swirlspill-study
a study blog for collected references, advice, and inspiration
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Latest Posts by swirlspill-study
A Note on “Weeder Courses”
Is your first year gen-ed (general education) course really hard for absolutely no reason? Or perhaps it’s an early course in your major that’s required for the rest of the degree. Maybe the homework is really hard to get through or the exams are just brutal. You might be in a “weeder course.”
Generally weeder courses are introductory level; the STEM field gen-eds are notorious for this. The thought process from an administrative level is to make these courses very difficult and challenging to vet out students who can’t hack it. They do it with the intro level courses to serve as a warning for students who might want to major in something, but aren’t ready for how rigorous the degree actually is.
Now I have my own thoughts on that mindset but what I want to stress that these courses are designed to be difficult. You’re not making it up in your mind; they are designed to feel like hell.
Personal anecdote: I got my undergrad degree in literal rocket science from a “name” university. In my first year I failed physics I, the very course that is the basis for the rest of your physics education. I nearly failed it again the second time I took it, passing by the skin of my teeth. Despite the material being more difficult, I found my calculus 4 course easier than my calculus 1 course.
And that was because, as I found out from an upperclassman years later, those intro courses were designed as weeder courses. They taught the material yes, but their primary function was to act as a buffer to students who the administration see as lacking the discipline to follow through on a major in that field.
My advice? If it is a field or major you love, do not let your performance in these classes stop you.
I cannot stress this enough: if you love the field and the major and the subject, don’t let terribly designed classes stop you. I worked as a peer advisor my senior year and I had these brilliant first and second year students come up to me and tell me that they were struggling in an intro level course, wondering if they should drop out of a major they genuinely loved because they felt like they weren’t smart enough. Every single one of them was smart enough.
You are smart enough. You can and will get through it.
Some advice of a more practical nature under the cut:
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hello it’s me, your grad school fairy godmother, just dropping off a
grad school application spreadsheet
so you can stay organized & track your progress more easily. a gentle reminder because the Season is upon us: i have a rad school tag & a big list of previously-answered asks here. please check both before sending me an ask about the application process :-)
tips for organizing quals notes/general studying tips...I'm taking them at the end of the Spring semester eep!
i sure do have some! context: i’m an english lit phd, at an R1 institution, & my quals involved
3 reading lists (for major, minor, & research fields) totaling about 300 items
a written portfolio (3 sample syllabi, a publishable article, dissertation prospectus)
& a 3-hour oral exam (30-min presentation, 2.5 hours of questions from reading list & portfolio) conducted by a 5-person faculty committee (3 direct advisors, one for each field, & 2 additional examiners).
i took mine 6 months early, so i only had about 6 months to prep instead of the usual 10 months to a year.
>> advice on reading for your quals, under the cut.
Keep reading
Hey guys, so I’m nearing the end of my senior year, and it’s been great so far! I accomplished my academic tasks efficiently and didn’t burn myself out, and I think the main contributor to my success as a student is my organization system. This system has been refined throughout my high school years, but I think now I’ve finally found the most effective methods.
Please remember that this isn’t the only organization system you can adopt; this is just the one that works the best for me, and I hope that by sharing it with you, you’ll gain a new perspective on how to stay organized as a high school student.
The first thing I wanna talk about is my notebook system, which I briefly mentioned in my Guide to Note-Taking.
My notebook system comprises three types of notebooks: the Everything Notebook, the subject notebook, and the revision notebook.
The Everything Notebook
The first stage is in-class notes. I only bring one notebook to school every day. I call it my Everything Notebook, and this is where I write down all of the notes I take in class. This way, I don’t have to lug around six notebooks where I’m only going to use a few pages in each of them that day.
Subject Notebooks
At the end of the day, I would revise my notes and compare them to the syllabus so I know where we are in the learning process. I would then transfer my class notes from my Everything Notebook to my different subject notebooks. This is stage two. I also start to jazz up my notes because I use the notes in my subject notebooks to study for tests.
In addition to my class notes, I include material from my teachers’ notes that they might not have elaborated on, as well as points in the syllabus (I’m currently taking A2) that were only glazed over briefly, or not at all, in some cases. (Note: this does not mean they completely skip a chapter or topic; it’s more like they missed a few bullet points that should be in my notes but aren’t. An example would be if we’re learning about phenol reactions and the teacher forgot to mention the use of FeCl3 as a test for phenol.)
Revision Notebooks
Stage three comes a little later, when exam week is just around the corner. Essentially, I rewrite and improve my notes from my five different subject notebooks into a single revision notebook or binder. (Recently, I’ve opted for a revision notebook because they’re lighter and easier to carry around.)
Because my teachers don’t always teach in the order of the syllabus, the first thing I do is organize my notes according to the syllabus. I would then fill in any other missing gaps in the material that hadn’t been filled in stage two.
When compiling material for my revision notebook, I use as many sources as possible: my own notes, my teachers’ notes, youtube videos, online sites, and my favorite, the mark scheme! I add in some answers from past papers (explanations only, so no calculations) mainly to secure marks. It’s safer to memorize definitions straight from the mark scheme than from the textbook or from handouts. I also do this to ease my memorization, especially for topics that require lengthy explanations. It’s a lot easier to remember the 6 points I need to explain the principles of NMRI than to remember everything in the four-page handout my teacher gave me.
Folders and binders are essential to organizing your papers. Some people keep a single accordion folder for all their papers, but for me it’s just too heavy to carry around all the time. The same goes for subject folders that are brought to school every day.
Instead, my binder/folder system comprises my Everything Folder and my subject binders.
The Everything Folder
The folder I carry with me to school every day is this A4 folder I got from Tokyu Hands. It has 5 pockets, one for each day of the week, so all the papers I receive on Monday will go behind the first divider, and so on.
Some people also keep blank papers in their folders; I don’t because my school has its own lined paper and graphing pads that I keep under my desk that I use if a teacher asks us to do an assignment on those papers. If I do work at home, I prefer to just use a plain A4 paper or a legal pad.
Subject Binders
At the end of the week, I’ll sort my papers into my subject binders. Sometimes I’ll keep some papers in the folder if I think I’ll be needing it the next week. This usually only applies to worksheets because all my teachers’ notes are available on Google Classroom, so I can access them even if I don’t physically have them.
Each of these binders have sections inside them:
Physics: 1 for handouts, notes, and tests, 1 for Paper 4 (Theory), 1 for Paper 5 (Practical Planning). I included extra tabs to mark the different topics in the handouts section.
Chemistry: same as Physics.
Economics: 1 for Paper 3 (MCQ), 1 for Paper 4 (Case Study and Essay). A lot of my Economics material is online, though.
English: 1 for Paper 3 (Text and Discourse analysis), and 2 for Paper 4 (Language Topics, which includes 1 for Child Language Acquisition, 1 for World Englishes). Past papers, handouts, and notes all go under their respective topics.
Mathematics: I just keep everything together because I never revise math and just constantly do past papers.
This makes it easier for me to revise each subject because I can just take one binder with me instead of a messy folder with everything just shoved in there.
I keep a magazine file for each of my A-Level subjects (English and Mathematics are combined). All my textbooks, revision guides, and subject notebooks are kept here, so if I need to revise one subject, that’s the magazine file I’ll take out.
These magazine files prevent any small things (like my book of flashcards) from being shoved to the back of my bookshelf, or materials from different subjects from getting mixed up.
In my senior year, I mostly plan using this app called Edo Agenda. It syncs across all my devices for free and has all the features I need: a to do list to organize tasks, monthly and weekly calendars to organize events, a journal to organize notes and memos.
I used to bullet journal regularly, but it takes too much time during weekdays, so now I just bullet journal for the therapeutic effects it gives me, and I use an app for organizing tasks and events. Sometimes at the end of each week, I’ll transfer my tasks to my bullet journal and then decorate the page, but again, this is just for its therapy.
