Study-diaries - The Right Way Isn't The Only Way

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Heyyy :) thanks!

Dreams don't work until you do.

Advice I'd give any one who's choosing their own subjects

Please, for your own good. Ask your seniors. Go through syllabus. I'm really serious about this, so damn serious.

A few days ago, i was on my way home and i usually travel with a junior, she's taken the same subjects as me except 2 papers etc. One is language, another one is maths. We just talk sometimes and she clears her subject doubts with me etc etc.

While we were talking, she said that the language she chose was really hard now that she actually started studying it and she was ranting about it.... The irony is that i already had warned her in the first week of school about the paper being difficult with a huge syllabus but she said she loved it and was excited, I just shrugged it off and didn't tell her anything. But now she says she regrets it.

Then, another junior travelled with me today, she took completely different subjects, more of physical sciences etc. When i asked her how her classes were ... She replied "It's not even a month and I'm regretting this"

And this is not the only one, I've heard this from multiple juniors, I've seen how exhausted everyone looked. Their faces drained. I'm not saying that in a "I told you so" way but rather in a genuine gesture.

Two things you need to do before you choose subjects:

Ask your seniors

Go through the syllabus

Things to ask your seniors:

How hard is the syllabus?

How are the teachers?

If given another choice, would you choose the same subjects again?

How are the question papers usually set? (In terms of difficultly)

What are the resources that you used for studying?

How much do the teachers assign work?

Things to look for in your syllabus :

Number of chapters and content.

Level of difficulty.

The reason why I stress on asking seniors is because they've been through the same year. They have an idea of what's going on. Don't ask your teachers, every single teacher wants you to join their class and of course she'll say that the material is easy. For a safer side, I ask 3 seniors, even if 2 give opposite scenarios, the 3rd one will be the tie breaker. Don't ask everyone's opinion, you'll get confused, just be... Careful.

And not to mention, I've heard many say things like "But it's awkward to talk to seniors." Or "We don't want to annoy them" etc etc. Honestly I, as a senior, have never felt irritated or annoyed and neither have my classmates felt that way because we all know how confused we were while choosing our subjects and we definitely don't feel awkward. Choose an appropriate time and place, the conversation won't take longer than 10 mins and at the end of the day, you got a new acquaintance :)

Hope this helps <3

06.08.2024

Well, today was alright i guess. I did some accounts and economics... and for some reason, I'm like one of the few in my class who actually is anxious about the finals, especially accounts. Like, i literally an so confused with it this year but everyone else is like "Oh wow dude I love accounts this year, it's so easy" and I'm like T-T

Anyway, Today I:

Did 2 sums in accounts (took me 2 hours almost)

Made some economics notes

Would you rather pick a university of informatics knowing that it'll be difficult to get a job (but not impossible) at the end or choose a university of economy and be assured that you'll be one of the first to be called for a job?

Hey Anon! :D

Honestly, i wouldn't pick both because one I'm not interested in getting a job in both of those fields but I do find certain papers/branches of it really fascinating.

But coming to your question, i don't really know myself. If you're asking for yourself then i would say choose a field that you actually like and are genuinely interested in or atleast have some curiousity about. It's good to consider job prospects while choosing majors but I also believe that many times what you study may not be what you actually purse.

I've said it once and I'll say it again, I know many people who chose one major and ended up taking a job which wasn't even their specialization.

So in simple words: choose what you wanna do. If you wanna take informatics because of interest, then do it. If you don't wanna take it because of the limited scope in jobs. Then don't. Likewise in economics. You want it? Choose it. If you don't, then don't.

What you choose is based on your preferences and individual goals. Don't let anyone else choose for you.

Hope this helped <3

Things I Wish Teachers Would Understand

I have a life outside of school. I may be going through health problems or mental health issues or family troubles or financial issues. Literally, I can name so many things and of course, you won't consider it because the only thing you notice is that how I've not done my homework or how I got low grades in my exams.

Grades don't define me. Or my efforts. Or my self-worth. Just because I get high grades doesn't mean I'm more smart or disciplined. And just because I get low grades doesn't mean I'm dumb or lazy.

Mental health issues are real. Really real. And they are hard to deal with.

Learning disabilities are also real. You can't just get out of it. Working hard doesn't fix it. It's a real issue.

Being an introvert is not bad. IT IS NOT BAD. Period. I do not have to speak more in class to prove that I'm paying attention. It just means that I do not want to speak. I'm fine with being quiet.

I can forget things. I can forget that assignment that was due, I can forget to do the homework. And I can definitely forget about the test.

The things you say matters. Even if it is sarcasm. Even if it is a dismissal. Sometimes, it makes me stay up late at night. Sometimes it just stays with me throughout the day. So, yes. You should speak a bit more carefully.

Grades don't show my full effort. Sometimes, I try so hard and I still don't get it right. And when you say that I should try harder? That does shatter a small part of me, not because you told me that, it just makes me feel that I'm the one who's damn stupid and that no matter how much effort I put in the work, it doesn't matter if the grades are not there.

As a student, I will of course prefer some subjects over the others. It is not a personal attack. And it is not an invitation for you to tell me something sarcastic about it.

Calling out a student on their mistakes in front of the whole class or our juniors or seniors or any other teachers is not okay. It's embarrassing to us and makes us feel bad.

Small praise does mean something. Honestly. I remember every good thing a teacher told me because I'll be honest, most don't say very nice things.

Please don't try to force things on us. Whether it be competitions, extracurriculars or anything really. It doesn't feel good.

And if there are some students who misbehave? That doesn't mean the whole class is bad. And no, collective punishments don't help.

