Happy Sunday To Everyone Except Dolores Jane Umbridge.

How to Get A 4.0 GPA

Hi guys! So this will officially be my first ever study masterpost. My grades have been going up this year, and I thought of sharing all of my tips and secrets to a 4.0 gpa. It’s definetly not easy, but if you work hard it will eventually happen.

Organization - Keep a separate binder/folder for each of your classes - Pencil Case- pens, pencils, highlighters, ruler, sticky notes, erasers - Macbook/iphone: make sure your devices are organized as well, and everything is easy for you to access - Start a bullet journal/planner to keep your life together. - Have notebooks for your lecture and reading notes - Make sure your handwriting is legible and nice. Practice makes perfect - Plan your outfits and organize your school bag the night before - Start homework/assignments 3 weeks early, don’t leave anything on the day of or the day before its due - Study for 5-7hrs everyday. But good grades aren’t everything. Have a blanced lifestyle, sleep for 8hrs, and go out with your friends.

Lectures - arrive 10/15m early - Go to every class - sit at the front or second row - I use onenotes to take notes, and will transfer them to notebook format. Do whatever format you like - Review your notes right after, or the next day

Readings - finish your readings before each lecture - i take notes from textbook using studyign method - try to understand, and if you can’t get it watch videos on youtube

Exams - Study 2/3 weeks before. - Create a list of topics you need to study - Review readings and lecture notes - Do make additional notes for the main topics Essays - Choose your topic - Create a rough outline and brainstorm ideas - Research, but make sure your arguments are stronger. Research is mainly used for evidence to support your own arguments. - Make sure your rough draft is concise enough - Use the refme app or easybib to keep track of your sources - Edit your essay- 2 times Other - Join the studyblr community. I have actually enjoyed studying, after creating a study blog. People are so nice. Highly recommend! - Don’t get discouraged by negative people. Don’t ever let anyone tell you “your not good enough”. - “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do”- Carl Jung - Don’t tell all of your plans and ambitions in detail to anyone, just show - Focus on your hobbies as well, like playing an instrument, youtube, makeup, reading, writing, and art - Study what you love. Have a great day! - Tara

feel better masterpost

Have you been feeling upset or stressed lately? Well, make some tea and cuddle yourself up in bed. Here’s a few things that can help you brighten up your mood or keep your mind occupied: BASICS - in need of a compliment? here and here.  - feel like everything is going wrong? hover here and here and here and here.  - have a cute dog lick your screen - want a hug? - make a comfort box - a site designed to help talk you down from a stressful experience - the thoughts room - sort through something that’s been troubling you - self harm alternatives + here - reasons to stay alive - 28 tips to relax - 21 tips to keep yourself together when depressed - want to be inspired? watch this - When is the last time time you did absolutely nothing for 10 minutes? - 100 things to do when you’re upset - the only 7 things you can control in life - make everything OK - the dawn room - how to get motivated when you don’t feel like it - six ways to combat boredom - stress relief techniques - anxiety masterpost

SCHOOL - stressing over an exam? here’s a few tips - need help with focusing? here’s a few tips. - free online courses - study tips masterpost

GAMING - watch livestreams on twitch  - psychological games - cute games calming games: • music catch 2 • fishing girl • take a walk • flow other: • draw a stickman and go on adventures! • tetris

MOVIES and TV Shows that’ll definitely cheer you up (hover title for description) - police academy (1984) & police academy 2 (1985)  - ghostbusters (1984) - home alone (1990) -  dumb and dumber (1994) - john tucker must die (2006) - the blind side (2009) - lots of disney movies - movies with queer ladies, woo! - all marvel movies - movies with great cinematography

- Bob’s burger - Drake & Josh  - Adventure time

  READING & STUFF - read any book + here - random wikipedia article + different wikipedia articles - random wikihow article - mythical/supernatural creatures  - nice comics - best of craigslist - amazing fact generator + quizzes! - what is the best type of chocolate for baking? - like mythology and want to read a new book? recommendations here! - survive nature MUSIC & SOUNDS - rainymood - kinda like rainymood but let’s you mix different sounds - listen to wikipedia - orchestral reworks (8tracks playlist) - the nostalgia machine (pick a year and listen to your favourite childhood jams) COMFORT FOOD - easy & delicious nutella cookies (video) - other nutella recipes (masterpost) - macaroni and cheese in a cup  - fruit salad (simple but yummy!)  - chocolate chip cookie in a cup - american pancakes - regular pancakes or this recipe  - the easiest chocolate cupcakes (also vegan!)  - chocolate corn flakes (trust me- it tastes better than how it looks!) - jam drops - don’t know what to cook? DRINKS - 10 refreshing non-alcoholic drinks - fandom drinks (w/ alcohol) - 14 fruit-infused waters to drink instead of soda - simple nutella hot chocolate - the ultimate in seasonal drinking: how to make hot cocoa mix - what tea should you be drinking?

