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#uni tips
liones-s · 26 days
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one of the biggest things I can advocate for (in academia, but also just in life) is to build credibility with yourself. It’s easy to fall into the habit of thinking of yourself as someone who does things last minute or who struggles to start tasks. people will tell you that you just need to build different habits, but I know for me at least the idea of ‘habit’ is sort of abstract and dehumanizing. Credibility is more like ‘I’ve done this before, so I know I can do it, and more importantly I trust myself to do it’. you set an assignment goal for the day and you meet it, and then you feel stronger setting one the next day. You establish a relationship with yourself that’s built on confidence and trust. That in turn starts to erode the barrier of insecurity and perfectionism and makes it easier to start and finish tasks. reframing the narrative as a process of building credibility makes it easier to celebrate each step and recognize how strong your relationship with yourself can become
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winryrockbellwannabe · 6 months
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How to survive your first year in uni
(from a 3rd year student that only learned all this this past semester)
(applicable to other stages of your academic life, ofc, i was needing this advice rn in the end of my bachelor's)
1. Find ways to be interested in all classes.
Being it by watching documentaries/movies, wanting to be the smartass that knows quantum physics in family reunions, or wanting to tutor your crush on maths (not me doing that to learn integrals lol). You have to at least find a short term motivation to study for that class. That's the most important bit to be able to study it. But of course you also have to be interested in your classes, so try to watch tv shows about it to make it look cooler. (me watching big bang theory and realizing I understand some physics equations)
2. Find other people who are also interested in your classes
For example, this year in radiations class, i would have given up on being on track with the classes if my friend wasn't a master in radiations. They always answer my curiosity questions, and give me fun facts, so it helps me be interested in it. Also, other people's enthusiasm about a course is going to make you so much more excited about it.
3. Ask questions to your teachers.
I promise it won't be dumb. And even if it is, i promise it won't be in the top 10 dumbest questions they ever had to answer in their career.
My rad prof said in our first class that a master's degree student had once asked her what is a photon, and she answered bc there is no shame. (he was a comp sci undergrad, so he genuinely didn't know) That helped me feel more at ease asking her questions tbh, bc now i feel like every question is valid.
4. Don't worry if you are unsure about your future.
Everyone is. The only ppl that aren't unsure are the Rory Gilmore's of this world that had the same dream for so long that they don't even know if it's still their dream or not.
You're still changing, literally during my first year i had two different mental breakdowns thinking I chose the wrong degree. Which was just the stress and uncertainty speaking, bc im still very much enjoying my degree lol. (and the funniest bit, one of those mental breakdowns was me thinking i wanted to switch for computer science, but now i think that wouldn't do it for me. I changed my interests so much since then)
5. Make time for friends.
Both your "old" friends and trying to meet new ones. It will help you not to go insane during exams period lol. Also, try to talk to students from the years above you, they'll have so much advice to give you (you just have to say you're a newbie in uni, and they'll literally start rambling about their 1st year mistakes, at least that's what me and my friends do with the new kids lol)
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lost-neurons · 9 months
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Tips from Cal Newport's How to Win at College
Recently I finished Cal Newport's another book, How to Win at College. A fast read, the book is basically a list of tips gathered by the author to help the reader succeed easier at uni.
Some of them were quite obvious to me, some of them caught my attention more, and they are the ones you can find below. Words in italics are the exact quotations, headlines are also original from the book. The rest of it is my attempt to summarize it (although the descriptions in the book itself are very short and clear, so really, check out the book). Without further ado:
Studying
Build Study Systems
before you start to study spend few minutes so you know exactly what and how will you study, that way you will optimize your work and study more efficiently
Avoid Daily To-Do Lists
rather try time-blocking
Do Schoolwork Every Day
doesn’t matter how much you do, as long as you do something daily it will be easier staying in that zone of the smooth work flow
Find a Secret Study Space
Take the time to explore the odd corners and depths of your favorite buildings on campus, and you will certainly find a hidden jewel of a study space to call your own.
