MASTERPOST

[02.01.18] Hi everyone! I have received a lot of feedback on my one page note summaries. I had always planned on sharing some of them with you all in PDF format but never had the time to. So here are some of my favorites and most requested! :D

Amino Acids

Cross-Bridge Cycle

Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis

Mitochondria & Electron Transport Chain

The Digestive System Overview

The Kidney Overview

The Periodic Table & Trends

Viruses

HELLO AGAIN EVERYONE! 

I thought that since in the last few days I’ve been working on organizing my school supplies I share a bit about how i organize my binders! I hope this helps some of you a little bit! :)

Things You’ll Need:

One set of dividers for each binder

One 1 ½” binder per class, per semester

Optional Supplies:

Labels

Step One:

Lay out one full set of your dividers and decide what kind of organizational scheme you’re going for. Possible systems include:

Chronological Order – This is usually the best choice if you haven’t received or won’t receive a full and detailed class syllabus. In this system your first divider will show you where all of your important documents for the class are held (for example: you might put thing like project outlines here). The next divider will separate where regular handouts and class work from the rest of your papers. After your handouts, you’ll want to create a section for your in-class notes. Following this, you’ll want to place a divider to separate your homework assignments. These two sections are where the chronology of the class comes into play, because you’ll want to date everything and keep it in chronological order. After your homework assignments you’ll want one final divider so that you have a place to keep all of the marked tests and assignment rubrics you’ve got back from your teacher/professor.

The Sandwich – This system works best when you receive a full and detailed class syllabus. At the front of your binder, create a section using one divider for important documents (like the syllabus). After this, create one section for each major unit you’ll be covering in class. After these sections, you want one final one for tests and rubrics that have been graded and handed back to you.

If you feel that colour coding helps you stay organized, try to stick to one system for all of your binders; this way you can use the same colours in all of your binders for their respective sections (e.g., red for important documents, green for graded tests/rubrics, etc.).

(Optional) Step Two:

If you’re planning on labeling all of your binders, now would be a perfect time to do so. Possible uses for the labels might include: using one on the front/spine of the binder detailing the name of the class, the teacher, and the building and room in which it’s held, or using them to label each of your dividers with the names of their sections.

Step Three:

Insert all of your dividers into your binders, making sure to add a little bit of loose-leaf paper where you need to. If you’re using a notebook instead of loose-leaf for your homework or other things, make sure you still add a bit of paper – just for those days when you’re in a rush or you’re just not feeling well and you totally didn’t forget your notebook… ;)

Step Four:

Step back and admire your work, then remind yourself that the things that go in these binders are important, but they aren’t so important that they can ruin your life. You’ll be okay if you don’t reach your targets, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying to reach them. Do your best and recognize that that’s the extent of what you can do. I believe in you.

Now before I finish, I’d like to add a small disclaimer: by no means am I saying that the methods of organization are the only or the best methods to use, however they are the ones I’ve always used and I’ve found they work quite well. If your teacher wants you to organize in a certain way, use that way, and if you have a system that you like and find works well for you, feel free to message me – I’d love to learn about it!

I hope everyone has/has had a wonderful first few weeks of school! If you haven’t or you’re feeling overwhelmed, my ask is ALWAYS open if you want to talk! I love you all, and I BELIEVE IN ALL OF YOU ♥

7 things to do when you can’t focus (instead of using your phone)

We’ve all been there : you’re studying for your exam but all you’ve been doing for the last 20 minutes was re-reading the same page over and over without understanding a single sentence from it. 

So you try and try again, but nothing seems to change, it just feels like your brain decided to take a nap instead. 

But the problem is that time is running out because your exam is in few days and you want to do your best before it’s too late !

And the truth is, you need a break. A short break. As a matter of fact, your brain isn’t able to focus more than 45-50 consecutive minutes and thus it needs short breaks in between.

So here’s my list of -less than 10 minutes- things I actually do when I’m not able to focus anymore :

Stretch : it takes 5 minutes. Down-dog pose or anything similar will help you to get more blood to your brain, and as you already know : more blood = more oxygen = more neurons happy = more focus. 

Meditate : sometimes your lack of concentration is the consequence of your anxious/tormented mind. Set a timer and try to focus on your breath for 5-10 minutes. If meditating alone is difficult for you, I suggest you to download HeadSpace app, which has some free 5-10 minutes guided meditations! 

