I fucking love doing homework on time I love doing math puzzles that all synergize with each other I love completing objectives and feeling accomplished

u have advanced??????? wow. tips to qualify mains please??? help me with my modules.how do i solve them?????????

hnnng idk bestie here's some short tips n like if u want something more specific u can send another ask or dm me?

pay attention in class. sit in the front. listen out for what things the teacher puts an emphasis on. ask questions. yes, even the stupid ones. especially the stupid ones bc those are fundamentals u cannot miss bc a shaky foundation leads to a shaky building. also pay attention to ur teachers. theyve been doing this since before u even knew about jee they know what theyre doing. most of them want whats best for u, and if not specifically that, whats best for them n their institute which are usually similar things. im not saying blindly trust them without criticism but have some faith. dont dismiss them they prolly know better than u. if id followed my teachers instructions i prolly wouldnt have had to drop (but thats a discussion for another day lol).

revise notes on a regular basis. like. the day u studied it in class. then the next day. then a week later. then 2 weeks later. then a month later. google the curve of forgetting for more accurate time stamps. use flashcards for formulae n stuff that u have to memorise like inorganic chem.

analyse past papers. recognise the most important topics. but also there are some small chapters that are quite easy and some people skip them thinking there wont be any questions from them. ive given 4 papers of mains, and i can confirm that is utter bullshit. 1 question each from units and measurements, mathematical reasoning, stats, chemistry in everyday life, polymers, are guaranteed. u can easily secure at least those marks by spending just a little bit of time on them. esp for jee mains its relatively better to cover a wide range of topics with medium depth instead of just some but with deep understanding (the latter works well for advanced tho).

make a friend or two whos in the same boat as u, preparing for jee n try to keep each other accountable. tell each other everyday what ure going to study that day n then check back the next day. remind each other hlep each other out. also be friendly with the class toppers sometimes they can solve ur doubts better than teachers just bc something they explain clicks better. whenever i get confused about logarithms i think back to what my 9th grade classmate told me when i asked him to explain in 1 sentence n had him repeat it slowly to me multiple times. its burned in my memory and helped me so much. 

practice tests. set the proper 3 hour limit and solve them. be honest w urself ure doing this for u. no point scoring 256/300 to impress ur teacher if u cheated bc on the day of the exam ure going to be screwed. in the beginning try out different strategies, different ones work for different ppl. like for me, math is my favourite and i find it easier than the other 2 so i do it first and it gives me confidence. then i move on to physics and then chem. some people look over the entire paper n solve the easiest from every section first, then the medium ones, then the tough ones. experiment in ur practice tests n figure out whats best for u n ur test taking. after the test, analyse. see what u got wrong, why u got it wrong. clarify doubts. mark problem questions to revise and solve again later. no point in solving more n more questions if theres no retention or learning.

for solving books specifically under the cut bc this is getting too long lol:

stick to 1 or 2 books max per subject. make them ur holy books and swear by them. if ure doing coaching then the modules provided by them are a very good option bc theyre specifically for jee and will cover what u need. coaching teachers will have a lot of experience with them too so u'll have an easy time with doubts clarification. if u choose other books tho, still consult with ur teacher and ask them to tell u what's relevant and what isnt and dont waste ur time on whats not. it might make u look or feel smarter to be solving questions on stuff thats beyond the scope of the exam but u literally dont need it and the syllabus is already very vast so ure just going to waste time and brainspace. like sure if ure interested study it in ur own time but dont make it an Important Must Do thing.

ok now that u have ur book with everything relevant to jee, make sure u devour them. study the theory alongside ur class notes. solve a few questions of corresponding topics the day they are covered so u dont have so many questions lined up at the end of the chapter. like if i studied friction in newton's laws of motion today, i'll solve the questions relevant to friction today itself. or u know this week. like,, keep it current. then while solving, speak out loud and explain the problem to urself like ure teaching someone else (or better yet, find someone to teach them to. stuffed toys, younger siblings, ur classmate, grandparents, online friend, whichever works). mark all the questions that took u longer than 5 mins or u cant solve at all. dog ear the pages. try them again the next day. then again a few days later. take the ones u still cant solve to ur teacher. try n ask for just a hint once and try again. and then if u cant then ask for the solution. DO NOT go on the internet. ur brain doesnt have to work for it then n u think u got it but u dont got it. make ur brain work for the solution so it'll remember. 

now that uve given a good shot to every question and figured out where u stumble. analyse a bit. find a pattern if theres any: like a certain concept that is weak or something ure not understanding. read the theory for it if u have to n ask questions to clarify. then solve these problem questions again and again until u know every question well enough to be able to explain to someone. skip over the easy ones u dont gotta do them again n again, focus on the ones u stumbled on. theyre the weak spots. no use strengthening whats already strong enough.

and uh keep a notebook of the solutions of the questions u solve so that u dont have to go crazy searching for them in an emergency. like ur paper is tomorrow and u cant figure out this question that uve been trying for 1 hour then its a good time to review ur previous solution and refresh ur memory. often if uve practiced enough n its just exam stress etc thats making ur mind go blank then just a hint will be enough to remind u.

also this is more general but just. be consistent. small consistent efforts over multiple days instead of a big one in 1 day. u’ll retain better and ur brain does better with multiple small chunks spread out over an interval than a lot of stuff in a small one. and its ok to to have an off day dont kill urself over academics ur health is more important always. not getting into ur dream college might fuck u up but itll heal but ur health is more precarious and not getting enough sleep or food will def fuck u up and the consequences are a lot harder to deal with. dont think about the big picture or u’ll freak urself out just think about the next small step u can take. getting 99 percentile feels impossible but solving 10 questions for it does not. dont get disheartened by test results if ure working hard n smart u wont fail. even if u dont get into ur dream college u’ll have an excellent work ethic that’ll take u places u never thought of in ur wildest dreams. more than anything, be kind to urself and work n play hard.

Luna!! 1st year Pharmacy major here too care for some tips? and is it a good decision as a premed course? Please ignore if you don’t want to answer totally okay! I wanna be your 💊anon too

hello hello 💊anon and im so sorry i didn’t answer before bcoz work is killing me ksksksks. but... first off, go go future pharmacist!

as a graduate in pharma major... i tried not to be biased HAHAHAHAHAHA n e ways it’s all under the cut 💙👏🏻

—as i said before, no premed program is perfect. however, premed programs are great for application in med school.

—in our country, bs pharmacy is an underrated program let alone, an underrated job as well. that’s why i went to med school because pharmacists are treated here as “seller of medicines” no more no less

—your ace will be pharmacology, biochemistry and laboratory medicine. this is one of pharmacy’s core subject when you enter med school.

—short story: because of my knowledge in pharma i aced the mock physician licensure exam because i was able to easily provide an optimal management of medication for various chronic diseases.

—know your body clock :) as a college student in general your body clock is important. you are seriously going to fail if you don’t study ahead of time.

—ask questions. you are a freshie, taking side notes from your upperclassmen and professionals is a HUGE help. asking questions will help you avoid mishaps and blunders.

—try not be too much of a shy person. as a first year, allow your social network to balloon. it’s natural to welcome unfamiliar faces and unknown names, it’ll boost your confidence, your study peers and most importantly, it will immerse in relevant causes too.

—your study approach. it’s okay if you prefer to study alone or with peers. DO WHATEVER MAKES YOU AT PEAK CONCENTRATION.

—reinvent yourself :) not just in pharmacy but college in general is a perfect opportunity to make a positive change in your life. it’s a stepping stone to set your goals

—NOTE TAKING SYSTEM. i highly suggest you write notes especially when it’s not in the powerpoint then rewrite everything after. if possible, don’t look at your books while you rewrite because that way it’ll help you memorize.

—feel free to have color coding on your notes too. (eg. Yellow is for important keywords, pink is for other terms, orange is for examples, green is for main terms and such)

—device your own mnemonic. that plays an important role whenever you review. it’ll help you ace your quiz and exam

—USE ALL RESOURCES AVAILABLE. I mean use them at maximum! be it the library or the research center. seek additional help in those resources to mend with your weak links.

—loosen up and get drunk LOOL HAHAHAAHAHA

for pharmacy related....

—first year is the EASIEST. that’s it😂 the moment you pass through pharmaceutical inorg and org chem you’re gonna miss them because they’re the easiest ones.

—Pharmacy is not just science. I swear to god it has damned lots of MATH.

—the start of your struggle is when you meet the hailed Pharmacology 1 and Pharmaceutical Analysis

—i highly recommend to buy jenkin’s, pharmacognosy and clinical pharmacology book. that book is literally A BIBLE for us😂 even until now i use my pharmacology book. #myholytrinity

—jenkin’s would help you in pharmaceutical analysis 1 and 2 (quality control 1 and 2), pharmaceutical calculations, physical pharmacy, biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics. those are your pharma subjects that is filled with math... and jenkin’s has lots of sample problems to help you practice. that book is my savior since i am bad at math.

—if you plan to work on industrial pharmacy and manufacturing pharmacy setting, be sure you ace your pharmaceutical analysis 1 and 2 because it’s a foundation of what pharmacists should do in manufacturing.

—pharmaceutical calculation and physical pharmacy. this is one of the foundations of a future pharmacist. this will help you on the conversions and computations that we generally do on community, clinical and hospital pharmacy setting.

—pharmacology 1 and 2 is hard in a sense that you never see the answers in the BOOK. pharmacology is a subject where you will analyze every drug receptors and MOA. the pharmacology book will help you practice moreeee case study problems and that shit is the secret on how to pass pharmacology. be ready to test albino rats and rabbits. this subj is my personal fav. pro tip here is MASTER PHARMACODYNAMICS, KINETICS AND DRUG RECEPTORS. just know that shit and moa of drugs will be easy for you.

—pharmacognosy. that motherfucker is ten times harder than pharmaceutical botany. so the book holds a great help when you need to memorize tons of scientific name and their uses. this is one of the most interesting subj, we get to do wine and let the freshies taste it coz we’re afraid to taste our own work puhahahaha. tip here is to memorize ONE AT A TIME. master one section first before you move to another. it will avoid confusions.

—dosage forms and pharmaceutics, compounding and dispensing. these subjects will help you practice application as a pharmacist. we are best at patient counseling so if you want to pass dispensing, do not be shy to do patient counseling with your friends😂👏🏻 that way you’ll be more comfortable when you do your counseling exercise.

—microbiology and pharmaceutical toxicology. just be sure not to fuck up the laboratory exercise or you’ll be scolded real bad😂 or not to contaminate streak plates and culture😂 another interesting subj.

—in regards to pharmaceutical chemistry like inorg and org, pharmaceutical biochem, pharma medicine org and pharma medicine laboratory. the technique is continue studying. continue reading. practice with lots of structures and be sure you still remember your org chemistry because it’s a foundation to other chem related subjects.

—HAVE FUN HAHAHA. as paracelsus said, the dose makes the motherfucking poison so... don’t tense up too much on your program and poison urself.

