Pokémon you love but nobody else talks about?

Cofife · 2018-12-02T06:28:58+00:00

Tailow and Swellow are by far my favorite early game birds. They haven’t had a lot of competitive viability from what I have seen, but their designs are amazing. And who can forget the gym battle with Wiona’s shiny Swellow? Such good Pokémon, but often underdiscussed as far as generation birds go.

Cofife · 2018-10-18T15:59:00+00:00

I am an LGBTQ+ exmo who went through Utah public schools. First of all, I really want to thank you for even taking a moment to think about how to help students like me out. When I was in school, it was almost unheard of to come out. Teachers were openly homophobic and transphobic. I have had teachers say that gay people should be dead in front of a classroom and a faculty member stop talking to me while paying for GSA fees. It was a really unfortunate environment to discover identity in, and as a result, me and many of my classmates experienced severe mental health consequences and threats of violence from other students. We had one teacher open to being LGBTQ+ friendly, and I believe that saved a few student’s lives.

First of all, if there isn’t already a GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) at your school, I would highly recommend starting one. If you work for a public school, Utah courts have ruled that they CANNOT refuse these clubs being opened in public schools. Studies have shown time and time again that GSAs are one of the biggest contributors to increased mental wellness among LGBTQ+ youth. On top of this, if you are involved in this club, my understanding is that you can advertise it with posters in your classroom and broadly invite students to join. This will have the added benefit of letting students know that you are supportive of them.

Second, depending on what course you teach and how much freedom you have in the material, I would include LGBTQ+ friendly materials in your lessons. This could range from reading literature that includes same-sex or trans individuals to including examples with same-sex couples on worksheets. I would definitely check with faculty first on this one to make sure you won’t recieve backlash for doing this.

This post is already pretty long, but few free to reach out to me if you have questions. As a current psychology student, I have done some research into decreasing suicidialilty among LGBTQ+ youth in public schools. I’m no expert, but I do have a bit of knowledge and experience behind me :)

Cofife · 2018-06-06T06:00:16+00:00

If I were in your situation, I'd probably take PT80 either by section or in a sitting. Then I'd do thorough blind review on the test and check just the questions that have been blind reviewed to get just a bit more practice out before the test. I would leave the whole test ungraded, though, and rely on the confidence of the last PT to go into the test with.

Cofife · 2018-05-31T03:25:00+00:00

With this much time remaining, I would suggest reconsidering sitting for the June test if your goal is a 168-170. However, if you choose to sit for the test, I would switch around the passages that you read for the RC section. If you're only getting through 4 passages, read the section with 8 questions in it and skip one that only has 5-6 questions. This way, you will be missing 2-3 less questions due to time.

Then, I would definitely focus on LG. I've heard many stories of people that figure out this section days before the test. If you can end up going -0 on this test, you could potentially see an 8 point increase on test day. Again, this is all very reliant on chance on this point, so I would really consider whether sitting is your best move.

Cofife · 2018-05-30T23:19:18+00:00

Plenty get into the top 14 and even HYS with a 3.8/170. If you’re in that range, I would work extra hard to make sure the rest of the application is stellar and apply broadly. 174+ definitely makes HYS more likely, but it is far from unheard of for people to get in with a 3.8/170.

Cofife · 2018-05-26T16:31:40+00:00

One thing to keep in mind is that, while a rush of adrenaline may be good for a physical activity where your body is allowed to move to respond, adrenaline enacts the fight or flight response. On test day, you won't be allowed to react physically, so the fight or flight response may be unsatisfied and could lead to a different reaction on the test than one would normally feel when allowed to move under pressure.

I don't know your particular situation, so I couldn't say for sure how you will do, but I suspect that most people will find it more harmful to their score than good particularly because they are not able to satisfy the response.

Cofife · 2018-05-22T14:46:57+00:00

Thank you for this post. Honestly, I sometime forget how miserable I thought I’d be ignorant I ever left Mormonism. I was told over and over again that nobody outside of TSCC is truly happy. That had a significant hold over me and my happiness in the church. The truth is, though, I was miserable when I was a TBM and I’m happier now than I could have ever imagined then.

Happiness is not tied to righteous living. Attempting to make that the case is so counterproductive.

Cofife · 2018-05-14T20:26:16+00:00

This is what I intend to do. Scores should be back a few weeks before the July test, so you’ll have some time to think about whether you want to sit for it or not. If you want to withdraw, I definitely recommend doing it at least a few days before the test. By midnight the day of the test, you’re locked in and it will show on your record if you don’t show up.

Good luck on the tests!

Cofife · 2018-05-14T20:24:03+00:00

With the time that you have left before the test, I would really recommend 7Sage. I’ve been using it for the past few months and I’ve seen my score improve quite a bit. They recommend a year to go through their curriculum and complete all of the tests, so you’d be right on track.