I also appreciate when you try. Like, really. I respect you because you teach dozens of classes a day and still show up to our classes with neutral moods. You have a lot of patience for dealing with us.

I really appreciate your stories, advice and the small tips that you give about life now and then. It helps. And yes, I do remember.

I also feel that sometimes that both our expectations come crashing down. You expect us to do good. We expect you to be supportive and passionate. And it's okay to let go of your expectations sometimes.

And I know you have stresses too. You, too, have health problems, mental health issues and family issues, financial issues. I know you have the pressure of making everyone pass through the year and delivering good grades. And I have to say, I understand you. I really do.

I'm writing this because I've had so many teachers expect so much from me. And I'll be honest, that pressure broke me. Seriously broke me. I also respect teachers a lot, but it also doesn't mean I appreciate their behaviors or actions. You make up the world that we currently live in and I say this, not just as a student but as a person.

(P.S. This has been in my drafts from a long time. This was like peak exam + pressure + stress season, so don't mind the not so small rant. And no, I don't have a personal grudge against teachers.)

Tips To Study Concept-Oriented Subjects

I've always struggled with this. Everything is concept oriented but there are only a few that come to mind when i think about this topic. Maths. Physics. Chemistry. Economics. Accountancy. These honestly eat our heads so here are a few tips of how i study them.

Practice everyday

These subjects require practice. Most of these require a deep understanding of topics, so that's why practice it daily. Every single day.

Basic Concepts Are Your Weapons

The basic foundation must be strong because that's how you build your pillars. Understand the ground so you can build your pillars on it. You should have the foundations like the back of your hands.

Maintain a notebook for formulae and theory

Keep a separate book for all basic concepts, another book for formulae and another book for your notes. When you have to revise, you have all the materials and they're organised.

Maintain a separate notebook for concepts

The main concepts are everything in these subjects. If you get your foundations strong then viola, you're all done. Maintain one book that is fully concept based. Everything that is related to the foundations are supposed to be in that book.

Past question papers

Past Question Papers = Grade Booster. The thing about past papers is that they're literally indicators of how you exam would be. They tell you crucial elements of your whole syllabus. Important chapters, topics and repeated questions. You practice papers and you can automatically see how beneficial they really are. If you want to know how to use practice papers. Click here.

Do it. Just do it

For a procrastinator like myself, let me tell you. It is hard. Even now, i'm writing this instead of studying like a normal human being who would when there are high school finals going on so let me just say this. Get up and do it for sometime. Just some time and you'll automatically get invested in it. It may take some time but it will happen eventually. I personally just do it due to fear. I don't really wanna fail my exams so align your goals with some kind of emotion so it gets you going.

Watch videos

This is like the interest booster. You may not realise but when your teacher teaches you the subjects, it gets awfully boring and confusing. When you learn it through videos and visuals on YouTube, you know what it is, you know additional details and it sticks to you. So, watch and try not to get distracted. Period.

Break It Down

Not your chapter. I mean the topic itself. Line by line if you have to. I did this exact thing for accounts whenever i had to do ratios. It was a pain. An unwanted pain. I couldn't understand anything. But i sat down one day and read every single line of the textbook for that topic. I made what i call "Line Visuals". This is simple.

You read a paragraph => You don't understand anything.

Read every line => Draw it

Understand the key terms used there

And then draw a single visual representation for that entire topic.

I'll guarantee you, you will understand it. Review it once a day for a week and then once a week.

____________________________

Hope this helps!!! :))

29.07.2024

I kinda skipped a few days cause honestly it's been tiring. The past two weeks were nothing but exams but now full on classes start again. Almost a month and a half of senior year is done... Gosh, Time's flying... Right... So, I'm gonna change my tactics here alittle because when i write my goals down, i don't seem to achieve them to that level so I'm gonna be more specific about things that i already did.

Today I:

Completed one lesson in economics:

Topics I covered :-

Multiplier

Accelerator

Aggregate Demand and Supply

Effective Demand

Completed 20% of a lesson in business

Topics I covered :-

Capital market

Features of capital market

• Revised lesson 4 in computers

Topics I covered :-

Php basics, variables, data types, comments, operators

• Completed Economics assignment

Dates to remember:

August 5 (English assignment submission)

August 10 (Computer project)

I guess that's it... xD

I want to be completely honest.

There are going to be people who are better than you.

There will be times when someone is going to get ahead of you

And there will be times when you worked hard, and you didn't achieve it.

And yes, it is fine. Completely fine. You are allowed to be disappointed. You are allowed to be sad. And you are allowed to get pissed.

It's the brutal truth that you may not get what you want all the time. And you should learn to be okay with that.

i have a question: why do you keep sabotaging yourself? why is it that as soon as you think something is just out of your reach you do everything you can to get in your own way? why is it that as soon as things seem to be going right, you plant your feet and sit on the ground with your legs crossed?

you're not fucking lucky. you worked for it, you sweated, and you cried, and you sacrificed so much to reach the level of knowledge and skill you have now.

have you worked so hard only to say "how lucky"? no, damn it, i won't let you. you may not be a genius, you may not be the best in the world, but do you fucking think anyone could do what you did? do you think anyone could get to where you are? do you believe that anyone has the possibilities that you have?

put this in your head, you are not unexpressed potential, you are exceptional and with your hard work you can achieve unimaginable things. stop wasting your dreams just because they seem too big for the drawer.

edit : in italian we say "dream in the drawer" when we refer to a hope that is unlikely to come true, but not impossible.

ex. my dream in the drawer is to become a famous singer all over the world

(just in case you didn't understand the last sentence)