RANDOM - look at the galaxy - watch a dream - make sand designs - create your own forest - take personality test (MBTI) - watch some fun and interesting science videos - make your own scrapbook  - splatter paint - pop bubblewrap - move your mouse to manipulate a line, like building a roller coaster while you ride it. - video of an adorable bulldog puppy  - touching video   - what kind of hungry are you? - send and recieve a postcard from a random spot in the world - give rice to people in need by answering some trivia - tone deaf test - football players singing  - what colour is it? POSITIVITY BLOGS/SITES - positivedoodles - cheeerupbuttercup - emotionalbaggagecheck (a site where you write what troubles you anonymously, and people who choose to “carry your baggage” eventually send you a song and a personal note!)

hey guys!! 

so since i’m a rising senior i’ve been working hard all summer in preparation for applying to colleges this coming fall. throughout the duration, i’ve found some amazing websites to help you through the process, and resources i think are worthwhile to check out. 

email

set up an email specifically for colleges (best to do this before/during junior year) b/c

your inbox will overflow with college emails

you will hate yourself if you don’t

use it as your email for college-oriented websites you sign up for

put it on interest cards you fill out during college fairs/visits

colleges are going to email/spam you 24/7 just direct them here honestly

google drive

make a folder for college

put your essays in there

you can share essays with editors really easily this way

make a spreadsheet of all the colleges you are applying too with categories like size, type, location, etc. 

make a list of achievements, awards, teams, clubs/extracurriculars, etc. that you can refer back to during applications

make sure to have an emergency flashdrive with your important college documents on it

finding colleges & stats

cappex: helps find colleges that fit you, calculates admissions chances, helps you plan college visits, helps with scholarship search, etc.

through cappex you can access meritaid, a great scholarship resource

naviance: a college readiness worksite site that does a ton and is basically a combination of every single site listed. it’s used through your school, normally, so get in contact with your counselor about making an account

unigo: this site gives reviews/advice/experience from current or former college students regarding the school they attended, and also offers tips and tutorials for admission from professionals, plus a college database

collegenavigator: exactly what it sounds like. this site has a ton of info on schools and it’s really easy to use

collegeboard: general resource! 

collegedata: lots of statistics and overviews of schools

collegeresults: shows the graduation rates of colleges

collegeinsight: gives info about affordability, diversity, and student success

admitted.ly: this is an awesome website (and app) for matching you with schools, and it’s really organized/manageable as well

collegeniche: this is basically yelp for colleges. reviews for students, by students, about specific colleges

organization/tracking

overgrad: tracks college and career goals

makemeafreshman: this website is an actual godsend. enter all the colleges you are applying to (including what type, such as early action, early decision, etc.), and it will generate a schedule of things you need to do and specific dates they need to be done by (submitting fees, completing the commonapp and FAFSA, etc.)

scholarship oriented

posse: organization that identifies gifted scholars, then groups them into “posses” by region, and hands out full scholarships to top colleges 

questbridge: links exceptional students (esp. low-income) with colleges, scholarship providers, enrichment programs, and employers

college greenlight: amazing for finding scholarships to apply for (they can find a scholarship for anything), plus does college matches based on criteria you give

majors

collegemajors101: provides info about a variety of majors, like course requirements, career options, etc.

i’ll definitely keep adding to this list, and if you have any questions about the sites or have some you think should be added, please message me!

remember, the best thing you can do is get things done early. summer’s not over yet and there is still a lot of time between now and application due dates. make the most of it! get organized, and get educated about college.

happy studying/applying!

READING TIME: 6.4 minutes 

Triumphant music playing. A wild Nandini jumps in front of the green-screen, donning a red cape, and strikes a Superman pose but is blinded by about a hundred ring lights being switched on.

“Andrew, MUST you ruin my cameos?”