Organizing your school supplies is just as important as organizing your papers and notes. With a more organized backpack and pencil case, you won’t waste time looking for your things at the bottom of an abyss.
Pencil Case
I don’t find it necessary to bring so much stationery to school unless I plan on making notes at school (usually during revision week).
Backpack
Because we’re already in the revision term, I don’t really carry a lot of things in my everyday backpack, just the following:
Pencil case
Everything Notebook
Everything Folder
Revision notebook
Kindle
Phone
Wallet
Earphones
Calculator
Speaker
Drinking bottle
A pouch with things like a hairbrush, pads, and lip balm
And that’s all for now! I hope this post will help you organize your school life (if you haven’t already) or at least provide some useful insights on some ways to stay organized as a high school student.
GOOD STUDYING VS BAD STUDYING
GOOD STUDYING
Use recall. When you look at a passage and try to study it, look away and recall the main ideas. Try recalling concepts when you are walking to class or in a different room from where you originally learned it. An ability to recall—to generate the ideas from inside yourself—is one of the key indicators of good learning.
Test yourself. On everything. All the time. Flashcards are your best friend. Use quizlet if you don’t want to hand-make flashcards. Get somebody to test you on your notes.
Space your repetition. Spread out your learning in any subject a little every day, just like an athlete. Don’t sit and study one subject for 2 hours, do half an hour every day.
Take breaks. It is common to be unable to solve problems or figure out concepts in math or science the first time you encounter them. This is why a little study every day is much better than a lot of studying all at once. When you get frustrated, take a break so that another part of your mind can take over and work in the background. You need breaks in order for your brain to retain the information. Try the Pomodoro method if you have trouble timing breaks!
Use simple analogies. Whenever you are struggling with a concept, think to yourself, How can I explain this so that a ten-year-old could understand it? Using an analogy really helps. Say it out loud, like you’re teaching it, whether it’s to an imaginary class or your sister who couldn’t care less. The additional effort of teaching out loud allows you to more deeply encode.
Focus. Turn off your phone / iPad / any distractions and clear your desk of everything you do not need. Use apps like Forest if you can’t stay off them!
Do the hardest thing earliest in the day, when you’re wide awake and less likely to push it aside.
BAD STUDYING
Avoid these techniques—they can waste your time even while they fool you into thinking you’re learning!
Passive rereading—sitting passively and running your eyes back over a page. This is a waste of time, frankly, and doesn’t do anything to help information pass into your brain without recall.
Over-highlighting. Colouring a passage of text in highlighter isn’t helpful at all. It’s good for flagging up key points to trigger concepts and information, but make sure what you highlight goes in.
Waiting until the last minute to study. DON’T CRAM!!!
Doing what you know. This isn’t studying! This is like learning how to juggle but only throwing one ball.
Neglecting the textbook. Would you dive into a pool before you knew how to swim? The textbook is your swimming instructor—it guides you toward the answers.
Not asking your teachers for help. They are used to lost students coming in for guidance—it’s their job to help you.
Not getting enough sleep. Your brain practices and repeats whatever you put in mind before you go to sleep, as well as retaining information and repairing itself. Prolonged fatigue allows toxins to build up in the brain that disrupts the neural connections you need to think quickly and well.
tips for graduate grants, awards, & fellowships
hello! usual disclaimer applies: i’m a phd student, not an expert. i work in an english department with a medical humanities project, so this advice may not apply to STEM folks, undergraduates, or to all fellowships or grants. use your own common sense & discretion. beneath the cut:
finding the money
keeping track of the money
actually applying for the money, feat. the world’s longest treatise on project proposals
soliciting (& receiving) letters of rec
Keep reading
Anti-Indigenous things to quit saying/doing:
- Stop saying “off the reservation”. It’s a reference to the pass system that was in place restricting Native people from leaving without permission.
- Stop making “1/16th”, “great-great grandmother”, etc. jokes. All of these reference blood quantum, a system designed to “breed out the Natives”. Indigeneity isn’t defined by a percentage, fraction, etc. Quit policing Indigenous identities and quit joking about genocidal tactics.
- Stop calling things your “spirit animal”. You don’t have one. Only Indigenous people from specific nations have spirit animals.
- Stop making dreamcatchers. They are sacred Anishinaabe culture and are not cute trinkets, crafts, etc. Buy them from Anishinaabe artists.
- Stop buying those little cloth “teepees” for your kids/pets/whatever. Also stuff with tipi prints
- Quit referring to your “tribe”. Enough with the “bride tribe” nonsense and all the rest. Stop trivializing tribal affiliations.
- Don’t wear “war paint”. Don’t put a feather in your hair. Don’t dress up as Native people or characters.
- Stop referring to your meetings/side discussions/parties as a “pow wow”.
- Stop supporting sports teams that use racist terms and logos and caricatures of Indigenous people.
- Stop using white sage. It is sacred and overharvested. There are lots of types of sage you can use instead.
- Stop “smudging”. Smoke cleansing exists in many forms in many cultures, use that. Non-Natives can’t smudge.
- Stop tokenizing your Native friends, classmates, in-laws, half siblings, etc.
Please add more!
What I think is really interesting about the papyrus account of the workers building the tomb of Rameses III going on strike to demand better wages is really fascinating to me because if you look at the description given by the royal scribe you see that there was an attempt to satisfy the workers by bringing a large amount of food at once but that was rebuffed by the workers who declared that it wasn’t just that they were hungry at the moment but had serious charges to bring that “something bad had been done in this place of Pharoah” (is poor wages and mistreatment). They understood themselves as having long term economic interests as a -class- and organized together knowing that by doing so they could put forward their demands collectively. It so strongly flies in the face of narratives that are like “in this Time and Place people were happy to be serve because they believed in the God-King and maybe you get some intellectual outliers but certainly no common person questioned that”. If historical sources might paint that sorta picture of cultural homogeneity it is because those sources sought not to describe something true but invent a myth for the stability of a regime.
behavioural and emotional patterns of living in abuse:
you spend most of your time shut in your room
you’re scared of footsteps approaching your door
you prefer not to come out unless there’s nobody home
when they come back you run to your room/safe place
you’re nervous and anxious if you have to spend time in presence of others
you try to get away from your home, you wish you could live somewhere else
your self-confidence is very low
you worry about making too much noise (have a feeling you’ll get yellet at or abused for it)
you try to move around as silently as possible and try to not be noticed by anyone
you feel uncomfortable and uneasy sitting at the same table as rest of family/housemates
you don’t feel like you belong here
you feel like a burden to your housemates
you don’t feel like you’re worth having around or supporting in any way
you don’t feel like anyone will ever love you or believe in you
you don’t feel like anything you do is good enough
you can’t stand someone watching you do things like cleaning or anything else you need to get done
you try really hard to still find good points about your life and cling to them
you strongly worry that you are somehow worse than anyone else
you feel like you’re behind on everyone and that you’re failing to live your life properly
you don’t feel like anything would have changed if you died, or even that it would be better if you did
if you’re experiencing most of this, you’re going through abuse. Your value isn’t in any way less than other humans, and you are absolutely not any kind of burden. You are human who is forced to live in a way humans aren’t meant to live. You are in living conditions that disable you from feeling happy, fulfilled, or even seeing yourself as a human being. You are suffering. What is being done to you is not okay. You deserve better than this.
Ariel did not simply ‘give [her] voice up for a man.’
Since childhood, Ariel has been among my favorite Disney princesses. I connect with her deeply – and whenever someone (like Keira Knightley recently) brings up the old line that she is a ‘bad role model’ for young girls because she ‘gives up her voice for a man,’ my heart breaks.
That reading of Ariel’s character is reductive and inaccurate.
Everyone always mentions that Ariel was interested in the human world before meeting Eric, but not as many people point out how radical that makes her in the context of her own society.
