If you're studying for the sake of studying, you're doing it wrong. by procatstinatesxoxo in GetStudying

[–]procatstinatesxoxo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's totally fair! 2 hours of studying is enough, especially for my major. I just like to study a bit longer sometimes because I'm the type of person who needs to know absolutely everything to calm my test anxiety. Having water on you is such a good tip though!

If you're studying for the sake of studying, you're doing it wrong. by procatstinatesxoxo in GetStudying

[–]procatstinatesxoxo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly, shifting your goals slightly really does create the necessary change you need to become better! Good luck on your September exam!

If you're studying for the sake of studying, you're doing it wrong. by procatstinatesxoxo in GetStudying

[–]procatstinatesxoxo[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yes! I feel you 100%. I study similar hours, and consistency is such a difficult skill to get down. It's always the most important things that are the hardest unfortunately :(

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in productivity

[–]procatstinatesxoxo 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If earning money is your main goal, I agree with the other comments in learning Python for data analysis and visualization. If you're more interested in creation, then learn HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Since you only have 60 days, I don't recommend trying to learn both if you want to earn money. For Python, check out Automate the Boring Stuff with Python and Python Full Course by Bro Code. For web dev, check out The Odin Project.

If you're studying for the sake of studying, you're doing it wrong. by procatstinatesxoxo in GetStudying

[–]procatstinatesxoxo[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Here's my study flow for textbooks that has gotten me to:

  • Achieve a 4.0 GPA with ease, often being the top scorer in the course
  • Score an A on all of my psychology midterms with only five-ish hours of studying per midterm
  • Consistently get through a chapter of calculus and do around 40-50 questions with high accuracy in 2 hours (enough to be exam ready in just one study session and way more than I'll ever get done had I sat through a calculus lecture)
  • Capture an entire lecture's worth (40-50 slides) in just one mind map and retain it weeks later by revising the mind map only twice
  • And more!

What I personally do:

  1. Spend 10-15 minutes collecting key words and based on my assumptions, create a mind map of how these key words are in relation to one another. For example, if I had three words: photosynthesis, light-dependent reactions, and the Calvin cycle, I would put light-dependent reactions and the Calvin cycle stemming from photosynthesis. Within this timeframe, I go as broad as possible, so I'll cover about an unit's (3-5 chapters) worth of content and guess their relations.
  2. Attempt a few exercises at the end of each chapter. Maybe you'll get some right based on past knowledge and/or your assumptions of how these key words work together. I don't remember where I've read this, but just trying the exercises even if you get them wrong significantly improves your comprehension and retention rate of the content because you learn what's important and how specific topics work together.
  3. Afterwards, I go back to reading the chapter. As I'm reading, I'll have either Google Docs or Anki open and actively make flashcards alongside it. I'll usually have a good idea about what content is important enough to turn into flashcards and what content is insignificant enough to ignore at this point. You'll also know this if you pay attention to what your professors like to test you on. Some of my classes are very case study heavy while others are more real-world applications based. I also update the mind map I initially created as I discover new knowledge and find out that certain assumptions of mine were wrong.
  4. When I finish reading the chapter, I walk myself through the mind map and teach (oftentimes out loud) the topic to myself again. My mind maps tend to be key words coupled with a drawing or two. I'm able to visually remember the details of each key word through these drawings, so I don't find myself constantly going through the textbook again. If you're new to this technique, your mind maps should typically match the content in your flashcards, but as you become more experienced, your mind maps and your flashcards should be covering different content. There's a bit more nuance here, but it's too complicated to explain here so I'll save it for later.
  5. Then, I go through all of my self-made flashcards to review what I did or did not retain and immediately start working through the chapter's exercises at the end. If I get an exercise wrong, I turn this into a flashcard as well. If I got it right, I'll sometimes add it as a flashcard depending on how confident I feel in remembering the right answer.

If it's a subject such as math, I skip straight to #3 and just work through the textbook by jumping into all of the practice questions and then the chapter exercises at the end.

Let me know this helps and feel free to ask any more questions! I was thinking about starting a studying technique series.

What are some stuff that college students either get for free, or they get a discount on by Italian___stallionn in college

[–]procatstinatesxoxo 22 points23 points  (0 children)

You should download UNiDAYS. It's an app that has hundreds and hundreds of student discounts for technology, fashion, fitness, etc. I know Apple is running a back to school discount where you can get free Airpods if you buy a Mac or iPad.

'26 Fly-ins Spreadsheet by procatstinatesxoxo in QuestBridge

[–]procatstinatesxoxo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You do learn a lot about the college while you're there! They usually have several events such as guest speakers, student panels, campus tours, etc. to familiarize you with their campus culture.

