what did you write your college essays about?
all sorts of things!
common app: prompt about background/identity/interest/talent - a book my mom bought me in third grade called why do men have nipples? and how that initiated my lifelong curiosity and questioning of the things in this world and how i use poetry to answer those questions
stanford: extracurricular - feminism club (i used this essay for any college asking about an extracurricular)
stanford: intellectual vitality - my obsession with japanese pens and how it reflects my experimental/sciencey mind that i use in research
stanford: roommate - i basically kindly asked that my roommate make room for my muse, because she takes up a lot of space, and then i just talked about my muse/writing process
stanford: what matters to you and why - memes and how one particular tumblr meme reflects the importance of languages/communication
brown: why the major you chose - languages/growing up learning languages and psychology/research and its implications
brown: why brown - open curriculum, comp lit department not so eurocentric
brown: where have you lived - suburbia is boring but also grateful for good support system
brown: community - school lit mag
columbia: why columbia - columbia shp and psychology, comp lit department
columbia: why the major you chose - creative writing and psychology
cornell: why cornell - passion for languages, comp lit department, psychology, personality attachment and control lab, cornell traditions
dartmouth: When you meet someone for the first time, what do you want them to know about you, but generally don’t tell them? - this one is kinda hard to explain bc of its format but basically i wrote about creative writing, psychology, and social activism
harvard: your choice - being biracial, feeling excluded from both cultural communities, and the process of learning that i am not half of each, i am both
princeton: the prompt about culture - biracial (same as harv essay)
uchicago: how are apples and oranges supposed to be compared? - i basically just bashed wallace stevens for being pretentious, then wrote a parody of his poem “study of two pears” titled “study of not two pears, but of one apple and one orange,” then analyzed the “meaning” behind my parody poem, and continued to bash wallace stevens during the “analysis” lol
uchicago: why uchicago - i wrote about how when i visited uchicago over the summer with a friend, instead of listening to our tour guide, we spent the majority of the time running away from bees. then i wrote about how despite the bees, uchicago’s numerous redeeming qualities far outweigh the prospect of living in a beehive for the next four years. and i like talked about the comp lit department, traditions like scav, kuvia, and the latke/hamantash debate, and concluded that uchicago is hella weird and nothing like what it seems on the surface. i actually had sooo much fun with this essay hahhaha
uchicago: favorite things - i wrote about how my favorite food is ice cream and how everyone i’ve told this to always claims that ice cream is not a food and so this was a defense of “my beloved ice cream”
penn: why penn - comp lit department, kelly writers house, penn traditions
yale: why yale - ok this essay is really really bad and basically i thought i was being ~bold~ and ~gutsy~ but honestly in hindsight it just came off really rude and i don’t blame yale at all for rejecting me LOL (i took up 70 out of the 100 words talking about how the best part about yale was the singing in its music video “that’s why i chose yale,” and then i said i was kidding, and then i wrote one sentence about a literature class and a psych lab specific to yale lol rip)
yale: your choice - biracial (same as prince and harv)
macaulay honors college: of which activity do you derive the most joy - my obsession with writing and the brain and research
macaulay honors college: overcoming an obstacle - biracial essay (same as prince and yale and harv)
mit: cultural background and identity - biracial essay
mit: hobby - tumblr
mit: which program - writing department
mit: betterment of community - feminism club extracurricular essay
mit: world you come from - suburbia and how it’s boring and how at mit i will experience a new, innovative environment that’s entirely different and whatnot
mit: significant challenge - learning to love myself
i think that about covers all of my essays lol lmk if you want me to post any of them :)
i wrote half an essay in 20mins today when it’s not even due for another 4 weeks, reblog this to have a productivity lightning bolt strike you like it did me today
Know what you want to achieve soon and in the future. This helps you know where to go and stay motivated.
Do the most important things first to save time and energy.
Have a daily plan that includes work, rest, exercise, and learning.
Make big tasks smaller so they're not scary, and you can see progress.
Use methods like the Pomodoro Technique (working for a while, then resting) or blocking time to get more done.
Notice when you're avoiding work and make yourself start.
Control yourself from getting distracted or doing things just for fun.
Say no politely when you can't do more things without getting stressed.
Stay healthy by eating well, exercising, and sleeping enough.
Keep learning by reading, taking classes, or trying new things.
Check how you're doing with your goals and change plans if needed.
Tell a friend or mentor your goals so they can help you stay on track.
Keep your spaces tidy to help you focus better.