Ariel lives in a society that is xenophobic towards humans, Triton at various points calls them “barbarians,” “savage,” and “incapable of any real feeling.” She lives in a society that constantly tells her that her interest in the human world is wrong and bad, something she struggles with at the start of Part of Your World:
By seeking a fuller understanding of the human world, Ariel actively challenges her father’s xenophobia, thinking for herself instead of accepting her society’s fears and prejudices.
The film goes out of its way to establish Ariel as an outsider within her own society. Think for a moment about the opening lines of Part of Your World:
Look at this stuff. Isn’t it neat? Wouldn’t you think my collection’s complete? Wouldn’t you think I’m the girl The girl who has everything? Look at this trove, Treasures untold How many wonders can one cavern hold? Lookin’ around here you’d think Sure, she’s got everything…
People who criticize Ariel so often mis-characterize her as simply a spoiled teenager. The very statement, “She gave up her voice for a man!” implies she’s a foolish girl who throws her life and agency away in a fit of pique.
Yet, the opening of Part of Your World anticipates that certain members of the audience will have a superficial understanding of Ariel’s pain and directly addresses that. On a superficial level, Ariel does seem like “the girl who has everything.” She is the daughter of the most important merman in Atlantica, she has countless treasures hidden away in her grotto…
But that’s the thing, you see. They’re hidden in her grotto. Ariel may be the daughter of the sea-king, but the sea-king hates and fears humanity. Part of Your World is the most heartbreaking rebuttal to anyone who sees Ariel as a shallow teenager because it shows how alone she truly is. Except for Flounder, she has no one under the sea she can genuinely confide in. (She confides in Sebastian, of course, but he was sent by her father to spy on her and he does betray her trust – by mistake, but he does). Her sisters and the rest of Atlantica presumably do not question the prejudices that cause the human world to be forbidden to the sea folk.
Ariel is an outcast, forced to hide who she is from the people who should love her unconditionally.
The more Part of Your World goes on, the more devastating and resonant Ariel’s collection of artifacts becomes.
These artifacts represent a void in her life and, at the same time, are the only means she has of filling that void.
She longs to have knowledge, but her society imposes ignorance on her. She longs to see the human world herself, to ask questions and finally be answered – but it is all denied her. The imposed ignorance forces her to live vicariously through the artifacts she collects.
She cannot see a couple dancing, so she must content herself with a music box.
She can only experience the shadow of fire on oil and canvas.
Her collection perpetually reminds her that there is a world beyond her reach. At the same time, it is her central way of interacting with that world. Yes, she can go up to to the surface and talk to Scuttle, but her collection is something so much more personal. These are items she saved from the ruins of ships, sometimes at the risk of her own life… so she could study them, learn from them, and lament the unjust rules of her society that prevent her from learning more…
Her courage, her curiosity, her thirst for knowledge are all bound up in these precious possessions.
And yes, they are objects. Yes, she wants more than a collection of objects. But this collection is all she has. And, as far as Ariel knows, it is all she will ever have…
When you’re all but alone in the world and you have only meager scraps to cling to, those scraps mean the world to you.
And, I remind you, Ariel cannot even openly enjoy her collection of scraps, the shadows of a world she cannot touch. She has to hide even them, guard them, keep them secret.
Ariel’s grotto is a place of solace and security where she can be herself without fear of judgment.
There is a reason the destruction of Ariel’s grotto harrowed me more as a child than any other scene in a Disney film. I could hardly watch it. I hid my face. I begged my family to skip scene. I was reduced to a sobbing mess. On a personal level, it harrowed me more than the destruction of Cinderella’s dress.
That reason is because, in watching the scene, I felt the pain of a place of refuge being invaded.
By the time we reach the destruction of the grotto, we are as emotionally invested in Ariel’s collection as she is because we see that the objects are more than objects. They are extensions of herself, encapsulating all her feelings of hope and hopelessness.
Destroying those items is like annihilating a part of her soul.
That is why I hate the “she gave up her voice for a man” line of thought so much. Because it so blatantly disregards the context of the film. Because it paints Ariel as a shallow teenager. Because it places blame for what follows solely on Ariel’s shoulders and absolves Triton of any wrongdoing.
I want to tread carefully here because, like Ariel, Triton is a nuanced and complex character. He has good intentions and cares about his youngest daughter.
Yet, even a well-intentioned individual can be in the wrong. Even an individual who is right about certain things (Ariel is indeed impetuous and reckless at times – though I hope my analysis reminds readers that those are not her sole character traits), can be wrong about other things.
And Triton’s confrontation with Ariel highlights his failings and his faults.
Look at Ariel’s face when she first sees her father in the grotto:
The enhancement of expression in animation allows the audience to clearly see the fear in her face.
Triton has created an environment where his own daughter is afraid of him.
No parent should do that to their child.
Confronting Ariel, Triton says, “I consider myself a reasonable merman. I set certain rules and I expect those rules to be obeyed.”
On one level, Triton is right to expect his children to respect the rules he sets in place.
What I feel Triton misses, however, is that respect is not the same as intimidation.
Since Triton wants Ariel to accept his rules based solely on his authority as her father, he makes it impossible for there to be any communication between himself and his daughter.
This dynamic means that he will not listen to Ariel even when Ariel is in the right and he is not. Children should listen to their parents, but in the same way, parents should listen to their children.
Triton may be in the right to worry about his daughter’s safety, but his fear is still born of bigotry – bigotry that Ariel recognizes and rejects.
Triton, after all, grows angry at his daughter because she wouldn’t let another living being die. He specifically calls her out because she “rescued a human from drowning.” When Ariel counters that allowing someone helpless to miserably drown is cruel, he shuts her down with:
When Ariel points out the illogical nature of her father’s brutal line of thought and says, “You don’t even know him!”, Triton responds:
Even if a viewer is largely sympathetic to Triton, that viewer cannot ignore Triton’s prejudice in this moment.
He generalizes millions of people.
And if the rules he sets down include the tacit understanding, “Let innocents die because, by virtue of their humanity, their lives have no value,” then maybe those rules deserve to be broken. Maybe those rules need to be changed.
Ariel may be a teenager, but she is wiser than her father here.
(Also, can I say that Ariel’s body language here breaks my heart every time I see it? She’s swimming away from her father, recoiling…
…until she’s cowering behind Eric’s statue. She looks like she’s about to cry as her father pours forth more vitriol…
…and after she bursts out with the exclamation, “Daddy, I love him!”, she’s terrified that she’s said it.)
Triton believes that he alone is in the right and destroys the grotto because he feels it is “the only way” to “get through to” his daughter. He believes he must be cruel only to be kind.
Yet, in the end…
…he only succeeds…
…in being cruel.
Triton’s unwillingness to listen to his daughter – his unwillingness to treat her with the same respect he demands of her – only widens the gulf between them.
Ariel does not go to the sea-witch because she has been mooning over a man.
Ariel goes to the sea-witch because she has no voice in her own home. Becoming human, she gains the ability to live life on her own terms. Becoming human, she ironically gains the voice she has been denied for so long.
Ariel goes to the sea-witch because her father sends a message to her – a message that she does not matter, that there is no place for someone like her in Atlantica.
Triton may never have meant to send that message, but send it, he did… and he should be held accountable for that.
Indeed, the film does hold him accountable for that.
After destroying the grotto, Triton realizes he has done a horrible thing.
Look into his eyes after Ariel falls to weeping:
Look at the regret in his eyes. Look at the remorse. He knows he has gone too far. He never meant to hurt his daughter like this.
And when Ariel vanishes from Atlantica, Triton takes responsibility for his actions. What does he say when his daughter cannot be found? Does he say, “What folly has my daughter gotten herself into now?”
No. He says:
Simply saying that Ariel ‘gave up [her] voice for a man’ ignores the painful complexity of the situation in which she finds herself. It ignores the depth of her motivation. It ignores Triton’s culpability. It ignores her best character traits and only highlights her flaws (and yes, she has flaws, for she is a multifaceted, well-written character.)
