(Not Really Fandom Ideas But)

College Life 101

Alrighty folks, here are some nifty tips on how I survived (and could have better survived) college: 

As soon as you have your schedule, email your professors. Everyone. Especially if you have questions about the course, if you’re going to miss, etc. also make sure you do it from your school email, many professors will not check an email if it isn’t from a school address. 

On move in day, bring a door stop.  moving in is so much easier when you don’t need someone to hold the door for everything. 

Shoe racks and command strips/hooks will be your best friend. Use the racks for misc. things like utensils, seasonings, Keurig mixes, hot chocolate, etc. 

Bring a whiteboard/corkboard. Write down your classes and anything you need to get done for those classes and make sure that you keep it updated. On the cork side post up papers with important numbers, a map of campus, and other things you get. 

SIGN UP FOR ACTIVITIES (ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE ON A SMALL CAMPUS) otherwise you’re not going to have a fun experience. Even if it’s just something you THINK you may have a slight interest in, try it! 

Go to one or two sporting events, just for the hell of it

Put important dates in your phone calendar or even a planner. Somewhere you will be reminded of them. Times and dates are critical. 

Eat. and eat well. 

Use chegg, upper classmen, or other resources for textbooks before you buy them. Campus bookstores are astronomically expensive and it can be a lot cheaper going somewhere else. I use Chegg and they also send you free tide pods, coffee samples, etc. 

Bring medicine that you’ve used in the last two years, even if you haven’t used it in a while just to be safe. 

If you’re gonna do laundry on the weekends Friday and Saturday nights OR Sunday mornings are prime time. Be prepared for staying up late or getting up early to do laundry 

PUT. A TIMER. ON. YOUR. LAUNDRY. Seriously, when you have to share a laundry room there is nothing more annoying than someone who won’t move their laundry out for other people. 

On a related note DO NOT THROW OTHER PEOPLE’S LAUNDRY ON THE FLOOR. Fold it up, leave it on the dryers or w/e with a little note. Don’t be an asshole. 

Keep extra pads and tampons around everywhere you go. Help yourself and/or ya menstruating friends out. 

Bring a phone/laptop charger with you throughout the day. I know I personally have some long breaks between my classes where I do homework and w/e

Use Google docs for your assignments, or other programs that back up your work to the cloud. My laptop broke halfway through the semester and the only thing that saved me was Google Docs because my school uses gmail

Download Groupme. Right now. Do it. It’s a great way to create group chats, keep them in one place, and keep them backed up somewhere, you’re gonna have some for group projects, your dorm, any programs, etc. 

Bring a three hole punch, scissors, glue, tape, notecards, and binders. Also get pocketed folders for any important research papers you may need to turn in. 

ALSO DRY ERASE MARKERS ARE A LIFE SAVER. bring them around for studying in empty classrooms it’s v helpful

COLOR CODE YOUR BINDERS/NOTE BOOKS/STICKY NOTES. Your binder for one class and all its accessories should be one colors. Color organize your notes. (If you’re colorblind, use patterns or something simple for you.) 

Try typing up your notes after classes, save them to your laptop and whatever online thing you use. Sometimes you’ll need your notes and you either won’t have your notebook, laptop, or both and it can be very important to keep your notes accessible. 

Make use of tutoring services or other students/friends that are good in your classes. C’s get degrees and if people can help you understand it better then WOO

Try not to miss too many classes, but if you do make sure you contact your professors about it (or someone in that class.) 

Sleep is v important, but can also be too good so set alarms at least a half hour before your classes to get ready and go. 

Take deep breaths. Make friends. Take no shit, do no harm. 

