I Mean, Yes, A Lot Of Horror Media Boils Down To “wouldn’t It Be Fucked Up?”, But Let’s Not Be

casting spell of pass your exams for anyone going through exams right now

if i was orpheus i just wouldn't have turned around lol

how i handle my workload

first i review what i’d learned most recently (this is usually quick, but i say everything out loud and repeat terms/concepts i don’t understand)

I do this by either rewriting the notes (handwritten), flashcards, or by going through the study sheet provided (this won’t always be given)

second i work on any essays/assignments that i have to do, priority goes to those due the soonest or the ones that are the most difficult

finally i review for any upcoming tests/labs that i may have, priority goes to those that occur the soonest or are the most difficult (i do this by reviewing my notes, flashcards, power points, studying with friends, or using a study guide)

TIPS

Ask classmates questions about the topic, don’t be afraid of looking dumb - they are in the same position as you

If you didn’t get a study guide, make one yourself! It can be a great study tool, maybe even more effective than one created by a teacher

Don’t cram. Just, don’t.

kinda cool to think how someone somewhere is having the best day of their life today. someone’s hearing “i love you” for the first time today. someone’s gonna meet the love of their life today. someone’s gonna get the job of their dreams today. it’s someone’s best day today. and guess what binch? tomorrow it could be ur best day so keep going

After making a grand total of 11 cheatsheets since starting university less than a year ago (I know, my uni is weird), I wanted to share some of my tips and tricks for making the most effective cheatsheet for your needs! They’re a hassle to make, but depending on how you make yours, it could either be an incredibly useful resource or just an extra sheet of paper on your desk.

(By “cheatsheet”, I mean a typically printer paper-sized memory aid, usually handwritten, that is allowed to be brought into an exam.)

1. You don’t need to write small, nor do you need to write a lot.

Some people go out of their way to buy 0.1mm pens to cram everything they can onto a cheatsheet. But okay, hear me out: unless you plan on using your cheatsheet to study (more on this later), what is the point of writing as much as you can? It is super difficult to find the exact piece of information that you need in the stressful environment of an exam, especially when you’ve written in the equivalent of size 4 font and your page is cluttered with information you definitely know . And honestly, for most exams, it’s a waste of time trying to look at your cheatsheet. Just put down whatever you’ll definitely need; the rest will only slow you down or overwhelm you.

2. Use colours, or at least find some way to keep it organized.

Once again, you need to spend as little time as possible looking at your cheatsheet in an exam. If the exam allows cheatsheets, the class probably has something else to up the difficulty level of exams. In my experience, it’s usually either application questions or a time crunch, sometimes both. So, make your cheatsheet efficient. Colour-code it so you know what to look for in order to find any given piece of information. Find some sort of format, so that you also know where exactly to look.

3. Don’t wait until last minute to make it. If it comes to that point, just put down the major points and sleep.

There are so many reasons why you shouldn’t do this. Just trust me, my lowest exam marks are from exams where I made a cheatsheet the night before. You shouldn’t be staying up the night before your exam. Copying the textbook onto a sheet of printer paper isn’t effective studying. Most importantly, your cheatsheet becomes so much more effective when you’ve actually done practice exams with it. Or else, how would you know how well it actually functions and what else you should add?

4. It doesn’t need to be perfect.

Please don’t spend too much time on your cheatsheet. Obviously, interpret this advice based on practice exams and the scope of whatever course you’re taking, but don’t get to a point where you’re relying on your “perfect” cheatsheet to pass the exam. Instead, spend your time studying the material and question formats so that you almost don’t need your cheatsheet. No matter how informative or detailed your cheatsheet is, it won’t matter if you don’t have time to use it during the exam, or if you haven’t done enough practice so you don’t know how to format the cheatsheet’s information.

5. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing.

I think this goes without saying for practically anything, really. Just do you. If the prof says you’re allowed a single piece of printer paper, front and back, it doesn’t mean that you need to fill that. Nor does it mean that you should be intimidated when you walk into the exam and see that you’re the only person who hasn’t filled up your cheatsheet completely. Do whatever you need to succeed. If spending a few extra hours cramming information onto your cheatsheet won’t help you, then don’t do that. If it will, then don’t let me and my opinions stop you.

1. For the stuff that you actually don’t know and isn’t worthwhile to memorize

This is pretty obvious, but you should prioritize the stuff that you actually don’t know and is too difficult to memorize. For example, the 20 amino acids for Biology. 