—Don’t pressure yourself but be competitive. Always surpass your other achievement but don’t burden yourself too much. I get drunk and go to school for an exam... i did that even when i was in med school and i am doing fine and well :)

rome is not built in a day. you are where you are right now because of all the opportunities you shaped in pharmacy. get that three letters soon! 💙✨

SURVIVAL GUIDE & STUDY TIPS

hello everyone!! this post is a collab with the lovely and amazing @boinkhs because we've both reached 2k followers :D she'll be doing study tips for college students and i'll be doing study tips for high schoolers. check out her post here!

i've split this into part 1. survival, which concerns how to study & learn better in general and just tips on how to get through high school. part 2. is on specific study tips for each type of subject, namely sciences, maths, languages and humanities.

Hope this helps <3

1. Don't snooze please

you just end up snoozing 5 times then you’re late for school

2. If you find you have difficulty getting out of bed, just keep in mind ONE TASK you need to do.

for example, making your bed. then you just gotta focus on that! it should help fight the sleepiness because you’re forcing your brain and limbs to be active.

3. Do the necessary things like brushing your teeth, putting on clothes and eat breakfast

i don’t know why but some people don’t eat breakfast before coming to school like ???? excuse me ???? please eat at least a small snack, or a fruit or something. your body doesnt function on an empty stomach! also, drink some water to hydrate yourself

4. On the road, you should do something that puts you in a good mood.

for me, i go straight to spotify and listen to my playlist. you should also review the previous day’s learning so that you refresh your memory before going back to class. personally this is my fav part of the day HAHAHA

5. If you like, you can choose to read a book.

just make sure you’re calm but ‘warmed up’ to focusing in a sense.

1. Hydrate frequently

idk man it just keeps you awake + i dont feel so icky if i drink enough water

2. Learn actively

if the teacher asks questions, try to answer. sit at the front row. offer to help give out the worksheets or notes. clarify your doubts after. when they speak, copy down notes. don’t worry about the aesthetic; i mean you can but you need to write fast and neat which unfortunately doesnt come together very often. i suggest you spend more brain power digesting and understanding the content.

3. Don’t over highlight

ONLY KEY POINTS that are stressed by the teacher. you can tell when their tone changes, expression changes, when they use more hand motions, or they keep repeating a few key words. yes , that. highlight that. stare at it while listening to them speak. make sure you understand. if you don’t please ask. but make sure you don’t have a fluorescent page because that’s not ideal study material!

4. Write down any questions you have

if they’re answered in the lesson, cancel them off. if not, ask after the lesson. dont be scared! *sends virtual courage*

5. Use whatever free time you have to finish homework

because you’re gonna thank yourself later. you should spend more time at home revising than doing homework. ( doing homework isnt equivalent to revising PLEASE I KNOW SO MANY PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY REVISED FOR 3 HOURS BUT ALL THEY DID WAS HOMEWORK ) also it feels better knowing you have one less thing to worry about

6. Record down all assignments, due dates and test dates

do it in a planner or your phone. doesn’t matter just keep them somewhere. it can be demoralising to see an entire entry of shit to get done but still it’s better than not knowing what needs to be done. ignorance is NOT bliss. try to color code or symbol code them, for example • for assignments (due date behind), - for tests etc. act on this when you go home (see below)

7. Have a file/binder some form of organisation to keep different subjects’ worksheets, tests, notes, reading etc.

you can have one massive binder, one binder for each subject, one folder file for each subject or anything that suits you. for me, i clip all materials of one subject together with a binder clip. the materials i use most are at the front for easy reference. then put those bundles into zipper files, perhaps one for math and sciences, another for languages and humanities. or whatever suits you best! make sure you have everything in one place so you don’t panic and dig through a pile of dog-eared paper.

8. If you can, when it’s near the exam period, don’t stay back after school unless it’s to study.

i used to stay back for training and to play volleyball with my friends and i kid you not we would play from 2pm to 6.30 pm and get nothing done but it was fun. and i’m not saying deprive yourself of that fun but when the exams are near, you should be studying somewhere quiet/ somewhere you can focus. you should go somewhere (preferably home) where you can focus and get things done.

9. Decide if you’re a lone wolf or if you need a study buddy/study group

personally i’m a lone wolf because i hate distractions and i don’t want to distract others. but when my friends ask me for help i don’t mind staying back a little to teach them and/or study with them. Personally i find that for subjects like english which require you to write about an array of topics, studying with someone else can help in generation of essay points and to just broaden your understanding of the topic. so yeah it really depends, just do what suits you :)

10. Take notes in class

try to understand while copying, and if you didn’t understand something, you should raise your hand and ask for the teacher to repeat so that you hear it again. also, it gives you more time to take notes as they re-explain the content. read them after the lesson is over to help internalise some facts. you can create your own method of organisation for your notes, e.g. colour coding.

1. Review the day’s learning on the way home.

if you take public transport, try to flip through your notes and worksheets to review new content for the first time.

2. Eat lunch, have a snack, take a shower, everything that’s necessary.

if you use your phone while eating, make sure you don’t eat slowly just to use your phone because that’s wasting time.

3. If you’re super tired, just have a 15-20min power nap

nothing more otherwise you will NEVER wake up until the dead of night. just take a nap to get some energy back. doesnt matter if you wake up feeling more tired, because you’ll shake that feeling in a while. keep a glass of water beside you so that you can drink it once you wake up!

4. Look through your ‘list’ that you made earlier in the day. (in class, pt. 6)

you might want to spend max 10 mins updating your schedule. then stare at the dreaded homework. start with the easiest and least time consuming to build up momentum. this could actually be the remainder of what you’ve finished in school. then look at the due dates. do them in order of due dates. unless it’s a huge project or assignment, you might want a head start on it!

5. With the remaining time, you should start revising

review the day’s learning AGAIN.

make notes/mindmaps/flashcards whatever works for you. you should prioritise the subject or chapter that you were most confused about. quickly revise and try to clear up any questions you have about the chapter. if you have additional time, go ahead and make notes for the next subject! another way is going through corrections and clarifying your doubts with friends/teachers, and summarise the day’s learning on a post-it or two. if you’ve already taken notes in class, look at other sources e.g textbook and combine what you’ve learnt before re-writing or re-organising your notes.

1. Pack your bag!

remove unnecessary materials, and pack the necessary one. make sure your bag isnt too heavy. you can choose to hand carry some files or binders if they’re too bulky, but make sure you’re all packed before the next morning

2. Have a meal & clean up

again, basic necessities. don’t go to bed hungry or feeling icky because thats not how you treat yo self!

Before class:

if you’re going to continue on a chapter, review the content that came before it. Try to make your own connections between the already learnt and to-be learnt content so that you’re mentally ready for class.

In class:

take down notes, highlight, annotate and DRAW DIAGRAMS. you can’t do sciences without diagrams. for physics or chemistry which require more calculation, copy down the problems your teacher goes through and solve them along with him/her. write the formulas on a post it note so you can stick it onto the page where you’re writing for easy reference. if the teacher plays a video which is MOST DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO WAIT FOR YOU you have to write only the relevant points in the most abbreviated form possible.

Note-taking:

I find that linear notes help me most in sciences. for chapters that involve lots of interconnected processes, for example o chem, then mindmaps or flowcharts will be helpful. also if you tend to forget something, post-it that stuff on the front page of your notes where you are FORCED to stare at it. yes. write down example problems and their steps, then write explanations for each step so that if you’re confused you can always refer back. again, draw any required diagrams.

Answering techniques:

if there’s a ‘standard’ way to answer it then you have to make sure you follow that way even in your homework because it’s muscle memory. when you get to exams, your hand will automatically write in the same format so you don’t lose marks or spend time recalling the correct format.

imo sciences are quite logical so as long as you remember and follow the flow you’ll be fine!

In class:

copy key terms, facts and examples and write all examples that the teacher has gone through. write all formulas and definitions on a post it, then shift it around the pages as needed. if there’s a type of problem you particularly suck at, ask your teacher for help IMMEDIATELY because it’s so easy to forget the steps to a problem.

At home:

do your homework, do additional practice, correct your mistakes, clarify, and repeat. memorise formulas and definitions (perhaps using flashcards or post its) then practice more and make sure your concepts are strong. there’s no easy way and sadly this is all i can comment.

In class:

copy down notes, think actively, and if you’re given a sample essay you should annotate the heck out of it and keep it somewhere safe.

For essays:

read up more and write up. befriend the best writer in class and ask for their essays. write essay plans and consult your teacher. brainstorm possible approaches with friends. read the news, and copy the links of interesting online articles for future reference. have a go-to list of examples and quotes you can use, for any and every topic. read these like your bedtime story and never forget to keep updating them.

For comprehension passages:

read the questions first. then you’ll be more sensitive to what you need to read in the passage and how you need to analyse it. try to question yourself about how and why the author does something or makes you feel something. do not rush-read the passage or you will fail horribly (personal experience). do one or two extra comprehensions and ask your teacher to mark them.

In class:

ARROWS TO LINK EVERYTHING and annotate any class notes given. write down new examples provided by the teacher. if there is a link you ‘can check out’ go check it out. it’s probably something thats gonna be on the exam.

At home:

you have to rely on mindmapping and flow charts because everything is linked in some way and you cannot ignore those links!!!! although i do my humanities notes in linear form, my in class notes are all in the form of mindmaps. and actually i revise from those in a pinch because i can see everything at one go. watch vids on the concepts, for example plate tectonics. those things are so hard to see when they’re deadass sitting on the page and not budging. watch a video where they really move instead of being frozen.

If you’re so frickin lost:

watch more videos on the concepts, watch more videos on the events, search up interpretations online and ask your teachers!!! for everyone who gets equally lost as me when i’m faced with a new chapter, another way is to pre-read before the teacher starts teaching. if you’re lazy to read just watch a couple clips on it so that at least you have some background. even if you wake up the next day with 0 concrete memory, which you won’t, you’ll already have the flow of things which will help you if you’re usually the straggler.

(disclaimer i study geography although i've tried history and english literature but i think that they're similar to some extent, especially on how to study them)

Class Impressions after Week 1

I’ve been rambling for a few days now about my classes, but never actually made a post about what I’m taking this semester because I wanted to wait until I’d actually taken a few classes to give you my full thoughts on the situation. So here’s that now! I made it through week 1! Idk if anyone’s going to read this whole thing because it got long, so details are under the cut

TL;DR:

Accounting - ugh

Ochem - not bad yet

Physics - My TA is cool but it’s a ton of work

Material and Energy Balance (CHE 31) - idek dude

The textbook portals: a racket

Work: great!

overall workload: not bad! It’s just exhausting in conjunction with work and I’m bemoaning the lack of free time

QOTD: What classes are you taking this school year/semester? Which one are you most excited for?

Accounting: A requirement for my business minor, and alternate to the usual class that I’d need since that didn’t fit in the schedule I made last semester in February that assumed we would actually be on campus. It’s a lot of attention to detail (something I’m not great at) and vocabulary which is kind of frustrating because I’m much better at conceptual stuff. The professor is an adjunct and attorney who’s never taught this before, and she’s a piece of work. 