The redhead cameraman rolls his eyes and defends himself, “Lighting is everything.” Nandini clicks her tongue, shields her eyes with the cape (yes, she’s now Red Riding Hood) and puts on an equally blinding smile towards the camera.

“Welcome to the Conquerors’ Causerie Podcast Station! Today, I’m SET to solve every student’s mystery: productivity after school. So, if you’ll please, conquerors, put on that pirate hat (because she’s indecisive and now wants to be Captain Hook), and tune that rusty radio to our channel. Let’s SAIL!”

*The wild Nandini hops onto a chair and brandishes the cape like a sword* AHOY MATEY! ALL FORWARD!

NOTE!

This is a complete system. Though it has worked tremendously well for me, it may not for you. I suggest trying this for a week, noting difficulties, and tuning the system accordingly for the future.

Since each step has been patiently explained, some of y'all might get lost in admiring the quality. For better educational retainment, I’ve included a summary of the system at the end.

Feel free to reply with ideas on improving this structure! Passengers of the Conqeranic (this ship ain’t sinking though) are always looking to better themselves!

➡ ✨ Lastly, about my taglist: I tag readers at the end of every article now, so they get notified when I upload (because Tumblr killed links). Details—if you wanna be included—are in the End Card.

Step ONE: Make a ONE TASK To-do at School.

Before getting home, decide on ONE task to work on. No, DON’T plan your entire schedule out. That’ll become a consuming task, and our mission here is to make this system as easy as possible for it to stick.

Get yourself one starting point— whether it’s a high-priority task (upcoming deadlines, assignments due tomorrow) OR a low-priority one (homework from your favourite subject, skimming couple pages of a novel). For me, it’s the commitment to write 2 paras for the latest article I’m planning. It ain’t school related, I admit, but it’s high-priority work for me, so it counts. For you, perhaps it’ll be to knock 5 problems off the weekly statistics problem set or finish 7 pages of reading for an upcoming lecture– everything works!

Whatever is it is, here are the two criterias:

Make it SPECIFIC (2 paragraphs, 5 problems, etc.)

Something that lasts 20-30 mins, because y'all will kill me if this torture goes on any longer.

Step TWO: Start When You Get Home.

THIS is where everyone goes wrong. You CANNOT let yourself slack when you get home. For the system to be a success, this is key! The star on the X-Mas tree! The daddy cherry on the daddy pie! (Edit: we need therapy. I know, sex therapy?? … yes I’m leaving)

If you need to, mentally prepare yourself for 30 mins of work as you’re coming back home. Just ½ an hour! You won’t die if you don’t eat or shower immediately, but your productivity sure will.

Soldier, understand. Here’s why: When you’re back home from school, you’re at your weakest. Temptation levels are at an all-time high and your brain’s like “Um HELLO CHILD? We already did 8 hours of shit school, time for vacation.” If you can overcome this, everything else will be smooth. Just do half an hour of work!

DON’T let yourself slack. Am I being a parental disaster here? Maybe. But just trust me, kiddos, and buckle up for one pomodoro session.

Step THREE: Bare Necessities

(I made a pun!) 30 mins of work done—the foundation for today’s success now laid—you’re allowed a nice 45 min chunk to indulge in the following 3 necessities, GO:

Shower!

Eat food!

Make a full to-do!

Fair warning: This ain’t fun time, so stop reading that smut in the bathroom. The aim of this quarter is to refresh & prime yourself for the marathon of hustle coming up (‘course it’s coming, why you surprised honey, this is team conquer) and not slack and fall into a rut. So dare I say it: WiFi isn’t allowed.

I sympathize with the entire population of Gen-Z wailing and unsubscribing, so here’s an alternative to protect your productivity— Switch off the WiFi. But keep a 20 min YouTube video and your favourite playlists downloaded. Use that instead.

Now quick, the clock’s ticking!

#1 Shower, repeat affirmations and twerk your booty while you’re at it.

#2 Eat food (and watch the downloaded video), preferably something healthy, and get right back to your Slay Station (sorry, ‘desk’ made me yawn).

#3 Lastly, schedule your day. Take 15 mins and plan out the next few work hours with exactly what you’ve gotta do.

That’s the student’s version of Eat, Pray, Love. (… when you plug self-help books for free, WHERE ARE MY SPONSORS)

Step FOUR: Soldier, Begin the March!