however! switch them from time to time to prevent making studying tedious and alienating
Don’t Study In Groups
you really do need to sit at your QUIET desk in the library to absorb the material
seek out someone for specific help on a specific issue, then return to your solo work
Don’t Do All of Your Reading
read chapter introductions and conclusions, skim everything else
you may miss something important, your professor won’t – listen carefully during class
pay more attention to the assignments which will be part of an exam but weren’t or won’t be covered in class 
make tick marks next to sentences that catches your attention and is faster than highlighting
Start Long Term Projects the Day They Are Assigned
finish some work the same day; 30 mins are enough, plan the whole thing, do some research, maybe write some draft
Keep a Work-Progress Journal
every nigh jot down the day’s date, the long-term work you had scheduled for the day, and the work that you actually accomplished, be brief
that will keep your mind in the game, and you will feel being hold accountable
Start Studying Two Weeks in Advance
first ~12 days– an hour or so, maybe a couple extra hours over the weekend
two days before exam  – three-hour secessions to cement that knowledge
Focus On Grades, Ignore G.P.A
bad grades happen, as long as you put in the effort nobody cares about one bad day
focus on learning for the sake of learning, not for the sake of grades !!!!
Uni life
Get Involved with Your Major Department
attend the events, guest lectures, seminars, public thesis defenses
show up once a month, become a recognized face, that will have several benefits
Learn to Listen
never be the first person to give an opinion, listen to others’ thoughts first, be sure you understand their positions, and then interject your own thoughts with careful aplomb
you don’t want to be that stuck-up person who acts like they know everything, and only they are right – listen, listen, listen!!!
Relax Before Exams
studying right up until the testing begins releases too much adrenaline, resulting in troubles with focusing
take an hour before an exam to relax so you will feel confident and calm
Ignore Your Classmates’ Grades
Worry about your performance and progress; let your classmates worry about their own.
Blow the Curve Once a Term
every semester choose one class you like, then within this class choose one interesting project, and then just absolutely kill it
Ask One Question at Every Lecture
(…) when you are doing the reading that will be covered in the lecture, jot down a quick list of questions that seem relevant. Then, once in class, follow the professor’s material carefully modifying and honing your questions as appropriate. Finally, when you feel you have a question that is meaningful, and will clarify an important point of the discussion, ask away.
Befriend a Professor
make them your mentor, they provide the letters of recommendation, informal instructions, and many other useful tools you need for academic success
visit office hours not only when you have troubles with certain topics; when working on a paper talk to them about possible topics, get feedback on the selected idea, check with them the structure of your argument, ask for clarification etc. etc. etc.
Apply to Ten Scholarships a Year
For every ten well-selected scholarships and awards you apply for, you probably have a good shot at winning at least one (…). The more scholarships you win, the better your odds on future applications.
it will accumulate and after few years your resume will be looking good when joining the job market
Lifestyle
Schedule Your Free Time
so you don’t waste it sitting and wondering what to do and turning 10-minutes jobs into 2-hours ones
either you are in one of your scheduled break periods, or are you working – no more feeling guilty or uncertain when to relax
Find an Escape
schedule an escape every single week, do it alone; can be a long hike, sitting in the coffee shop reading, anything allowing you to relax and cut off uni stuff for a few hours
Exercise Five Days a Week
keep yourself active to boost your brain, but also to take care of your muscles and joints – they were made to move!
Stay In Touch
talk to your family and friends at least once a month; literally talk, call them or meet if you can, messaging doesn’t count nor sending voice massages
Don’t Undersleep, Don’t Oversleep
find out how many hours do you need to feel rested and stick to them
avoid too few but also too many hours of sleep – The fact that you can sleep more, doesn’t mean that you should.
Laugh Every Day
Find something every single day that will make you laugh
Seek Out Fun
if you don’t actively seek out fun, it won’t actively seek out you
Reconsider reading Newport's book, or give his podcast (Deep Questions with Cal Newport) a try. He's the first person I found with such a healthy approach to productivity and work
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sebs-studies · 7 months
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Unsolicited advice from a second year uni student
Since it's now September and most people I know will be heading either back to school or gearing up for university. And if anyone did what I did they might look at Tumblr to get some studying/life ideas (I did this during my A-levels and ended up making my own blog!). So I wanted to give some general advice from my perspective to anyone who might want it - also this will be specific to the UK but some of it is just general too. Also I want to be able to look back on this since I went back through my blog recently and realised I may have needed this advice even just a year ago.