She assigned homework for the Sunday night prior to the start of school and launched straight into the first chapter within 5 minutes of opening our first class. Assigned chapter 2 homework for tonight, I was halfway through panic starting it because last I checked it was due Sunday, and it turns out it’s due next Sunday. I will inevitably miss assignments because she can’t keep a schedule or inevitably become paranoid and do all the work weeks in advance and I’m not looking forward to either of those things. Please let me go back to marketing.

Orgo Chem Class: The professor and TAs seem nice enough and went over syllabi in class yesterday, but then in the first recitation handed us a problem set with completely new information and go “this is review.” I’ve been studying on my own in khan academy so it was fine, but still. hmmmmmmmmmm. hoping it gets better once they start teaching. I’ve heard this class is supposed to be tough in general but I like it so far. I really like skeletal structures. 

Orgo Chem Lab: my uni does something really weird where labs are a separate class from the class they go with, and have their own profs, but this one seems nice and she gets assignments posted early. The first 3 weeks are intros, safety, and basics, so it looks like the class will actually be pretty interesting and relatively easy!

Physics E&M: The professor is nice and explains the conceptual material really well but he doesn’t do example problems. Also perpetually late in giving us syllabi and schedules and I expect he’ll be late on giving back grades too, No curve, but most students have historically earned an A or B so I have high hopes for this class, even if it will be a ton of work - with a class or recitation every day of the week and different homework due every day.

Physics E&M lab: Not bad so far! We’re using simulators to understand the concepts and I really like this prof since he’s pretty chill. The lab write ups take a while but they aren’t difficult or frustrating, just tedious so that’s fine.

CHE 31: Fun fact: this was supposed to be the first chemical engineer class I took at uni, but because I was ahead on credits, I took Fluid Mechanics first. This isn’t a prereq though, so I thought that would be fine, but my professor kept saying “You learned this in 31″ so I’m HOPING that the fluids experience is going to help here. 

I’ve heard this is a tough class, and there’s two professors co-teaching it (which in my past experience, goes poorly), so I’m very anxious to see how this goes. The first professor (who I’ll call G) rambles endlessly so it’s easy to get distracted and we haven’t actually learned anything besides “units are important” so we’ll see how this turns out 

Connect textbook portal: Won’t let me hide the assignments I’m already done with which is getting to be a pain when there’s like... 27 of them stacked on top of one another and I only need to do two tonight but can’t figure out which ones. 

Work: I really like my new position so far! Getting my projects Monday, and I’m currently doing about 18-20 hours a week, though I can go up to 25. Still making a good paycheck and learning a lot, but it’s a lot to manage with the classes too.

Overall I have high hopes for this semester! Without as many distractions as being home, I should hopefully be able to focus a little better. Wish me luck! 

back-to-school tools

‘tis the season again, so here are some handy websites and browser extensions i’ve discovered over the past few years that’ll hopefully make this year a bit easier for you. i’m taking high-school-level classes, but a lot of these should help with college/uni work, too!

feel free to reblog and add your own recommendations :)

the only ones you have to install and/or sign up for have an asterisk, but note that they’re all free either way.

L A N G U A G E   A R T S

planet ebook

this is my go-to for digital (and legal!) classic literature. i download the pdf files and upload them to places like one note to annotate, but epub and mobi versions are also available if you prefer those. no need to break your back over hauling textbooks and your required readings!

audible stories

this doesn’t have the widest selection of audio books, but it definitely has its uses! there are a lot of classics on there, which could come in handy for a literature or english class.

easybib

this is the best citation tool ever. i love that i can choose which style i want to use and what kind of media i’m researching with (books, journals, websites, etc.). if i need to, i can go in and edit any (citation) category i want, but that isn’t usually necessary because it can find stats that even i can’t while looking at the source. enter some info, copy ‘n paste the works cited list to your paper, and you’re done!

i recommend the web version and not the google docs add-on because the add-on doesn’t let you customize your citations

gradeproof* or grammarly*

these are both grammar/spelling checkers that provide plenty of stats, which are most useful for speeches. you can use these to see your character count, word count, number of sentences, syllables per word, words per sentence, readability, grade level, reading time, speaking time, etc.

wordcounter

this is a great alternative if you can’t/don’t want to install gradeproof or grammarly.

powerthesaurus

this is my go-to thesaurus... it has a ton of features if you go on the website (it’s not just for synonyms, though those are seemingly endless!). plus, if i don’t want to open a new tab, i can use the extension in my toolbar to see a brief list!

just a word of caution: look up any words you don’t know (because if you go far enough down the list, they’re not completely relevant anymore).

onelook

i use this reverse dictionary to find the word that’s on the tip of my tongue but i just can’t name (though it has a lot more features than that!).

cueprompter

this is the perfect teleprompter for any speeches you need to record (maybe for an online graduation? a virtual debate?).

xodo*

this is a great digital annotation tool (right in your browser) for those of you who don’t have an app like goodnotes on your ipad. you can upload files from your google drive, your device, or dropbox and draw on them, type notes, add comments, highlight, choose different underline patterns, add shapes/arrows, etc. all while customizing opacity, thickness, and colors. you’re also able to zoom in/out, change page width, rotate the page, change your layout (pdf, book, magazine), and choose a transition style.

A R T

canva*

i love this site to death---if you haven’t heard of it yet, what are you doing?? i can design everything from a resume to a powerpoint to a school dance flyer on this thing! there are beautiful templates to choose from, but if that’s not your thing (it isn’t mine either), then there are millions of photos, doodles, graphics, fonts, borders, backgrounds, etc. to choose from. plus, you can even upload your own content. (i designed the header for this post on there!)

F O R E I G N   L A N G U A G E S

typeit

i hate having to remember all the keyboard shortcuts for special characters, so i just copy and paste from this international keyboard. choose a language, and you’re good to go. :)

audible stories

did i put this in two different categories? yes. audible stories has free audio books in english, spanish, french, german, portuguese, italian, dutch, and japanese! i recommend finding a children’s audiobook on there in your target language and pulling up an ebook online so you can improve your listening and comprehension skills. there’s no need to download any content, and it still saves your spot (even once you close the tab), which is a lifesaver!

duolingo*

i think we all know by now that this site is good for practicing your sentence-writing skills and gaining a little extra vocab. keep in mind that this only helps if you take notes on your mistakes and type answers out yourself as opposed to mindlessly clicking through multiple choice questions! duolingo stories are also great for working on your listening comprehension skills and some immersion.

linguno*

i use this site for conjugations because that’s its main asset, but there are other things you can look into if you like. i love that i can choose a section and a level (ex: a1 level one, a1 level two, a1 level three, etc.) or add my own list of words. the rest is super customizable too! you can also choose which tenses you want to work on and what set of pronouns you want to focus on (for example, european spanish uses “vosotros” while latin american spanish does not).

S C I E N C E

molview

build your own molecules or search ones that already exist to explore what they’re used for, their structure, their composition, 2-d/3-d models, formulas, molecular weight, etc.

ptable

this dynamic periodic table has a million features for each element, which makes it perfect for researching and figuring out why the table is laid out the way it is.

phet

this is basically a virtual stem lab---atom-builders, circuit-builders, wave simulations, and interactive tools galore! it covers physics, chemistry, biology, math, and html5, though i’ve only used first three categories, so i can’t exactly recommend the others.

M A T H

geogebra or desmos

these babies are graphing tools perfect for checking functions and all that jazz (they’re basically the exact same except geogebra has a couple more bells and whistles).

symbolab

use this to check your answers and review the steps if you’re stuck! when it gets into some nitty-gritty stuff, you have to have the paid plan to see some of the steps, but i think it’s helpful enough that you can stick with the free version. it covers pre-alg, alg, pre-calc, calc, functions, matrices & vectors, geometry, trig, stats, physics, chem, finance, conversions, etc. (i use this to avoid silly mistakes and the ixl rage that follows haha).

mathway*

this is very similar to symbolab except that it doesn’t show any steps at all unless you pay for a plan. you can use this for basic math, pre-alg, alg, trig, pre-calc, calc, stats, finite math, etc. as a cross-checker in case symbolab is being funky.

Nega-Globby REVIEW

Well our dear old friend, Bob Aken was right. Further study did unlock more potential.

Globby is back and is trying to figure out where he fits in. Trying to get a job when your glob gets everywhere is a bit of a dealbreaker for most businesses, but Hiro manages to convince Aunt Cass to hire him. It's about what you'd expect it to be; a disaster. At least Cass gave him a chance.

In the meantime, Honey Lemon decides that she wants to cure Globby. It's a bit more diificult than she anticipates, but luckily, Karmi is able to help her with all the bio-related stuff. They make a great team and it's nice to see these two getting along. Between all their ideas and hard work, they managed to successfully find the cure for Globby, turning him back into Dibs.

Dibs does try to get used to being human again, but he soon realizes that he misses being Globby. Being a villain who later turned into a hero made him a feel special. After a heart-to-heart with Felony Carl, Dibs shows up when a battle with a new, evil glob monster Nega-Globby unfolds. He steals Honey Lemon's chem-purse and after it got run over by a bus, he's able to be Globby yet again! It's what he does best and it's really refreshing to see him continue to be a hero, loved by the citizens of San Fransokyo.

Of course, Nega-Globby never would have become an issue if it hadn't been for Liv and Chris. When Honey asked Granville if she could use her lab to attempt curing him, Liv happened to overhear this conversation. Later on in the night, Chris snuck into SFIT and managed to get a sample of Globby's glob. After messing around with it, Liv caused the glob to become unstable and it eventually escaped, but not before an eyeball merges with it. While there's been a lot of nightmare fuel in season 2 so far, that moment caused a physical chill to go down my spine. Also, Chris...I trusted you!

All of this leads up to the epic battle between Globby and Nega-Globby! Nega-Globby is a lot bigger and more intimidating, but Globby is able to do great on his own. Not only that, but Honey is able to use the prototype for a new chem-purse. It grabs the attention of our new foe and he gets into just the right form for Globby to swallow whole. And may I just say the music during this fight was incredible! When are we getting a soundtrack released for this show?!

While Globby may have won this fight, our last scene hints that this won't be the last we see of Nega-Globby. That eyeball looking around gives me the creeps!

Things I Liked:

“Please, Mr. Globby is my father. Or would be if my dad went through a freaky mutation.”

Honey’s new upgraded chem-purse!

BAYMAX GIVING A HUG TO GLOBBY SO PRECIOUS

Hiro convincing Aunt Cass to hire Globby

HONEY AND KARMI BEING BIO-BESTIES

Chris punching through the security bot

Globby really trying his best in the cafe

The cure was a success!

Liv’s smile after she messed with the glob

Chris dropping the umbrella in shock

THE ENTIRE CONVERSATION BETWEEN DIBS AND FELONY CARL

“Hey. You’re in a safe space.”

THOSE PHOTOS WITH OBAKE MY HEART

Honey trying to get through to Nega-Globby, thinking it was Globby

Dibs running up to Nega-Globby, completely forgetting he’s human

Dibs dropping the “Someone has to help” line

Globby is back and being a “freak” is his happy place!

THE SONG DURING THE FIGHT! WHAT A BOP!

