Study Inspiration - Blog Posts

useful study channels :)

today's post will be pretty short but hopefully useful. i've compiled a list of my favorite youtube channels for study tips, tricks, and motivation- hope it helps!

Study tips & tricks

gohar's guide - informative youtube shorts on studying

fayefilms - mainly vlogs and study tips

mahad the mentor - focuses on college applications and ap classes, mainly geared towards high schoolers

helaine zhao - again, mainly vlogs for inspiration + study tips

js park - maximizing studying, how to manage time

Explaining concepts/tutoring

organic chemistry tutor - explains math, chemistry, and physics in concise and easy to follow videos (absolute lifesaver)

khan academy - a classic, focus mainly on math but also has other subjects

Study with me and music

lofi girl

ellene

abao in tokyo

merve

College channels

elliot choy - student at vanderbilt, makes trip vlogs

the college essay guy - lemme tell you, he's the GOAT at college essays. also has a blog at https://www.collegeessayguy.com/

kay chung - makes absolutely chaotic dental student youtube shorts, super funny and entertaining!

hope this helps, and please check out my other posts!!

how to take better notes during fast-paced lectures

taking better notes during fast-paced lectures can be challenging, but here are some tips to help you keep up:

abbreviations and symbols: create a personal shorthand system. for example, use “w/” for “with,” “b/c” for “because,” and arrows (→) to show relationships. this can significantly speed up your note-taking.

focus on main ideas: listen for key points and concepts rather than trying to transcribe everything. lecturers often emphasize important information through repetition, changes in tone, or visual aids. pay attention to these cues.

structured methods:

cornell method: divide your page into three sections: a narrow left column for cues, a wider right column for notes, and a bottom section for a summary. during the lecture, jot down main points in the right column. after the lecture, add cues and a summary.

outline method: use headings and subheadings to organize information hierarchically. this helps in understanding the relationship between topics.

mind mapping: create a visual representation of the lecture content. start with a central idea and branch out with related concepts. this method is particularly useful for visual learners.

leave space: if you miss something, leave a gap and move on. you can fill in the details later, either from the textbook, recordings, or discussions with classmates.

record the lecture: if your lecturer allows it, recording can be a lifesaver. you can listen to the lecture again to fill in any gaps in your notes. just make sure to review the recording soon after the lecture while the material is still fresh in your mind.

review and revise: go over your notes as soon as possible after the lecture. this helps reinforce the material and allows you to clarify any points you didn’t fully understand. consider rewriting or typing up your notes to organize them better.

active listening: engage with the lecture by asking questions and participating in discussions. this not only helps you understand the material better but also makes it easier to remember.

use technology: apps like evernote, onenote, or notability can help you organize and search your notes efficiently. some apps even allow you to record audio and sync it with your notes.

do you have any specific challenges with note-taking? let me know in the comments.

❤️ nene

image source: pinterest

ive taken a philosophy class this term, it's an introductory course but im still intimidated lolol

that's why looking at philosophy studyblrs is nice motivation

25.07.2020

my second semester starts on monday, and while i’m disappointed that i won’t be able to attend classes in person, i’m very excited for my philosophy of religion module. i’m getting a head start by reading and annotating the class notes and reviewing previous epistemology notes on religion.

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ tuesday, 27th february '24

i started limits intro 👺👺👺 (finally) , birthday slump was reaaaaaaal </3 also i played around with the iso on "pro" mode and got these beautiful pics omg (this was alr coloured with filters, and i'm not gonna shut up till i upload these pics everywhere 😁)

Day 2

I wasn't productive as I thought I would be today but compering to my past self I did a lot , I feel like can save the semester I just need to mange my time more because I spend a lot of it doing samll progress

I start my finals exams next week, I've been playing the whole semester and I got really bad grades, but now it's time for my academic comeback.

I organised everything I have to study , I didn't make a plan but I'll have a o do list everyday based on my progress

For today I'm gonna to :

Do some math exercises

Chapter of chimie

30 min Spanish

Prepare my papers for mechanical

Source: Pinterest

romanticize studying 📖🪽

• create a cozy study environment for yourself, no specific type of aesthetic setting but whatever makes you feel comfortable and motivated. It could be your room full of candles, a cute cafe, a garden, whatever works for you the best.