But Ariel’s rejection of prejudice, her ability to see beauty in a group that nearly everyone around her demonizes, her courage and determination and love, are all venerable traits…
…and Ariel’s courage, determination, and love are what inspire Triton to open his heart and change.
Some people say that The Little Mermaid is more Triton’s story than Ariel’s. I disagree and feel that assessment unfairly dismisses Ariel’s emotional journey. Triton has a compelling arc in the film – but that arc is only set in motion because of Ariel’s agency.
He learns from his daughter’s example.
He grows because of her.
Why don’t we talk more about Ariel, the young woman who always challenged her father’s prejudice? Why don’t we talk more about Ariel, who actively spoke out about the flaws she saw in her society? Why don’t we talk more about Ariel, whose actions helped change that society for the better? Why don’t we talk more about Ariel, who formed a bridge between two worlds and enacted positive change?
Why don’t we talk more about that Ariel?
I know Ariel can be impulsive, but she is sixteen years old, and her impulsiveness only makes her character realistic. She makes mistakes but, like her father, she owns up to those mistakes and learns from them:
There are critics of Ariel’s character who want to make the story of The Little Mermaid black and white. Because Triton recognizes Ariel’s impulsiveness, they ignore Triton’s faults and trivialize Ariel.
Yet, the story the film presents is not so black and white. Ariel and Triton are not so one-dimensional.
They both learn from each other and grow together.
This embrace is so meaningful because, by the end of the film, Triton finally shows Ariel the same respect he asks of her and in so doing, he earns her respect.
Ariel, meanwhile, recognizes her own mistakes and gains a new appreciation for her father.
The Little Mermaid is a beautiful film and Ariel is a brave, inspiring, complex heroine.
So I was back in Mandarin class and the teacher let us know that in ancient times sometimes they wouldn’t even give their girl children names. Their attitude was why bother getting attached to her when she’s just going to grow up and belong to someone else? She doesn’t need her own identity because she is the property of her future husband. If they needed to refer to a woman they would say that’s Wang’s wife. In the same way you would say oh, that’s Wang’s car or Wang’s house. Let’s remember that we give names to dogs, horses, ships and buildings but some human women don’t deserve such recognition. She also touched on sex-selective abortion for a bit and it was all in all a pretty sad discussion today.
I was really moved but it felt like everyone else didn’t care or thought that stuff doesn’t matter because it doesn’t happen anymore. And yet even now women’s identities are being erased when they get married. Their personal history and family ties are untraceable because they are “adopted” into their husbands family. It’s disgusting and I hate that its so nomalized and I hate that even women’s names are not our own. We might as well never have been given names in the first place.
50 Things to ask on Residency Interviews
HARK. Interview season is upon us!
And my old littles gave me the great idea to come up with a big ol’ list of questions the interviewing 4th year can use to find the answers they need about certain program OR give ideas that a 4th year may not have thought of at all.
I hope this helps anyone who has been dreading the “any questions for us?” moment. It’s not everything you can ask, it may not even highlight your program priorities, but hopefully you can get something out of it!
Is there any standard curriculum which the residents follow?
When do residents have to take step 3 by?
Is there any expectation to take step 3 before residency starts?
How are morning reports/grand rounds/resident lectures held?
Does the program support simulators and simulated learning?
Does the program have a sim center?
Is the in-training exam used by the program in any way?
When do the residents take the in-training exam at this program?
What is the percentage of specialty board pass rates?
What is the fellowship match rate/job placement rate?
What are you expected responsibilities on the floor?
What kind of call do you do as an intern vs as a senior?
What are you looking for a in a resident?
What do you value in a team?
How often are you working with seniors vs other interns vs attendings?
What fellowship programs does this program offer?
What are the responsibilities of the fellows toward residents, if any?
How are mentors approached?
How does continuity clinic run through the program?
How many electives are offered per year?
What specialties does the hospital not have?
Which specialties are done at an outside hospital/system if any?
What are some hallmarks that make this program different from others?
How does this program participate in resident wellness?
Are their any resources if a resident feels they need help?
Is there support when there is a loss during patient care?
Does the hospital have any associated medical schools?
What are the 3rd and 4th year med student expectations?
What are the resident expectations to the medical students?
How many fourth years are around during audition season?
How is the schedule organized (how many floor, clinic, etc months)?
Are schedules flexible in any way?
If someone needs to miss a day or call, how is that rectified?
How are vacation requested, decided and divided?
Is there a holiday schedule?
How does the program approach QI projects?
What are some standout QI projects from the residents?
What are the research expectations for each year?
What resources does the program provide for research?
Are the residents provided food and drink (stipend/resident lounge supply)?
Are the residents provided scrubs?
Do you get white coat replacements or fleeces/jackets?
What is the expected attire on the floor, clinic, etc?
What is the parking situation?
Are there any stipends for moving, study material, exams or conferences?
What is the average cost of living in that area?
Where do most of the residents live?
Do you need to be in close proximity to the hospital?
How do you think a program of this size facilitates the learning environment?
Do the residents hang out together?
I didn’t describe why someone would ask these so if you’re interested, don’t know what something means, or want elaboration feel free to send an ask.
Go forth! Be strong and confident!
Good luck!
Python as a first language: a roadmap to getting started.
I personally prefer Java as a first language. Put non-technically, it is a lot less convenient, so you get a more realistic idea of how computers work. Nonetheless, Python is an amazing language (with convenience as one of it’s values) so it makes sense as a gentle introduction. It’s also a popular language for data science and machine learning, so it’s great to have experience with.
The 3 ingredients you need to get started:
The Python Language Interpreter: when you write some code in a text file and save it as a .py file, the Python interpreter is what turns that code into commands that your computer can then actually preform. This is necessary.
An Integrated Development Environment (IDE): An IDE is like a helpful text editor for programming. Some basic features include auto-complete, typo and mistake catching, and automatic text coloring to make some parts of your code easier to find. This is optional but highly recommended.
Some learning resources: We’re going to need something about programming basics, problem solving in computer science, using an API, learning how to use google and stackexchange, data types, control structures, and then maybe an object-oriented programming intro, and eventually all the neat advanced features of the python language. Then we need to learn how to use Numpy (for scientific computing), Pandas (for easy data storage), and Tensorflow (machine learning!). Add some handy cheat-sheets for python, numpy, pandas, and Tensorflow, and we’re good to go.
Other posts will adress download, installation, and resources.
A curriculum:
Like I said up above, we need to know how to do the following. Save this and make it a checklist.
Learn to use google to answer questions about installing or using python, any packages, or computer science.
This also includes getting to know how to search Stackexchange, the website for coding questions n’ stuff.
How to install python 3 and get set up
How to install an IDE like Eclipse (with PyDev), IDLE, or Notebook++.
Programming basics: how does python work? What does the language look like? How does tabbing work?
Understand basic logic, including AND, OR, XOR, NOR, NAND, XNOR, Implies, and If…Else statements.
Variables: what are they, how do I set one and change it?
Basic math in Python.
Data types: what kinds of variables can I have? How does my computer store data? How do I use those types of data? What are the key commands and operations I know how to do?
Control structures: if, else, elif, for loops, while loops, break, continue
Methods! What are they, how do I make one, what can I do with it?
The open() command, the all() command, other neat built-in methods
<function name>= lambda <your variables>: <single line method>
Problem solving in computer science: now do fizbuzz.
What’s a package?
Importing packages, installing packages you don’t have with PIP
Using an API: how do I find one and how do I read it?
object-oriented programming in Python: what’s a class, how do I make one, how do I reference and instantiate one, methods, class vars, etc
Error handling: how to do exceptions
All the neat advanced features of the python language: iterators, generators, list comprehensions, enumerate, range, assert, with…as, etc.