Globby getting the appreciation he deserves

THE EYEBALL WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN TO GLOBBY

Things I Disliked:

Now, after what went down in Prey Date, I do think it’d be a little unrealistic for Hiro and Karmi to be good friends, but I’m sad to see them going back to their bickering ways so quickly. They showed great progress with what looked to be potential friendship, but Karmi is clearly uninterested and Hiro is still frustrated. Still, fingers crossed that it’ll happen at some point!

On a scale of one to ten...I’d rate Nega-Globby an 8.6!

What I Learned From University (1st Year)

FIRST YEAR

Everyone is super friendly, especially in the first few weeks → Introduce yourself to the people sitting near you for the first few weeks of lectures. Everyone is looking for a friend or at least someone to talk to!!

If you commute, make that time productive → My bus ride was an hour there and back each day. It sucks but I would try to be productive for at least half of the commute. I have a post about being productive on public transport here.

On that note, stay on campus as long as possible each day → As soon as I got back home I would procrastinate every little thing. Stay in an already productive environment for as long as possible.

Maybe don’t buy your textbooks used → I thought I was being smart by buying used textbooks (most schools will have a buy and sell facebook page for textbooks). I ended up having to pay for access codes in order to do my online homework – access codes that cost ~$70 separately and came included with new textbooks anyways. Email your prof or talk to someone who has recently taken the class to find out if you need an access code. If you do, your best bet is to buy a new version of the textbook (unless you can get a seriously cheap used textbook).

Print off your timetable and find all of your classes before the first day → This helped me so much! I found exactly where all my classes were before the first day of class. I wrote down little tricks to help me remember where everything was (i.e. my calc lecture is in the arts and science building which is also where the only subway on campus is).

Don’t knock living at home to save money → If you’re lucky enough to have a college or university close to home at least consider living at home. Getting your own place or living in dorms is expensive. (But if you have to find off campus housing on your own, don’t leave it too late or you might not find a place)

Figure out the best way to take notes for each class → You have to customize the way you study for each class, all depending on the prof and the content. I hand-wrote notes for some classes (chem, calc, and physics), but not others (psych and bio). If you’re writing by hand you can always just annotate your textbook notes or lecture slides (if they’re posted before class). If you fall behind while taking notes, just leave a gap and check out a friend’s notes after class.

Adjust your expectations → Don’t expect to get straight A’s, like you might have in high school. You can strive for straight A’s but be realistic as time goes on. For classes I struggled with, I expected to be near the class average. If I was a lot lower than the class average then I would know to invest more time.

Make time for physical activity → If we’re being honest I hardly exercised during uni. Go for at least a half hour walk each day and try to start a physical activity routine. Get a friend and join a sports team, go to a fitness class, or commit to some form of a daily workout with them! You’ll feel bad bailing on someone else, plus working out is more fun with other people.

Review content throughout the semester → Reviewing little bits of content will save you a massive content review right before finals! Look through old notes while you wait for your daily coffee or take 15 minutes to watch some khan academy videos on stuff you learned in the first month of classes.

Think seriously about how much you can handle → Don’t take on too many responsibilities at once and consider all of your options! I worked weekends and some week nights throughout the school year. Looking back I should have worked less because my stress levels were way too high. Also, quite a few people I talked to took 4 classes instead of 5, for their first semester of university. I don’t think I would have done it, in the end, but it’s always something to consider.

Have fun but be responsible at parties → Always go to parties with people you trust!! If you didn’t do much partying/drinking during high school (like me), remember to pace yourself when drinking! Eat before you go out and have some water between each drink, till you find your limit. Don’t let yourself be peer-pressured into anything but also don’t be afraid to have fun! And check out if your uni has a safe walk program (someone will come and walk you back to your dorm or your car if you feel unsafe or nervous for any reason)

When procrastination hits, aim to be productive in some way → The only reason my biology mark was so high was because I would study biology whenever I got sick of studying for physics and calculus. If you know you need to study but just can’t do it, start by being productive in some other way – study a subject you do like, do your laundry, organize your study area, etc. Get your brain to start thinking productively.

Labs are difficult so be prepared → I had so many labs first year. Some tips: eat and hydrate before labs, never assume you can finish your prelab last minute, be nice to your lab partner, always remember lab safety (don’t be the person trying to wear shorts in the lab, TAs will not hesitate to kick you out), don’t rush through an experiment but be efficient, and ask for help (even if you feel like you’re bothering your TA).

Please go to bed early. Sleep affects everything → I was so dumb and would never go to bed early even though I had to be up at 6 am almost every day to catch the bus. Lack of sleep will catch up to you eventually!! Also, all nighters are not necessary, unless you make them necessary. I prioritized and never had to stay awake too late. And never pull an all nighter the night before an exam (you’re better off getting sleep and resting your brain).

Bring a water bottle everywhere → Buy a decent water bottle and always carry it with you. Even though my uni is small there are still tons of spots around campus where I can refill my water bottle!! Stay hydrated my friends!

A practice problem a day keeps the F away → This saying probably works best for science classes, but I guess a reading a day will get you somewhere too. Do something for every class each day, even if it’s just a practice problem or a quick reading. Develop a routine!

You’ll have lots of midterms → I was under the impression that midterms happened just once a semester (I thought I would have one week where I had a midterm for each class). That was not my reality. I had 2 or 3 midterms for each of my classes scattered throughout the semester. Study really hard for your first set of midterms till you get used to the high expectations!

Don’t worry about what other people are doing or thinking → This is mostly in regards to social media. I was bummed when I looked back on my first year of university, because I felt like I hadn’t done anything fun compared to other people. You only see the image that other people want you to see. You don’t know how hard someone worked or how hard they didn’t work. Just focus on you and how you can affect positive results in your life.

Other people literally don’t care about your appearance → My friend’s little sister visited campus and asked us “Why is everyone wearing sweatpants?” People literally don’t care. Dress nice and put lots of makeup on one day, because you feel like it, and wear sweats the next day.

Start essays and reports as soon as possible → You never know what might come up so be prepared for the worst! Outline your essay or graph your data as soon as you can.

Eat healthy and do meal prep → You can eat healthy during university! Set aside a couple of nights each week to do meal prep. Cook food in bulk to save money and don’t eat out too much. Try to have at least 1 serving of fruits or veggies with each meal or snack you eat!

Find a good study spot on campus → Explore your campus and figure out your favourite places to study. I had a couple of spots where I would always meet my friends to study and quiet spots where no one would bother me. Studying outside or in an area with natural light is always good.

Don’t be afraid to talk to your profs and TAs → This is the number one thing I’m going to try to do more of in my second year. TAs are chill to talk to and they can tell you tons of useful information on what upper year classes are like, which professors are good, why they chose to go to grad school, etc. If you’re struggling in lectures or labs, talk to your prof or TA! Make an appointment and be sure you can tell them exactly which concepts you’re struggling with or at least where you got lost. One of my profs told us he just waits hopefully during office hours for someone to come in. (Also profs love it if you ask them about their research or any topics they seem passionate about during lectures.)

Explore all the resources your university has to offer → My university has a program that is basically people bringing their dogs around for students to pet, in order to relieve stress. It actually works and gave me something to look forward to! Just be aware of your options so that if something in your life changes you know where you can go to ask for help.

Get a planner and utilize it → There’s no excuse not to have a planner of some sort. Use your phone, get a bullet journal, or buy a cheap planner. Have somewhere where you can record important deadlines and make to do lists. I also recommend back planning all of your studying at the beginning of the semester. Write down your midterms and finals dates and write down how much you’re going to study each day leading up to the exam. This way you’ll be able to look ahead at each month and figure out what needs to be done (i.e. getting an essay done early because the due date falls during a busy week of midterms)

This post ended up being a lot longer than I expected whoops. Take the things I said into consideration but remember that everyone’s experience will be different. Good luck to everyone heading to university!

My Other Posts:

AP lit tips

high school biology

organization tips

physics doesn’t have to suck: how to enjoy and do well in your required physics classes

recommended reads

reminders for myself

using your time wisely on public transport

what i learned from high school

IB Survival Guide: PART ONE

As someone who’s been through the IB program and finished with horrible mental and physical health, here are some tips and tricks so that you guys don’t end up like me :)

Disclaimer: subject specific tips vary for SL/HL students, go to the bottom of the post to see what HLs and SLs I took

IAS

Please please start your IAs early! Split it out across multiple days! Honestly each section takes around 30 minutes for IAs

GET ALL YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT PAPER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE FOR ANY IA.

Even if it’s the worst rough copy in the history of the planet, get all your words on there, THEN start editing, formatting, and adding pictures. Trust me, this is much less stressful and your final copy will probably be much cleaner

Science IAs- START YOUR EXPERIMENTS EARLY get as many trials as you can in!

Be sure to talk to your teachers about ideas for your papers beforehand!

Geography/English/French IAs- start early for these too. If you’re like me and you have “oh shit” moments when you suddenly get really good ideas half way through your work and have to restart, starting early for these is a good idea. Especially for geo, writing the IA is relatively easy, spreading it out over 4-5 days works well.

Peer editing is always a good idea, people may catch things you didn’t

EEs

CHOOSE A TOPIC YOU LIKE- Interest plays a big part in how well you do, choosing a topic I was interested in made me not mind spending so much time on my EE

Choosing a topic you don’t like may increase your chance of leaving it to the last minute

START YOUR EEs EARLY and have at least 3 drafts. I split mine up over the course of 4 months, and came out with an A on my Geography EE.

Like the IAs, do one section a day, for example, start with introduction, then methodology, etc. etc.

DO NOT LEAVE YOUR EE TO THE LAST MINUTE PLEASE

I highly suggest doing a geo EE because even if you don’t have results you’re okay, you just have to explain why there was no correlation

Geo EE protips: have lots of pretty handdrawn maps, you can have an ok data analysis and still get a good grade, have good methodology, 

discuss your EE with your supervisor often, make sure you udnerstand what you’re studying

EXAMS

Oh boy this is the scariest part of IB for any student

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW as much as you can!

Study each subject for at least 5 days!

DO AS MANY PRACTICE EXAMS AS YOU CAN

Seriously, doing practice exams helps you get used to IB’s way of asking you things and you have an idea of what to expect

Do the practice exams guys

Just do them

If your school has mock exams, study really hard for them so you get an idea of how you need to study for the actual examsLook back on mistakes you’ve made on tests/mocks

While studying, focus on your weak points, but don’t ignore your strong points-- forgetting things is easy

SLEEP EARLY DURING EXAM WEEK 

Being refreshed and ready to go is important because youll be able to focus better and your brain will work better-- I did this and it was good

If you’re allowed to take snacks into the exam, take snacks into the exam (but not loud snacks, gummies and stuff)

take water into the exam but don’t drink a lot of water-- pee breaks are a waste of time

if you need to pee during an exam try to hold it in

just try to avoid having to pee

ENGLISH/FRENCH EXAMS:

You can study for your English Lit and French A lang lit exams in like a day if you’re not too keen on getting above a 5. Be familiar with the material

Memorize 5-7 important quotes-- preferable really short ones

Even if it’s not mandatory to memorize quotes, sticking quotes in is an asset

Spend 10-20 minutes planning your essay out, get your ideas down on a paper before writing your essay

Remember: quality over quantity, even if you have lots written down, it’s your ideas that get you most of the marks

Use highlighters, highlight important words, quotes, etc in the passages you’re given

annotate your passages

Have a colour coding system for your passages when you highlight, each colour should be an important point, but have 3-4 main important points, so 3-4 colours (this helps with planning as well)

If your prompt is like, discuss 2 OR MORE something something, discuss only 2, it’s easier, and you waste less time planning/writing, and you can have more ideas

SCIENCE/MATH EXAMS:

Practice problems are good, on top of practice exams

Understand the material!!!!!!!!!!! Memorization is not understanding!!! IB asks a lot of questions that require application

If you suck at calculus, try to understand it better and don’t be like me and assume there isn’t going to be a lot of it.

