Help, I am a new student and have no clue what to do with so much reading: a guide

Hi, I'm a master student currently and I do a major that is pretty heavy on the reading for all the courses. I have developed a system that works for me and helps me manage the course work - which can be quite overwhelming at first - so I thought I'd share in case anyone else will find it useful :D

Okay, so, before your classes even start, you're going to look at the syllabus! This is important, because usually the reading will be in there and you get a feel for how much it is. However, more importantly, you're going to figure out if there is an exam or a paper as final. This will impact how you're going to read.

If there is reading for the first class, get prepared to do that reading. I know reading can suck, but doing the reading will save time. It's all fun to have the college fucked up sleep schedule and I get that you want the experience, but that shit isn't funny for 4 years straight and by keeping up, you will save yourself all nighters during the exam period. At some point, you will start to appreciate it, I promise.

Most classes will have a consistent amount of reading each week. This is good. You will start to figure out how long it takes you to read an article and thus how much time each class will take. Create a pattern for yourself. For me, I like to schedule it per weekday, like on Mondays I do readings for this course, on Tuesday for this course and on Wednessday I won't do reading, so I can plan social activities then. This will help stay on top of things without being a hermit with no time for a social and your hobbies.

I would reccomend making a file for each course and labeling your reading with the number of the week first and then the title, so you can find them easily when you need them. I also reccomend getting a seperate notebook for each subject. If you loose notebooks easily, use your computer or have one big notebook with tabs.

If the class has an exam at the end:

I find that if you have an exam, highlighting is the most productive way to do the reading. You do the reading before class, and highlight all the important parts. Not everyone is great at knowing what to highlight, so my guide is to have max one highlight per paragraph and minimally one per subheading, often the important parts are at the start and end.

. Then you're going to take notes in class, this is important. You have done the reading, so your brain will make easier connections and by writing it down (physical notebook is reccomended if you are able) you will fill in what is being talked about easier. This will also be the second time you take the subject to yourself and in three ways; reading, hearing, writing.

. After doing that every week, the exam will come closer. You're going to take the highlighted reading and flip through it while typing all the highlighted parts in a document. This way you'll see everything again in context and you're actively seeing it, instead of passively. And at the end you have a summery of the course you can study. Personally, I have a pretty good memory so retyping is all the studying I have to do when using this method.

If the class has a paper at the end:

I find that if you have a paper at the end, making notes is the most productive way to do the reading. I like making them on paper, bc it'll make it easier to flip through later, but computer also works with ctrl+f. Again doing the reading before class is reccomended, so you can ask questions about it and take notes on what the lecturer says about the reading to get a feel for kind of interpretation that will be expected of you in the paper.

. How you take the notes is the important part, at the top you write down the authors (et al. if there are a lot), the publishing year, and the title. Then right underneath you write the point the paper is making, this can be found in the abstract or in the conclusion, if that isn't there.

. Then you start actually reading the paper, while taking notes. I reccomend 1 A4 page for articles under 20 pages. But don't make it a hard rule, the harder you find a paper, the more notes you should take. You take notes on the kind of arguments the paper makes, suggestions that are done, counterpoints, and nuances that are given. Make them bulletpoints so you can easily skim them later.

. What you have done by doing this is created a basic understanding of the topic and created a referencing system for yourself. When writing your essay you already know what kind of topic to write about (see which topics you gravitated to during the course) and you can easily find the relevant reading by quickly scanning the titles and first part you wrote down. When you find the right article you don't have to re-read it to get all the important parts and you have everything for in text referencing right at the top (in APA at least).

I understand that this won't work for everyone, but I have perfected my studying system over the years (and I'm pretty proud of it), so I am sharing it for those who can use it. I know a lot of people struggle with figuring out how to start and they kind of throw you in the deep end without help when you get to college. So this is to give those who are overwhelmed a little start :D

If you are a new student, I wish you so much luck and fun! <3

Hello, I just have some questions for Nadia. While I really like her character, I can't help feeling uneasy when I read some of the (mostly paid) scenes with her because the devs were so set on making her a dom (like the throne scene for example). It felt like they made her sexuality a big part of her personnality and it saddens me because I really liked the bonding scenes with her (horse riding, the scene in the fields and when she talks about her hobby in mecha). I really didn't like when she called MC "pet" or implying that she would show them around like some accessory. Is it just me overeacting? Otherwise, how would you write her with an OC who isn't submissive at all or feels ill-at-ease in said situations?