Now, warrior! You’ve must sit down at your desk, and face your biggest fears. Invest the next 2 hours in getting high quality, high priority work crossed off. For me, this usually turns out to be readings, prepping for upcoming exams and doing maths (I’m trying to turn math into a habit this year, and this turns out to be the perfect time to work without distractions).

Couple restrictions: (I know y'all wanna suffocate me with a smelly sock)

No WiFi. There’s no way you’re gonna get deep work done with you changing playlists every 5 mins, answering texts and fighting the urge to watch Netflix.

Work in chunks of 30-45 mins. In your breaks, move, read a physical book, draft a bit of an article on an offline notepad or watch a downloaded video.

Perhaps keep a mug of coffee nearby. Personally, I become a sloth during the afternoons (science, mom, it’s called an afternoon slump) and it’s an actual struggle to not fall asleep for the next 84 hours.

Step FIVE: Take A Mid-evening Break.

You’ve earned a major break! And so have I, because I’m writing this during mine! (Nobody cares but I’mma brag anyway.) Most folks prefer a lunch break, but please allow me to introduce— the Mid-Evening Break.

Here are the guidelines for a mid-evening break:

+ Allocate an entire hour (or 1½ hour, depending on how accomplished you feel).

+ Couple productive things to do, which might’ve slipped off your schedule due to an accumulation of work:

Drink a cup of tea and listen to a podcast. (I recommend Harry Potter and the Sacred texts, for it’s easy to digest and very entertaining)

Exercise! If you’re new to it, just throw in a couple squats, push-ups, mountain climbers etc, or just some stretching. Move that bod, amigo.

Read! When was the last time you read for fun? This is also a prime time to read valuable nonfiction, if you enjoy reading it.

+ Some fun things to do, to rejuvenate:

Watch videos from your Watch Later. If you let yourself scroll through cat video recommendations, you’re 10x more likely to start bingeing on meaningless crap. Your Watch Later hopefully has better videos, and that ish has been in the dust for ages anyway.

Plan out your next meal, and get yourself a snack!

Reply to messages/asks or talk to a friend.

Watch ONE Netflix episode. Harness that non-existent self-control, frendo.

Personal Example: Most days, I start off by writing a bit of a post, throw in a quick workout, and watch a few videos. I’ll end with checking socials and maybe replying to some messages.

Step SIX: Rinse and Repeat.

Round two! Obviously, don’t overworking yourself, but working on lighter projects for 1-2 hours after the break sounds cool. These include getting started on upcoming projects, working on a hobby, learning a skill, getting future readings for lectures done. Again, work in chunks, and take breaks as and when required.

Remember to stop working at a decent time, then go enjoy your entertainment without guilt! Also get to bed reasonably soon! Be kind, do good!

ALTERNATIVE:

If you’re not used to working in a strict schedule like this, which follows work work work (Riri be thriving), begin by following this for just one day per week (follow your current routine for the rest of it) and continue building on it.

This one helps me get enormous amounts of shit done, but it can get a bit extreme. Listen to yourself, and tune this accordingly. (For instance, when I’m exhausted, I’ll take my mid-evening break a bit earlier than usual to not die. Listen. To. Yourself.)

For Those Keeping Minutes, Here’s The Recap:

As you’re going back home, pick one task to start work on.

When you get back home, start work on it immediately. Spend just 20-30 mins on the task– creating your foundation for success.

Take 45 mins to do the three necessities next: shower, eat, and plan.

Hustle time! Focus, get deep work done. Knock down an essay, prep for an exam— work without distractions, and keep coffee near to fight the afternoon slump.

2 hrs later, take a mid-evening break! You’re finally allowed to use the WiFi! For the next hour, do whatever rejuvenates you. We stan healthy living.

Round two! Work for 2-3 hours again, this time on comparatively lighter projects (or that dreaded homework you’ve been procrastinating on, yikes)

Once you’re done, live your life! Party! Watch a movie! Dance, shake your booty! Brush yo teeth and get to bed on time.

:) Thanks for joining the Conquerors’ Causerie Podcast! Try this out— and lemme know how it goes, #team conquer, ayo. Productivity is a routine, it doesn’t magically happen one sunny day. So give this shit a try!

🌿 The End Card For Love & Plugging

✨ JOIN MY TAGLIST? Here’s how! REPLY to this post (a must!) so that I keep track. Maybe also reblog the post to boost it (though that’s 100% optional), I’ll really appreciate!

Want to request a post? Drop your request in my ask box!