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For those who are about to go to university do not panic (cliché I know) but seriously. You will survive the first year I promise! It obviously varies from person to person and between unis and degrees but the first year will generally be a massive adjustment period in your life. And that will likely impact your mental health. This is totally normal. I got major impostor syndrome the first few months of uni. It wasn't until semester 2 that I started to feel comfortable. And largely because if was an entirely new way of learning and teaching, I had to completely relearn how to study, whilst also learning how to live on my own, and living in a new city and making friends.
You will make friends, it might not be immediately but you will find someone before the end of your first year. I got blessed by chance in making friends, but I know lots of people who it took the entire year to find their people. The unfortunate part of this advice is to make friends you do have to go outside and meet them (and I don't always mean going out drinking although this is definitely an option). Look for societies and clubs at your uni this will be 100% an easy way to meet people. And especially especially in the first few weeks of uni go to the welcome/fresher/first year events. I avoided them because I was anxious but turns out they're an amazing way to meet people because guess what? Everyone else is just as anxious as you are!
Expect your grades to go down at first and don't be discouraged, you can and will get those grades back up. And even if you don't (given that you are passing) it doesn't matter. Grades, especially at grad level are kind of inconsequential for most people. Two things to be mindful of are if you are going for a work placement or study abroad year (if you live in the UK) as first year grades do matter for those. Something no one will probably tell you till it's too late. But even then for most study programs you only need a 60% in your first year. And to just progress you only need a 40% (at most unis double check yours). Point being if there's ever a time for your grades to go down it's now, don't panic, your degree isn't over, you're not an impostor, you deserve to be here.
Everyone is struggling just as much as you are. Don't be fooled by Instagram or whatever. Even though I am guilty of it, we only show the nice parts of our lives online. When I get most stressed I step back from this blog, and you guys don't see the tears, sleepless nights, frustrating, and also kind of gross parts of being a student. So don't be fooled if Amanda from your seminar seems to have a perfect life on her Instagram, chances are she hasn't got it as together as you think, and you are no less better than anyone else in the room.
Save money anyway you can!!! I cannot stress this enough but one of the students biggest issues is spending. I'm guilty too but do your best especially in the first year to not overspend too much. Still enjoy yourself 100%, but do you really need to take out five times a week? Or the new shoes? Trust me by the time you get to your second year and your savings or your loan is gone you'll be wishing you held back a little.
If you are struggling. Talk to someone. For uni students, go to your mentor, academic lead, or look up the mental health service at your uni. Every uni (in the UK) has a mental health team. I know many of us are disillusioned with student support networks but I mean this when I say uni support systems are better funded, more rigorous and it serves them to support you. You are not just a student at the university, you are a customer paying a lot of money to be there. It's important that you are happy and you are progressing, otherwise both you and the uni lose! Don't be afraid to speak up when you need it, there will be someone there.
For UK students look up student groups for your university of Facebook. I'm being 100% serious when I say there is a gold mine of info on Facebook for unis. I never ever post on Facebook but it is so useful for staying in the know on events, stuff currently happening, and lots of student groups are pretty funny/gossipy. Some unis even have pages giving away free stuff from previous students, i.e. crockery, kitchen stuff, speakers etc. I managed to save some decent money on these groups. Also if you're into clubbing this is a pretty good way to learn where the good spots are in your city ;)
Romanticism will only go so far. Don't exhaust yourself on how you look. At the end of the day if you are getting the job done who cares if you did it hunched over a bag of cold McDonalds at 3 am? It's no better than someone with a green smoothie at a coffee shop.
I say a lot of this because my first semester was an emotional rollercoaster. During my GCSEs to A-Levels I thrived academically and then coming to Uni I felt like I was so out of my depth. And it wasn't until the second year I realised that this is, a) normal, and b) not that deep! So you scored a little low on an essay? Take the advice and work on the next one. You had some awkward conversation at a uni event? Everyone has forgotten about it already, give a different event a go. One of my favourite things about university is that it is surprisingly low consequence (in the grand scheme of things). Making mistakes won't end you it's okay. I know everyone on studyblr is a perfectionist but give yourself some leniency please. Anyway that's enough of my ranting. To be honest I expect no one to read this. But I am curious how I'll update it in a year's time once I'm going into third year.
If anyone has any questions about university my DMs are open. (I actually am now a paid guide for welcoming first years so it is literally my job lol).