((These are based off of my personal experiences, feel free to add on if you think of something))

Can you rec some of your favorite books?

sure thing!!

middle grade

percy jackson and the olympians by rick riordan

a monsters call by patrick ness

matilda/ the witches by roald dahl 

young adult 

penryn and the end of days by susan ee

the darkest minds by alexandra bracken 

the infernal devices by cassandra clare 

the rest of us just live here by patrick ness

before i fall by lauren oliver 

six of crows by leigh bardugo

shatter me by tahereh mafi

the wrath and the dawn by renee ahdieh

the naturals by jennifer lynn barnes 

and i darken by kiersten white

all our yesterdays by cristin terrill

we are the ants by shaun david hutchinson

at the edge of the universe by shaun david (currently reading this)

new adult 

addicted series by krista and becca ritchie 

aerial ethereal by krista and becca ritchie 

touch by natalia jaster

managed by kristen callihan

cyclone series by courtney milan

beginner’s guide: love and other chemical reactions by six de los reyes

adult

the hating game by sally thorne

vicious by v.e. schwab 

classic lit

to kill a mockingbird by harper lee

the great gatsby by f. scott fitzgerald

frankenstein by mary shelley 

night by elie wiesel

Discreet yet baroque: I love the mixed mood of this capture by @studio.sheridansart showcasing wearable art by Pioro Blue… . . . #beautifulbizarremagazine #fineartphotography #photography #wearableart #headdress #laurasheridan #pioroblue

wuthering heights is so fucked up. there isnt a single character thats likeable yet the book still slaps..... at least in jane eyre jane is likeable even if annoying sometimes. but cathy??? i mean both cathys. they are annoying as hell all through the book. heathcliff is sexy but for all the wrong reasons and i kinda hate him

have you ever watched your peers win the scholarships you've also applied to (and get rejected in) and feel just... really worthless? especially if you put in a lot of effort. Sometimes it's discouraging to think there's always someone out there that's much smarter than you. You don't have to reply, I just felt like venting haha.

Good evening, anonymous! Thanks for the ask!

I’ve been in similar situations many times, and it’s Not A Great Feeling.  Although you asked about scholarship applications, I hope you don’t mind if I talk about application rejections more generally.

First off, some of my more recent rejection experiences include…

During my first wave of graduate school applications, I was rejected unanimously. It was extremely discouraging. (Contrast this with my second wave of graduate school applications a year later, wherein I was unanimously accepted and received several amazing financial offers.)

Because my subfield is financially-limited, there’s a lot of people applying for a very finite pool of money. Of course, my research group needs funding if it’s going to keep doing science, meaning rejection is an expected part of the process.

I’ve been rejected many times over by certain research-relevant summer schools that my colleagues have attended.

And so, with these experiences in mind, I’d like to provide some…

~Advice For When Your Application Gets Rejected~

Rejection in general can be extremely painful, disappointing, and discouraging. Then add the pressure of that rejection impacting your future? Cue heartbreak.

Here are several facts that help me maintain my spirits through repeated rejections. For instance, when it comes to the persons who evaluate applications, I keep in mind that…

They survey a TON of people. As a result, they end up with a larger number of qualified applicants than they have available spots. Being rejected doesn’t mean you weren’t qualified. I know plenty of hyper-qualified individuals who get rejected simply because of the luck of the draw.

They observe only a FRACTION of you. Applications are necessarily finite, so reviewers don’t get to evaluate the whole of you. Rejection of your application is not a rejection of you. You are so so SO much more than an application.

Furthermore,

An application rejected by certain reviewers might be accepted by others, and vice-versa. Consequently, if you get a rejection and someone else gets an acceptance that does NOT mean they’re better than you. An application can’t enable judgments of that complexity.

You are growing and changing every day: the pieces of you that go into an application can be improved upon or reworked for future applications. Rejection can inform you what areas you might try to focus on in the future. 

Finally, my most IMPORTANT piece of advice is to keep in mind that…

~even the strongest applicant will receive rejections~

There’s an element of luck whenever you apply for anything. That’s the nature of these systems and it’s not your fault.

Remember:

Success isn’t a matter of always succeeding, but persevering until you do.

Best wishes, my anonymous friend.

I learned in a Latin Studies class (with a chill white dude professor) that when the Europeans first saw Aztec cities they were stunned by the grid. The Aztecs had city planning and that there was no rational lay out to European cities at the time. No organization.

All the light we can not see

There ain't no fucking fandom. There ain't no fucking fanfics. There ain't no fucking fanarts. All the normal people are just like "cool book right?" And I am just crying in the emo corner waiting for happy fanfics.

