Stu Dna Challenge - Blog Posts

January Study Challenge

day 27 - study in groups or study alone?

study alone for sure! i just can’t.... concentrate when around other ppl. it takes a lot of mental energy to just be there, so like i can’t really learn.

January Study Challenge

day 26 - what’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make?

umm one that i am still trying to make! i’m trying to decide between doing a nursing program or going for valedictorian. i would have to put practically ALL my time into either one, and i just don’t know which one to pick :( as for past decisions, i would say having to pick between continuing orchestra or doing ap biology as a freshman (which is rare at my school). i chose ap bio but my heart still breaks every time i hear a violin/viola 🥺 (also OMG i’m listening to music rn, and the second i typed that, a cello started playing 👀)

p.s. that was the sunset yesterday!

January Study Challenge

day 25 - what’s your go-to study method? are there cases in which you wouldn’t use it?

my go-to study method is flashcards! i use it for prettyyy much everything, but definitely not math. for math, i watch videos on khanacademy as refreshers, and do their practice problems. for anatomy and geography, i play games i find online. so i def don’t use them for everything, but flashcards are extremely useful to me!

January Study Challenge

day 24 - what’s on your desk? do you function best in a tidy or messy space?

here are very realistic photos of my desk ! i didn’t edit them or anything and i didn’t clean my desk after doing hw so ! um i would say it’s a good combo of tidy and messy. i have lots of things out, but i don’t have loads of trash or papers soooo yeah :)

January Study Challenge

day 23 - if you could travel anywhere, regardless of money or other limitations, where would you go? what would you do?

i would travel all across Europe and just see everything i could 🥺 i desperately want to visit Europe, particularly the UK, France, Spain, and Greece.

January Study Challenge

day 22 - do you use color-coding? explain your system!

yes!! i have a very elaborate system :) red is for circling notes that go together. yellow is for definitions. green is for numbers/formulas/dates/equations. teal is for highlighting subtitles. light blue is for people/names. darker blue is for sub-subtitles 😂 purple is for important things. pink is for examples. red PEN is for the most important things. and lastly, purple pen is for parts of the body (i rly only use that for anatomy lol). this may seem like a lot of work, but it’s really not, and it genuinely helps me find stuff within my (usually) very detailed notes. :)

p.s. sry for the super dark picture, i have trash lighting in my room

January Study Challenge

day 21 - can you play any instruments? how long have you been playing?

i play the viola! i’m not in my school’s orchestra anymore, but i’ve been playing for like 5 years now!

p.s. i skipped days like 18-20 i think? i forgot 😬

p.p.s. i got mildliners recently ! i love them so much already

day 17 - what does home mean to you?

i’m not really sure. i feel at home when traveling. when i start to get comfortable in whatever place i’m visiting - that’s home to me :)

January Study Challenge

day 16 - what’s in your bag / backpack?

here is a complete list of everything in my backpack lmao:

two mechanical pencils

a wooden pencil

tissues

tampons

hand sanitizer

hand lotion

a general folder for all my classes

whatever novel i’m reading atm

two pencil sharpeners

my student id & schedule

a pencil bag w/pens, highlighters, & led

a pencil bag w/colored pencils, markers, & glue

chapstick

a pad & liners

lens cleaner

a portable game

a granola bar

cold medicine & ibuprofen

my airpods & extra earbuds

braces wax

cough drops

my house key

a scientific calculator

my epi pens & inhaler (yes i have allergies and asthma 🤦🏻‍♀️😔)

and a large pack of gum

i am deeply sorry for that very comprehensive list, but i had fun with it 😂

January Study Challenge

day 15 - did you make any / have you kept up with your new years resolutions?

decently! at the beginning of this, i said i wanted to drink more water, eat intuitively, and stop procrastinating. i’ve actually been doing pretty well! i drink more than one water bottle a day, and i’ve been completing everything the day it’s assigned. buuuut i have been having problems with food. i have a horrible relationship with food and don’t know how to change that :/ at least i’ve been eating more fruits and vegetables 🍊

p. s. i took these pics at meow wolf in santa fe!