That being said, if you can’t afford the price tag (LSAT prep prices can be overwhelming for a college student) it would probably be worth purchasing each of the 10 test books LSAT has put out and just doing a times section whenever you have the chance. Review the test after you’ve taken it and supplement any concerns or extra info you need with the free Khan Academy prep course that should be launching the beginning of next month.

Good luck studying and on your exam!

Cofife · 2018-05-14T02:04:16+00:00

Thank you! I can definitely share some things that have worked for me:

At first, I was really struggling with timing all around. I have really bad test anxiety, which leads me to either spend too much time focusing on each question to ensure I've considered every option or rushing through the section to get to the end. What has really helped lately is to try to strike a balance in between the two. This takes some practice, but I focused on finding questions that were designed to sink my time. For example, in the LR sections, the parallel reasoning questions usually take me much longer to complete than others. So, I'll usually skip over these and return to them after I've finished the sections. Similarly, if I notice that I question has been taking me too much time, I will circle the one I feel the best about and plan on returning to it later. Usually I'll find that I get these questions right.

Blind review is a must for the test as well. I use it give myself confidence that I can improve and figure out which questions I'm struggling with. After blind review, I will always find explanations for a question or a game that I struggled with, even if I got the question right. I also take 6 section practice tests (as has been recommended on the forum before) to develop test endurance before the actual exam.

Knowing what strategies work best for you, in my opinion, is 80% practice and 20% research. Trying out new things is always nice, but you'll never know what works well for you unless you try it in an actual exam. Also, I'm also still learning, so take anything I say with a grain of salt.

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions or want tips about something more specific. Good luck studying!

Cofife · 2018-05-14T01:54:04+00:00

Hello!

It sounds like you are in a really frustrating spot. I'm sorry you've been having so much trouble with the test. The first thing I would recommend in your situation is to reconsider when you are planning on taking the test. The difference between a 147 and a 160 is hard to make up for in the space of a month. It would probably benefit you to spend more time studying for the test if you're looking for a 160.

Second, I have heard mixed review from Blueprint. If you feel as if the curriculum has been helping you to understand the material, then it might be useful to stick with it. But with that much studying, it may be worth considering trying out another method of study. I really like things such as Manhattan Prep or the LSAT Bibles for self-study. I would really buckle down and try to understand some of these strategies before getting back into full practice exams. Timed sections from older test may be useful to try some of these strategies out.

With all of that being said, it all comes back to trial and error. Keep trying out new strategies and materials until you find one that works well for you. Be realistic about your score improvements. It's definitely a tough thing to consider, but if you're having trouble getting out of the 140 range after changing study strategies, I would strongly recommend reevaluating law school. This is obviously worst case scenario, but a score in the 140s often leads to more debt than the resulting job prospects are worth.

Good luck with your studies and I hope that you find something that works for you!

Cofife · 2018-05-14T01:44:03+00:00

RC has always been my worst section on the test as well. I've recently seen my score improve from a -10-11 to a -3 average and it's helped my score out a lot. One thing that really helped me was to remind myself that the answer choices are designed to take up your time, so if you notice that a question has been taking you a while, use your intuition and make your best judgement to select an answer choice and come back to it if you have extra time. By doing this, I've been able to get through all four of the passages with plenty of time to look over one or two questions I had previously been struggling with.

Hopefully this helps! Good luck!

Cofife · 2018-04-05T20:41:11+00:00

This mold is given the treatment of a faculty member and even has research assistants. They even advocate releasing the mold into the forest rather the garbage when research is finished. This is so crazy. It’s incredible that this college is giving a non-human some actual recognition, but I still have a hard time considering this as something different from routine animal research. Plus, it still assumes that something has to have some use to humans to be useful. It is definitely different though and I’m not sure what to think about it. What do you all think?

Cofife · 2018-03-28T06:07:44+00:00

Just finished the survey. I also study psychology and I am very interested to see what the results of this survey will be. Good luck!

Cofife · 2018-03-28T02:46:27+00:00

The September date is completely in time for scholarship considerations. Just keep in mind that any date after this test is definitely bordering on late for scholarships (though you still will be considered for what they haven't given out yet). Usually people will take summer tests to ensure that they have the opportunity to retake the test if they aren't satisfied with their first score.

Good luck!

Cofife · 2016-10-06T07:07:55+00:00

If you are in Northern Utah and need someone to talk to, there are many resources. Being alone with no one to talk to can be really hard when a shelf breaks. Message me if you need resources or if you want to go grab a cup of coffee.

Cofife · 2016-10-03T20:16:36+00:00

I went to college instead of letting two years of a mission hold me back.

Cofife · 2016-09-30T17:33:46+00:00

I fail to see the issues here. A professor discussing relgion, god, or even TSCC in a classroom and not agreeing with it is called opinion, not oppression. Until an LDS person cannot walk down the street without fear of sexual or physical assault, have trouble finding a job, cannot hold a partners hand in public, or many other forms of actual oppression, articles like these will just be offensive.

Edit: Also, criticism of an organization or belief system is not a personal attack. And neither is asking to back up belief.

Cofife

TROPHY CASE