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r-ene · 2 years
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how i've been surviving my second semester
not really big on tips with academics, more of staying and feeling alive on 12-hours class days
ive been mentioning in some of my posts that i have 11 to 12 hours class schedules this semester, and those days (wednesday and thursdays) are probably the most difficult days to squeeze in study time after class... especially wednesday since for thursday there's 4 major subjects to study for. and since the semester is ending, i'd like to share the things i've been doing because surprisingly i haven't felt any signs of burn out since this second semester.
note: i have a pretty lax schedule aside from wednesdays and thursdays this sem so most likely i won't be able to abide by these the following semester once our hybrid classes start + different schedule
1. workout first thing in the morning
started this one with just planks before and it helped me a lot with back pains due to sitting the whole day since after my last class at 7:30 pm, I would still continue to study after eating dinner, feeding Luna and so on. and recently i've been doing a 15-minute work out of 2-3 sets depending how much time i have before class starts and = instant energy boost. i noticed i didn't need to nap as much as i used to, but once i get to nap, i would feel all my tiredness from the day
2. sleep early on other days (M, T, F, St, Sn)
honestly still working on this because i like to do a lot of stuff within a day because i like getting things done as soon as possible and in advance for more leisure time + more time to do extra readings/notes and etc but this one is a necessity to lessen the probability of getting burnt out
3. supplements + caffeine
bee pollen supplement, vitamin c and collagen are the ones i take daily. aside from energy boost, as someone who hates being sick and doesn't like taking meds, i should keep myself healthy. i think caffeine, coffee speaks for itself for a 12 hr class haha
4. wednesday no-sleep
as much as possible i dont like doing this because not only is it a bad practice but since my wednesday schedule is 7:30am to 7:30pm and i have 4 major subjects on thursday, i need to sacrifice sleep to read through and study for those subjects especially during pre-exam week and exam weeks.
5. study buddies~ (+fun break times)
my group of friends from senior year has been a big help with this, we go on discord almost everyday and even though we are all from different majors (respiratory therapy, physical therapy, nursing, medical technology, architecture, marketing) we like hanging out on dc to study together for accountability and additional fun for studying :) we also have break schedules like wordle time at 12 mn where we all drop what we're doing (unless its very important) and go on wordle.
6. n a p s
this speaks for itself + i mentioned lots of times i love naps, sleeping in general since i was a kid. please make sure you take naps whenever you can, even a quick 15- to 20-minute nap could be an instant energy charger + it's also a break for our brain, to enhance memory and performance.
7. time management/prioritize
hmm another thing i'm still really working on, but since my gap year i like making to-do lists the night before and now i would make a list of things i need to do and highlight them in different colors for those i need to accomplish within the week and on another sheet of paper i would write down 3-5 tasks to get done within the day. +
8. not skipping meals
i used to not like eating breakfast but i've been practicing to do so recently because it's a necessity and since i worked out, i need to recharge or else i would fall asleep during morning class and even just a simple oatmeal is a big help with concentration (+ to avoid diabetes since both of our parent's family have a big history with diabetes mellitus, type 2) and i think there's a lot of people the same as me that when i really focus on something there's that tendency to put aside meals and eat once i get done and it's not a healthy thing to do especially since working/studying requires a lot of brain energy + energy in general, which we get from eating meals on time to avoid additional stressors such as stomach pain or headache from skipping/missing meal time. that being said, let's also eat healthily
9. cold shower before class
i swear i can never focus if i don't shower with cold water in the morning, especially with these kinds of schedule. it really wakes me up and theres a lot of benefits to showering with cold water (+ i live in a tropical country, it helps lessen me being irritable with the heat especially this summer time, specifically from 9-12nn, then i would shower again before lunch time gets done because it's also really hot at 1 to 4pm)
10. stretching
12 hours of class sounds bad but continuously sitting down for 12+ hours with pre-class and post-class study sessions is BAD. i can't begin to imagine how painful my neck, back and glutes would be if i don't move around every after 2 hours or whenever i can. im actually requesting to my mom if we could have a bar height table when we move so i could study/attend class with the option to just stand whenever i want to.
11. don't forget to wind down
personally i love going on a bike ride and walk around our village with the intention to just breathe in some air and do some sight-seeing, relax to wind down. sometimes i would do those to work out or do other exercises to sweat out the day's stress. other than those, sleep, read, watch, browse through my coloring books and do some coloring are other ways i like to wind down. another important note to not go to bed with a headache and/or get burnt out easily.
