Prince Link And Knight Zelda Au! Sir Zelda Likes To Make The Prince Blush ☺️

I definitely struggled with AP US History this year because of the change in the format (definitely missed the old format when I took AP European History). So I thought I would share some of the resources I used to help me succeed!

general knowledge about the exam

collegeboard - understanding the exam

collegeboard - practice exams (new format)

textbook notes

AP study notes 

course notes

helpful refreshers

sparknotes - super helful for last minute review!

helpful videos with fill-in-the-blank study guides

other amazing resources

teacher website

scribd study guide - some topics are missing, but still pretty useful!

another scribd study guide 

my own notes from periods 1 to 9 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B8q0xuGsLHKWSHI0WmRLdi1mZGc

my notes are not complete, but i thought i would share it with you guys for anybody who may find it helpful in some way. if you guys do decide to use it or find it useful, message me or something so i know that i have helped others out! 

please reblog/like this so that more people who are studying for AP US History can see this! thank you! <3 

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!

hiya! wrapping up another horrible week but at this point im pretty used to it. uni is beautiful/horrible.

Dealing with a bad grade or negative thoughts:

I have had a huge number of messages and inboxes asking about how to deal with a bad grade, or how to feel better about the fact that they have to much work to do/think they are going to fail their exams. I thought I’d make a post addressing this, in the hope that it will be helpful to some of you :)

DEALING WITH A BAD GRADE:

The first thing you have to do is to accept that you have got the grade you have gotten - whether that is a B instead of your usual A, or it is a fail grade.

Try and analyse why you got that grade. Is it something as simple as not working hard for that assignment? Or did you work hard and still not achieve the grade you wanted - then the issue might be exam technique, timing etc. 

It is so important to talk in this situation. Talk to your teachers about the grade you got, and about how to improve - do they think this is a one off? Or is there something they can do to help if they think you might be struggling with the material. The worst thing you can do is to deny the grade and just withdraw yourself.

As hard as it sounds, look at this ‘bad’ grade as something good. Take this opportunity to learn from any mistakes you might have made. Correct the paper you didn’t do well in so that it is up to full marks, try and see exactly why you didn’t get the marks you missed.

Then start working on an action plan of how to do better next time. The worst thing to do would be to stall completely and get focused on this one bad grade. If you focus too much on it then you won’t be able to progress and learn from what you did wrong. Instead of focusing on the fact that you got a bad grade, look forward to the next test and be determined to smash it!

If you are in the position that this isn’t a one off, and you are finding a particular subject and its exams very hard, maybe you should looking at getting a tutor? Talk to your teachers to see if they can give you extra questions, or one-to-one sessions during lunch/after-school. Your teachers want to help you, so utilise them.

Changing your attitude and thinking positively:

A lot of you have sent me messages telling me that you are scared to fail, or that you are sure that the work you’re doing won’t pay off etc. In cases like this I think it’s you attitudes that need to change.

If you take the stand that you will fail your exams, that because you are getting bad grades now you’ll obviously fail in summer so there’s no point even trying etc. etc. of course you aren’y going to do well! You need to think positively in order to succeed.

Start telling yourself that you will succeed, that you will pass, that you are good enough - even if you don’t believe it at first. If you keep that mantra going around your head, your attitude will shift and you will start feeling better about your situation.

Don’t dwell on the past - on grades you have got earlier in the term etc. just keep focused on the future, and the things you have to do in order to get where you want to go.

Keep reminding yourself of your goals and aspirations. If ever you are feeling unmotivated or in doubt of yourself, remember what you want to achieve and think about what you have to do to get there, and how much you want to get there - this will help motivate you and empower you.

Remember that bad grades do not define you. You are worth so much more than some letters on a piece of paper, so make sure you are happy and healthy before you start worrying about a bad grade. Good luck all of you! :)

reasons to live: winter edition

cold and crisp air making you feel alive

your breath freezing and the wind making your skin tight

pitch black nights

heavy snowfall making even the ugliest landscapes breathtakingly beautiful

wrapping yourself in a huge blanket to keep yourself warm

frozen cold hands against your bare skin

ugly sweaters and fuzzy socks

hot chocolate after a long time out in the cold

the warmth and comfort you’ll experience due to increasing intimacy

christmas and the joy of giving

less partying and more intimate movie nights with your loved ones

the hundreds of blankets you’ll end up sleeping with

the smell of something freshly baked filling the entire house

the goose bumps you’ll notice everywhere on your body

Further new discoveries have been made on my theory.

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

for people taking ap gov/apush this year i would 100% recommend watching adam norris on youtube! he has videos for literally everything that will be on the ap test because he bases his videos off of the college board's material outline. to study for my ap tests all i did was watch his videos and take notes on the info he talked about it. i studied a lot but because of his videos i was able to get a 5 on both my apush and ap gov tests!

oh hey thanks so much for the info!!!

you know