January Study Challenge

January Study Challenge

day 11 - winter aesthetic

took these pics on my trip to denver 🥰

Things I wish I knew before freshman year of college

After being in college for a year, I’ve learned that some things that people told me were true and others were false. Now this is purely in my own experience so maybe I will prove to be wrong when you attend. Also, I am a commuter student so I don’t have any advice on dorms/apartments and how to deal with them. 

So seeing as half of my classes are in person this semester, I thought other people may be in the same situation as I am. 

emails will either be “Good Afternoon Professor Smith,” or “hey john” — whatever it is keep it short and to the point

the only profs that I actually call “Professor” are from gen eds/100 level courses. everyone else I address by their first name and none of them have a problem with it.

first day of class nerves are real here’s how to lessen it- scout out classes before hand, eat as you normally would on that day to avoid feeling sick, if it’s that bad just leave five minutes into class (chances are it’s not) you’re a college student you can leave, it’s not as bad as what you may think

KEEP THE SYLLABUS  it is your guide

8am classes will become hell as progress through the semester bc you won’t want to get up

your MWF classes may know about your TTH classes. Just so you know

don’t sit near the windows and look up to find the AC unit and don’t sit under it. You will be cold.

ice breakers are horrible and no one likes them, find a fact about yourself that you can expand on and use it for every class.

some classes will put you through your paces, go to office hours if needed

some profs are just unhelpful. Find another prof that would be willing to help

student tutors are not helpful at all

start studying for an exam at least a week early and get into that habit

raising your hand in class to ask a question is powerful because that means you’ve gotten far enough to actually understand what is going on

some profs won’t let you use a graphing calculator on an exam, bring a less complicated one with you as well.

some profs won’t let you use a calculator at all. sharpen up those basic math skills

if you have a genuinely bad prof, report them to the head prof of that department. If there is enough students who say the same thing they can take care of things :) (exception- tenured profs)

take public speaking your first semester and take it seriously. It really does help.

time between classes can be used for watching YouTube, studying, or taking a nap. Use it wisely.

always bring a water bottle and a granola bar with you anywhere you go

first semester may be exactly like high school but second semester won’t be as you will get harder classes

all nighters are not necessary if you study a little everyday

no one cares what you wear. HOWEVER if you want to be easily identified as a freshman on the first day, dress up really nicely. I just wore a school shirt and jeans, but I saw hoards of freshman girls with dresses and heels walking to class

speaking of clothes, I wouldn’t recommend wearing short sleeve shirts and shorts until you know the climate of the rooms you’ll be in. But that’s your preference

hand sanitizer. even after covid please continue to use it. There are sick people all the time on campus without covid

I believe an electronic writing device to be better than any paper or pens. You’ll have everything with you at all times without worrying about losing things

PDF scanner app

FIND A RELIABLE BACKPACK not a trendy one, a nice reliable comfy backpack with plenty of room

you don’t have to meet your best friends within the first day, week, month, or semester into college. They’ll come, it will be okay

you may make a friend that you later find out that they are horrible. End it quickly, ghost if you have to

if you feel lonely bc you have no friends bc you went to college on your own, please talk to someone about it. it does help even if it is a prof who asked you how your day is in private (not in front of the whole class)

everyone will think you know what you’re doing if you look confident. Doesn’t matter if you’re walking to class, doing work, or even asking questions. They’ll assume you’re higher in your education than you really are. I’ve had profs come up to me asking if I was a sophomore or a junior (I was a freshman in my first semester)

everyone and their mother will talk to you during the first week

no one will tell you about specific things (such as expenses, scheduling, etc.) seek it out if you find something you don’t understand

profs will tell you about due dates and exam dates, it may be brief but they’ll tell you

noise cancelling headphones are a must

group work is hell even if you know the members. my engineering prof says to make a contract that every one signs stating what they will do. present it to the prof if someone fails to do something.

stay away from populated areas that most people will go to such as libraries/tables/cafe. (covid related)

meal plans can be useless but sometimes you’re required to have one

Online classes:

a desk is best but sitting on the floor is a nice change of scenery

it is true that you should have a separate area for studying/classes but not everyone can do that. Try to angle where you sit either out of a window or face a wall opposite to where you sleep.

getting another monitor for my desk has been really helpful

tip from my computer science prof- look away from your screen periodically, humans are adapted to see far distances better and it relaxes the muscles. hang something up across your room to read every now and then to reduce eye strain. 

blue light blocking glasses can help reduce headaches 

you can do classes in bed if you want, I have and it hasn’t caused any problems

PDF scanner app

a planner is a must in this case to track when assignments are due

emails, emails, emails. All day.

my school has told me they can’t require us to turn on our cameras, so I don’t. even during exams. (It’s an invasion of privacy)

if you have to turn on your camera, don’t have a distracting background

turn in assignments one day early just incase something should happen where you have to email a prof saying that you’re unable to turn it in.