12. last but not the least, HYDRATE
water, water, water. sometimes i infuse my water with cucumber or lemon but usually it's just ice cold water in my 750mL flask and i would drink every now and then, especially when i can't focus/feel sleepy and refill at lunch, mid-afternoon and dinner. i also like drinking cold water as soon as i wake up and it's just really a necessity.
new tiktok :)
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Crofty! My favorite and beloved academia Dramione writer! Will you be a student again this year? What is the back to school season like for you?
I also want to ask, how do you set intentions for the beginning of the semester/school year and make sure that you stay committed to them? How do you balance separate writing projects with your coursework?
In addition, would you be willing to share advice for a reader halfway through her undergraduate degree? For context, I’ve had some rough setbacks in my first two years, but I’m really eager to prove myself. I want to build back my GPA and earn my way into a humanities PhD program.
Thanks so much! I hope your academic years are wonderful (in the true old meaning of the word!) and give you great joy, wisdom and inspiration.
#ADHDinacademia #PhD #dramione #darkacademia #hogwarts #oxford #oxbridge #ivyleague #columbia #manuscript #marauder #hermionegranger #undergradwoes #lumos
Sweet Piedra! Happy September, aka the best month of the whole year! (it may or may not include my birthday).
I will be a student this year again! I'm just about to start my second year as a phd student (programs in the UK are usually 3-4 years, so I'm nearly halfway through already?!).
The biggest advice I can give about studying is firstly: wanting to do well is the first step to doing well in anything, so you are already a good chunk of the way there!
2. pick things that you are naturally interested in (for option papers). Life is a hell of a lot easier when you're not making it harder for yourself, even if you think you *should* be studying something bc it sounds impressive (personally, I am not into Russian Literature at all, so I just don't force myself to slog through Crime and Punishment, etc. This simple realisation improved my life by at least 100%)
3. Do as much reading as you can. When I did my undergrad I was so surprised at how little reading people did lol, and doing the reading makes a big difference. The Professors have made the reading lists for a reason and they want to help you.
4. Utilise office hours! It took me ages to realise that I can just...go to the office hours and talk to the people who were teaching me. Go in person if you can. Talk them through your essay plans and they will course correct before they're marked. Let them know that you're interested in pursuing it further, and find out what they think you need to do to fill in any gaps you may have. Don't be discouraged if they're short with you, bc academics are a weird bunch.
5. Try not to be so focused on an end result that you forget to enjoy what you're doing right now. Romanticise the hell out of your life whenever you can. It's short!
In terms of my 'process' (sorry this is SO long):
This term is going to be pretty hectic! In addition to my PhD I work Tuesdays and Wednesdays at a corporate job to help pay the bills. I have funding, but funding in the arts is just...not enough.
I will also be teaching this semester for the first time ever (yay!) so I have reading lists and essay questions to put together before Oct. That's every other week though, so it's not too much work.
My supervisors and I try to get a 'chunk' of my thesis written a term (8-10k roughly). I have about 8k due at the end of this month as I have written 2 chunks over the summer, and will have another due at the end of term in Dec.
Also, I've been asked to give a talk about my research at the end of the semester which I am SO excited about, but it means I'll be adapting one of my thesis chapters for that, too! :)
Broadly speaking I do fanfic writing Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, as after grown-up-job-things my brain is too toasted for academic work. When I'm getting to the end of a story however I get real itchy fingers and have to get all the words out as quickly as possible, so I let a lot of other things slide, like cleaning or cooking or washing my hair or also doing my work. Gross, I know, but I've never been particularly functional when I have an idea in my head.
However, I do believe that if you are busy then you are more productive. I have 2 modes: INSANE or blob. I do not recommend this approach, but that is just the way that I'm wired. Today, for instance, I spent the entire day in bed. Tomorrow I really must go back to the library.
Oxford terms are only 8 weeks long, and honestly no matter how prepared I am at the beginning, by halfway through I'm clinging on by a thread. I try not to be too hard on myself when that happens, and focus on getting my work done and not keeping my house clean or whatever else I've decided to beat myself up about.
My username is about procrastinating for a reason. I just kind of productively procrastinate and then at some point everything just gets done?