Seriously study the calculus @all you SL students

Study the calculus

GEO EXAMS

Yeah for this you need to memorize really well, see how well you know the material by going out on walks pointing at things and seeing how you can relate it to what you’ve earned

Study from multiple sources for geo, sometimes there are details that are missed

Memorize lots of case studies and stats!!!!!!!

memorize graphs and maps too, drawing them to support your points in your answers shows how well you understand the material

STUDYING

REVIEW OH MY GOD REVIEW E V E R Y T H I N G as much as possible throughout the year!!!!!!

Tips to force yourself to review:

Take shitty notes in class

This way you have to retake good notes-- wow you’re going over material that was previously taught!

Make cheatsheets! Even if you don’t use them during tests, cheatsheets are a great way to have all your material on one page and ohmygod look at you you’re reviewing your notes again to condense them!

Flash cards work too

Find a way to enjoy writing notes--  for me, I like using fancy pens and highlighters, that way I looked forward to doing it

Find a study environment you like! A cafe, the library, the park, even a different part of the house

Changing your study environment can also help you focus-- a change of scenery helps sometimes and you won’t get bored!

Talk to yourself

Seriously just explain concepts to yourself talk to yourself hearing yourself say it makes the info sink in better

Make really weird mnemonics idk it worked for me

Group studying can help for courses that need discussion in order to better understand concepts-- Geo, English and French

Explaining things to people also helps

Do your homework kids-- even if your teacher doesn’t check it, always find time to do your homework

Do things based on a level of priority

example: I have a test and a big project worth lts of marks due tomorrow (I would focus on the project, but still study for the test enough to have a good grasp of the material)

I know tests don’t count for IB but this is what your teacher bases your predicteds off of, so study hard for them kids. It is also a method of review

Most teachers understand how students can get extremely stressed out with the amount of work we get, if you need an extension for a non-IB related thing, you should be able to ~politely~ ask them

Time management is key, set up schedules for yourself

If you’re studying something you hate, go hard at it for a limited amount of time, then go and study for something you like, or take a brain break

TAKE BREAKS MAN

seriously taking breaks while studying is good

Use apps like forest to keep you focused

reward systems are good too, I do it with chocolate (one piece everytime I finish a chapter)

TOK

 lol good luck

The essay and the presentation are tough-- but you can do it.

The nice thing about TOK is it’s mostly a thought dump, so dump your thoughts before organizing them into an essay

Discuss TOK things with your friends a lot-- you’ll understand better, trust me, you’ll also get good ideas for presentations and stuff!

Get an interesting topic for your TOK presentation ok

discussion is the best advice I can give you guys

TOK is a special course

be prepared to get very angry because all your thoughts will contradict each other

existential crises are fun

That should be about it for Part 1 really, this is mainly academics based, I might add to this as time goes on.

If you have questions!!!! I took Chem HL, Bio HL, Geo HL, English Lit SL, French A Lang Lit SL, and Math SL, and did my EE in Geo. I’m happy to help any young ones out :))

Good Luck all you IB Students! You guys are brave, you can do it :)

Beautiful, Cats, and Children: Dolley Id 62409, 5 Yrs. 44 Ibs., Dreaming of Happiness at Manhattan ACc TO BE KILLED 6/22/19 Dolly is a playgroup helper dog! A volunteer writes: “I wonder what Dolly's life was like before arriving at the care center? We will likely never know. Well, what's really important now is to find her a new home and a loving family able to put a smile on her face while getting in return a great pet! Dolly is a little black orchid found in a forest rather than in a florist shop. She is genuine, untamed and everything seems new to her here in our premises. She goes here and there, runs, jumps for treats or when called, wags her tail a lot, looses herself briefly in a caretaker's arms, sits at times and seems puzzled by toys and balls. Her kennel is not her favorite place and I doubt she was ever confined. Dolly is a blank canvas open to writing a whole new book with a new owner who will teach her all about love and being loved, good manners and achieving a perfect match! Dolly is quite endearing and the promise of a beautiful relationship in savvy, caring and loving hands. Come and meet her soon at the Manhattan Care Center!” A Staff Member Notes: Dolly is a playgroup helper dog! Dolly is sweet and social. Volunteer Evelyne Cumps Notes: Dolly is very sweet, playful, affectionate, good with other dogs and healthy beside her URI. She is LEVEL 1 rated! and a little more hyper as she is so craving for love and attention. MY MOVIES Dolly and Sunny in Playgroup https://youtu.be/_KdnXl5AIHc Playful Dolly https://youtu.be/KdzeDutJNPY Django and Dolly in Playgroup https://youtu.be/qZk5jBPUExI DOLLY, ID# 62409, 5 yrs old, 44 lbs, Unaltered Female Manhattan ACC, Large Mixed Breed, Charcoal / White I came into the shelter as a aco impound on 5/9/2019. Shelter Assessment Rating: LEVEL 1 Medical Behavior Rating: MEDICAL NOTES Dolly has had two seizure episodes, over a month apart. She is now on medication for the seizures. Behavior History: Allowed all tasks on in take, friendly. Date of Intake: 5/9/2019 Spay/Neuter Status: Unknown Basic Information:: Stray dog found in Queens NY friendly. Previously lived with:: Unknown How is this dog around strangers?: Friendly allowed handling. How is this dog around children?: unknown. How is this dog around other dogs?: Unknown. How is this dog around cats?: Unknown. Resource guarding:: Unknown. Bite history:: NONE Housetrained:: Unknown Energy level/descriptors:: High Other Notes:: Friendly. Medical Notes: Caller stated dog had three seizers while he had dog for 5hrs. For a New Family to Know: Friendly Behavior Assessment Date of intake:: 5/9/2019 Spay/Neuter status:: No Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray Date of assessment:: 5/12/2019 Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Moderate Reactivity to humans: None Reactivity to dogs: None Leash walking comments: None Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Distracted, does not approach Call over: Approaches With coxing Sociability comments: Body soft, sniffs room Handling Soft handling: Seeks contact Exuberant handling: Seeks contact Comments: Body soft, leaning into pets Arousal Jog: Follows (loose) Arousal comments: None Knock: Approaches (loose) Knock Comments: None Toy: Grips, relinquishes Toy comments: Body soft Summary:: *HELPER DOG* Dolly has demonstrated most compatibility with other dogs who are playful and social. 5/14: When introduced off leash to a male greeter dog, Dolly is soft and social, attempting to solicit play. 5/15: Dolly engages in exuberant play with male and female dogs. 6/4-PRESENT: Dolly is highly playful and social. Date of intake:: 5/9/2019 Summary:: friendly, allowed all handling Date of initial:: 5/10/2019 Summary:: Relaxed, jumped up, allowed handling ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Dolly so we cannot be certain of her behavior in a home environment. At the care center, she displays a high level of activity. We recommend long-lasting chews, food puzzles, and hide-and-seek games, in additional to physical exercise, to positively direct her energy and enthusiasm. IN SHELTER OBSERVATIONS:: Dolly has been highly social with her human caretakers in the shelter environment. She has been soft and social throughout all her interactions with staff and volunteers, as well as with her four-legged friends. BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: Level 1 My medical notes are... Weight: 51 lbs 5/10/2019 MC (-), FI, appx 1-3y Reported by field to have had three seizure like episodes after finding the animal as a stray Some possible dermatitis/allergies noted (between toes have alopecia and inflamed dry skin) Good body condition otherwise Very energetic and easily aroused--limited to visual exam and vaccines, placed into medical for observation overnight 6/18/2019 As per Dr 1657, ran CBC/chem/t4 and uploaded results to vet documents. Vet Notes 5/10/2019 [DVM Intake] DVM Intake Exam Estimated age:4-5y Microchip noted on Intake?no Microchip Number (If Applicable): History :stray dog. Reported to have 3 seizures in 5 hours with finder Subjective:BAR Observed Behavior -relaxed and wagging tail, trying to jump up. Allowed all handling Evidence of Cruelty seen -no Evidence of Trauma seen -no Objective T = P =100 R =panting BCS 5/9 EENT: Eyes clear, ears clean, no nasal or ocular discharge noted Oral Exam:dental calculus 3/5 PLN: No enlargements noted H/L: NSR, NMA, CRT < 2, Lungs clear, eupnic ABD: Non painful, no masses palpated U/G: female no evidence of spay sca MSI: Ambulatory x 4, skin free of parasites, no masses noted, papules present over ventrum, moist dermatitis ventral neck CNS: Mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Rectal:nomal on external Assessment: seizures pyoderma Prognosis: fair Plan: seizure watch cbc/chemistry cefpodoxime 100mg 1.5 sid x7d medicated bath SURGERY: Temporary waiver due to skin infection 5/10/2019 Mild hyperbilirubinemia otherwise nsa P: continue to monitor for further seizure activity 5/15/2019 S/O pt BAR EENT – marked serous nasal dis-charge, no ocular discharge, mild nasal congestion, intermittent sniffling Assessment - Suspected CIRDC “typical kennel cough” Plan - + Move to isolation + Enrofloxacin 10 mg/kg SID for 14 days + Cerenia 2mg/kg PO SID for 4 days + Proviable x 5 days SID PO + Recheck in 7 days for resolvement and return to general population PROGNOSIS EXCELLENT 5/22/2019 SO: 7 day CIRDC recheck BAR, barking and seen at front of kennel reported to be eating still has mucoid nasal d/c and coughing A: CIRDC P: continue enrofloxacin restart cerenia 60mg 1/2 sid PO x4d 5/25/2019 5/25/2019 - 5/25/2019 S: CIRDC recheck, BAR, euhydrated, reported to be eating O: EENT: continued mild mucopurulent discharge from left nares, eyes clear, mild cough heard upon observation A: CIRDC P: continue enrofloxacin and recheck in 3 days entered by intern, reviewed by 1516 5/26/2019 SO P in ISO EN -- sneezing, coughing repeatedly. Serous nasal discharge. no mucous seen A CIRDC P doxycycline 100mg tablet -- give 1.25tablet PO q24h x 10 days 6/1/2019 EENT - Moderate clear nasal discharge and sneezing still present Recheck in 48 hours 6/3/2019 Hx: Has had CIRDC like signs; doing well bar eating EENT- no nasal dc; no congestion A) resolving CIRDC P) move out of ISO 6/18/2019 Hx: Had seizure like event yesterday bar h pink 1 sec hl- 120hr reg nm ss fp c and e abd- relaxed A) seizures r/o epilepsy P) cbc chem t4 Phenobarb- 100mg sig: 1/4 tab q 12 hrs 6/18/2019 BLOOD WORK RESULTS: CHEM CBC T4- NSF *** TO FOSTER OR ADOPT *** HOW TO RESERVE A “TO BE KILLED” DOG ONLINE (only for those who can get to the shelter IN PERSON to complete the adoption process, and only for the dogs on the list NOT marked New Hope Rescue Only). Follow our Step by Step directions below! *PLEASE NOTE – YOU MUST USE A PC OR TABLET – PHONE RESERVES WILL NOT WORK! ** STEP 1: CLICK ON THIS RESERVE LINK: https://newhope.shelterbuddy.com/Animal/List Step 2: Go to the red menu button on the top right corner, click register and fill in your info. Step 3: Go to your email and verify account \ Step 4: Go back to the website, click the menu button and view available dogs Step 5: Scroll to the animal you are interested and click reserve STEP 6 ( MOST IMPORTANT STEP ): GO TO THE MENU AGAIN AND VIEW YOUR CART. THE ANIMAL SHOULD NOW BE IN YOUR CART! Step 7: Fill in your credit card info and complete transaction HOW TO FOSTER OR ADOPT IF YOU *CANNOT* GET TO THE SHELTER IN PERSON, OR IF THE DOG IS NEW HOPE RESCUE ONLY! You must live within 3 – 4 hours of NY, NJ, PA, CT, RI, DE, MD, MA, NH, VT, ME or Norther VA. Please PM our page for assistance. You will need to fill out applications with a New Hope Rescue Partner to foster or adopt a dog on the To Be Killed list, including those labelled Rescue Only. Hurry please, time is short, and the Rescues need time to process the applications.