January Study Challenge

day 14 - show us how you keep cosy in the cold months!

my bed 🥰 alsoooo hot showers/baths and warm pajamas

day 13 - how do you deal with stress?

um not well lol. but fr i journal, once a week in a physical journal, and everyday in one on my phone. i stress-eat 😬 i take naps and give myself motivational speeches. still not very good at dealing with stress tho. also that’s ^ the sunrise this morning :)

day 12 - do you listen to music when studying? show us your top 3 study songs or favorite study playlist!

i really only listen to tame impala while studying, idk why but their music is the perfect combination of upbeat and chill ?? that makes no sense, but they’re really good to work to

January Study Challenge

day 11 - winter aesthetic

took these pics on my trip to denver 🥰

January Study Challenge

day 10 - do you/can you study at home? how do you keep yourself focused?

yes i only study at home actually 🤷🏻‍♀️ um i usually put my phone somewhere where it’s not visible, and have some water near me. also if i’m feeling really unmotivated, i make myself study for 20 mins, then give myself a 5 min break to do whatever i want :)

January Study Challenge

day 9 - how do you keep yourself awake when studying?

i study in lots of different ways, like playing games, using flashcards, and watching videos. that variety helps keep me from getting sleepy. also, having a snack and some cold water around is nice. if i’m not hungry, i opt for some gum!

January Study Challenge ft. the sunrise

day 8 - opinion on snow??

i LOVE snow 🥺 i live in the desert so i don’t get to see much, but i’m v excited to move north so i can :)

January Study Challenge

day 7 - after you’ve finished using your notes, like after the exam, what do you do with them?

um if they’re good notes, or i think they’ll be useful in the future, i keep them! if i want to keep a lot of notes from that class, then i’ll just keep the entire binder/notebook i was using. if i just need like one sheet from that class, i’ll put it in the folder i have for that grade level.

January Study Challenge

day 6 - are you an early bird or a night owl?

this is a difficult question, because i have to get up at 5:40 am for school but like,, i’m miserable. during breaks, i go to sleep at like 1 am and wake up at 10 🤙🏻 soooo at my core i’m a night owl

January Study Challenge

forgot to do day 4 so i’m just gonna skip it 😬

day 5 - why did you choose your major, or if you’re still in the process of choosing (or if you haven’t even started), what’s your thought process in choosing one?

i’m still in hs, so i definitely have not chosen a major yet! but i’ve thought about it plenty. i want to become a surgeon (or at least some kind of physician) so i’m going to have to go to med school. i’ve read that you can really major in anything as an undergrad to go to med school, but i feel as if biology would prepare me best, so that’s what i’m gonna major in! preferably human biology or something similar.

i’m definitely going to minor in comparative literature or english though! i adore fiction :)

January Study Challenge

day 3 - do you tend to make new year’s resolutions? how well has that gone for you in the past?

mmm yes i usually make some, but they’re very loose? if that makes sense. for example, this year is just to drink more water, and try to eat when i’m actually hungry (instead of when i’m bored or sad, etc.). the thing is, throughout the year, i get random bursts of motivation and begin to make resolutions, soooo the new year isn’t that different from a random burst of motivation 🤷🏻‍♀️ anyway, i don’t tend to stick to my resolutions, but i have faith about this year!

January Study Challenge

day 1 - what did you achieve last year? what are you setting out to achieve this month? this year?

last year, i took my first AP test! it was biology and i did well, with lots of studying, of course. i also took the PSAT for the first time, and did very well with minimal studying 😬 i was invited to the NSLC, and am currently top of my class. this definitely sounds braggy, and i apologize for that, but frankly, it was a rough year so i’m proud of myself for achieving all of that :)

this month, i am going to begin studying for the AP Chemistry and AP Psychology exams. i’m also going to begin my very first college class!

i’m hoping, in this new year (and decade), to end my horrible procrastination habits. i will be taking the PSAT twice more this year, with actual studying this time ! hopefully i’ll be able to attend the NSLC this summer and i’ll do my best on my 3 AP exams in May.