Do another productive task that isn’t related to studying : this could be making your bed, cleaning your desk, or re-organizing your notes! Just do something that makes you move and stimulates your blood flow. Plus, you’ll feel like you’ve accomplished something more ! 

Search for the topic you’re studying on Youtube  :  you’ll be able to find almost anything. I’ve done it so many times and it really helped me to get a better understanding and a more global vision of the subject i’m into !  

Play with your pet(s) if you have any! It’ll be beneficial for both you : they’ll get your attention and love, and you’ll be more relaxed after ! 

Go for a walk : around your neighborhood. Or around the library. Or just walk your dog if you have one. Breathe the fresh air and move your legs : your body will thank you, especially if you stay seated all day.

Workout : yes, you can do an effective workout for 10 minutes. And Pinterest is here to prove it to you. Just tap « ten minutes HIIT workout » and you’ll find TONS of them. You can also look for some on Youtube (I suggest Pamela Rf 10 minutes no equipment ab workout, I promise you’ll feel it the next day). 

Bonus tip : STOP STUDYING. If you tried any of these tips and your brain still doesn’t want to collaborate, maybe it’s just time for you to take a real break and do something else instead, especially if you’ve been studying for several hours. It happens to everyone and I think it’s really important to know when to stop. Moreover, it will actually help you memorize what you’ve already learned : your brain unconsciously processes it whilst you’re doing other stuff than studying!  

And that’s it, just know that all these tips have been tested and approved by me :) Let me know if you tried some of these or tell me what YOU do to instead! 

Also if you want to see more posts like this, feel free to give me a follow ! I’ll be more than happy to see your tumblr too :)  

PS : sorry in advance if you notice my imperfect grammar (english isn’t my first language) 

Blog : https://anatomyandcappuccini.tumblr.com

My exams are rapidly approaching (just 9 days left!!) and amongst all the study tips posts that are popping up, I wanted to do a post about those days when things don’t go as planned. Be it that you walk out of an exam and feel like you bombed it, or that you get back a disappointing score. We all know the feeling. So here are some things that I like to do to make the day suck a little less!

Have some chocolate (light/dark/milk, hot/cold/whatever as preferred)

Have a bath, or a long shower

Go for a walk or a jog, preferably surrounded by nature

Find someone/something to cuddle

Even if you have things to do, give yourself a break

Tidy your room/flat/whatever to get a fresh perspective

Open all windows and air out your room

If you have things that need to be done, make a to do list and sort your brain out

Organise your clutter/notes/room/whatever

Do come colouring in a colouring book (these are awesome)

Try your hand at painting, even if you’re terrible at it

Make yourself some tea

Bake something (and eat it without feeling guilty afterwards)

Light a nice-smelling candle

Spend time with the positive forces in your life, be it parents, friends or pets

Watch your favourite movie (preferably with someone who loves it as much as you)

Go on spotify, pandora, soundcloud, 8tracks or wherever and look for new music

If you find some really good music, have a dance party

Put on your favourite outfit (+ makeup look if you’re into that)

Paint your nails, shave, moisturize, wash your face and pamper yourself

Check out universityandme​‘s “You are a force of nature” tag

If you need someone to talk to, send me an ask, either here or on my main blog, saturdaystudying

How to effectively take notes

VIDEOS: 

How to take colour coded notes (starts at 0:58) How to take notes and study tips  (really like this video, and contains printables) How to effectively take notes in class Advanced Cornell Notes  Taking notes in college & backpack essentials  Study tips (starts at 1:58 ) Taking notes and studying Creating a study guide and printing notes (really helpful for how to print and organize notes) Taking class notes and studying for tests Outlining your textbook  (starts at 0:30)

APPS:

Evernote: Clip web pages (good for research), and take notes. Dropbox: good for keeping documents, photo and videos in one place. Khan Academy: videosfrom maths and science to humanities. Digg: Daily news. CliffsNotes: study for tests, create quizzes, read summaries, good for english/humanities. Studious: a reminder for when homework and tests are due. Pocket: researching tool. EasyBib: Scan the barcode of the book and it creates a citation.  iFormulas: formulas, rations, theorems. iTunes U: provides educational content for free.Also provides access to courses, and learn about different courses. 