I'll be at UMich this fall ('21) as a STEM student in the LSA, and I wondered if you had any advice, especially within the specific context of U of M. Thanks ✨

Hi there!! :) I feel like I have a lot of advice for incoming freshmen and I’ve been busy with work, so it’s taken me a while to compose this reply but here we go:

Advice for incoming freshmen in STEM at UMich!

Figuring out what classes to take & when:

See what your AP/IB scores count for at LSA here. Not having to retake introductory classes can make a huge difference in your 4-year planning (or may mean graduating early)! But it might help to retake certain intro classes if you don’t feel confident about your abilities to succeed in the higher level classes.

If you’re worried about a class because you heard it was a GPA-wrecker, consider taking it at a community college over the summer. Your grade will show up on your transcript, but it will not affect your GPA.

If you have an idea of what majors you are interested in, you can look up “UMich [major] worksheet” or go to departmental websites at umich.edu for a list of required classes for each major. An example from the Chemistry department is here. The pre-health advisory courses can be found here.

If you have no idea what majors you’re interested in, that’s okay! Use your freshman and sophomore years to explore the sciences. Most science majors at LSA will require some calculus and physics, but also look into courses like organic chemistry and introductory biology. If you’re pre-health, you’ll have to take a wide variety of introductory classes anyway. You can find a list of LSA majors and minors here.

Try to get calculus out of the way as soon as possible! It could be required for physics and upper-level chemistry courses. Or if you find out you love math, you’ll be glad you’re on track for the math major.

Keep a manageable course-load for freshman year. Your first semester will require effort to adjust to university life. Advisors say first-semester freshmen should take 14-16 credits (about 4 classes). In my opinion, you should focus on a balance between easy and hard classes. For instance, in my first semester, I took organic chemistry 1, calculus 3, a writing class, and UROP (research + seminars for credit). So basically my schedule was: a difficult class I’m interested in, a difficult pre-requisite, an easy class required for LSA, and an easy “class” that I was interested in.

How to succeed in science/math classes at UMich:

General advice: give 110% effort into your first midterms- do all the homework, textbook readings, practice exams; attend every lecture, go to office hours, form a study group… the possibilities are endless! After the first exam, you’ll figure out which resources you need to put the most time into to succeed in a class. 

Some specific resources you can go to for help include the Math Lab, the Physics Help Room, and the Science Learning Center (SLC) for introductory physics, chemistry, and biology classes. The SLC has study groups that you can register for at the beginning of the semester, as well as drop-in tutoring.

Make friends with the people sitting next to you in class! You don’t have to become BFFs, but it helps to at least exchange numbers so you can text about meeting up to study.

Try to get on your professor’s good side. It will help you tremendously in the future if you can have a professor write you a strong letter of recommendation, and it can help in the short-term to have your professors like you. Best ways to do this? Introduce yourself after the first lecture, attend office hours whenever possible, sit in the front of the class, and ask/answer questions during class. If you’re feeling extra spicy, you can even ask your professor out to lunch or coffee. There will be emails sent out mid-semester about professor lunch date coupons. I forget the technical name for this though haha.

Math: “Michigan Math” is supposedly infamous for its teaching style. As my residential advisor put it, “the class teaches you how to build a table, but the exam will ask you to build a chair.” That is to say, the math classes here are fairly conceptual rather than computational. To prepare for exams, review the assigned homework problems, in-class examples, and past exams (which can be found online) and be able to solve similar problems. Figuring out how to approach a problem can be the hardest part, and that’s where talking to professors, tutors, or friends in your class will help.

Physics: There are several physics sequences at UMich (algebra-based physics for the life sciences, and regular and honors calculus-based physics). I took the life sciences physics because the math was less intensive and I like health-related subjects. However, I’ve studied with friends in other physics sequences and it seems like the same general advice applies: understand how to do all the problems you’re given. I found physics here to be more computational than conceptual, compared to math. I believe all the introductory physics classes allow some kind of notes to be brought in; it helps to write down how to do specific problems from past exams, the lectures, and the homework.

Chemistry: I keep hearing that organic chemistry 1 and 2 are the hardest classes at UMich. Based on the grade distribution for the classes (mostly A’s and B’s), I don’t believe this is true. You don’t need to remember much from gen chem to do well in orgo, though it helps to have a background in drawing molecular structures and in acid-base chemistry. My best advice for organic chemistry is to complete the coursepack (a workbook full of old exams) and compare your answers with friends, tutors, and professors. Talking about the chemistry requires an understanding of it, so keep discussing the course material with anyone you can! It might help to know orgo 1 is more conceptual and orgo 2 is more memorization-based. As for gen chem, I’ve heard it is a bit harder than AP Chemistry since it’s packed into one semester, but the online homework is helpful in preparing for exams.

Biology: I don’t know too much about the intro bio classes here, but my general advice still applies here. A friend told me that the bio classes are saturated with a lot of information that you need to memorize, so you have to start studying early and stay on top of the material. Look at lectures beforehand and take good notes. Know that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed; there’s a lot of material you’ll need to know, but it’s definitely possible to know it.

Extracurricular shenanigans:

There seem to be two common opinions among STEM students regarding participation in extracurriculars: either narrow it down to a few activities that are most meaningful to you, or smush in as many résumé-builders as possible. Personally, I think a few meaningful extracurricular experiences are more important than half a dozen clubs that will eat up your free time.

Research is huge at Michigan! There are research opportunities everywhere on campus and in every field, so it’d be a shame if you graduated without taking advantage of that. If you have a good idea of what you want to major in, then look for related research labs by perusing the departmental sites on umich.edu. If you don’t know what you want to study, brainstorm your research interests and look for labs in different departments that meet your interests. Once you’ve found several (~5-10) labs you’re interested in, write the professors in whose labs you’re interested an email briefly stating your interest in their research, attach your résumé, and ask for an interview (also tell them your schedule). It’s not terribly common for freshmen to participate in research their first year, so it’s more than okay to wait until sophomore or junior year to start research.

STEM clubs can be a great way to network with other STEM students at UMich! I can’t think of all of them off the top of my head, but the ones I know about include Out in STEM (oSTEM) for LGBT students, Society of Women in Engineering (SWE), Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) (which has both a residential program and a non-residential program), the chemistry/science fraternity Alpha Chi Sigma, and the American Chemical Society local chapter. If you’re looking for a good club, you can hit up FestiFall in the beginning of September and attend the mass meetings of clubs you think you’d like. For the rest of the year, you can search Maize Pages for clubs you’re interested in.

There are also several pre-health extracurriculars that you can find by attending the pre-health orientation, which occurs after move-in. I think all LSA students should receive an email about it early September or late August. If you can’t make the orientation, it’s not a biggie. You can find the pre-health extracurriculars in the same way you find any other extracurricular.

That’s all I could come up with for now! If you’ve got any more specific questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. :) And if anyone else has related advice, go ahead and let us know!

Best of luck and go blue!

@Nick, here's another anxious mcat query for you lol. I'm trying to get started on serious content review and wanted some advice on how to approach it. How much should you study the gen chem book before moving on? I'm worried about not having all the formulas and principles memorized/retained exactly as I go along. Thanks!

Response from Nick Carraway:

Hi sorry for some reason this didn’t show up on the inbox on my phone, otherwise I would’ve answered it sooner. Also keep in mind that I’m just one person (who did very well on the MCAT but didn’t score a 528 or anything that crazy), so you should look online for study tips and not just rely on mine. Student Doctor Network probably has a lot of good tips if you browse those forums.

When I was doing content review, I didn’t focus on committing every nitty-gritty detail and every formula into memory. I focused on getting through the material and getting an idea of what all could be on the exam. As I went through each book, I made a list of “what needs to be memorized by test day” for that subject. I also made a formula sheet for gen chem and physics. 

Basically, I made myself aware of the large number of details that I needed to memorize, but spending my time memorizing them first semester (while I was trying to get a grasp of everything that is / could be covered on the MCAT), it wasn’t worth my time to fully memorize. I tried to understand big concepts, and saved the memorization for the final 2 months pre-exam. So things like the psych developmental models/stages (Freud’s, Piaget’s, Erikson’s... that stuff that usually shows up in a question or 2 on the psych/soc section) and formulas would go on my to-do list to memorize, but I wouldn’t immediately memorize them. 

I think getting through content review is more important than fully memorizing in your early studying stages. Then once you’re at the practice exam phase, you can start memorizing between exams. I would literally use my ‘cheat sheet’ on early practice exams, because I knew I would have the details memorized before test day (and I did). Memorization isn’t a problem for me, and I’m sure it’s not for you either if you’re going into medicine, so focus on understanding big picture concepts and learning how the test works now. 

This is how I approached it, others probably memorized as they went. However, for me, memorizing takes a lot of repetition (writing stuff out many many times and doing that every day). I didn’t have the time or the energy to do that for 8 months straight. Instead, I did it the month before the exam and it worked great.

