Fall '23 Study Challenge

i am not very good at this but i'm trying my best and that's all that matters

wed. 1.11.23 - what is your favorite weather to study in?

my favorite weather is easily either a super stormy night or a colder, windy day that's still sunny. i love having my window open in the winter and being able to feel the wind.

tues. 1.17.23 - how many books do you want to read this semester? this year?

my goal for this year is i think 20? i want to hit around that point, and i'm gonna try for 5 during the semester. i think that will allow for an achievable goal, while still focusing on my school work.

wed. 1.18.23 - what is your favorite place to eat on campus?

the market in between towers or the den. i get a popcorn chicken sub with pepperjack and mayo, honey mustard (the best condiment imo), lettuce, onion, and pickle. and then i go to the den and get an oreo milkshake made with strawberry ice cream. best combo. just off of campus is a really good pho place that i like though.

thurs. 1.19.23 - what is your favorite habit you’ve picked up since being in college?

easily going to the gym. i've been having so much fun creating workouts and i've been able to see myself getting stronger and its such a nice feeling.

sotd: magic - b.o.b and rivers cuomo

currently reading: devil may care - samantha rue and angel lawson

off to a rough start

okay so this challenge completely slipped my mind yesterday and so i'm starting it today and i'm just going to do day one and two today.

mon. 1.9.23 - what do you hope to accomplish by doing this challenge?

i mostly hope to keep myself accountable for working on things and creating content. i also have a lot of things this semester, so i want something i can do daily to wind down and reflect on my day.

tues. 1.10.23 - what is your major and what classes are you taking this semester?

so i am majoring in media production with a radio/television production and management emphasis and minoring in communication studies, marketing, and esports management. i will also maybe pick up another major, but i am not sure what that will be yet (either multimedia journalism or something related).

i'm taking 16 credit hours this semester, which didn't feel like a lot when i signed up for the classes but now that i've made it through the syllabus days i think its so much. i am also working on our esports broadcasts (likely 3 days a week, but i'm not 100% sure yet), directing our news show, and hosting a 3 hour dj show in the morning as a requirement for one of my classes.

so i am taking:

media design

intro to audio production

media toolkit

esports business management

english 101p

anyway i am hopeful for this challenge and maybe i'll see some other people doing it!

the book i'm reading right now is love on the brain - ali hazelwood

today's song of the day is nobody move, nobody get hurt - we are scientists

today was an upper body workout day! i pushed myself a bit too hard all at once and felt a little sick afterwards.

Hello, lovelies! I’ve gotten a couple of asks about studying so I decided to condense them into one post for you guys! I’m trying to hit a bunch of different topics so if you need an even more specific post you can send an ask! Without any further ado, have some tips! My studyblr is @spacey-scholar​

Prep

First, you always need a good base for your day! Especially if you’re studying a lot.

Make a good full breakfast! Ex. Eggs and Toast, Smoothie and fruit, Pancakes and a cup of juice. 

How’s your hygiene? Do you need to shower, brush your teeth, wash your face, condition your hair? Do it! You’ll be distracted if you feel messy!

Get dressed like it’s a normal day. Staying in PJ’s is okay! But being ready for the day seriously helps focus!

Likewise, your space should be clean. A clean space is a clean mind! Remove dishes, trash, scrap paper, and extra items. Wide down your desk, organize your pens and books. Your space should feel like your space!

Now make a list of what you need to get done! What needs to be done Now, what needs to be done Soon, and what needs to be done Later? 

Order your list how you want your day to go, and don’t put super-tough subjects back to back, or subjects that are similar exercises i.e. reading thirty pages of two different books back to back is no fun.

The Studying

It’s important to buckle down with No Distractions! If you find yourself distracted put your phone away! If you need your phone, put it on Do Not Disturb until you’re done. I also do this at night for better sleep. 

Pick the best technique for you, Pomodoro, reward-based, group studying, etc.

Play music but only if it will not distract you! If you sing along or daydream it’s the wrong music! Classical, Lo-fi, and White noise are all good! My Spotify Here has some good ones.

Use a nice journal (I don’t mean expensive!) and pens/pencils you enjoy using. I like to have a specific journal and color dedicated to each subject. 

Take notes on recorded lectures and classes, if you’re doing online classes right now try to screen record or record the audio! That way if you space out you can play it later and take notes, and you can absorb the lesson better instead of being distracted.

Don’t worry about your notes, stationary, pictures, being beautiful and your grades being perfect. Life doesn’t always look the way it does on Instagram. And the people who spend hours trying to get a good photo of their coffee are not studying! 