• find a playlist that motivates you and clears your mind during your study session: a vampire studying in a castle during 1800s, an animal crossing study call, a window view with rain, the lofi girl, etc.

• take the time to be proud of yourself. You studied today, even if it's less than what you scheduled, you should be happy about it, you prioritized your dreams and did your best, celebrate it.

• live what you are studying. In my opinion/experience reducing studying to a daily activity like another kills motivation. It shouldn't be something that you do, it should be something that you live and breathe.

• create a vision board of what your dream life should look like, how magical everything will be once you achive your goals. Having a clear vision is important to remember that you're not sacrificing your free time, you're investing it.

• find a study buddy. I never succeeded in this unfortunately but I'm aware of how much it can help to stay on track and feel less anxious. I see my brother studying on video call with his friends all the time, they go to the lectures together, to the library, discuss exams, give each other tips, exchange notes and find strength and motivation in one another.

• try as much as you can to see it as a beautiful game that you will ache. Keep in mind that studying is a privilege, it can be exhausting and make you feel burn out sometimes because of the school system but it is not a burden. You are seeking knowledge, you are doing something amazing, don't forget it. 🤍

Study set up for today

Whenever you are stuck in a rut, get up and strut around your room and strike those poses. you might think its stupid but it is so much fun and it is so reassuring. so get up and work it kween

some academic decathalon art guide notes for ya. day 2/? of productivity

tuesday, feb 11th

i survived! today was exciting but really stretched my brain. this week is really big for my research- i'm doing my first self-designed experiment tomorrow and i'm excited/scared/uncertain. i'm trying to remind myself that fear and excitement feel the same to our body, it's just how we think about those physical feelings that changes the mental feelings.

i’ve also been grappling with…why i do what i do. like, ultimately we’re all little specs of matter and energy that are so small in the grand scheme of things. and it’s been hard lately to not just give up and let god take the wheel.

but we’re all here for some purpose. ultimately god (whoever they are) has HAD the wheel for a while and we’re all just…going along for the ride. we’re lucky to have the resources, opportunities, and people that we have, and should always work for more.

while it doesn’t seem like it, it’s a blessing to be stressed about school. it’s a blessing to worry about grades. because at least we CAN worry about grades. at least we CAN worry about school.

education is a human right—but right now it feels like a gift.

to do:

finalize experiment for tomorrow

start working through data analysis for instrumentation lab

modeling homework

🎧: mendelssohn string octet

friday, feb 8th

i was truly in circuit jail today. instrumentation lab was so bad that i have to go in tomorrow to get the correct data 😭😭

although the lab in golden hour is unfortunately quite aesthetic. so do with that what you will.

also also also pizza at lab meeting today! i made nanoparticles after ages and spent some time relearning how to do it. my particles were a tiny bit small (they should be around 200 nm).

now i'm just watching my cdrama after eating a delishos dinner. no studying tonight.

thursday, feb 6th

hi friends. i survived today! i had my instrumentation exam and a modeling quiz B2B and...it was rough. but thankfully, the hardest part of my week is mostly over and i'm happy that finished both assessments.

today wasn't a complete crashout –– the instrumentation exam was difficult but i did my best. i high key resented studying for the exam so i'm happy it's over.

i do have things due tomorrow though. but no expectations.

today i won a sunset lamp thingy! it makes my room look really nice. i did go to lab for a little bit of time but then came home as i was too tired.

to do:

instrumentation lab spreadsheet

build circuit for instrumentation lab

🎧: 2000's telugu romantic songs 🥹

tuesday, feb 4

long day today. although very productive. the grind resumes.

today was my first day making nanoparticles on my own! i only made the solution today, and i'm going to do the freeze-thaw and extrusion steps on…friday. i also desperately need to write my proposal but i don't think i can get to it before thursday.