Some personal mantras:
'everything in moderation, including moderation'
'say yes and figure it out later'
'the work comes first' (normally I say this to try and galvanize myself into staying in the library when I want to go to the pub)
'fuck it' (said when the pub wins out)
'it'll get done, because it has to' (said when I have a week to write 4,000 words because i've procrastinated too close to the sun, again)
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abbyofthecosmos · 2 years
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Tips for Starting Uni
Don’t pack too much stuff! You can always buy things later or have your family post things to you. You won’t know how much space you’ll actually have until you arrive so it’s better to try and bring the bare minimum.
Talk to people on your first day. Say hi to people in the corridor, knock on your neighbour’s doors. Don’t stay holed up in your room – it’s tempting as talking to new people is scary, but once you’ve done the hard part you’ll feel so much better for it.
Sign up to loads of clubs – even if you don’t end up going it’s good to sign up and have a try of loads of different things. You’ll definitely meet new friends and you might find a new interest!
Email your lecturers with questions. You won’t be bothering them and it’s better to ask than stay confused about a topic. And if you get to know your lecturers it’ll be easier to ask them about any opportunities or internships in the future.
Find the group chats/social media pages to follow to stay up to date on what events are going on (and go to the events even if you’re worried that there won’t be anyone to talk to. There will be).
If you meet someone and get along with them, ask for their social media so you can stay in touch. You meet so many people during freshers week that you end up never seeing again so if someone seems nice, ask if they want to hang out sometime. Trust me, they’ll be grateful for the offer.
Have fun!! Starting uni can be stressful and scary; being in a new place away from home for the first time. Try to embrace the change that it brings and enjoy yourself to the fullest 🥰😊
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Idk who needs to hear this but you won't be missing out on anything if you decide not to stay in hostels for college.
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wisdominarmor · 2 years
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Phil Collins' discography is single-handedly carrying me through midterm season. A girl's gotta do what she's gotta do to achieve success, and that's blasting music and dancing the stress away, else I'll fucking collapse.
Being a senior in university is hard, yo.
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thebrownbunnygrad · 6 months
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I feel like I'm drowning
As expected I've been totally inconsistent with the posting. But then again who the heck is going to read this except me anyway. I got to visit some amazing places like the Natural Science Museum and Kew Gardens (see pics!) and honestly, if you're looking for dark academia vibes London is the place to be. Absolutely love it!!
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Although sightseeing has been great, I'm on week 4 of my MSc program and I am floundering! I felt behind literally on the second week. Even though I only finished my undergrad a couple of months ago, which relatively did involve reading a lot of papers, there was some "hand-holding" when it came to the lecture material.
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Doing your graduate studies (specifically in the UK) is definitely more self-directed than I thought it would be. So much of it is self-taught, self-motivated, self... whatever you name it. If you're thinking of doing your Masters in the UK, specifically at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Be prepared to [1] read, [2] read, and [3] read. There's a degree of proactiveness and discipline that is extremely needed!
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✌🏾 ~Brown Bunny 🤎
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hijabirealms · 7 months
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ratwizz · 3 months
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From a Snake Queen to a Solitaire Peasant <\3
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mindfulstudyquest · 6 days
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gentle reminder you can rise up from everything. you can recreate yourself. nothing is permanent. you are not stuck. you have choices. you can think new thoughts. you can learn something new. you can create new habits. all that matters is that you decide today and never look back.
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Dissertation prep is scary but exciting! I can’t believe I’m already having to start this; it feels like I started uni yesterday.
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r-ene · 7 months
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any tips on how to be motivated in doing thesis? or just any general, helpful tips. thank you! <3
Hi !! I had fun doing our thesis so I feel I might ramble a bit here, haha +++ this is a very long read so I'll list it down w bold key points blue if u dont want to read d whole thing – most of these are the things my team did, I hope this is of help !!