Use flashcards! Quizlet is good if you need premade ones! If you can save up and buy them, Barrons AP Flash Cards are the best in my opinion. Very clean, not too long, very durable, and cover all subjects.

Feeling Distracted 

If you catch yourself drifting off and getting into your head, get up and take a quick walk, stretch, or energizer. 

It’s okay if this happens, don’t guilt yourself! practice affirmation. The best and smartest still get distracted. 

If you are drifting, why? Are you hungry? Tired? Thirsty? Bored? Get a snack and some water, take a break and rest, find a way to make your studying more enjoyable. 

Remember that Motivation and Discipline are different things. Sometimes we just won’t be motivated, we won’t want to do it and it will be rather frustrating. But the cure to this is not shaming its discipline. Remind yourself “This may be hard, and I may not want to do this, but I want to reach my goals and If this is what It takes I will make it happen. 

Always do just one more page of you’re tired. One at a time and oh you did it! Maybe just one more? One more? Eh, one more just to finish the train of thought, Oh just- I’m done? Nice!

If you really can’t focus just move on and come back to this subject, you can always ask for help.

Supplementary Things

There are so many apps you can use to study, for free! My favorites are Tide, Quizlet, Focus Keeper, Forest, Flora, Egenda, SpanishDict, Photomath, and Kahn Academy. 

You can also join a study group! You may know one, but if you don’t, there are a lot of online ones! I’m in a study Discord and have been for a while! it helps a lot and motivates me to finish my work!

You can make a studyblr, but don’t do it just for the aesthetics! It’s about studying, and sometimes that gets messy! Sometimes we fail a test, we spill our tea on our notes, we cry because we don’t understand the formula. That’s the part you don’t see!

Having cute stationery can really help, as well as nice organizers and decorations for your space! I don’t have much money so I get a lot of stuff on Amazon or FB Marketplace.

Health

Remember that no matter what you are good enough. It’s okay if you fail, it’s okay if you struggle.

It’s also okay if your path doesn’t go the way you expected! Maybe you go to a different school than expected! Or choose a trade instead! Maybe you take a gap year! Maybe your passion changes! Maybe it changes six times!

Your health is always more important than your school. If you are in pain, mentally or physically, if you are anxious, exhausted, burnt out, talk to your teachers about it! You matter more than a grade.

Your best is good enough! And your best doesn’t look the same as someone else’s best! Don’t compare!

Now go get out there and study!

okay so i'm going to try this for the first time. i made this so that i have one prompt for every day i'm in classes. i intend to stick with it, but i'll do my best. you also don't need to do this in the spring, there's nothing actually tying it to spring.

aim

i'm really just making this for me (and anyone else who'd like to do it) to kind of take a break at the end of the day.

i also really want to get into creating content, so i am hoping this is a way to kind of ease into it.

rules

if you do the challenge, use the tag #spring sem study challenge so i can see your posts.

this challenge will run from january to april for me

that being said, i wrote prompts for each day that i have classes for the spring semester. there's 60 prompts total, with a check point on day 30. that way if you want a shorter challenge you can have one.

i don't expect everyone to be able to post every day, so you can post catch-ups or answer in batches. i will be trying my best to post daily, but will likely end up needing to do catch-ups.

also i'll be adding a song of the day as well as what book i'm currently reading. i might include my workout for the day but who knows.

if you have any questions, feel free to send me an ask!

prompts

day one: what do you hope to accomplish by doing this challenge?

day two: what is your major and what classes are you taking this semester?

day three: what is your favorite weather to study in?

day four: how many books do you want to read this semester? this year?

day five: what is your favorite place to eat on campus?

day six: what is your favorite habit you’ve picked up since being in college?

day seven: share a youtube channel or podcast that inspires you

day eight: what are somethings you’d like to save up to purchase?

day nine: what made you take these classes this semester?

day ten: what is your favorite thing to drink and snack on while studying?

day eleven: how was your day?

day twelve: what is your dream coffee table book?

day thirteen: are there any other languages you’d like to learn?

day fourteen: what are you reading now?

day fifteen: what interesting fact have you learned recently?

day sixteen: what was your favorite subject as a kid?

day seventeen: share a random fact about yourself

day eighteen: where do you see yourself in 5 years?

day nineteen: what is your best feature?

day twenty: what makes your major beautiful / interesting?

day twenty-one: what class are you focusing on most today?

day twenty-two: what color do you associate with your major?

day twenty-three: if you could, what is something you’d tell your younger self?