i also need this week to get over soon because i was genuinely tweaking today. like, someone sedate me. please.

like, let me listen to my bach and pretend i'm an alchemist. that's all i want. or turn me into a frog and put me in a warm little pond. that's also an option.

today's work is much like yesterday's-

to do:

finish polymer chemistry homework

finish tissue engineering reading

redo instrumentation quiz 2

correct instrumentation homework

🎧: bach violin concertos (bach is bae, prove me wrong)

monday, feb 3

i'm really stressed/scared for this week. i have my first instrumentation exam on thursday, an instrumentation quiz tomorrow, and a modeling quiz on thursday 😬. but nothing some mint tea and a mug cake w/ vanilla ice cream can't fix

i also have something due almost every day this week. which is scary because everything is huge as fuck. but i'm going to make sure to take care of myself. good grades are nice, but i have to be there to enjoy them :)

today i had polymer chem and tissue engineering. loving both. we're learning about polymer mixing and my professor's slides about equilibrium were so pookarina.

i also went into lab today, and had my weekly research seminar as well. i'm having so much fun now making scientific decisions, and i'm really excited for next week because i have a lot of experiments planned.

i think i ate with today's fit and i wanted to share.

to dos:

finish modeling homework ✅

study for instrumentation quiz

finish modeling lab to get checked off tomorrow

instrumentation lab spreadsheet

(god this is a lot) finish tissue engineering journal club paper + figure

🎧: idyll for string orchestra – janacek😩

250217/26

30-39/100 days of productivity

song of the week: b2b-charli xcx

it's been over a week since i last posted. i have been so stressed for my calculus midterm. i did over 250 integrals in five days, staying up until 4 am every day or not sleeping at all. my physics midterm got pushed to after the break so now i have three midterms back to back.

just had my calculus midterm last night and it honestly did not go well. this past week leading up to and after my exam definitely took a toll on me mentally, physically, and emotionally which undoubtedly affected my exam. but i'm going to try and stay motivated for my other classes and get a better mark on the calculus final.

i have so many lab reports and proposals to write now but at least reading week is next week and i'll be going home to see the sun.

pictures:

walking home after my midterm

6 am after studying all night

integrals on the classroom blackboard at 3 am (the janitor forgot to lock the door)

practice questions an hour before my midterm with friends

250213/16

26-29/100 days of productivity

song of the day: hypnotized- minh

i might be cheating by summarizing multiple days but i really don't have the motivation to post every day.

spent the weekend studying for my physics midterm. went to the bar and a concert over the weekend which i enjoyed immensely. also viewed an apartment which i might sign soon: i really liked it (huge modern open kitchen, washing and drying machine, quiet... what more can one ask for).

my school has called a snow day for tomorrow so now my both physics midterm and chemistry lab have been pushed to next week... same week as my calculus midterm. just amazing. and just after my biology lab last week got pushed as well.

i am currently feeling very unmotivated, evident by how i have not been posting. but i know that i have to study or my calculus mark will be worse than last semester's so tomorrow i will force myself to walk through the blizzard to study at a cafe. i am feeling quite confident about physics however i still have not fully formatted my crib sheet. so i will do that during my study breaks tomorrow.

slight vent: a lot of my classes have been getting cancelled recently and it's really frustrating because i studied for these midterms (i was even doing physics at the bars) and now my entire study plan has been thrown out the window. also online classes and meetings are just so draining. it's really miserable to be constantly freezing then trek through a meter of snow in the rare cases when i get out of the house. i can't wait for summer. my mood is only boosted by the big glass of red wine i had last night and the prospect of hot matcha tomorrow.

images: very out of tune piano in the physics building, however still beautiful. a bagel cafe study session with a friend (im going there again tomorrow). roses i bought myself on valentines. unfortunate car.

250212

25/100 days of productivity

slow day today. finished my biology assignment and started working on a piece for an art competition. did a chemistry quiz and went to see an apartment. did some calculus.

250210

24/100 days of productivity

song of the day: good kid- kendrick lamar

had a very stressful lab today and got less work done then i would've liked.

academic: worked on my biology assignment and did some calculus review. worked on my lab report.

tomorrow: chemistry quiz, finish biology assignment, chemistry notes.