sorry for the delay w my response, I thought about this for days so I could be more helpful hehe
first, idk if you're doing a solo or partnered or group thesis but if you have a partner or group, getting along really well with the team + having mutual understanding can make the whole process smooth. my groupmates are my close friends (we're 6 in the group and i love them dearly) and everything went smoothly because we're aware how, for example, i hate cramming and love scheduling + doing things in advance, so all of us agreed to do things in advance but with a time period of 1-2 weeks depending on the heaviness of task (related lit is long so we did that 2 weeks minimum)
do not procrastinate and cram = love scheduling. following my first point, i made a time table for our group and i was the secretary/assistant leader so i made it a point to follow up every now and then and kept the deadlines pinned in our chat. since we had a system, we never crammed and since all of us also loves to do things now for longer chill days, we were never late for a deadline and just waited for our prof to ask for outputs since there were no fixed deadlines.
pick a topic you and your team is very interested in + relevant to today's society/generation + your major. all of us had very good topic proposals since each of us had to pitch at least one topic and we chose to do a study on telemedicine for chronic respiratory disease patients – very timely, interesting and relevant to our generation + our major ofc. we were very invested in this study :)
love reading, love your study and the process. this makes things SUPER easy. a little segwey but i did my junior internship under occupational therapy and loved the patients (majority were stroke patients) and one of them, when my intern asked what advice to give me since i want to become a doctor/hcp, he was a doctor and he told me to "isapuso" (take in heart/love) what i will be studying and doing and that's what i did with our thesis + my major. Makes everything easier ♡ oh and also since thesis needs loads of reading, the more you love your topic, the more you'll just automatically read on it regardless whether you're doing your related lit at the moment or not. i still read on telemedicine till now
have one in your team to be the one in charge of formatting and one for references. this seems very minor but it helps prevent unwanted headaches especially if there's a bunch of you in the group so the document won't be altered much as you work and would have a much more consistent formatting for both
ethics committee can be a pain in waiting both in uni and if ever you want to conduct your study based on a hospital. our uni ethics takes a week while hospitals take over 2 weeks to over a month to approve your request/s. best to also assign 2 people on ethics-related things since i think we filled out 5 documents the whole thesis period to submit to ethics. however, during the waiting process or even before submitting, make revisions and consult with your research adviser and/or other profs knowledgeable on your topic + our best decision was to consult the head of the uni research. though we had to revise our title + changes in the whole paper, as a result of consulting w profs n head, we were able to get the best result we could hope for !!
review your paper every now and then because there are technical and content-wise revision you won't notice at first and second time you proofread your paper. in addition, if working in a group, have your groupmates check on your work afterwards no matter how confident you are with it — this helps them study on your part/s and see corrections you weren't able to. double, triple, quadruple checking's not bad. It's very helpful.
this is ironic since thesis is a major task but: don't stress and don't put too much pressure on yourself. personally this was very helpful because it clears your mind, especially before defense and can help you think of the possible questions the panelists might ask and you yourself would be able to deliver your parts better + be the one to figure out the loopholes you missed (so idk but in our case before the panel pointed out our loophole, we were the ones who brought it up and already had a defense on it and stuff) and it makes the whole defense process shorter, smoother. just make sure to take notes on the loopholes, possible qs, panel qs and recommendations and not dwell on the anxiety (there will always be a percentage of it in u) you have in your body while they're asking stuff, hahaha
sleep early before defense days !!! i sleep latest 11 for these and go to dunkin near uni at 5 or 6am to study up for the defense, no matter if the defense is at 8 or 10. you can nap peacefully after + the morning auras can help calm your nerves
ran out of ideas but i believe you can do this !! thesis might sound intimidating and scary but i hope you don't let it get to you. you can have a stress-free thesis making period as long as you really like your study (as i mentioned), trust and have confidence both in you and your team, be very diligent to get rest and whenever you get time to. if you feel overwhelmed, step back and take a walk even just for 5 minutes, it makes a whole difference. I'm not sure what drives you – awards, grades, feeling of fulfillment... and I don't know what field your in but trust that your study can help make an impact no matter how you think it's "too simple" in comparison to those making apps (in my case, but no shade to the other contestants in the research competition, i was very proud of my fellow respi students regardless whether we're competitors or not that time).
To put emphasis for boost: you are great. you will do great on your thesis despite everything and convert pessimism to optimism !! its not naive, it can get you through anything if you broaden your outlook 🤍
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skeletonstudies · 1 month
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I started going to the gym again and my mental health has been doing a lot better. I’m just enjoying uni a lot more. I’m having fun with my classes, and it’s nice to see my friends everyday. I need to remember to calm down and stop stressing over the small things.
(March 12th, 2024)
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