day twenty-four: what is the last book you read?

day twenty-five: when you’ve had a long / bad day, what makes you feel better?

day twenty-six: what is something you plan on learning to do?

day twenty-seven: what’s a movie related to your major that you enjoy?

day twenty-eight: do you have any study methods you prefer?

day twenty-nine: what is your favorite genre to read? and why?

day thirty: you’re halfway through so its time for a check-in! are you moving towards your goals set on day one?

day thirty-one: if you were to change your major, what would you change it to and why?

day thirty-two: what is your favorite song within your study playlist? what is it in general?

day thirty-three: what made you pick your major(s) and minor(s)?

day thirty-four: what is your favorite book? who is your favorite author?

day thirty-five: where would you like your major to take you?

day thirty-six: do you have any hobbies or special talents?

day thirty-seven: what are some things you like about your university?

day thirty-eight: what is a book you expected to love but ended up hating?

day thirty-nine: what are some things on your todo list that you checked off today?

day forty: which do you prefer: digital devices and online platforms or notebooks and books? and why?

day forty-one: what media related to your major do you recommend?

day forty-two: share five books from your wishlist

day forty-three: do you have a “wow that’s so cool” moment from your major?

day forty-four: what is your favorite pen or pencil?

day forty-five: what is your favorite thing about your major?

day forty-six: what article or video have you seen recently that fascinated you?

day forty-seven: where and when do you get most of your work done?

day forty-eight: what is your favorite topic within your classes?

day forty-nine: what do you find difficult within your classes?

day fifty: share a picture of your day

day fifty-one: if you were to describe your classes in one word, what would that word be?

day fifty-two: what does your nighttime routine like?

day fifty-three: what is one of your favorite memories about your time in college?

do you like video games? what's a game you've wanted to play for a while? what's the last game you've played?

day fifty-five: when you hang out with friends, what do you usually prefer to do?

day fifty-six: what's your favorite stationery that you own?

day fifty-seven: what's your daily, weekly and monthly planning method? How detailed are you with it?

day fifty-eight: what does your morning routine look like?

day fifty-nine: rank your courses from this semester

day sixty: reflect on the challenge / semester

Want to learn something new in 2022??

Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)

40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)

Excellent basic crochet video series

Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)

Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)

How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)

Another drawing character faces video

Literally my favorite art pose hack

Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??

Introduction to flying small aircrafts

French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding

Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)

Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)

Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)

Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:

Calculus 1 (full semester class)

Learn basic statistics (free textbook)

Introduction to college physics (free textbook)

Introduction to accounting (free textbook)

Learn a language:

Ancient Greek

Latin

Spanish

German

Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)

French

Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)

long time no see

hey y'all so i may have completely let go of this challenge. now that i'm getting ready to head back to school for my sophomore year i really want to try again with some new prompts. i'm going to once again only do it for days i have class (so mon-thurs) and i may add in some extras to do.

anyway i'll see how well this works out, i still have about a week until i go back so maybe i'll post something between now and then. see y'all soon

fall '23 challenge day one

day 1: what classes are you taking this semester and which are you most excited for?

I am taking 18 credits this semester split up between six classes. on mondays and wednesdays I only have one class which is digital imaging which is basically just photography. I am also helping out with the tv news class this semester.

on tuesdays and thursdays I have reporting and news writing as well as intro to video production. also I have a once a week class on tuesdays which is called journalism in film that's two and a half hours.

along with my in-person classes I am taking two asynchronous classes which are nutrition and intro to sociology. I am horrible with online classes so let's hope that I do okay in these this semester.

on top of all these I am in a sorority where I am the membership and recruitment director, I am a writer for my school's newspaper, I am a secretary for another club, and I'm trying to gauge interest for another one.

I am definitely excited for journalism in film we'll basically just be watching a bunch of movies together. I am also very excited for nutrition as it has been something I have always been interested in. Intro to video production is another one that I'm really looking forward to, because I love working with video and we get to produce variety shows at the end of it. the last one I'm excited for is sociology because I think I am going to love my professor. I think this just goes to show that I am really excited for this semester.

currently reading: hygge unlock the danish art of coziness and happiness - barbara hayden

currently playing: alrighty aphrodite - peachpit

Heyo it’s back to school time and here’s a research tip from your friendly neighborhood academic librarian.When searching for any topic on the internet just type in the word ‘libguide’ after your topic and tada like magic there will be several  beautifully curated lists of books, journals, articles, or other resources dealing with your subject. Librarians create these guides to help with folks’ informational needs, so please go find one and make a librarian happy today!!