petition to change all of academia’s “et al” to “& besties”

I had a professor in college who used to start solving every problem with the same dialogue.

Proff: What’s the first step to solving any problem? Class: Don’t panic. Proff: And why is that? Class: Because we know more than we think we do.

I think about that a lot tbh. It didn’t occur to me until much later that he meant for us to apply that dialogue outside of the classroom to any problem. Because we always know more than we think we do. We are all an amalgam of random information that ends up being relevant with surprising frequency.

Please fucking lie to your employer. Like they don’t need to know your mental health issues or what drugs you do. Ffs

Read this if you want study motivation!

• There’s a reason you’re studying what you’re studying. It’s is fun, it’s enjoyable, it’s something you like. Your studies aren’t a chore, they’re a hobby! Try to see them that way!

• Taking notes? Yay! Perfect opportunity to let your creativity flow! Now, you don’t have to have a journal you make super fancy, handwritten, colour coded notes in (don’t get me wrong, I love those, and bless the people who post pictures of theirs but grr! it’d just take me too much time!) - you can create a Google Docs document and use some fun fonts and add some pretty aesthetic pictures! Works just as well! And it’s fun!

• No matter how you’ve decided to be creative, the act of creativity itself will give you both a sense of accomplishment and of purpose (which is something I - and I suspect quite a few other people - struggle with sometimes). Yeah, it might take up a little bit of your time, but it’s totally worth it long-term because once you’re done you have a super pretty document/journal that will up the ~vibe~ every time you sit down to study! Besides, it’s totally up to you how much time you want to spend on your little project.

• The excitement you feel when you encounter the stuff you’ve learned out in the real world is amazing. I still remember when I was twelve and a friend and I were baking and were overjoyed about being able to say “hey, this is an emulsion! this is what we talked about in chemistry!” and oh my god you feel so nerdy and so smart and happy and it’s great.

• Studying really gives you a way of seeing life in a new light. It makes you so much more appreciative of the little things. If you study biology you’ll suddenly think about vacuoles when you’re watering your plants, study prejudice and racism and you’ll suddenly be able to tell when someone’s being an ass and have the tools to call them out on it like a boss, study psychology and chuckle at the cheesy commercial using psychologically appealing colours to try to get you to buy things, study geology and smile because now you’re able to tell that “that’s metamorphic rock”. Be nerdy and suddenly the world is filled with wonders.

• Getting started is one of the most difficult steps. Or rather, that period of time right after you’ve gotten started when you get to the point of “oh, I don’t immediately know everything there is to know in this field. hm.” or “what do you mean I won’t establish my own superior drawing style after just one drawing”. Many of us want things to flow when we learn. We don’t want it to be too difficult, or take up too much time and effort, or require too much dedication. We’d rather skip the step of having to learn how to ride the bike because, well, it’s annoying and kinda boring, and rather head straight to the part where we zoom down a hill like it’s the most natural thing in the world. I’m so sorry to break this to you, but you’re gonna have to know how to maneuver the thing before you reach the “wind in my hair” phase.

• How do you make it through the boring and annoying stuff then? I’d say focus on the very things I’ve written about in this post. Focus on why you decided to try the thing out in the first place; what was it that pulled you in? What goals do you want to reach? Focus on the fact that this is something you want to do - like to do! - and not something you have to do. Focus on appreciating the things you learn rather than solely focusing on what you haven’t learnt yet; take that newfound knowledge and rant to a friend, rant to your family, rant on your tumblr or in your journal. You know stuff! You’ve learnt stuff! How amazing is that?! 

I just got accepted into Doctor’s degree!!!!!!

(Technically, it was yesterday that I got the news, but still!! Super happy) ;’)

There’s happiness and then there’s realizing that the last ten pages of a scientific paper are just the bibliography.

“you can’t forget your mother tongue” okay but have you considered bilinguals and polyglots whose first language isn’t english and whose development during adolescence was shaped by consuming content and media only in english and have ever since viewed that second language, foreign to their own, as a better outlet for their emotions and thoughts? as Yiyun Li said “it is hard to feel in an adopted language, yet impossible in my native language.”