Learning discipline takes time, and it's okay if things don't go perfectly.
Think good thoughts about yourself instead of bad ones.
Imagine doing well to get motivated.
Mistakes are chances to learn, not reasons to give up.
Be happy about even small successes to stay positive.
Listen to advice from others to get better.
Be ready to change your plans but keep your main goals.
Try mindfulness to concentrate, be calm, and know yourself better.
Write about your progress and plans in a journal.
Turn off things like social media when you work or study.
Think about things you're thankful for to stay happy.
Do quick tasks right away instead of waiting.
Spend time with people who help you and make you want to be better.
Let others do tasks that you don't need to do, so you can focus.
Get better at handling problems without giving up.
Picture doing well to stay motivated.
Drink water to think clearly and stay healthy.
Have a special place to work or study to help you focus.
Wait for bigger rewards instead of quick ones.
Keep things simple, both around you and in your mind, so you can concentrate.
Listen to advice without feeling bad about yourself.
Use apps and tools to manage your tasks and time.
Reading helps you learn and think better.
Decide what's good enough for you and stick to it.
Believe you can get smarter and better with practice.
Do creative things to stay imaginative and interested.
Listen carefully to others to be better at talking and understanding.
im a power couple with myself. i love us. we work hard
I wish everyone would wake up and realize that your idealized self is simply your current self but with drive. The person you want to be is you if you put in the work! Like, life is ultimately up to us and we can change ourselves whenever we want! Make plans to do better for yourself, speak it into fruition, and work for it.
hi everyone- here’s the full spread for this past week !! i’ve been busy working on the app and it will be available on the app store testflight soon 🥳🥳
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mood
me:*does no homework* me: minimalism
If I get at least one thing done in a day I’m a genius if I get two things done I’m a god
● Seize time opportunities. If I have 15 minutes until your next class, I sit down and do homework in the hallway. If I have a long commute, I’ll do flashcards. This works because you most likely won’t have anything else to do anyways, so it’s easier to get your work done.
● Start something. When I get a lab report assignment, the first thing I do is pull up the directions and at least start the cover page and pull up some research links. It takes 5 minutes but it gets the ball rolling and makes it more likely that you’ll finish what you started.
● Auto-mode. When I procrastinating, it’s usually because I’m too busy thinking about what I’m going to do. Instead, I like to pretend I’m in “auto-mode” and just get started as fast as I can. auto-mode means shutting out distracting thoughts or pleas to watch one more funny cat video and forcing your hands to open your textbook. Works every time.
● Personally, creating time schedules don’t work for me because if I fall out of time, the whole schedule falls apart and I usually give up. Instead I use time games. I’ll tell myself something like “work as hard as you can until 11:00 sharp and if you finish, you can have a break”. This is great for developing self discipline because it’s in the moment so you can be more realistic and flexible.
● I don’t like writing down earlier due dates in my planner because it’s confusing so instead, it’s good to have some sort of mental rule. for example, my mental rule is to finish everything at least two days before the due date. following through with that will keep you on track.
● Do a little bit every day. If you have a big project, chip at it within a week rather than stressing out 2 days before it’s due. the same goes for studying for an exam. if you review lecture notes and attend office hours after class + work on flashcards throughout the week, then do a final review at the end, you’ll be well prepared and won’t need to cram. It’s a good habit and you won’t get stressed. Two birds with one stone.
● Use mornings too. I’m not really an early bird, but using mornings to get some work / chores done is great because it gives you a productive start to the day, which makes you feel proud of yourself for knocking out half of your tasks in the a.m.
a. Lay out your lecture notes / worksheets on the table the night before and open your work tabs on your computer so they’ll be the first thing you see when you turn on your computer.
b. Put your computer far away from your work space and go to sleep.
c. When you wake up, the first thing that you’ll see is your ‘paper’ work, so get it done first. then start on your ‘screen’ work (you’ll be less likely to get distracted if you do your ‘paper’ work first). when you open your laptop the first thing you’ll see are the work tabs you opened the night before. Your job is to go on auto-mode and get started.
Good luck with self-discipline. You’ll do great. -thoughtscholar
I did it y'all
Finished the first 3 pages in a little over 45 minutes, then kept at it and finished all 6 pages of notes that I needed to catch up on.
We’re doing les phrases hypothétique, which I forgot about from high school and actually love, they feel like a math problem.
I still have a psych module to do tonight, but I’m proud of how productive I’ve been so far today.