I’ll probably add to this as I think of things but for now… here is all I know

the clouds were.... surreal the other day

september 7th: currently reading!

first, i’m reading Of Mice and Men for my english class ! we’re reading very slowly and we’re only on chapter 2 but it’s interesting so far. and i’m also reading The Perfectionists for myself! i’m really enjoying it !! it’s a lil cheesy (like PLL, which i watched all of) but very fun. it’s an easy read, but the writing is pretty good (imo). i’m probably going to finish it today - i ordered the sequel, which i think arrived in the mail, so, exciting! :)

i managed to finish ALL of my work yesterday and i’m so fucking happy 🥰🥰 of course, i could be studying, buuuut i chose to take a break today.

I love people with obscure knowledge or useless academic insights. I want to hear your analysis of lighting in Ratatouille. Tell me about the history of soda pop or the references to classical mythology in Macbeth. I want to know about the underlying homoerotic context of that 1930s sci-fi paperback. I think all knowledge is worthwhile knowledge. Explain to me the ecosystems that komodo dragons inhabit. Don’t be afraid to learn for the sake of learning.

you can find me on campus committing social blunders

reblog to give the person you reblogged this from a fucking break

yay i love challenges! i’ll be attempting this starting today :)

~Spell-Studies Fall 2020 Challenge~

~Spell-Studies Fall 2020 Challenge~

I love making challenges, and I thought that having daily prompts would be the best way to help keep track of the days!  I tried to pick fairly easy ones that way they are fun and lighthearted!  

Here are the parameters of the challenge!  The prompts will run Monday through Friday, so that weekends can be off days if you wish.  If you would like to also do the weekends as well I have prompts for those as well but they won’t be numbered rather they will be under “End of week one”, etc. Each prompt will have a corresponding date that way everyone can keep track!  Post daily or sum it all up on one big post (weekly, monthly, the whole thing!  

This challenge is about having fun and staying connected during the upcoming quarantined semester.  I know the prospect of entirely online school looks like an absolute drag to me, so let’s do something to stay connected through it all!  Hope all you lovelies enjoy!  Please tag me and the challenge too! I’ll be following #QuarantineFallStudyChallenge and #heyspell-studies feel free to @ me too!  Alright!  Down to the dates!

1. Monday, August 24th: What classes are you taking?

2. Tuesday, August 25th: What time does your alarm go off?

3. Wednesday. August 26th: Do you check your phone when you first wake up?

4. Thursday, August 27th: What is your favorite season? Why?

5. Friday, August 28th: Tea or coffee?

End of week one Saturday, August 29th: How did this week go for you?

End of week one Sunday, August 30th: What is your plan for the upcoming week?

6. Monday, August 31st: What is your favorite thing about school?

7. Tuesday, Sept. 1st: Favorite school memory! (Not online lol).

8. Wednesday, Sept. 2nd: How do you take your coffee?

9. Thursday, Sept. 3rd: How do you take your tea?

10. Friday, Sept. 4th: Favorite study snack!

End of week two Saturday, Sept. 5th: How did this week go for you?

End of week two Sunday, Sept. 6th: What is your plan for the upcoming week?

11. Monday, Sept. 7th: Currently reading!

12. Tuesday, Sept. 8th:  How do you take notes?

13. Wednesday, Sept. 9th: What is your goal aesthetic?

14. Thursday, Sept. 10th: Are you a morning person or a night person?

15. Friday, Sept. 11th: Day in your life! 

End of week three Saturday, Sept. 12th : How did this week go for you?

End of week three Sunday, Sept. 13th: What is your plan for the upcoming week?

16. Monday, Sept. 14th: Song of the day! What are you jamming to?

17. Tuesday, Sept. 15th: What is your study playlist?

18. Wednesday, Sept. 16th: Study Schedule! 

19. Thursday, Sept. 17th: How do you organize your to-do’s?

20. Friday, Sept. 18th: Do you read motivational books?

End of week four Saturday, Sept. 19th: How did this week go for you?

End of week four Sunday, Sept. 20th: What is your plan for the upcoming week?

21. Monday, Sept. 21st: What do you do for your self care?

22. Tuesday, Sept. 22nd: Fall starts today! What is your favorite thing about fall?

23. Wednesday, Sept. 23rd: Unpopular book opinion?

24. Thursday, Sept. 24th: What do you love about #Studyblr?

25. Friday, Sept. 25th: Unpopular #Studyblr opinions?

End of week five Saturday, Sept. 26th: How did this week go for you?

End of week five Sunday, Sept. 27th: What is your plan for the upcoming week?

26. Monday, Sept. 28th: What is your to do list?

27. Tuesday, Sept. 29th: What is your biggest inspiration?

28. Wednesday, Sept. 30th: Positive affirmations!  What are yours? Write some!

29. Thursday, Oct. 1st: Post a pic of your study Space and your favorite drink!

30. Friday, Oct. 2nd: Hand writing tag! Upper and lower case, and cursive! 

End of week six Saturday, Oct. 3rd: How did this week go for you?

End of week six Sunday, Oct. 4th: What is your plan for the upcoming week?