Read through the Numpy API (for scientific computing), data types, matrices, stats, methods, etc. A short detour through scikit would be helpful.
Read through Matplotlib.pyplot API, plotting, plotting options, histograms, scatterplots, etc.
Pandas (for easy data storage), data frames, series, built-in operations on columns and rows, loading from a CSV, saving as a csv, apply, etc
Tensorflow (machine learning!) For basic stuff, shoot for knowing how to use the estimator package, which is discussed elsewhere on this blog. Also get to know the nitty gritty, including tensors, layers, tensorboard, etc.
Some reminders about Dr. King before tomorrow:
US government agencies were implicated in the wrongful death lawsuit in a civil trial in 1999 that his family fought for years and which was then buried by the justice department. The full transcripts of the trial and the following press conference are available on the King Center’s website. http://www.thekingcenter.org/assassination-conspiracy-trial
He spoke out against police brutality, capitalism, and war.
He believed that white moderates were and are the greatest threat to civil rights, moreso than any hate group.
He was arrested over 10 times.
He was considered a dangerous radical by the majority of white Americans.
He refused to condemn rioters, because “a riot is the language of the unheard.”
Any white person who voted for Trump who tries to use MLK or his words as a rhtetorical tactic to justify their bigotry and complain about people protesting can personally come to my apartment in the next 24 hours for an ass-kicking.
Hey so, I decided to do another masterpost. This time on exams. Some tips for studying at the very last minute if you are like me, disclaimer: I am not in any way supporting cramming but this is just to help you through if you are left with no choice other than cramming.
Cramming
Cramming tips that actually work by @optomstudies
The night before the exam
What to do the night before an exam by @beautifullearning
The night before your exam by @tiny-personal-university-thing
The night before exam and I didn’t study guide by @renaistudying
The night before test and I haven’t started studying by @getstudyblr
Revision methods
Revision methods that actually work by @alimastudies
The 5 Best Revision Methods by @bstudies
Study tips
More unconventional study tips by @minimaliststudy
A stash of tiny study tips by @justestjarchives
College study tips that actually help by @samsstudygram
Five tips for study marathons by @booksavolonte
General study tips by @plantednotes
More study tips
My study tips by @anatomyandcappuccini
My study tips
Personal study tips
Quickfire study tips by @annabaestudying
Quick study tip by @studyspiratiom-coffee
Rare study tips by @studybllog
Scientifically proven study tips by @swankiegrades
Secret study tips I wish someone would have told me by @fearlessroadtomd
Some rare study tips by @organisedorgana
Top 5 study tips by @studyign
Weird study tip by @artemissstudies
101 study tips by @study-early
Study tips by @howtohighschool
Study tips from someone who has already been there by @haylstudies
Study tips straight from my professor by @just-refuse-to-be-stopped
Study tips that helped me get back on my feet by @sillydaisies
Study tips that aren’t bullshit by @thebitchwhomadeit
Tips for effective study by @kimtented
How I write revision summaries by @athenastudying
Ways to study for exams that are actually productive
10 mistakes when studying by @howtostudyquick
Memorising information
How to memorise information by @monetstudy
How to memorise information faster by @qxzu
Memorization tips by @aescademic
Memorization tips by @determinationandcaffeine
Memorization tips by @studyquill
Exam tips
How to cope with exams by @uk-studying
How to revise for exams by @a-pro-s-studyblr
Studying for exams by @orangeblossomstudies
Tips for doing well on your exams by @aboysstudyblr
Tips for doing well on your exams by @thepeachystudies
Exam tips by @studywithmaggie
Exam guides
Finals: study guide for the brave by @educatier
Pennyfynotes guide to exam season by @pennyfynotes
Quick guide to doing the finals by @inkskinned
Test taking tips
How I revise for exams + tests
How to study for a test by @tbhstudying
My test taking tips by @55studies
Test taking tips
Exam preparation
How to make a stress free exam plan by @marias-studyblr
How to mentally prep yourself for a test by @eruditicn
Procrastination
How to beat procrastination by @eintsein
Types of procrastination and how to deal with them by @emmastudies
Time management
Time management by @academiceve
Time management tips for busy students
Motivation
My motivation tag
Other masterposts by me
Notetaking masterpost
College advice masterpost
Apps for students masterpost
Icon credits to @rhubarbstudies
FREE MEDICAL PDFs
Anatomy:
1–> KLM for Gross Anatomy
2–> Snell’s Anatomy
3–> BD Churassia
4–> RJ Last
5–> Grey’s Anatomy
6–> Langman Embryology
7–> KLM for Embryology
8–> BD For General Anatomy
9–> Dissector
10–> Di Fore Histology
11–> Junqueira’s Histology
12–> Netter Atlas of human Aantomy
Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LYV9KQ3lxY29FY28
Physiology:
1–> Guyton
2–> Ganong
3–> Sheerwood
4–> Sembulingam
Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LdXlCSjdZM214dEE
Biochemistry:
1–> Harper
2–> Lippincott
3–> Chatterjea
4–> Satyanarayan
5–> Stryer
6–> MRS Biochemistry
Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0Ld0o3WnhCR2VEczg
Pathology:
1–> Big Robins
2–> Medium Robins
3–> Pathoma
4–> Goljan
5–> Harsh Mohan Pathology
6–> Atlas of Histopathology
7–> Levinson
8–> MRS microbiology
9–> Microbiology by Jacquelyn G. Black
10–> Color Atlas of Microbiology
11–> Kaplan Pathology
Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LYkRYdjFrTm5MR0U
Pharmacology:
1–> Big Katzung
2–> Mini Katzung
3–> Kaplan Review
4–> Lippincott
5–> Pocket Katzung
6–> Rang and Dale’s Pharmacology
7–> Atlas of Pharmacology
Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LMkE1UUVRZGwtTlU
Forensic Medicine:
1–> Simpson’s Forensics
2–> Krishan’s Forensics
3–> Atlas of Autopsy
4–> Atlas of Forensic Medicine
Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LQXVwOGoyWnFSV2s
Ophthalmology:
1–> Jogi
2–> Jatoi
3–> Parson’s Textbook of Eye
4–> Kanski
5–> AK Khurana
6–> Atlas of ophthalmology
Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LOHc5WVZMdkJjX2M
Otorhinolaryngology:
1–> Dhingra
2–> Logans Turner
3–> Color Atlas of Otorhinolaryngology
4–> Maqbool’s Text Book of ENT
5–> Clinical Methods in ENT by PT Wakode
6–> ENT at a Glance
Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LaDY2a0lFNDlfTGc
Community Medicine:
1–> Monica’s Text Book Community Medicine
2–> Mahajan And Gupta Text Book of Community Medicine
3–> Bancroft’s Text Book of Community Medicine
Folder link–> https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0Lc1RCMml2NjhFNjA
Internal Medicine:
1–> Churchill’s Pocketbook of DD
2–> MTB Step 2 Ck
3–> Davidson Essentials
4–> Davidson Principals and practice
5–> Harrison’s Internal Medicine
6–> Internal Medicine USMLE Nuggets
7–> Internal Medicine on call bt LANGE 8–> Oxfords Specialties
Folder link–>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LeEFJNG5TMlc4eWc
Surgery:
1–> Bailey_love short practice of Surgery
2–> Churchill’s pocketbook of Surgery
3–> Deja Review of surgery
4–> Farquharson’s Textbook of Operative General Surgery
5–> Hamilton Bailey’s Physical Signs
6–> Oxford Handbook of Clinical Surgery
7–> Schwartz’s Principles of Surgery
8–> Macleod’s Clinical Examination
9–> Macleod’s Clinical Diagnosis
Folder link–>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LRFpFSG5hZ1pVWkE
Obstetrics & Gynecology:
1–> Case Discussions in Obstetrics and Gynecology
2–> Deja Review of Obstetrics Gynecology
3–> Obstetrics by Ten Teachers
4–> Gynaecology illustrated
5–> Gynaecology by Ten Teachers
Folder link–>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LMU1LRjFDa1FrbjA
Pediatrics:
1–> Nelson Essentials of Pediatrics
2–> Nelson Complete
3–> Pediatrics Review
Folder link–>https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3WdpdsqpX0LUkdTQkVuNV92Yzg
I hope this helps everyone, it’s not mine. But has been shared to me and I am sharing this with all of you.