YO WRITERS

Stop what you’re doing right now and go write 3 sentences of your story.

Every time you see this, write 3 lines.

Reblog so other writers will do the same, let’s finish these damn stories.

we all need to collectively unlearn the idea that certain achievements (i.e. graduating college, getting a job, moving out, etc) only count if they’re achieved by a certain age or within a “normal” time frame.

going through life at your own pace does NOT equate laziness or failure.

accomplishments don’t have an expiration date.

them: fake courting. we won’t catch feelings. whatever.

me, a fanfiction connoisseur: you’re both gonna catch such hard feelings for each other

Read More, Read Better

Many of us are looking for more ways to enjoy our time at home in these stressful circumstances. Some of us have turned to books. But how can we make sure we get the most out of them?

Keep reading

07.07.20 / i was quickly reviewing japanese yesterday just to get into the swing of things again. i told myself i would study more advanced grammar and maybe i’m just stalling because i’m nervous haha. in the afternoon i had some time to finish reading A Gentleman in Moscow and yup, totally not crying. i hope you’re doing well. don’t forget to take care of yourself! happy tuesday ♡

friends who are thinking about grad school:

be sure you’re passionate about what you want to study, because you’ll need a deep love to carry you through an intense program (that can range from 1 year to 7+, depending on what you’re studying) where you will sometimes have some bitter lows

related, don’t go to grad school just because the job market blows and you’re not sure what to do. you’re better off taking a couple years to gain experience and skills at a job that you can then transfer to postgrad academic work later

talk to a lot of people before you decide to go somewhere. talk to professors and potential advisors, talk to administrative staff, and try to talk to current or recent students. you’ll have a better idea of what it’s like, professional connections for when you start, and possibly new friends

continuing from the above point, don’t go to or apply to somewhere where it’s hard to get information about the program or that people aren’t responsive. if they’re not trying to reach out when you’re a potential student, they’re unlikely to support you once you’re there

be willing to communicate! talk to your advisor and professors if you’re having a hard time or are finding things challenging. if they’re worth their salt, they’ll help you out and provide solid suggestions. 

communication is key in classes as well. far more than in undergrad, participation counts. you have to speak up. a large part of grad school is to prepare you for your profession, so you need to be able to contribute to discussions. 

a lot of you have asked how I actually use notion in my day to day life, so I’ve broken down my task manager for all of you! hope this helps :) happy notion-ing! 💖

my other posts on notion: goal setting 📚

edit: i’ve made my template available for everyone to duplicate here! happy notion-ing!

entire post below!

Weiterlesen

here are a few study tips on how to learn a new language 💻☺️:

1. start speaking as soon as possible. even when you haven’t learned too many words yet, the most important part of studying a language is not being afraid of using it. so download apps like hellotalk to get in touch with natives! of course, it’s even easier if you already have friends or family members speaking your target language.

2. study the most frequent words! there are tons of free so-called “frequency lists” online that prevent you from studying vocabulary you don’t need in the long run. with only 500 of the right words you could already have basic conversations!

3. get a lot of native exposure - through podcasts, videos and movies. there are so many recommendations on the internet, no matter what language you’re learning. the earlier you start immersing yourself in native material, even if it’s children’s books, the faster you’ll find yourself having fluent conversations!!

4. keep a weekly or daily diary to practice writing in your target language. even if it’s only composed of basic sentences, it’s the best way to use the vocabulary you’ve learned!

qotd: what language would you like to study next? i really look forward to studying Italian once I have a little bit more time!! 💕

[more posts like this on my instagram @softlyshade]

25.04.2020

“Be brave enough to be bad at something new.” -Jon Acuff

Sunshine, histology notes and some new plant friends 🌿 (also meet Elio, my cute calathea!)

hello sweeties i just wanted to put this out here bc i’ve been studying a lot and my lower back always hurts. i know a lot of you study, work or spend your free time sitting down so please check this out and expand to read !!