Hope this helps.

the finalest final of finals

1/23/17

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” 

~Barack Obama

wooooo its over friends

I should write longer posts so ill start now since that stuff is less hectic

Well, finals are over now and it’s time for me to look back on my failure as a student and try to improve ya feel

1st Hour: stats - Got an 88 this semester, I did all my homework legitimate and studied a bit. However, First hour always somehow became my designated sleep hour, meaning I missed many a lecture and its worth of notes. For next semester, I’ll make sure to do all the extra credit practice quizzes early to avoid risk of getting cut off by the deadline, sleep more, and prepare better because its actually a pretty hard class for me

2nd Hour: orch - nothing much to say here easy 100 fun times and pieces are cool. I guess ill talk about our upcoming concert as well right now. The pop pieces we’re playing are... to be honest, kind of underwhelming, but I guess I can’t fairly judge until we play with ezme. Verdi is so much fun, but still not as fun as Tchaikovsky XD. Mahler... I wish I was more mature and patient to fully enjoy it, as it really is a beautiful piece, I’m just a bit too jumpy to stay focused while playing it :P

ok im getting intensely drowsy so if this turns weird dont blame me im weird

3rd hour: french - 89.5, barely got an a so this was absolutely horrid lol like wtf did i do first quarter and that final was horiblye hard like ok rip maybe i didn’t study enough next semester goals sleep more cuz im always sleepy there too but tbh when am innot slepe tho gawd what is wrong with me rn o well lets keep going also do more ec cuz that stuff wouldvemade this a bit less close

4th hourL debate -  got some version of a B. welp that was just tragically hundreds of times harder than i thoguht it was gonan be welp next semester english gotta make sur ei scure this one friends

ok i need some water before i begin but for the lols probs not going to correct the disaster that is the lst two paragraphs and eakvsfbdgrhtegr[wfe

im back yo

5th Hour: Ap Econ - ended up with an A,  and managed to rush the final to study apchem and still get a B on it so overall in econ maybe read a bit more so i have more reading space but like not much a problem

6th Hour: AP Chem - This one is a toughie. Barely got a B this semester, looking to try for an A next. I need to improve my labs, as my average on those are horrid. Reading quizzes i average above a 2, but then tests tho I really need to step up, definitely need to do quiz reviews and practice tests days in advance so that i can thoroughly practice and learn how to do each individual concept.

school in general is quite the menial, yet sometimes interesting experience. My average day feels pretty solitary, even though i do get to talk to friends and when i do its awesome lol. Every morning starts with me waking up way too late, rushing to get ready, and then fast walking my way down to stats all the way from the orch hallway, barely making it there a majority of the time. stats is kinda boring and sleep time. Orchestra is a fun time, although I struggle greatly with a periodically faulty stomach that just loves to butt in on the one class I can least easily go to the restroom. goddamit. French is like secondary sleepy time but i really dont like having to sleep in french for some reason. debate is now over, but it was pretty fun i guess when it lasted and i seriously learned and grew a lot as a person. Funnily tense of an atmosphere it was, with all the differing points of view, but that’s what makes it great. Econ is chill, aldinger is hilarious and yeah whatever politically we have differences but as long as he teaches econ correctly its whatever. Spencer, caroleen, muyang, ditty, ethan make econ fun too our cluster of 6. And apchem lol vedaant michael those monkeys i love em.

fiddlers is quite fun actually. It makes me really happy and some of those songs are quite nice and while i play them i think and feel and its nice.

gotta organize february mmm sigh had to cancel this month and it was a good idea to do so way too fricking busy.

sectionals tomorrow so tiring but we need it but im hoping to sleep early today so i should be able to handle it.

sometimes I feel like a burden/annoyance to people around me and i really don’t want to be that but i feel like nobody would tell me that to my face

How am I feeling? I honestly dunno. I feel heavy, both physically and emotionally. Confused mentally, currently satisfied. There are many questions my mind and heart want answered, but my belief in trust overrides my curiosity for answers where I may end up regretting knowing.

I’m going to make an effort to be kinder and happier towards everyone I know, hopefully not coming across as fake along the way. When someone is friendly and smiling to me, it feels good, so hopefully I can do the same for others. I know some people will claim I’m already pretty nice but I don’t think so, im still randomly not at some times which makes me hate myself but thats whatever. I don’t think there’s that much of a limit to how much is enough kindness, everyone deserves as much as they can get.

Don’t Let Calculus D(e)rive You Mad

I was always one of those people who thought some people were naturally good at math and if I wasn’t one of those people then there was nothing I could do about it. I thought I wasn’t “a math person” and would use that description as an excuse. Is math one of my weaker subjects? Sure but that’s mostly because I let years of bad habits get in the way of my current work. This caught up to me in my first semester of calculus (calc I) at university, where calculus was my worst class. Here’s the thing: if you’re not “a math person” make yourself one. In my second semester of calculus (calc II) I improved my mark by an entire letter grade (something I never thought possible). How? Through hard work and by understanding that I would have to work harder than some people because of my past study habits.

Know your pre-calculus well! You will struggle so much if you forget the basics. My prof said not having a good grasp of the basics is the number one reason why students will struggle with calculus. Invest time before/at the beginning of the semester to really review the stuff you learned in high school. (Khan Academy is the best way to review, in my opinion. They have challenge questions you can do for each section. Try a couple of questions for each section. If you can’t answer the question easily, watch the accompanying videos for that section first. Do this for sections you forget or know you struggle with.) Be confident in your basic mental math too, especially under pressure. I wasn’t allowed a calculator on any of my midterms or finals for calc and you don’t want to waste time on easy math that you should know lightning fast anyway.

Attend every lecture, especially if you’re even slightly confused. If you’re behind, try not to get even more behind by skipping class (obviously use your own judgement, but don’t skip unless it’s totally necessary). Don’t sit near the back of the class if you know you won’t pay attention.

Don’t just sit there and copy down notes. Be attentive in class and follow along with examples the best you can. If you get lost at a certain step in a problem put a star beside it. After class, study and attempt the problem on your own. If you still don’t understand, go to a TA or prof for help. They will be able to provide better help if they can see exactly where you got lost.

Keep your notes simple. I would use either blue or black pen for the majority of my notes and use one other colour to emphasize parts of my notes (indicate where I got lost, circle important follows, highlight which section of the textbook the class was at, etc.) Keep your notes neat and leave a gap, if you fall behind during a lecture (just remember to get the notes from someone else later). I also recommend using a grid paper notebook, for when you need to draw graphs.

Get a mini notebook! I bought a tiny notebook for cheap and filled it with a (very) condensed version of my notes, throughout the semester. I wrote down common derivatives and integrals, shapes of common graphs, important theorems and formulas, etc. This is especially helpful for calc II, because you’ll have all the necessities from calc I handy.

Advice for using Maple for math labs (if this applies to you): Pay attention to tutorials and ask questions. Complete as many assignment questions as you can in the lab/when a TA is present. If you have any other assignment questions to finish up make sure you work on them at least a few days before they’re due, so you have time to ask for help if you need it. Also, Maple can be a stupid program. You could be missing just one number, letter, or symbol and it won’t work. Or you could have it exactly right and it still won’t work (retyping your input in a new worksheet usually helps). To remedy these issues, I would work on assignments with friends and compare what our worksheets looked like. Oh and TAs love if you give your variables funny names or change the colours of your graph, because they’re all nerds (and so are you, so embrace it).

Do as many practice problems as you can. Calculus is a class where you learn by doing. Do questions till you understand the concept. If problems are recommended, treat them as if they’re actually due (otherwise you’ll just tell yourself you didn’t have enough time to do any practice problems). My number one mistake was not doing enough practice problems and just assuming I knew how to answer the problem (if you can’t answer the entire question from start to finish, then you don’t actually understand the concept).

Please don’t fall behind. Stay on top of things and prioritize what needs to be done (i.e. treat practice problems from the chapter you just learned on equal footing with the lab report you have due -- if you treat it as a priority, you will get it done). But, if you do fall really behind, don’t wait until it’s too late to ask for help. Just remember, there’s always something you can do (even if you feel like you don’t know anything and there’s not enough time for any practice problems before your midterm). Identify what you need to learn before you can do anything else (i.e. work on understanding basic integration before you try to do something more complicated like trigonometric substitution) and fit in as many practice questions as you can.

Don’t give up! If you don’t understand a concept right away you just have to keep trying! For practice problems, try to find an answer without looking at your notes. If you can’t figure it out from there, look in your lecture notes and textbook for any relevant formulas, examples, or similar questions. Try to answer the problem again. If you get it, be sure to fully complete another practice problem without any outside references. If you can’t figure out an answer then you should seek help from another person!

Don’t forget everything you learned at the beginning of the semester -- review, review, review! Check out this explanation on the curve of forgetting. If you continually review what you learned, for only short periods of time, you will remember so much more and save yourself time in the end!

Utilize the resources available to you. I have a list of online resources at the end of this post, but don’t overlook what’s right in front of you. Go to your prof’s office hours, ask a TA for help, and take advantage of any tutoring or study groups. My uni has a math and science centre where upper year students are always available to help other students with practice problems. If you join a course union, they sometimes offer free tutoring.

Study in a productive environment. This varies by person but personally I need a quiet environment, with ideally no noise or only instrumental music, bright/natural lighting, and nothing to distract me (I hide my phone and only have one pen or pencil out). If you like to listen to music when you study, math is one of those subjects where you can listen to music with words.

Improve your test-taking skills. (1) On an exam, understanding a concept is no use if it takes you forever answer the question. Do lots of practice problems till you immediately know how to answer any kind of question. Speed can be key on exams. (2) My strategy is to flip through the exam booklet as I get it. I answer the questions I can do easily, first, and leave the really difficult ones till the end. (3) Show all of your work! Don’t lose marks because you didn’t show all of your work. (4) Expect your exams to be challenging and prepare accordingly. Overlearn the material. Prepare specifically for the exam by completing past exams/practice exams in an environment that mimics the test-taking environment.

Get every mark you can, because the little marks make a big difference. If you don’t know how to answer a question on an exam, write down any formula or theorem that could relevant. If you try to figure out a solution and know that it’s most likely incorrect, but don’t have enough time/knowledge to find the correct answer, just leave your work there (don’t erase it). There’s always a chance you could be on the right track or nice markers will give you a point or two for trying. Something is always better than nothing.

Focus on the applications of calculus (it’ll make the semester a whole lot more interesting)! A physics major won’t necessarily use calculus the same way a bio or chem major might, but that doesn’t mean some calculus isn’t useful for all of those majors to know. I’ve always planned to major in biology and looking ahead at classes I will need calculus for biostatistics and genetics classes. Never tell yourself something isn’t useful because then you’ll never treat it like it’s useful. Also, my prof taught a whole lecture about how calculus could be used to account for all the variables that could affect population if a zombie apocalypse ever happened, so obviously calculus has at least one really important use :)

Resources

A bit of advice: These are called resources for a reason. It’s okay once in a while to use some of the resources to find a full solution for a practice problem, but don’t abuse it. It is so so easy to just look up the answer but you’re only hurting yourself in the end.

Desmos (Online graphing calculator - I’ve made it through so far without actually buying a graphing calculator)

Khan Academy (Step by step videos and practice questions! You can go your own speed with the videos! My top recommendation!!!)

Paul’s Online Math Notes (If your prof doesn’t provide you with decent lecture notes, these ones are great!)

Symbolab (They have a calculator for derivatives, integrals, series, etc. and I like the way they split up the steps to solve.)

Slader (find your textbook on here and they’ll give you all the solutions to questions!)

