I really needed to speed up in taking down notes. This meant that my handwriting gets REALLY messy, to the point that only I can decipher it. But the extra time that my messy handwriting buys me (compared to the painstakingly slow neat handwriting) allows me to process the info, jot down the essential points, MAKE IMPORTANT CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE IDEAS, doodle maps and symbols, and so on.

But what really helped my note taking process is having my own set of notes from the readings in advance (yes I know this isn't groundbreaking at all but for me IT IS). The night before, I wrote down notes + questions and clarifications that I wanted to address during the class. Then, during the class itself, I added my professor's inputs/classmates' inputs in the remaining spaces of my notes near each topic. This left me with pages that are filled with information both from the readings and the class discussion.

Jotting down notes from the discussion also helped greatly with retention. Since the information from the readings are still fresh in my mind, I was able to easily link the related ideas with the inputs from class. As a result, I remembered and understood stuff better.

Again, not groundbreaking stuff. But see, I've been on studyblr since junior high school (I am now a 4th year college student so that's like, a decade ago). I've been on studytwt since my 2nd year in college. Everywhere I look, I see photos of neat handwriting, color-coded notes, and overall aesthetically-pleasing study set-ups. For years, I tried so hard to do all these but I could never maintain them. I got so caught up with making things pretty that I barely remembered anything at all.

My brain is inherently messy. I always worked better on a chaotic desk, with multiple notebooks open for my notes and doodling/free space for writing down. My handwriting is messy when I write quick. My brain operated by firing multiple connected ideas at once. Neat and tidy don't work when I'm still trying to process or iron out my thoughts. Neat and tidy only works later during exam season, when I'm revising my notes so I can see shit better.

Anyway, this is just what works for me.

tl;dr: write notes in advance based on the class readings but leave space for more jotting down so that you can squeeze in info from the class discussion. Messy handwriting sometimes works better when you're still processing stuf. There's plenty of time to make them pretty later on during revision. Also, neat and pretty doesn't work for everyone (don't let studyblr and studytwt fool you).

nothing like studying biological bases of behaviour at 8 a.m.

mark my words, your sleep WILL be taken away. doesn't matter if you're very drowsy, it WILL be gone because there's so much content (⁠ ⁠･ั⁠﹏⁠･ั⁠)

even though i feel v sleepy, afternoon classes are a vibe 乁⁠[⁠ ⁠◕⁠ ⁠ᴥ⁠ ⁠◕⁠ ⁠]⁠ㄏ

the campus cattos make it better <3

end sem szn is nearing and i need to start preparing so:

psych:

bio bases

test-yourself-flashcards for neurotransmitters & their functions and parts of the brain & the functions

start going through ppts, start with the topic you feel the most lost in (or figure some other strategy for this, if needed)

simultaneously go through the QB questions for the topics you do

and ofc, past-year papers

stats

start making compulsory cheat sheet

(timed) practice exercises

past-year papers

personality psych

go through ppts (of both profs, if needed)

go through given textbook(s) for more clarity

past-year papers

social psych

start making mind-maps of theories/topics to understand the topics, use given textbook(s) for this

start with the topics that weren't tested in the quiz

teach it to yourself through storytelling, don't rote memorise

past-year papers

design:

make final presentation

finish up prototype, add aesthetic details, sticky notes and other labels

prepare points you wish to emphasize on during jury