How to Study Like a Harvard Student
Taken from Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld, daughter of the Tiger Mother
Preliminary Steps 1. Choose classes that interest you. That way studying doesn’t feel like slave labor. If you don’t want to learn, then I can’t help you. 2. Make some friends. See steps 12, 13, 23, 24. General Principles 3. Study less, but study better. 4. Avoid Autopilot Brain at all costs. 5. Vague is bad. Vague is a waste of your time. 6. Write it down. 7. Suck it up, buckle down, get it done. Plan of Attack Phase I: Class 8. Show up. Everything will make a lot more sense that way, and you will save yourself a lot of time in the long run. 9. Take notes by hand. I don’t know the science behind it, but doing anything by hand is a way of carving it into your memory. Also, if you get bored you will doodle, which is still a thousand times better than ending up on stumbleupon or something. Phase II: Study Time 10. Get out of the library. The sheer fact of being in a library doesn’t fill you with knowledge. Eight hours of Facebooking in the library is still eight hours of Facebooking. Also, people who bring food and blankets to the library and just stay there during finals week start to smell weird. Go home and bathe. You can quiz yourself while you wash your hair. 11. Do a little every day, but don’t let it be your whole day. “This afternoon, I will read a chapter of something and do half a problem set. Then, I will watch an episode of South Park and go to the gym” ALWAYS BEATS “Starting right now, I am going to read as much as I possibly can…oh wow, now it’s midnight, I’m on page five, and my room reeks of ramen and dysfunction.” 12. Give yourself incentive. There’s nothing worse than a gaping abyss of study time. If you know you’re going out in six hours, you’re more likely to get something done. 13. Allow friends to confiscate your phone when they catch you playing Angry Birds. Oh and if you think you need a break, you probably don’t. Phase III: Assignments 14. Stop highlighting. Underlining is supposed to keep you focused, but it’s actually a one-way ticket to Autopilot Brain. You zone out, look down, and suddenly you have five pages of neon green that you don’t remember reading. Write notes in the margins instead. 15. Do all your own work. You get nothing out of copying a problem set. It’s also shady. 16. Read as much as you can. No way around it. Stop trying to cheat with Sparknotes. 17. Be a smart reader, not a robot (lol). Ask yourself: What is the author trying to prove? What is the logical progression of the argument? You can usually answer these questions by reading the introduction and conclusion of every chapter. Then, pick any two examples/anecdotes and commit them to memory (write them down). They will help you reconstruct the author’s argument later on. 18. Don’t read everything, but understand everything that you read. Better to have a deep understanding of a limited amount of material, than to have a vague understanding of an entire course. Once again: Vague is bad. Vague is a waste of your time. 19. Bullet points. For essays, summarizing, everything. Phase IV: Reading Period (Review Week) 20. Once again: do not move into the library. Eat, sleep, and bathe. 21. If you don’t understand it, it will definitely be on the exam. Solution: textbooks; the internet. 22. Do all the practice problems. This one is totally tiger mom. 23. People are often contemptuous of rote learning. Newsflash: even at great intellectual bastions like Harvard, you will be required to memorize formulas, names and dates. To memorize effectively: stop reading your list over and over again. It doesn’t work. Say it out loud, write it down. Remember how you made friends? Have them quiz you, then return the favor. 24. Again with the friends: ask them to listen while you explain a difficult concept to them. This forces you to articulate your understanding. Remember, vague is bad. 25. Go for the big picture. Try to figure out where a specific concept fits into the course as a whole. This will help you tap into Big Themes – every class has Big Themes – which will streamline what you need to know. You can learn a million facts, but until you understand how they fit together, you’re missing the point. Phase V: Exam Day 26. Crush exam. Get A.
random things I do to fool my brain into staying interested during online study
changing my chrome cursor into something cute like a strawberry
changing my chrome theme to a wacky colour
adding stickers onto my laptop
listening to new music in a language I don’t know
or hyped video game music for energy
buying a fidget toy. like deadass I had my doubts but they’re so good
using the web paint extension while in meetings or lectures
changing the appearance of whatever note taking app you use
for epic gamers with light-up keyboards, changing the light’s colour settings
having a very hot or very cold drink
putting said drink directly under my face when working and using a straw, so I don’t forget it’s there and don’t have to move my head much to sip
hav u eaten or drank anything today hey hello it’s already midday
sparkling water perchance?? it’s water but it’s fun and interesting
ambient fireplace 10 hours loop
alternatively, death metal hardcore bass boosted.mp3
putting on a ridiculous outfit and pretending you’re a wizard doing important work. I have given up on being “put together” at this stage
getting up and having scheduled dance breaks to move around
don’t like your chair? are u gay and can’t sit normal? try arranging pillows and boxes to make a diy cross-legged chair or sit on the floor
u kno when you get a million ideas during studying but u don’t want to break focus: hey siri okay google alexa remind me in a sec about this very specific thing that just couldn’t wait 10 more minutes to force itself into brain
giving up. lmao sometimes you genuinely need a break and nothing you do will make your brain focus so don’t feel guilty for needing rest! it’s technically more productive to spend the time resting and recharging than forcing yourself to half assedly focus and get nothing done
tl;dr- changing appearances of devices often for Spice, having small snacks and various drinks, hype music for energy, any and all fidget toys, knowing when to give up
Hey you wonderful person! I just started studying bio and was wondering if you had any advice on thinking like a biologist?
hey you wonderful person as well and budding biologist!
Thinking like a biologist.. hmmm! never been asked something like this before, so this is great for me to think about it too! here are 7 “rules of biology” if you may, that i personally find truth in. it’s definitely not complete, and maybe not all 100% correct, since i am just one person. but it’s what i believe:
nothing in biology is absolute. this field is about as lawless as lawlessnes gets. for example: “smoking causes lung cancer”–yes, in some cases, but not everyone who smokes gets lung cancer, and not everyone who gets lung cancer smokes. because individuality exists in biology, it makes things complicated. that’s not to say there’s no rhyme or reason; it’s just that nothing happens in a vacuum/by itself so the answer to a lot things is: “well, it depends.” that’s why you’ll see a lot of words like “may”, “can”, “sometimes”, and “suggests” in biology.
science is a tool created by humans to understand nature. thus, science can never be 100% free from human bias and error. we try to be as unbiased and close to the truth as we can by using things like experimental controls and large sample sizes, but at the end of the day, sometimes science can still be flawed. and that’s ok! but we need to be able to edit past discoveries to what we know now. (and going off of that, I really don’t like that popular quote by neil degrasse tyson: “science is true whether you believe it or not”. that’s not accurate. what’s accurate is “NATURE is true” because humans doing science can be very very flawed)
going off of that, question everything. don’t accept something is true until the evidence is sound (ie. good study design, no false interpretation of data, reputable sources, etc). even if someone well respected in the field says something, doesn’t always mean it’s true. be your own advocate in finding out the facts.
sometimes the “outlier” can teach us the most. take cancer, for example. it’s definitely a non-normal state of health and being, but from it we learned so much about normal cellular and organ function. or how we’ve been able to discover some drug metabolism gene variations in certain populations because they didn’t respond well to a treatment during a clinical trial. a lot of knowledge in biology can come from studying what goes wrong or contrary to what we expected.
your personal ethics may be challenged at times. this is particularly applicable for things like: science vs religion, research on animal models, who and what gets funding priority (eg. a cancer drug with the potential for pharma companies to make billions vs a tropical disease that primarily affects poor communities?), the high cost of pharmaceuticals/health-care in general, open-access knowledge vs getting scooped, is it right to sequence every individual’s genome, etc. you will truly need to know yourself, especially your beliefs and your limits, to navigate these situations.
everything is connected, sometimes extending beyond the realm of biology. this is related to what can happen in a given situation is always “it depends”. everything affects everything; we–every living unit from microorganisms to cities–are all connected in some way. for example, recent research has shown certain populations of bacteria in our guts can alter our mental health, and it’s easy to see how that can change our day-to-day-life, which in turn can affect society in general.
never cease to be fascinated. the biology of nature is amazing, everything from the smallest virus to the largest ecosystem. no matter how jaded you may become later in your career, never let go of that childlike curiosity that first brought you to the field.
good luck and have fun on your adventure as a biologist :) and i’m always here if you need anything!