250208/9

22-23/100 days of productivity

song of the day: open hearts- the weeknd

completed a 17 hour 2 day first aid course this weekend. got my certification for working as a first aid responder in my school's first aid club next semester. caught up on my calculus and did notes. finished 75% of my calculus problem sets. finished my chemistry pre lab. finished two physics assignments. am now two weeks behind in chemistry but my next midterm is after my reading week so i think i'll focus on my calculus midterm since i still haven't done any practice problems. overall i had fun this weekend, my course was genuinely really fun and i made a lot of new friends.

250206

21/100 days of productivity

song of the day: big sleep- the weeknd

pretty tiring day today. my ceiling light is still out (it has been a week).

academic: completed two pre labs and a lab and a lab report. finished my biology essay assignment that's due tomorrow (i've been putting it off since i've had midterms). caught up on calculus since i've had to skip this week for midterms. got two math problem sets assigned at once and due at the same time which is just plain ridiculous.

research: our wet lab data is finally starting to look okay. our adhesive still isn't strong enough but at least the graph looks like a graph. i'm still editing my article which is due in a week.

self care: cleaned my room and finally got rid of the salt snow dirt stains on my floor.

tomorrow: have a physics lab. i need to catch up on chemistry and biology. also have a first aid course this weekend so i should review for that. also going out to celebrate my birthday with some hotpot!

250205

20/100 days of productivity

song of the day: ashes and blood-arcane

had my chemistry midterm today. i woke up 15 minutes before the exam and sprinted across campus in 3 minutes. i was running on pure adrenaline all evening and had an epiphany during the exam that made me feel like walter white. catching up on all my assignments and pre labs right now. stuff to do: biology pre lab, physics pre lab, biology essay, chemistry pre lab, watch three biology lectures (i skipped class), catch up on a week of chemistry.

tomorrow: biology lab, finish physics pre lab.

250204

19/100 days of productivity

song of the day: cry for me- the weeknd

studied until 3 am for chemistry. did some practice midterms and rewatched all my lectures.

250203

18/100 days of productivity

song of the day: cry for me- the weeknd

spent 11 hours studying for chemistry today. finished all of my practice problems. going to office hours tomorrow and doing the practice midterms and I should be all set. also did two sets of calculus notes and some calculus problems. went to an amazing conference on sustainability and the keynote speech was very inspiring. I wish that I had more chances to interact with things like this as a stem major. ft. my campus squirrels

250202

17/100 days of productivity

song of the day: two- bbno$

over 8 hours of studying for chemistry today! i did so many practice problems my brain is barely working now. just finishing up a physics discussion assignment because i completely forgot about it... oops. made a little list of concepts to review tomorrow.

my ceiling light has been out for the past 3 days and my room is literally freezing... good thing i went apartment hunting for an hour instead of studying today.

tomorrow: going to an 11 hour conference but i think i'll leave early to study for my midterm.

240201

16/100 days of productivity

song of the day: abyss- the weeknd

feeling better today so went to my lab workshop. actually threw away the flow through while doing pcr so that was really fun. luckily I have enough so I don’t need to restart. I want to get lots of sleep before my midterms so I’ll leave my chemistry review to tomorrow.

240131

15/100 days of productivity

wasn’t feeling very well today after running errands and having labs all day. still went to my evening tutorial but sleeping early tonight.

250130

14/100 days of productivity

finished lab report, started my chemistry midterm review

250129

13/100 days of productivity

song of the day: spartacus: ballet suite no. 2:1. adagio of spartacus and phrygia- aram khachaturian

woke up late and had to skip my biology lecture. went to my next lecture and headed to the library to do work. wifi went out campus wide when i was submitting my research application so i was struggling to connect to my data for two hours.

academic: finished my biology pre lab. attended a networking event with some professors and had a fun time with my chemistry professors.

tomorrow: biology post lab, physics problem set, physics pre lab, review for chemistry midterm.