Have something to say? I treasure all feedback! If this post inspired you to do something, or you wanna throw some love/constructive criticism at me, hop into my ask box, or reply to this post itself!

Thanks for dropping by! New posts come out every Thursday, and so do my wins, journal entries, philo rants & photos of my plant babies throughout the week, so follow me if you’re into conquering life. I promise to be your loudest cheer woman. ✧

Sending you love and good energy, talk soon.

— Nandini 💌 (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

✨ TAGLIST:

Thank you to these folks for supporting my content! I love you, hope y'all are doing well. ⬇

Keep reading

“You tell me i am not like most girls and learn to kiss me with your eyes closed something about the phrase—something about how i have to be unlike the women i call sisters in order to be wanted makes me want to spit your tongue out like i am supposed to be proud you picked me as if i should be relieved you think i am better than them”

06.06.16 | it’s crunch time! i tried a commemorative spread to celebrate finals season, lol

This gave me a reason to smile when I didn’t think I had one

Exam Tensions

My exams are starting from 18th (this Friday!) and I am tensed. I mean who wouldn’t be? I like to call them pre-exam jitters. But the most frustrating part about these exams is that they are gonna last a month! A full month. Although there is like a six days gap before phase 2. 

Apart from the umcoming exams, I am really excited for the upcoming semester. I have big plans. First, to start the semester off really well. Staying focused and top of my to do list. Not depending on my professors ( a grave mistake) and also catching up on my reading. 

Wish me luck!

How to write a bomb ass personal statement

I’ve had a few asks about how to write - as one of you put it - a bomb ass personal statement. I’m a bit reluctant to write this, seeing as I haven’t actually got an interview/offer yet! But I guess it might be helpful to those of you applying around now :)

HOW TO START

Bullet point what you want to include - I suggest listing out what you want to include. It’s a good idea to do this at the beginning, to make sure you don’t leave anything out; and it can help form the basic structure of your statement.

Do not start at the start - this is one of the most important things I learnt when writing mine. It is so hard to write that first sentence - so just leave it until the end, and begin writing with the actual content, something you’re more comfortable writing about.

When you do get down to writing that first sentence - do not start with a cheesy quote or the typical “I have always bee passionate about…” as these are things that can immediately put off an admissions tutor. Try and be original, or just simple: “I want to study X because…”

THE CONTENT

Just keep writing - don’t worry about the 4,000 character and 47 line limits. Literally just write, and keep going, even if you think what you’re writing is bad - just get all your ideas out there, and put down everything you would want to include. It’s so much easier to take things out rather than adding things in. My personal statement was around 8,000 characters at one point!`

Get the balance right - different unis want different things from personal statements, so check their websites to make sure you’re getting in what they want. You need to get the balance of intellectual curiosity/passion for the subject with your personal qualities and extra-curriculars. 

Back up everything with evidence - don’t just say you are great at working in a team, give examples that demonstrate that you have worked well in successful teams in the past.What to include?

WHAT TO INCLUDE

Why you want to study that particular course

Why you are the right person to study the course

Extra things you have done to show commitment or interest about the course - volunteering, subscriptions to journals, further reading etc.

Any relevant work experience

Any relevant awards you’ve won (e.g. maths challenge or physics olympiad) or responsibilities within the school (e.g. prefect or house captain)

Demonstrate desirable skills for your course - problem solving, teamwork, leadership etc.

WHAT NOT TO INCLUDE

Cliches - like “Ever since I was born I have wanted to study…”

Quotes - this is a personal statement, so don’t start quoting other people! Plus way too many people do this to make it original.

Jokes - it may be that the person reading your statement has a very different sense of humour than you do.

Really long sentences - you want your personal statement to be as easy as possible to read, and long confusing sentences won’t help that.

Repetition - it’s such a short document, you don’t have space for this. Plus it gets boring!

Names of unis - the unis you apply to have no idea where else you have applied, so don’t name any of them in your statement.

THE ENDING

Do not end on a cheesy quote or joke. Just sum up why you’d be a great candidate and reinforce what you have told them throughout the main body of the statement - that you’re fabulous!

Once you have finished a draft you can start trying to cut down on the word count. Maybe ask a teacher to look at your spelling/grammar, and you can always get your friends’ opinions too, on what should come out, and what should be kept in. Make sure you don’t let other people have too much influence - it has to be a personal statement!

Nothing will ruin your 20’s more than thinking you should have your life together already.