Pro-tips for rookie academic writers after grading about a quarter of the midterm papers for my undergrad Shakespeare class:
If your entire argument can be made in one sentence, it’s too simple.
If your argument cannot be summarized in one sentence, it’s too broad.
If your argument can’t be argued with, it’s not an argument.
Teachers don’t want you to fawn on the material; they want you to engage with it. Just fangirling over Shakespeare isn’t going to get you an A.
Avoid big sweeping generalizations in your opening sentences (and everywhere else). “Since the dawn of time” or “Of all the playwrights who have ever lived,” etc. etc. are superlatives you can’t possibly prove.
If you’re going to say that an author/text does something, you’d better be ready to demonstrate how.
Your opinion is not analysis. Learn the difference.
“Interesting” and “intriguing” are useless words that tell a reader nothing about the text. Be more specific.
Don’t assume you know a character’s motives without evidence from the text. Don’t assume you know an author’s motives, full stop.
If you’re a man making an argument about female perspectives in a text, have a woman read it before you turn it in. Just trust me on this one.
What are your top tips for dealing with a bad grade or failing a class? :-)
i was terrified of doing this in undergrad, and now that i’m asked to write them fairly often, i am fondly exasperated when my students don’t know how to ask for them. obviously there’s no single way, but here’s the way i usually do it.
(obviously ask in person if you can! but email is also fine.)
THE FIRST EMAIL
should be short & should mainly be asking whether they’re willing to write you the letter
should provide only the basics - what the professor absolutely needs to know.
the position you’re applying for
when the letter would be due
optional: if you’re afraid they won’t remember you, a quick line identifying yourself & your relation to them
i like to provide an “out,” in case they don’t want to or are unable to write the letter
SAMPLE Dear Professor X, I’m applying for a job as an English tutor at the University Student Resource Center, and was wondering if you’d be willing to write me a letter of recommendation for the position. [optional identification: I really enjoyed taking English 300 with you in Winter 2016, and I’m hoping to develop and pass on those skills to other students through this job.] The letter would be due by September 1st - I know you’re very busy, so I completely understand if you’re not able to write one. All best, Your Name
THE SECOND EMAIL
they said yes!! amazing.
this one can provide a little more information – a link to the job posting, if there is one, or you can write a quick summary of the position, plus a sentence or two about why you’re excited/interested in the job.
also tell them where to send the letter!!
directly to the recruiter for the job
to you, to add to your application packet
upload to an online LoR service or to an application website
99% of the time folks are fine with receiving electronic copies, but if they need to mail a hard copy, let them know up front.
SAMPLE: Dear Professor X, Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. Here’s the link to the job listing; the letter should be sent as a .pdf file to the email address at the bottom of the page, anytime before 9/1. Thanks again – I’m hoping that this job will provide me with some teaching experience and the opportunity to work on my own writing. Please let me know if you need any more information! Best, Your Name
WHEN TO SEND A FOLLOW-UP
these stress me out real bad but here’s the deal: most professors have a very shaky relationship to deadlines (especially when they have half a dozen more important ones than your piddly LoR).
the upshot: do not be afraid to nudge them.
often they need the nudge and are appreciative of it.
when that nudge happens is up to you and how much room you’ve given them before the deadline, and it’ll look different depending on your relationship with that professor.
GRAD SCHOOL LETTERS
i offered to send my professors essays that i had written for their classes, especially if i had taken those classes more than a year before asking them to write the letter, just so they could refamiliarize themselves with my work. you can also offer to send them your writing sample, if you haven’t already asked them to look it over for you.
honestly i’d recommend asking for these in person bc it’ll give you a chance to talk to them about their grad school experience and your own hopes & aspirations, which will help them write a more personal, fleshed-out letter.
one important note: if this letter is intended for use in grad school applications, do not stress out if it’s a little late. most programs do not care, and pretty much all of them accept late letters without a problem. your professor’s ability to meet deadlines does not reflect on you, and professors are intimately familiar with running late on LoRs. they really honestly don’t care. as long as it gets there before too long, you’ll be fine.
thank-yous are up to you! keep in mind that many departments have policies about gift-giving. i did give thank-yous to my three major letter writers, but they were handwritten cards & homemade cookies, nothing store-bought or expensive.
i’ve gotten a million asks about presentations! and presentation nerves! and presentation prep! so here is a long-ass post about:
ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS!
every presentation is different and will have a different context. this advice is for seminar/class presentations, not conference panels, and based on my experience as an english lit grad student (and teacher). some classes you feel comfortable joking in; others, the vibe (or the professor’s expectations) will be more formal. read the room!!
a good presentation is one that communicates clearly. in other words, it’s more important to be legible to your audience than it is to “sound smart.” usually when you’re consciously working to sound smart, you sound like an asshole. as the genie in aladdin once said, bee yourself.
be generous to your audience. if you conceptualize your presentation as having two parts, let them know that! “i want to do two things with this presentation: talk about this secondary text, and then identify some examples that we can talk about in the primary.” signpost that shit! let your audience know where you’re heading and what you want them to understand.
related: present on something interesting. this does not mean objectively interesting. it means you should find something that really gets you curious or passionate or annoyed! 99% of the time, if you’re invested, your audience will be invested.
K.I.S.S. only use a powerpoint if you have images that support or contribute to your presentation. no distracting backgrounds, special effects, or clip art, it’s not 1998 (unless you are going for a retro vibe, in which case, don’t let me stop you). no big blocks of text. only use prezi if you want to make your audience nauseous. if you’re using a handout for quotations or major points, keep it basic and readable.
plan your ending. there is nothing worse than a presentation that ends with a “so uh… yeah………………..” suggestions:
stick the landing. in other words, do the oral version of an essay conclusion: why it matters, how your presentation impacts the understanding of the topic, etc.
questions for further discussion, the kind you have some answers for or thoughts about.
legitimate questions that you don’t have answers for! not factual ones, obviously, but questions about a tricky scene in the text, how a particular narrative form is working, moments that you’ve identified that actually work against your conclusions, etc. it’s okay to admit that you don’t have all the answers; in fact, it’s a sign that you’re really engaging with the material. just make sure you use this one on a presentation where you’ve already proven that you did a lot of work and know your shit.
imitate what you like to see. i’ll hazard a guess and say that most people enjoy presentations that allow some personality, or we’d just have siri read our papers out loud. my usual presentation style is on the informal side; after 3 years of small seminars with the same people and professors, i feel comfortable joking around with the folks in my area. if i were to present for my whole department, i would not be that chill.
personalize your notes. you’re the only one who’s gonna see them! make them useful to you.
don’t be nervous. not helpful, i know, but as someone who actually likes giving presentations but still gets anxious: it’s going to be okay. presentations can be a great chance to talk about something you find interesting, to direct class discussion, and to dig deeper into material that you might skim over otherwise. understand that your classmates will usually be generous and sympathetic (see: seminar personalities). treat it like an opportunity, not a punishment.