2. Diagram compilation

Personally, I think that the most useful thing you can do with your cheatsheet is to add diagrams and charts. They are the easiest thing to find on your cheatsheet. Also, diagrams are able to sum up a whole list of details, so you don’t need to worry about missing something. It is always useful to refer to your diagrams for inspiration!

3. Checklist

What are the three points you need to include to describe a histogram? What steps does the prof want you to do to show autosomal dominance? If you are someone who often loses marks because of missing details or the way you format your answers, your cheatsheet can function as a checklist. Write down exactly what you need to address to get full marks on certain types of questions.

4. Personalized formula sheet

If you are anything like me (ie. I am so afraid of Math that I chose not to major in Biochemistry just so I don’t have to do Calc III), then writing out some formulas in the way that you like them written might be useful, even if you are given a formula sheet. It’s a comfort thing.

5. Study guide

As a heads up, this is the only situation where I would condone writing as much as possible on your formula sheet. If you’re the type of person who studies by copying out your notes (ie. you memorize things by writing them out), then you might as well kill two birds with one stone and just copy your notes onto your cheatsheet. But, then again, your cheatsheet will probably be less functional during the exam, so do this at your own discretion.

Here are two of my own cheatsheets, to illustrate some of my points. The first one is for Biology, the second one is for Statistics. 

I don’t keep a consistent colour code, but generally, red is for categories or units, blue is for definitions or important terms, and blue underline is for things I commonly forget or refer to (ie. the 4 factors affecting membrane fluidity). The units follow the order that we learned them in class. Although I tend to write small and there is a lot more information than strictly necessary, I can easily find anything I’m looking for.

Here’s the bottom line: do whatever is the most useful for you!! These are just a few things that have worked for me and some people around me, but do whatever will help you succeed.

Happy studying, everyone!

i honestly think the reason the most bitter and disgruntled people make sweet and cutesy art while horror writers tend to be upbeat and chipper people is that in order to write good horror you need a certain amount of healing and emotional growth that allows you to access the theraputic techniques used in horror to stimulate fear and to then turn around and present it to others. and on the flipside, there is nothing more heartbreaking and raw than to make art of the joy you wish you could still feel

The four skills are listening, speaking, reading and writing. Don’t be discouraged by slow progress!

Listening

Practice listening! Infants “listen” for more than a year before they can say anything close to “mom” or “dad”. 

Watch videos and listen to music in your language.

Try to recognize words, even sounds. 

Don’t bother trying to understand, just get used to the sound of the language.

When others in class speak, listen for what they say and mentally build images of their answers—in the language itself.

Speaking

Read aloud: think of it as training your mouth to make the new sounds.

Learn a short standard sentence, then substitute vocabulary/

Subject and verbs can change (I am going; you are going; etc.)

Objects can change (I buy a car; I buy a CD; etc.)

In class, if your “answer” does not come to mind, repeat the question in the language.

 Stay in the mind set of the language, giving your brain time to work in the new language.

Reading

Do not read word-by-word, or translate word-by-word.

Prepare yourself for a reading: 

study its vocabulary first; 

review the advance questions.

Then put aside everything and just read, even twice.

Do not look up vocabulary while reading.

Do not write in your text book - separately develop a vocabulary list

Go beyond your textbook!

Children’s books are illustrated and easy to read!

Websites are rich opportunities to explore your hobbies in other languages, 

Read/sing song lyrics of the language!

As you advance, read novels- but read for the story, not vocabulary.

Writing

Some languages have unfamiliar alphabets, so practice!

Write out sentences you have practiced orally.

Carefully construct patterns and then write out the sentences with substitute words–multiple times. 

If you have spell check and the “autocorrect” grammar feature in your word processing, use it!

When you get corrections, re-write them.

Correct what you got wrong, even repeating in order to embed it in your mind.

I'm not lying when I say this tweet brought a tear to my eye

once you stop fantasizing about that ideal version of yourself and start working towards becoming that person by setting your alarm clock earlier and actually going to the gym and actually volunteering at places and actually eating healthier and not procrastinating and working just a little bit harder you’ll realize that it was so easy all along. becoming your ideal self will only ever exist in your mind until you make the decision to work towards becoming that person. get up!! get going!! it’s now or never!! there is no light at the end of the tunnel!! get that flashlight and pave your own path bitch bc no one else is going to do it for u!!

i kinda think life is about finding those people you can do anything with. like you want to share your life with them and feel like you could do anything together. anything from lying around in bed binge watching shows to going on an extremely long road trip to calling each other at 11pm to complain about life. pretty sure that’s one of the meanings of life.