Not related to the issue of legislation, but this write up is done poorly (if I'm reading it correctly) the data was taken from a survey of a total of n=1,036 respondents, and the data related to who answered they actually moved states can be seen below. As we can see these numbers are actually very very small. I don't think you can "blow up" that data to then reflect the larger population. The headline gives an extremely large number, which is an extrapolation of data from a relatively small pool of the estimated hundreds of thousands, as the respondents (as can be seen below) who valued that choice aren't even the size of an average college class. I'd need to run more statistical analysis for how bad the skew is in moving from this sample size, but it's quite problematic at least in my research experience. The main issue comes when we break down the raw numbers, with it being only a few respondents who have actually verified indeed they have moved, while the title of the article implies we have reports indicating hundreds of thousands.

I think it is always helpful to make sure we frame headlines in ways that are truthful, a much better claim would be to see this is the number that "may have fled/will flee", as the original wording makes it sound like they actually tracked that count which doesn't seem to be the case.

Approximately 130,000 - 260,000 Americans have been forced to flee their homes because of legislation criminalizing trans existence.

open.substack.com

US Internal Refugee Crisis: 130-260k Trans People Have Already Fled

A growing refugee crisis is occurring in the United States, and it is getting very little coverage. I highlight the growing migration crisis

That’s 8% of transgender Americans. An additional 43% of transgender Americans are seriously considering moving due to laws criminalizing our existence and healthcare.

“So many people are completely helpless to get out, even with all the bumps and roadblocks, the fact is I'm still one of the lucky ones.” Said Sheena, a trans woman who fled from from Florida.

“it's evident that the United States is in the throes of a swelling crisis of internally displaced political refugees. Over a million people, themselves contemplating relocation in the coming months, remain in a state of apprehensive vigilance, awaiting the potential signal that they too must bid farewell to their homes.”

Via Erin Reed, a professional policy tracker of transgender legislation. June 13, 2023.

hey you guys remember the d gray man

I’ve been struggling with it since day one and even now I don’t think it is perfect, but with some help, it got better and better every time. Here are a few links with tips that definitely helped me out!

7 French Pronunciation tips to avoid sounding like a tourist 

How to sound more like a native french speaker

How to pronounce R in French

How to pronounce “EN, EM, AN & AM” sounds in French 

How to pronounce “AI & EI” sound in French

How to pronounce “Œ” sound in French

How to pronounce “EU” sound in French

How to pronounce “EAU” sound in French

How to pronounce “GN” sound in French

How to pronounce “AIN” sound in French

How to pronounce “OIN” sound in French

How to pronounce “OI” sound in French 

How to pronounce “ON” sound in French

How to pronounce “OU” sound in French

How to pronounce “TH” in French 

How to pronounce the “CH” sound in French

How to pronounce PSY, PSO & PSEU in French

Vowel Sounds in French

Phonétique : les nasales

Phonétique + Phonétique opposition + Phonétique visuelle + Syllabes

French Pronunciation Awareness: 8 Major Points You Should Learn ASAP

200 MINUTES TO MASTER FRENCH PRONUNCIATION

5 COMMON FRENCH PRONUNCIATION MISTAKES

How to Improve Your French Accent: 6 Practical Tips 

French Mistakes to Avoid - French Pronunciation

10 TRICKS TO TALK LIKE A NATIVE FRENCH

Introduction to Perfect French Pronunciation 

4 Great tips for easy french pronunciation 

Pronounce French brands like a pro

French pronunciation - The accents

What NOT to pronounce in French 

How to Pronounce the French “R”

Lesser seen french tips

French Podcasts 

Also, if you want a fun way to do it, I recommend listening to music and singing along.

Maître Gims - Est-ce que tu m'aimes ?

Sindy - Sans rancune ft. La Fouine

Frozen - Let It Go (French version)

Lara Fabian - Je Suis Malade

Black M - Je suis chez moi

Kendji Girac - Andalouse

Simon Morin - Elle veut

Indila - Dernière Danse

Lara Fabian - Je t'aime

Black M - Sur ma route

Stromae - Formidable

Simon Morin - Reste

Stromae - Papaoutai

Sindy - Aïe Aïe Aïe

Maître Gims - Bella

Willy William - Ego 

Stromae - carmen

Alma - Requiem

Zaz - Je Veux

Zaz - On ira