Textbooks: I used the Single Variable Calculus: Early Transcendentals (8th edition, by James Stewart) and it was awesome. The way it was set up and all the examples really helped me (I just wish I had used it more)

This post by @quantumheels is seriously fantastic (and she has lots of good advice for other topics too, one of my favourite blogs)

My Other Posts:

AP lit tips, high school biology, how to ace intro psych, organization tips, physics doesn’t have to suck: how to enjoy and do well in your required physics classes, recommended reads, reminders for myself, using your time wisely on public transport, what i learned from university (first year), what i learned from high school

Being Alone, Best Friend, and Butt: Ruby uou ST)# 42995 Waiting on Lov Manhattan ACC 9 yrs old, 45.21 Lovely Ruby is all tail wagging and all smiles. Very Friendly, loves to be in company, gives kisses. Seems to like other dogs. SWEET SENIOR ALERT! TO BE KILLED - 10/27/2018 Lovely Miss Ruby is a lovable older girl, all waggy and always smiling. This incredibly sweet, awesomely AVERAGE RATED beauty, is finding herself looking for a new family after her parent’s mom was told she can not have pets in the home. This is so heartbreaking on many levels, because not only is Ruby 9, but she also is suffering from painful bladder stones, and is sitting now, alone, in a small kennel, confused, heartbroken, and dreaming of the family she has loved and lost. But she has tried, through pain and sorrow, to be the engaging, hopeful optimist she has always been since the moment she was born. The volunteers adore her, and she them. She’s ridiculously adorable, friendly, affectionate, loves to gives kisses - and she ADORES treats. She will even jump for them! We don’t want her doing much of that till she can get the surgery she needs to remove her bladders stones, but that is where you come in. Won’t you please give this wonderful girl a home? If you foster her, the rescue that pulls will pay her vetting. You will just add your love and support. Ruby is waiting, hopefully, for you to say YES! She’s spayed and ready to go! If you can foster or adopt her, please PRIVATE MESSAGE our page or email us at [email protected]. A volunteer writes: “Ruby is a born socialite! She beams in crowds as well as with only one caretaker. She goes from one person to another, samples treats and enjoys togetherness and caresses. She always wears a smile, her prime asset, wags her tail and wiggles her butt to let you know that you are most welcome! She loves to kiss, too. Nobody can resist Ruby! She is the life of the party! Although her previous owner stated that she never mingled with kids, Ruby was all excited to see a mob of pupils coming out of a nearby school. She is a great walker, likely housetrained and well mannered nearing birds and other dogs. Ruby is great company, charming, active, playful, sociable and very loving. She will make a very endearing, lively and affectionate companion to the person who will choose her as his/her new four legged best friend. Come and meet spunky Ruby at the Manhattan Care Center.” A Volunteer Notes: "A jewel of a girl with a gem of a name. ❣️Ruby, 9 years-old, made of snow and sunshine, worth her weight in gold." VIDEO: Sociable Ruby <3 https://youtu.be/Y0c3Jr6n8lU RUBY, ID# 42995, @ 9 Yrs., 45.2 lbs. Manhattan ACC, Medium Mixed Breed, Tan / White, Spayed Female Owner Surrender Reason: Owner’s mother is not allowed to have dogs in her apartment. Shelter Assessment Rating: AVERAGE! (the best!) Intake Behavior Rating: 1. Green AT RISK MEMO: Ruby is at risk for medical, she is a senior girl with bladder stones that will require immediate follow up at a private vet. Ruby was given an average behavior and should do well in most homes. INTAKE NOTES – DATE OF INTAKE, 9/30/2018: Ruby was loose bodied, and had a wagging tail when a counselor approached her or said her name. Ruby laid on the floor and did not move when she approached the back drop, but the owner stated that could be because of her age. Ruby listened to when a counselor called her name and also responded to sit. OWNER SURRENDER NOTES – BASIC INFORMATION: Ruby is a large mixed breed female, approximately 9 years old. The owner is unable to keep Ruby because his mother cannot have dogs in her apartment. Ruby looks like she has a rash/dry patches on her back legs and stomach. She previously lived with 2 adults. Ruby is friendly and outgoing with strangers. No children in previous home. No dogs in previous home. No cats in previous home. Ruby is not bothered when the owner touches her food bowl while eating. Ruby is not bothered when her owner takes away a treat, bone or toy. Ruby has no bite history, she did not bite a person or animal in previous home. She is housetrained and has a high energy level – active and playful. Ruby is not bothered when her owner gives her bath, brushes her coat or trims her nails. Ruby has had a medical issue. She has a rash/dry patches on her back legs and stomach. For a New Family to Know: Ruby is friendly, affectionate, and playful. Ruby is active and likes to play with balls and tug with a rope. Ruby is mostly an indoor dog, but also took slow walks on a leash. Ruby slept on the floor in her previous home and used the bathroom during her walks. Ruby was fed Pedigree twice a day and drinks a lot of water. Ruby is house trained and knows how to sit, come, lay down and go fetch. Ruby likes to run and play at the dog park with her owner. SHELTER ASSESSMENT – DATE OF ASSESSMENT, 10/1/2018 Look:: 1. Dog's eyes are averted, with tail wagging and ears back. Allows head to be held loosely in Assessor's cupped hands. Sensitivity:: 1. Dog leans into the Assessor, eyes soft or squinty, soft and loose body, open mouth. Tag:: 1. Dog assumes play position and joins the game. Or dog indicates play with huffing, soft 'popping' of the body, etc. Dog might jump on Assessor once play begins. Paw squeeze 1:: 2. Dog quickly pulls back. Paw squeeze 2:: 2. Dog quickly pull back. Flank squeeze 1:: Item not conducted Flank squeeze 2:: Item not conducted Toy:: 1. Minimal interest in toy, dog may smell or lick, then turns away. Summary:: Ruby approached the assessor with a soft body. She was social throughout the assessment, allowed all handling, and displayed no concerning behaviors. PLAYGROUP NOTES – DOG TO DOG SUMMARIES: Summary (1):: 10/1: When introduced off leash to the male greeter dog, Ruby is tense and quickly offers strong correction for approach. INTAKE BEHAVIOR - Date of intake:: 9/30/2018. Summary:: Loose body, allowed handling ENERGY LEVEL:: Rubv is described as having a high level of activity. We recommend long-lasting chews, food puzzles, and hide-and-seek games, in additional to physical exercise, to positively direct her energy and enthusiasm. BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: AVERAGE (suitable for an adopter with an average amount of dog experience) Behavior Asilomar: H - Healthy MEDICAL EXAM NOTES 3/10/2018 DVM Intake Exam Estimated age: 9yrs based on O hx. Microchip noted on Intake? scanned positive MC#985112005110228 History : Surrendered by O. Subjective / Observed Behavior - BAR; allowed all handling. very energetic and friendly. Evidence of Cruelty seen - none Evidence of Trauma seen - none Objective BCS 5/9 EENT: Eyes clear, ears clean, no nasal or ocular discharge noted Oral Exam: dc 2/5; pd 2/5 PLN: No enlargements noted H/L: No murmur ausculted; CRT < 2, Lungs clear, eupnic ABD: Non painful, no masses palpated U/G: spayed female. tattoo seen. MSI: Ambulatory x 4, skin free of parasites, no masses noted, healthy hair coat CNS: Mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Rectal: grossly normal. Assessment geriatric dental disease Prognosis: excellent Plan: ok for adoptions recommend daily dental care once adopted SURGERY: already spayed 3/10/2018 S/O - Reported to be urinating frequently. Collect urine by free catch and submitted to Idexx for a Urinalysis Summary - USG 1.003 Urine Protein 1+ Blood 3+ WBC 2-5 NO BACTERIA NO CRYSTALS A - Hematuria, Proteinuria, Isothenuria P - Recommend CBC/Chem Hyposthenuria - Kidney disease vs polydipsia vs DM vs other Inappropriate elimination r/o incontinence, uti, urinary calculi, cystitis, prostatitis, metabolic Proteinuria r/o secondary to inflammation, infection, renal in origin . Collection FREE-CATCH Color YELLOW Clarity CLEAR Specific Gravity 1.003 pH 7.5 Urine Protein a 1+ Glucose NEGATIVE Ketones NEGATIVE Blood / Hemoglobin b 3+ Bilirubin NEGATIVE Urobilinogen NORMAL White Blood Cells 2-5 Red Blood Cells 15-20 Bacteria NONE SEEN Epithelial Cells 2+ (3-5)/HPF Mucus NONE SEEN Casts NONE SEEN Crystals NONE SEEN 4/10/2018 S/O Pt continues to urinate 10-15 x per walk. Urine continues to be hyposethenuric. Blood work unremarkable. Repeated USG 1002 CBC/CHEM - Unremarkable A - 1) Pollakiruia, 2) Hyposthenuria with 3) moderate hemoglobinuria and mild proteinuria - BW unremarkable Plan - Rule out other causes of pollakauria with hyposthenuria - Diabetes insipidus, central Diabetes insipidus, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, infectious causes (UTI not being seen on ME versus other), endocrine causes (cushings disease) - Collect urine via cystocentesis and submit for urine culture and sensitivity Recommend placement with a new hope partner for follow up veterinary consult for her present urinary condition. 8/10/2018 Radiographic Review Good alignment. No Evidence of fractures. Spleen appears enlarged, may be due to sedation. Multiple large stones present within the urinary bladder (8+). Femoral heads sit within the coxal joint with good congruency. assessment -- urinary bladder stones recommend surgical removal and submission for mineral make-up. recommend urinary culture and sensitivity, urinalysis (no sample available during sedation) at that time. *** TO FOSTER OR ADOPT *** HOW TO RESERVE A “TO BE KILLED” DOG ONLINE (only for those who can get to the shelter IN PERSON to complete the adoption process, and only for the dogs on the list NOT marked New Hope Rescue Only). Follow our Step by Step directions below! *PLEASE NOTE – YOU MUST USE A PC OR TABLET – PHONE RESERVES WILL NOT WORK! ** STEP 1: CLICK ON THIS RESERVE LINK: https://newhope.shelterbuddy.com/Animal/List Step 2: Go to the red menu button on the top right corner, click register and fill in your info. Step 3: Go to your email and verify account \ Step 4: Go back to the website, click the menu button and view available dogs Step 5: Scroll to the animal you are interested and click reserve STEP 6 ( MOST IMPORTANT STEP ): GO TO THE MENU AGAIN AND VIEW YOUR CART. THE ANIMAL SHOULD NOW BE IN YOUR CART! Step 7: Fill in your credit card info and complete transaction HOW TO FOSTER OR ADOPT IF YOU *CANNOT* GET TO THE SHELTER IN PERSON, OR IF THE DOG IS NEW HOPE RESCUE ONLY! You must live within 3 – 4 hours of NY, NJ, PA, CT, RI, DE, MD, MA, NH, VT, ME or Norther VA. Please PM our page for assistance. You will need to fill out applications with a New Hope Rescue Partner to foster or adopt a dog on the To Be Killed list, including those labelled Rescue Only. Hurry please, time is short, and the Rescues need time to process the applications.