okay this is not really general advice, but it’s a plug for a grad school presentation favorite that will make your life way easier: the pdf handout.
it doesn’t have to be hard copy (though you should probably bring a few just in case). if everyone in your seminar has a laptop or tablet, email that thing out the night before! they get a lil preview and a document they can refer to in the future; you get to combine hi-res color images, hyperlinks, and whatever text you need to include.
still keep it minimalist. you can go overboard with your personal notes. the only things that should go on the handout are
things that are better written down than spoken (long quotes, statistics, timelines, etc.)
things that will contribute to your audience’s understanding of the material.
and here is an example of the difference b/t notes and handout, from a presentation i did last fall on my husband thomas hoccleve n scholarly fatigue (i was rly tired and wanted to talk abt being Weary)
my notes on hoccleve’s work life:
the handout version that i emailed to everyone in the course:
hello!! if u are applying to grad school (humanities or STEM!) & u
are trying to save money on application costs
are interested in programs that care abt saving u money on application costs
are interested in programs that are aware of the fact that the GRE tells them nothing of use about your academic abilities
this site may be useful to you as you decide where to apply :-)
I’m going to uni this autumn, and I feel like most of studyblr’s incoming freshmen are just as clueless as I am. Here’s a bunch of tips from the more experienced among us, and I hope it’s just as useful to you as it is to me!
this took forever to make so i’m really hoping it’s good
Money Matters
Textbooks
Sites where you can get free textbooks by @thearialligraphyproject
Get textbooks online
Tips for textbooks by @theorganizedcoyote
Websites to get cheap textbooks by @theorganisedstudent
Ultimate guide to buying college textbooks
Safe ways to get free textbooks
Saving Money
A girl called jack: eating under the line
Qriket
Scholarship masterpost by @wallcalendar
Save money while shopping online
College scholarships 2016-17 by @wonderstudying
Tips for finding & getting scholarships
How to budget
Where to find student discounts by @collegerefs
Searching for scholarships by @collegesmarts
Creative ways to save money in college
Places that offer discounts with student id
Ways to save/earn money
Paying for college by @collegerefs
Student Life
Dorm & Living
PSA for college freshmen
Dorm tips from @humanitaes
Ultimate school locker (uni bag) kit by @girl-studying
Resolving issues with roommates
Tips for living like an adult
How to eat healthy in dining halls
DIY dorm decor by @notquitenightingale
Everything I actually used in my freshman dorm room
Guide to living alone by @piratestudy
Living with a roommate by @collegerefs
Packing Lists
Thing I forgot to bring to college by @myberkeleyadventure
Sam’s ultimate failproof guide to packing by @staticsandstationery
Ultimate college packing list for freshmen
College packing list by @kimberlystudies
What to bring to college
Checklist for dorms & campus living
Packing up: preparing for college in @theacademiczine
College dorm packing list by @produitivity
Recipes
One-pot chicken fajita pasta
100 dirt cheap recipes for students
57 go-to recipes for college students
Cheap & healthy recipes
Over 400 fast & healthy recipes
Classes
Studying & Taking Notes
Organizing notes with Google Docs by @academla
How to write a lecture summary efficiently by @collegerefs
Symbols & abbreviations for note-taking
How to take lecture notes by @hstrystdyblr
How to take notes in college by @determinationandcaffeine
Getting the most out of lecture by @strive-for-da-best
How to get your best grades in college by @saralearnswell
If you have a bad college professor
Essays
Transition words for essays by @soniastudyblr
How to analyze historical sources by @rewritign
How to write a university level essay by @healthyeyes
Analyzing a written text
Essay writing: university vs. high school
How to write a history paper by @thehistorygrad
How I plan and write literature papers by @notaperfectstudent
Exams
A quick guide to finals by @emmastudies
10 revision tips for final & first year exams
High school exams vs. college exams
Crucial study tips for finals week in college
3 day study plan by @getstudyblr
Low stress college study strategy by @plannerdy
+ More
Masterposts
A college student’s masterpost by @eruditekid
Random college tips by @determinationandcaffeine
College advice by @studenting
Giant college masterpost by @heyiwantyoutostay
Advice
Advice for college by @collegerefs
10 tips for starting uni by @studycubs
Advice from a college senior
Great tips from @fuckstudy
10 more excellent tips
Things nobody tells you about university by @polcry
Miscellaneous
8 things successful students do by @frankfurter-studies
Email tips by @haileymostudies
@collegerefs‘ entire blog– so much good stuff that’s incredibly useful
my grace.uni tag– all the posts I’ve saved for university
Staying in contact with high school friends
How to make friends in college
Popular apps perfect for students
Staying on top of all your to-dos, errands, tasks and due dates can get complicated but luckily there is an app for everything! If you’re looking for app to wake you up in a morning, manage your priorities or soothe your anxiety, you’ve come to the right place. Here is a list of all the top apps that students are using:
Organisation
Wunderlist
Planner Pro
24me
Remember The Milk
Google Calendar
Pocket Schedule - Class Schedule, Homework Planner
AwesomeNote2 - All in One Organiser
AnyList
The Homework App - Your Class Assignment & Timetable Schedule Planner
My Study Life
Calendars by Readdle - Event and Task Manager
Class Timetable
Countdown+
Due - Reminders, Countdown Timers
Do! - The Best of Simple To Do Lists
Workflow: Powerful Automation Made Simple
Glass Planner
Day One Journal
iStudiez Pro
Awesome Note 2
Grammarly
Konmari
Productivity
RescueTime
Streaks
Forest
ToDoIst
Tide - Stay focused, be peaceful
Focus Keeper
Habitica
Productive habits and daily goal tracker
HabitBull (recommend by @ravn-studies)
BrainFocus (recommend by @ravn-studies)
Toggle Time Tracker (recommend by @ravn-studies)
Self Control
Jot - Notes Widget
Swipes - To Do List
ClearFocus: Productivity Timer
Noisli
Binaural beats
Lanes
Note taking
Microsoft OneNote
Evernote
Quizlet
Notability
Byword
Flashcards+
Goodnotes
Outline
Boximize - Structured notetaking, personal database, form builder, manager and organiser
INKredible (recommend by @lottestudiesphysics)
RefME - Referencing Made Easy
Bear (recommended by @revisionsandcoffee)
InkFlow Visual Notebook
Studying
Quizlet
Flashcards+
Duolingo
Khan Academy
Xmind
Writer
Studyblue
Coffitivity
Prezi
MindMeister
Hemingway Editor
StudyStack
Crashcourse
Shmoop
Beelinguapp
Brightstorm
Coggle mindmaps
Mindly
Sleeping
Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock
Sleep Genius
Rain Rain
Pillow: The sleep cycle alarm clock for sleep tracking
Sleepytime Sleep Scheduler
Mental health and self care
Headspace
Stop, Breathe & Think: Meditation and Mindfulness
Pacifica - Anxiety, Stress, & Depression relief
Centered
Buddhify
Calm: Meditation techniques for stress reduction
Moodnotes - Thought Journal/Mood Diary
Colorfy
7 Cups Anxiety, Stress & Depression Chat & Therapy
Companion
Smiling Mind
Bsafe
Circle of 6
Health and fitness
Sweat with Kayla - Fitness & Bikini Body Workouts
Yoga Work Out
Freeletics
7-minutes workout
Waterlogged - Drink More Water, Daily Water Intake Tracker and Hydration Reminders
Sworkit (recommend by @leviosa-studies)
Medisafe pill reminder
Plant Nanny Water Reminder
Mealboard
Finance
UNiDAYS
Pocketbook Personal Finance Expense Tracker
Splitwise - Split bills and expenses the easy way
Pocket Expense - Personal Finance Assistant
Daily Budget Original Pro - Saving Is Fun!
Mvelopes
PocketGuard
Mint
The Coupons App
Groupon
Ebates
Hope this helps! x