Superheroes Being 197% Done With Wii Music Playing

Hold Tight to those you love no matter what

I’m going to uni this autumn, and I feel like most of studyblr’s incoming freshmen are just as clueless as I am. Here’s a bunch of tips from the more experienced among us, and I hope it’s just as useful to you as it is to me!

this took forever to make so i’m really hoping it’s good

Money Matters

Textbooks

Sites where you can get free textbooks by @thearialligraphyproject

Get textbooks online

Tips for textbooks by @theorganizedcoyote

Websites to get cheap textbooks by @theorganisedstudent

Ultimate guide to buying college textbooks

Safe ways to get free textbooks

Saving Money

A girl called jack: eating under the line

Qriket

Scholarship masterpost by @wallcalendar

Save money while shopping online

College scholarships 2016-17 by @wonderstudying

Tips for finding & getting scholarships

How to budget

Where to find student discounts by @collegerefs

Searching for scholarships by @collegesmarts

Creative ways to save money in college

Places that offer discounts with student id

Ways to save/earn money

Paying for college by @collegerefs

Student Life

Dorm & Living

PSA for college freshmen

Dorm tips from @humanitaes

Ultimate school locker (uni bag) kit by @girl-studying

Resolving issues with roommates

Tips for living like an adult

How to eat healthy in dining halls

DIY dorm decor by @notquitenightingale

Everything I actually used in my freshman dorm room

Guide to living alone by @piratestudy

Living with a roommate by @collegerefs

Packing Lists

Thing I forgot to bring to college by @myberkeleyadventure

Sam’s ultimate failproof guide to packing by @staticsandstationery

Ultimate college packing list for freshmen

College packing list by @kimberlystudies

What to bring to college

Checklist for dorms & campus living

Packing up: preparing for college in @theacademiczine

College dorm packing list by @produitivity

Recipes

One-pot chicken fajita pasta

100 dirt cheap recipes for students

57 go-to recipes for college students

Cheap & healthy recipes 

Over 400 fast & healthy recipes

Classes

Studying & Taking Notes

Organizing notes with Google Docs by @academla

How to write a lecture summary efficiently by @collegerefs

Symbols & abbreviations for note-taking 

How to take lecture notes by @hstrystdyblr

How to take notes in college by @determinationandcaffeine

Getting the most out of lecture by @strive-for-da-best

How to get your best grades in college by @saralearnswell

If you have a bad college professor

Essays

Transition words for essays by @soniastudyblr

How to analyze historical sources by @rewritign

How to write a university level essay by @healthyeyes

Analyzing a written text

Essay writing: university vs. high school

How to write a history paper by @thehistorygrad

How I plan and write literature papers by @notaperfectstudent

Exams

A quick guide to finals by @emmastudies​

10 revision tips for final & first year exams

High school exams vs. college exams

Crucial study tips for finals week in college 

3 day study plan by @getstudyblr

Low stress college study strategy by @plannerdy 

+ More

Masterposts

A college student’s masterpost by @eruditekid

Random college tips by @determinationandcaffeine

College advice by @studenting

Giant college masterpost by @heyiwantyoutostay

Advice

Advice for college by @collegerefs

10 tips for starting uni by @studycubs

Advice from a college senior 

Great tips from @fuckstudy

10 more excellent tips

Things nobody tells you about university by @polcry 

Miscellaneous

8 things successful students do by @frankfurter-studies

Email tips by @haileymostudies

@collegerefs‘ entire blog– so much good stuff that’s incredibly useful

my grace.uni tag– all the posts I’ve saved for university

Staying in contact with high school friends

How to make friends in college

difference between a report & a research paper

sources used: my history teacher & “Tips for Writing Analytic Research Papers.” (1998): n. pag. Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center, 19 May 2009. Web. 29 May 2015.

• report

- organized regurgitation of facts gathered from research

- thesis statement is a general statement summarizing what your whole report is about

- thesis statement is NOT opinion or argument to be proven

- topic sentences of body paragraphs summarize what facts you’ll describe in that paragraph

- research + writing facts = report

• research paper

- organized analysis of facts gathered from research

- thesis statement identifies the overall argument or academic opinion that you will prove in your paper

- thesis statement must be (academic) opinion and argumentation

- research + writing facts + analysis = research paper

• so what is analysis? how do i do it?

analysis is basically breaking apart the facts you have found in your research and demonstrating critical thinking about those facts. make your analysis explicit - your reader should not have to infer or guess what your analysis is. it looks like:

• dissecting or breaking down larger events or concepts to explore the smaller parts [“dr. king’s plan comprised of three specific political and social actions” - then the author explains the parts]

• cause/effect [author describes situation that outrages dr. king - “this outrage motivated dr. king to deliver his speech”]

• identification or explanation of significance [“this speech is iconic in american history because…”]

• comparison of ideas from different sources, or differing opinions; examination of counterarguments [“critics of dr. king said…” “historians disagree…” “others have said…”]

• connection to broader ideas and themes in the relevant discipline [“king’s actions exemplify the overall trend in social activism towards nonviolent action to achieve change”]

• connection to experiences, examples in other geographic areas, time periods or disciplines [“this behavior is explained by psychologists as…” “the american civil rights movement was inspired by actions in…” “another leader who inspired people in similar ways was nelson mandela in south africa”]

*gets penalty* “that’s bullshit” *watches replay* “.. yeah okay”

Just completed and submitted the final version of my Extended Essay !!! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° 

So I compiled lists of words that I found super super useful in making it easier for me to finish any essay !! Here is a masterpost of some sort with transition words + key vocabs grouped together for easy access as well as an IB IOC ‘cheat sheet’ I used for my english LAL orals last year (though most commentaries follow a similar structure so its generalisable) ~

Good luck with your essays !!!

… oops just realised I forgot to bullet point one of the lists 

Ladies of the MCU + Misogyny

“Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.” - Charlotte Whitton

Survival tips for exam week

TO SURVIVE EXAMS LIKE A BOSS

1. Get your electronics out of the way. I’m a huge advocator of technology in the classroom. But no so when you’re in your bedroom. I remember I had a chemistry exam the next day and I slept at midnight reading a novel. Even though I knew the material and the answers, I couldn’t finish the test on time because I was slower than usual and couldn’t concentrate. SLEEP IS IMPORTANT. So get your phone, tablet, laptop all out and just sleep. Learn from my mistakes people. 

2. Take a day off and meal prep the shit out of your week. When I’m in exam week, I forget to eat. My bodily needs go on vacation to a dark corner of my mind and I simply forget about them until I’m at the verge of collapse from hunger and dehydration. What I did last year to avoid this is to have healthy food at hand all times by meal prepping inexpensive, light and nutritious snacks that can survive in the fridge. 

3. Have your professor’s email or phone number. We are not perfect so from time to time, we are bound to cram everything in a day. In these days, it’s very beneficial to have your professor’s contact info to ask relevant questions. Be bold and ask right away if they have past tests so you can train with them in those lasts couple of hours. When cramming, it’s best to practice instead of reading. Your professor can make a huge difference in this game. 

4. Make an efficient summary. If your professor isn’t willing to help (I see you Law Prof), then I recommend you to take notes using the chapter outline. You know that one page where they outline the chapters paragraph and give it numbers? It’s been extremely useful to me. Why? Because the paragraphs are usually named after the main ideas of the subject. Let me give you an example. One of my introductory classes was Marketing. The first chapter is named Wat is Marketing? The first paragraph is The definition of marketing, the second The marketing concept and the last one The role of marketing in a corporation. So knowing the answer to these 3 paragraphs should give you a strong idea of what marketing really is. A 20-page chapter was easily summarized in only 3 paragraphs. This saves me lots of time and I’m able to identify the most important info right away.

5. Organise a study session with your classmates. I have saved and have been saved by these. Just gather around 4-6 people from your class. Then make sure each one of you has mastered a part of the study material. Then teach what you’ve learned from the others. At the same time, you get to learn too without doing a lot of research.

6. Search it up. If you understand something, the esier it is for you to remember. So if you don’t understand the explanation the professor gave you, ditch him and go look on the internet for a video or article that explains it easier (or slower) for you. 

7. Don’t cram it at the last minute. Yes, don’t do it. It’s likely not going to stay in your mind and it will only give you more stress. I would rec to stop learning all together some 5 hours before the exam and take a nap instead so you feel more fresh and relaxed. 

8. Once you get your test, write all formulas, mnemonics and models. I like to do this before even reading the first question. This way I get all the tools I need out of my mind right away. Therefore I’ll have more space in my mind to think about the actual questions instead of thinking “what was the formula for that again?”  and enter in panic. 

every minute spent on planning saves you ten minutes spent on execution. short essays probably don't require that much preparation beforehand, but if you're writing something longer you should probably spend some time planning first. this is the process i go through when planning my essays, and i find it works really well!