Hello anon! Thank you so much for asking this. I actually have been meaning to address Nadia's dominance but haven't quite processed my thoughts well enough to publish them. However, this question is definitely something I can answer!

Firstly, I do not think you're overreacting at all. It is completely valid for you to feel that way while reading her route and I commend you for giving it a fair try, like reading the horse riding scene, etc. We all approach situations involving sexuality based on our own preferences, history, etc. The one thing I will say, is that I don't believe Nadia's sexuality and dominance is emphasized more than the other characters. All of the characters in the game are pretty kinky and very interested in sex with the Apprentice. I don't feel that Nadia is inherently more sexual than the other characters, this is just how the game was designed. (I know you didn't compare Nadia to other characters, I just suspect that it stood out more to you because her choices/preferences don't line up with yours and wanted to bring it up.)

As for how to address it in your own writing, I've got plenty of ideas. Nadia likes to spoil her partner, so writing her as a service partner is a great place to start (top or bottom doesn't matter really, just choose based on your comfort level). But I think you can even go deeper if you spend a bit of time picking apart some of her personality traits and relationship history. We don't know a ton about what her marriage to Lucio was like, but we know that she felt stifled and powerless. So it makes sense narratively that when she met the Apprentice that she immediately went for a position of control. However, her relationship with the Apprentice deepens over time and she grows to trust them. I think it makes perfect sense for her to back down from being so dominant and allow her partner to take the lead, at least occasionally. Honestly while I really like Nadia's dominance I wish that towards the end of her route, she would pull back a little and let the Apprentice take charge. It would be a really natural transition and you could take it to whatever degree you're happy with.

I also wanted to address the "pet" thing. To me, it's an indication of how much pride she has in her partner. If you again look back at her marriage to Lucio, she wasn't proud of being his wife. She recognizes the Apprentice's strength and values their relationship. I chose to interpret her words as her saying "I love you and I want to show the world how much you mean to me." She finally has a partner that she considers her equal (whether said partner enjoys taking a submissive role in the bedroom doesn't affect how Nadia views them during day-to-day life) and she wants everyone to know! So to take that dynamic and flip it, I could see Nadia enjoying and taking pride in being a good submissive, in making her partner happy. It would also be fun to incorporate ideas of possession/ownership into play. Maybe she wears a collar in the privacy of her bedroom. Maybe it feels good for her to know that she "belongs" to someone who is smart, brave and kind. It feels good to take off the mantle of leadership, authority and decision-making and give herself to someone that she loves and is proud of. (Something to consider too, while the dominant partner is usually seen as having more power, the sub can stop play and control the intensity of a scene. Leaning into the idea that Nadia maintains her power and autonomy while letting someone else take the lead is a good way to make sure she's still in character.)

The last thing I want to point out, because I could keep going on but this is already so long, is that Nadia immediately presents herself to the Apprentice in the magic shop as an authority figure. She is hiring a magician and is the one in control. As the route progresses, you begin to understand that the Apprentice was the one who initiated the events of the game. It was the Apprentice who came to Nadia during her lowest point, her emotional rock-bottom. Nadia reached out to the Apprentice out of desperation. So the way she presents herself in the prologue and the first few chapters of her route are a mask for how hopeless and down she really feels. When you frame the story this way, it is the Apprentice who is taking Nadia through the events of the game. They determined how their relationship with Nadia unfolded. Their dynamic is often framed as Nadia is the ruler, the Apprentice is a follower. But the Apprentice is just as in control as Nadia is. I think understanding how much Nadia relies on the Apprentice is crucial for writing a "reversal" of the in-game idea that Nadia is dominant.