Quick Reminder That We Are Going Through A Global Pandemic Right Now, Which Is A Major Stressful Event.

my tips for doing highers :)

(seeing as there are v few scottish studyblrs and highers are bloody difficult!)

(for non-scots, highers are exams we do in between gcse and a-level equivalents)

understand, don’t memorise. this applies to basically every class- if you understand why you do a certain method to solve a problem/ conjugate a verb/ analyse a poem then you can do it in every scenario

prepare to get stuff wrong. there is a significant difference between national 5s and highers, and most people i know took a confidence bump at the start of the year because of the sheer quantity of work. it’s okay!! it’s all learning and all learning is good

work with the right people. i sat with my friends in maths and desperately wish i hadn’t because i worked way better with people who actually challenged me to work hard! find people who are a similar level to you and work together

past papers. there are dozens of past papers online, far more than national 5s. watch out for content that isn’t in courses anymore! dunblane high school’s website has a great collection of past papers that i used loads

have time off. the workload in s5 is crazy so you need to balance your time. use any study periods to finish work and give yourself relax time in the evenings and at the weekends as much as you can

prelims are important but make sure you don’t burn out. as soon as you finish prelims you’ll likely start learning the next part of the course, and i know from experience that it is horrible to do when you’re completely exhausted after prelims. schedule days off into your prelim leave when you can!

i hope that helped somebody because s5 was a really difficult year for me and i wish i had known some of this at the start! if anybody happens to want tips on a particular subject, i got As in maths, physics, chem, french and english and would be more than happy to tell you what was helpful for me!! <3

finally beginning to reach the end of term two- the easter break is next week and after that i’m back at school for two days and then off on exam leave for a month! and then because the school system is odd here we begin the next year of school at the start of june and break up for summer a month later, not long!!

the sound of an orchestra tuning up makes me go crazyinsane it makes me start thinking about the eventual heat death of the universe and how someday somewhere an orchestra is going to tune up for the very last time. ever. and then the sun will swallow the earth & turn into a white dwarf & all the stars will go out & meanwhile a gazillion light years away sentient life will be evolving from silicon. and maybe they will have orchestras also

21.05.20

maths is even more enjoyable when you do it outside in the sun 🌺🌤 (flowers kept falling from the rhododendron beside me, it felt very picturesque)

Let’s face it- even the most motivated and disciplined students can’t study for a couple of hours straight- we all need to rest. Taking a break  from studying every now and then will improve your focus and attention. Below are some of our ideas what to do during study breaks. We divided them into categories depending on the length of  your break. Feel free to try them out to later get back to your books refreshed and motivated!

5-10 minutes

Get some fresh air (either go outside, or simply stand up and go to the nearest window- don’t focus on anything and just breathe)

Leave your room/desk and go for a little walk

Throw yourself a little dance party (Cristina and Meredith did it and trust us, it works- put on some energising music and dace for a song or two)

Stand up and stretch!

10-20 minutes

Make yourself a proper, healthy snack (cut an apple into slices and put peanut butter on every slice or make yourself a healthy smoothie)

Watch a TedTalk on a completely unrelated topic (it will both relax you and still keep your brain working)

Do a little yoga (there are multiple mini-routines on youtube)

Browse the #studyblr tag (or maybe post your own photo with it!)

Take a quick shower (if you have a real study marathon ahead of you, a shower break can be a great way to get energised)

20-40 minutes

Call a friend

Clean your room (sounds pretty boring, but you’ll feel refreshed and super-productive once you’re done- and you won’t have to do this later!)

Take a nap (but really, try not to make it longer than 40 minutes)

Watch ONE episode of Friends (nothing better than a good laugh, right?)

 40-60 minutes

Workout (go for a 30-minute run or find a workout video on youtube- you’ll end up energised and full of endorphins, which will help you to keep going)

Try a new recipe and make yourself dinner for later

Read a chapter of a book you’re currently reading (if you’re not reading any- start a book)

~gomedorgohome

chemistry revision & my great gran’s soup recipe <3

(ft my new technique of summarising each topic on a post-it note)

16/08/20

a cute lil plant themed weekly spread for my first full week back at school!

summer studying challenge: summer days or nights?

i’d have to say inbetween- i love dawn and dusk during summer because they’re so drawn out and beautiful.

march spread 🌤🌧

studyblr asks (feel free to add to the list)

What year are you?

What’s your major/what do you think you want to major in?

If applicable, what is your thesis about?

Do you think you picked the right major?

Ultimate educational goals?

Career goals?

Do you think your goals are realistic?

What classes are you taking right now?

Favorite class out of everything you’ve ever taken and why?

Least favorite class ever and why?

Current favorite class and why?

Current least favorite class and why?

Favorite STEM field?

Favorite humanities subject?

Class that you’ve always wanted to take but never had the chance?

Do you use caffeine and if so how much daily?

What’s your preferred method of taking in caffeine?

Have you ever tried study drugs?

Are you a homework-in-the-morning kind of person?

Do you listen to music while you study?

Crowded area or quiet place?

What’s your preferred writing implement?

Do you need to work out before you can study well?

Describe your perfect study environment.

Are you procrastinating right now?

What was the last thing you procrastinated?

Are you a perfectionist?

Do you like easy classes or do you feel bad if you’re not working hard?

Are you a good test taker?

What are you the proudest of out of all the assignments you’ve ever had?

Do you talk to your teachers/professors a lot?

Describe your favorite teacher/professor and why you like them.

Describe your least favorite teacher/professor and why you dislike them.

Have you ever thought about becoming a teacher/professor?

Most profound thing ever said to you by a teacher/professor?

Best feedback you’ve ever gotten on something academic?

Worst study habit and how are you working on it?

Are you an in-class fidgeter?

How’s your handwriting?

Write “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” and post a photo.

Neat or messy notes?

A lot of notes or the bare minimum?

Post a photo/scan of your notes from your favorite class.

Are you a doodler?

Post a photo of your doodles if you have any.

Do you have pre-test rituals and what are they?

Are you a tangent-question asker?

Do you make jokes in class?

How many hours do you spend on academics per day?

What’s something more important to you than school?

boys complimenting me:

me: :// 

my teacher leaving an ‘excellent work!!!’ on my essay: 

me, holding a wall for support: bro i’m just…..bro i’m just really teary i’m ghjdgfsdhjfjsdhf i’m hgjggjkhfkdjgj wow thank you idk what to say….bro idk why i’m fjhdsfkjdfg crying right now