OTHER:

Effective note taking via University of Reading (contains printable guide) How to take notes at university via The Guardian  Taking lecture and class notes via Dartmouth College (contains lots of resources too) Taking effective notes via howtostudy Taking notes via Harvard (pdf file - really useful and I recommend that you print this out and use it for reference) Creating a study guide via Utah State University (pdf file)

My Study Method

by futurecomposer

Notes and processing info: 

i write my notes with Google Drive / Docs (android / itunes)

before the lecture: First of all I write the textbook notes and maybe articles about the subject, that way, when I go to the lecture, I already understand the topic. If there’s available slides, print them, so you can annotate on them later.

during the lecture: Take as many notes as you can, but also write about the most important stuff. For this I use paper. I feel like It’s easier to link stuff, draw diagrams, etc. … It doesn’t matter if your notes are messy, you’ll rewrite them later. Remember: if it’s in the blackboard, it’s because it’s important.

after the lecture: After the lecture I write my lecture notes in the previous document. Now it’s time to get fancy: use bold, italic,, both of them to indicate keywords and/or important phrases. But be careful: don’t overuse them, or they will become useless. 

At this point you should have all the information you need for the exam perfectly summarised in a doc.

Summarising and flashcards

bullet points: It’s time to make another doc. This time we’ll resume the information in bullet points. The goal is to have clear, concise, brief facts.

summary cards: Here comes the most important part. Summarise one topic in one flashcard. The point is to really condense the information and see what’s most important. Fill the flashcard with info, don’t get cut back by aesthetics. The previous doc is your guide.

This system’s point is to manage and work the information, get familiar with it, then find the most important concepts. This way, you have actively worked with it, and have more tendency to remember it.

Requested // more close ups and extra pictures of chemistry revision cards for AQA C2. And yes I did colour in my banners since before I didn’t 💁🏽✨

While you’re on a study break:

Paint your nails. Doesn’t matter if you’re good at it or not. It’s a quiet, calming, easy activity that takes up the perfect amount of time for a break and still requires some amount of focus. Put on a Youtube video or Netflix while you do it.

Watch a John Oliver video. If you don’t know him, he’s a comedian and host of Last Week Tonight on HBO. His pieces are hilarious, informative, and all around 15-20 minutes. 

Change the sheets on your bed. Changing your sheets often is good for your skin, still technically productive, and who doesn’t love snuggling up in a fresh bed after a long day? 

While you’re at it, clean your space. It’ll get you on your feet and again, still technically being productive. 

Make yourself something to drink. I hate to be that blogger™ but  Stay hydrated, loves! No energy drinks, if you need something more exciting. We are adults in this household, we get our caffeine like adults. Always go tea or coffee. 

Take a nap. There are legends that if you drink a coffee before you take a nap, the caffeine will wake you up naturally a little bit later and you’ll feel super energized. That sounds fake but idk knock yourselves out. 

Put on an RIP Vine compilation and dissociate for a bit. I’m not kidding.

Take a shower. Or just stand there under the hot water a bit. You’ll feel like a new being. 

Know that you are a boss

Seriously 

You got this and I believe in you 

eEEYYYYY the studyblr community has some amazing note taking methods and so i wanted to put a bunch of them in one place :]

flashcards:

fc: cute language ones

fc: biochemistry paths

fc: disease summaries

fc: pretty biology ones

fc: the leitner methods

fc: ap us history ones

fc: o chem + color code

alternative 2 flashcards

sticky notes:

printing on sticky notes

take notes from textbook

plot summaries [literature]

many ways to use post its

english reading summaries

character maps 4 english

outlines:

color coded + neat

cornell + color code

digital cornell notes

learn from mistakes

super duper cute

outline with onenote

the margin method

in class / lectures:

for all classes + color

spaced out + pretty

for all classes / hw

advice @ infographic

2 notebook method

organized + colors

reference sidebar

method infographic

specific classes:

sciences + maths

history methods

learning types

sketchnotes:

introduction to it

cute symbols to use

+adorable symbols

+insp @ nice symbols

how to draw ribbon

illustrating ur notes

over the top amazing:

homemade textbook

digital study guides [1]

revision study guide

mini moleskine guide

digital study guides

handwritten studying

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 this helped u all with taking notes!!!!!! xoxo sareena 

hi there, can you make a post about making mindmaps please?

There are many types of mindmaps, and they are all different depending on what they’re focused on ~ generally, they have the same structure, but just be careful if you’re doing a science-based one while following a literature-based tutorial. 

Here’s a tutorial based on my most recent one {for English class, based on the novel Brooklyn}, hope it helps!

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