31. Monday, Oct. 5th: What are you proud of today?

32. Tuesday, Oct. 6th: How do you stay awake while studying?

33. Wednesday, Oct. 7th: Do you use Pinterest? (What are your boards?)

34. Thursday, Oct. 8th: Drop your Insta handle! (If you want).

35. Friday, Oct. 9th: Do you have any fun weekend plans?

End of week seven Saturday, Oct. 10th: How did this week go for you?

End of week seven Sunday, Oct. 11th: What is your plan for the upcoming week?

36. Monday, Oct. 12th: Study alone or study with a group?

37. Tuesday, Oct. 13th: Do you color code?

38. Wednesday, Oct. 14th: Show us your annotations!

39. Thursday, Oct. 15th: What do your supplies look like?

40: Friday, Oct. 16th: Half way! How do you reward yourself?

End of week eight Saturday, Oct. 17th: How did this week go for you?

End of week eight Sunday, Oct. 18th: What is your plan for the upcoming week?

41. Monday, Oct. 19th: Do you eat while you study?

42. Tuesday, Oct. 20th: Do you exercise?

43. Wednesday, Oct. 21st: It’s definitely getting cooler! Outfit of the day!

44. Thursday, Oct. 22nd: Have you ever meditated? If you haven’t give it a try!

45. Friday, October, 23rd: Long one, who is your ideal self? Or a self love entry!

End of week nine Saturday, Oct. 24th: How did this week go for you?

End of week nine Sunday, Oct. 25th: What is your plan for the upcoming week?

46. Monday, Oct. 26th: Do you keep your notes when class is over?

47. Tuesday, Oct. 27th: How do you balance school, work and life?

48. Wednesday, Oct. 28th: Who do you live with? 

49. Thursday, Oct. 29th: Do you have a job outside of school?

50. Friday, Oct. 30th: Do you have a Halloween costume or plans?

End of week ten Saturday, Oct. 31st: How did this week go for you?

End of week ten Sunday, Nov. 1st: What is your plan for the upcoming week?

51. Monday, Nov. 2nd: Morning routine!

52. Tuesday, Nov. 3rd: Evening routine!

53. Wednesday, Nov. 4th: Favorite study tips?

54. Thursday, Nov. 5th: What is on your desk?

55. Friday, Nov. 6th: Some short term goals!

End of week eleven Saturday, Nov. 7th: How did this week go for you?

End of week eleven Sunday, Nov. 8th: What is your plan for the upcoming week?

56. Monday, Nov. 9th: Some long term goals!

57. Tuesday, Nov. 10th: Tag your favorite studyblr!

58. Wednesday, Nov. 11th: If you could study anywhere, where? (and why!)

59. Thursday, Nov. 12th: Do you study language?

60. Friday, Nov. 13th: What is the view out your window?

End of week twelve Saturday, Nov. 14th: How did this week go for you?

End of week twelve Sunday, Nov. 15th: What is your plan for the upcoming week?

61. Monday, Nov. 16th: Favorite school supplies!

62. Tuesday, Nov. 17th: Bath bomb bubble baths or long showers?

63. Wednesday, Nov. 18th: Name 3 things you love about yourself.

64. Thursday, Nov. 19th: Do you journal?

65. Friday, Nov. 20th: Have you ever made a vision board?

End of week thirteen Saturday, Nov. 21st: How did this week go for you?

End of week thirteen Sunday, Nov. 22nd: What is your plan for the upcoming week?

66. Monday, Nov. 23rd: Favorite type of weather?

67. Tuesday, Nov. 24th: Scarf or beanie?

68. Wednesday, Nov. 25th: What are you grateful for today?

69. Thursday, Nov. 26th: What studyblr advice would you give to others?

70. Friday, Nov. 27th: Holidays! What are you excited for this holiday season?

End of week fourteen Saturday, Nov. 28th: How did this week go for you?

End of week fourteen Sunday, Nov. 29th: What is your plan for the upcoming week?

71. Monday, Nov. 30th: What is your “happy place”?

72. Tuesday, Dec. 1st: How are you feeling about education during a pandemic?

73. Wednesday,  Dec. 2nd: When was the last time you did something “scary”?

74. Thursday, Dec. 3rd: What habit do you want to break?

75. Friday, Dec. 4th: what habit do you want to make?

End of week fifteen Saturday, Dec. 5th: How did this week go for you?

End of week fifteen Sunday, Dec. 6th: What is your plan for the upcoming week?

76. Monday, Dec. 7th: What is/are your creative outlet(s)?

77. Tuesday, Dec. 8th: Where do you see yourself in seven years?

78. Wednesday, Dec. 9th: What is one of your favorite holiday memories?

79. Thursday, Dec. 10th: Are you feeling ready for finals?

80. Friday, Dec. 11th: Is it really already over?!  What did you learn during this challenge? What did you like about this challenge?

she’s gonna pass her classes and she’s gonna graduate

just finished a dot-to-dot! i’m not much of an artist, so definitely not going to color it or anything. i am going to start posting on here again, though!