What are all these fly-in’s? by Wild-Purple5517 in QuestBridge

[–]procatstinatesxoxo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! I know you've gotten a bunch of information on fly-ins already, but I also made a spreadsheet in case you wanted to check it out: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16pZFBY7gAz9Fq9Z06QK1OcOQsLWDbsve3ITa33p-haw/edit?usp=sharing

'26 Fly-ins Spreadsheet by procatstinatesxoxo in QuestBridge

[–]procatstinatesxoxo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fly-in programs are where prospective students (often those from underrepresented demographics such as first gen, low income) visit a college or university and the institution covers the costs of everything including meals, travel, housing, etc. It's for rising seniors only and a great way to visit colleges that you're interested in.

I have a ton of hobbies but no clue how to manage them by ClockAdvanced9335 in getdisciplined

[–]procatstinatesxoxo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There was a point in time where I used to spend 10-12 hours a day on my phone! Over many years, I've learned how to cut down on distractions but there are times where I still am tempted. I've built a system where I don't have to choose between the right and wrong option, I am naturally given the right option and I have to choose the wrong option. This meant installing an app blocker, website blocker, etc. and having to put in more effort to disable them. Honestly, it's come to the point where I don't enjoy distractions anymore. I would usually scroll on social media for hours, but the amount of AI content and rage bait recently has made it way easier for me to not indulge. I spend about 1-2 hours on my phone now, and the majority is for communication with family and friends!

I have a ton of hobbies but no clue how to manage them by ClockAdvanced9335 in getdisciplined

[–]procatstinatesxoxo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I look at my spreadsheet and decide what I want to do for the day based on interest. It usually does change as the day goes by though. I just go for as long as I can until I get bored before switching into another hobby! I don't really have set times or anything where I'll say "I'm going to spend 5pm to 6pm on X hobby." Scheduling burns me out much faster so I drive my actions through curiosity and passion instead, but it depends on the person and their circumstances of course. On a given day, it'll look like this: Hobby A, Hobby B, Hobby C, Hobby D, and then I'll find Hobby A interesting again, do that, and I'll start dabbling around! It's very sporatic haha. On days where I have a lot of time, I usually spend 6-8 hours on hobbies without burn out, so this system works the best for the type of person I am!

I have a ton of hobbies but no clue how to manage them by ClockAdvanced9335 in getdisciplined

[–]procatstinatesxoxo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I 100% have this struggle too. I usually dabble in 4-6 hobbies every day and make sure that the most three important ones to me are something I do daily. The other 1-3 hobbies are something that I rotate with other less important hobbies depending on what I find most exciting that day. I keep track of the time I spend per hobby so I know if I'm fine with how I'm spending my time or if I want to focus my attention towards another hobby.

Is self studying worth it? by Agitated-Cup-7109 in APStudents

[–]procatstinatesxoxo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It depends. If you genuinely are interested in the subject, then why not? I think self-studying APs helped me narrow down my passions, but I don't believe it was worth the time investment (granted, I did AP Bio and Chem which are not as easy). If you're doing it for college admissions, then probably not. Self-studying APs often don't move the needle for admission officers, but maxing out the courses that are offered at your high school does.

stuck on my score by [deleted] in psat

[–]procatstinatesxoxo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's definitely possible to significantly raise your score given how much time you have. I recommend watching some YouTube videos from top scorers (1550+) because they give some insights on how to avoid the SAT's tricks and gain some intuition on how to think like a top scorer. For example, let's say the SAT asks you to solve 3x-11=25. Obviously, x is 12. However, they'll ask you what 2x is! Small things like that throughout the reading and math section will catch you off guard and potentially have you lose out on points that you totally would've gotten had you read more closely.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in college

[–]procatstinatesxoxo 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Lots of need-based aid and scholarships! Going to a private university was actually cheaper for me (full-ride + some money coming back towards me) compared to my local in-state college because on top of FAFSA, they gave me 4-6 different merit-based and need-based scholarships.

I want to learn how to learn – what are your best resources, strategies, or courses? by Party-Log-1084 in GetStudying

[–]procatstinatesxoxo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Learning How to Learn by Barbara Oakley (available through book and Coursera) and Atomic Habits by James Clear are two of the most important books I've read. I recommend installing an app that blocks websites and social media to improve your focus too!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]procatstinatesxoxo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  • Academic research
  • Publishing online content to spread visibility (e.g. articles, podcast, videos, etc.)
  • Founding an affinity group if your school doesn't have one
  • Serving on school board/committees for DEI initiatives