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Hi! Any tips for exams? I'm really close to a major set of exams and idk where to begin

Hello, Love! Ah, exams. One of the most stressful times for a student. There’s so much work, and each teacher/professor acts as if their class is your only one. So how do you prioritize and get through exam season? Here are some of my best tips!

Organization

First, what do you have to get done? Often times we have more than one exam, homework, work, etc. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, so plan out exactly what you have going on. You can do it on a calendar, website, or if you prefer a paper planner that’s fine! Write down the due date for every upcoming assignment (say in the next 2 weeks), the dates and times of your finals, and any important information.

Adding notes about the type of exam and requirements can help. Is it an open note exam? Is it early in the morning? Are you taking it online or on paper? How long do you have to take it? Knowing all of this ahead of time helps with planning. If the exam is early you set alarms and plan to go to sleep early the night before. If it’s open note you can focus on having comprehensive notes, if it’s not then try memorization.

Studying

Now that you know what you’re studying for, what needs to be studied? For each class, I like to make a list of every topic on the exam. Then I go through and highlight the topics in three colors. Green if I am confident in my knowledge of the subject. Yellow if I need a bit of refreshing. Red if I do not understand the topic or need to spend significant time on it.

Now get all of the information you need. Download or highlight any readings you’ve been given and make a list of the page numbers you need to read for each class. I split the list up by what seems related closely or by order of place in the text.

How you study really depends on who you are! Some people can sit down and read 200 pages, absorb it all, and have a great time. Others can barely stand to get through ten and feel like they haven’t learned a thing. If you don’t know your style, try to explore. Here are some types of studying that might work.

Note-taking! Even if the exam isn’t open note, writing or typing out information can really help with memory. Whether it’s word for word or writing out the concept in your own way it helps you really grasp the texts. Don’t be a perfectionist in your notes, just get them down. You can even doodle or draw the concepts! This is best for reading/writing learners.

Verbalizing! Maybe you need to hear it and speak it. You can listen to your texts as audiobooks, use apps like Speechify, or even read out loud to yourself. If you have the option, ask a friend or loved one to read the text to you. This is best for auditory learners.

Videos and movies! Some people are more visual. There are tons of online resources where you can watch lectures and see slides on the topic you’re studying. Youtube alone is a treasure trove of professors and academics who have put super-specific knowledge out there for free. Watch and try to take notes in a more visual way, drawing, graphics, color coding, etc. This is best for visual learners

Kinesthetic learners can often take parts of these other methods and combine them into something new. Walk or exercise while listening to your lectures. Do flashcards and slap the cards down like uno. Dance while you watch a video. Use pens you enjoy that lets you enjoy the physical experience of note-taking.

Physical and Mental Health

Exam season is super stressful. You can get really overwhelmed and busy, but don’t let it become an excuse for self-destruction. Pulling an all-nighter is not advantageous!

Hold to your routines as much as you can. Plan when you are going to get food, shower times, anything you need to. Brushing your teeth is still important even during exams.

Make sure everything is easily accessible. I like to get easy foods I can grab during exams, lay out my outfit the day before an exam, pack my bag the night before.

Get plenty of sleep. You need to be well-rested to learn and retain information. Set a bedtime, and plan to be done with everything before it. Start wrapping up an hour beforehand.

Try techniques like Pomodoro that have built-in break times, that way you know it’s not endless drudgery and you get time to rest between masses of text. If you’re like me and you hyperfocus, it’s ok to work through your break to maintain focus but take a break as soon as possible.

Don’t be afraid to ask professors for help, extensions, advice, etc. They really do want to help you, and everyone needs help sometimes. I’m a straight-A student, and people assume it means I don’t struggle. What it really means is when I struggle I get help ASAP so it doesn’t mess up my grade.

Your health is always more important than a grade. If you are getting exhausted and hurt, focus on yourself first. In five years this grade won’t matter. Worst case scenario you have to take the class again. It’s ok.

App Recommendations

Tide - Focus, Sleep, Relax, Breathe. You can set times to study with various soundscapes. It’s easy, free and helps you track your time.

Stoic. - Mood tracker, journaling, mental health, and meditation. Really relaxing. Lots of free features and great for checking in with yourself.

Egenda -  Simple class and homework tracker. Put in each class and add homeworl with due dates for each one.

Spanish Dict. - Super useful spanish dictionary, education, and translating app.

Alarmy - Great alarm clock app! Helps you wake up by requiring you to complete simple (or difficult) tasks or the alarm will go off again. Great for the constantly tired.

Notion - Basically does everything. Great of tracking, journaling, calendar, and even fun daily tracking things. 

Rememnber! You are smart, you are capable, you can do this. Good luck!

-Evan

(P.S. - I have a studyblr over @solar-scholar!)

HUXIAO BESTIES !!!

i hadn’t seen it done before so i had to

Recently I’ve been questioning my sexuality. I’ve identified as bisexual for going on six years, and it always felt right to me. But I’m more romantically attracted to women than I am sexually attracted to them, and I’m worried that maybe I’ve just been projecting bisexuality on myself because of a need to feel different or something. My boyfriend says he has never thought that I’m *actually* bisexual, and apparently he thought I was exaggerating all this time. I kinda feel a little insulted by this, to be honest. I know I’ve had crushes on women. I don’t think I am straight, because of that. But I also don’t want to be one of those people who are like “oh yea I’m bi but I really only like men” because that’s kind of bi-erasure, and I do like women. Just, not sexually, I guess. But I also never really was sexually attracted to anyone before I started dating my boyfriend. I had a year where I thought I was asexual. I could never imagine kissing anyone before it actually happened. So maybe I just can’t imagine being with a woman sexually because I’ve never done it.

Everything is just so confusing these days

this is 100% their dynamic 

original meme template: x

TWINK NATION RISE

affection
based on @petitprincess1 post

Pyro buddies !!