Ana Tip #2

ESSAY WRITING 101: HOW TO GET A FIRST/A* IN ANY ESSAY

I’ve been preparing to start my masters after a one-year break from academia, so I’m a little apprehensive about getting into essay writing again. I found a great resource on my University’s website, giving a universal guide to writing a First Class essay. If you’re about to start your first year at uni, want a refresher, or are taking essay-based classes at your high school, this is the post for you!

C O M P R E H E N S I O N

Use a wide range of relevant sources, well understood and fully appreciated.

What do I need to do?

Read beyond the recommended reading given to you or the textbook in class. Can you explain what you’ve read to someone who isn’t studying your course - if not, do you really understand it?   

C R I T I Q U E

Ability to set sources and view points in context and evaluate contributions. Methodological awareness and theoretical appreciation.

What do I need to do?

I posted here about the WHAT-HOW-WHY paragraph structure. The critique is your WHY. WHY is the source written in that way? What was the context of the time or geographical location where it was written? Can either have impacted the writing? What are the limitations to the source - have they avoided discussing something that you believe vital to their argument? Critical thinking is the key to obtaining the highest marks in an essay.

A N A L Y S I S

Excellent answer to the question. Locates suitable concepts and makes a comprehensive assessment of issues involved. Understands the relevant theories and applies them to answering the question.

What do I need to do?

Answer the question. It seems silly but answer the question. What are you actually being asked to talk about, and are there any limiting factors (e.g. a specific time period)? Make sure that everything you’re saying is relevant to the question. If you’re anything like me, going off on a tangent is second nature. A good tip is to read your essay aloud to yourself - if you can sense you’re waffling on about something, then cut it out. 

P R E S E N T A T I O N

Well structured and planned. Clear, articulate style (good spelling, grammar, and syntax.) Proper referencing and bibliography. Confident presentation and appropriate length.

What do I need to do?

Plan plan plan. I never really understood the importance of proper essay planning before I got to University, but it really cannot be emphasised enough. Try and plan in a cyclical sense, taking a thematic approach to your writing and ensuring your main thesis argument is clear throughout your writing. It can be good to break one large essay into 2 or 3 smaller ones, but make sure that they are well connected and don’t read in a disjointed manner. Linking your introduction and conclusion can be an excellent way to ensure that your essay reads fluidly. Another top tip for writing a conclusion is to point your reader to further reading in the area you’re writing about - this helps to place your work as part of the academic conversation on the topic.

New Years Resolutions:

Lose at least 20 lbs. by summer

No breakfast

Fast more

No snacks

Never more than 1000 calls a day

Weigh myself and record my weight weekly

wholesome/comforting video playlist by moi!!

1. cat cuddling asmr (because i do not have a cat but sometimes i want to cuddle one)

2. a coupla sweet nature vids by a guy i met on here whose url i don’t remember including: a visit to a creek , and rain on a back porch

3. literally 20 mins of cozy chowder making in animal crossing

4. fuck it! hedgehog getting a bath!

5. a good ol mountain guy making a stoneware teapot in literally the most soothing way possible (bonus: he tells good stories)

6. a nice long painting restoration vid (i love this guy’s channel)

7. my favorite bob ross episode (*psst* it’s the baby squirrels one)

8. soothing vid of someone painting studio ghibli scenes

9. the coziest vlog i’ve ever seen (lots of studying and making art, gentle everyday activities)

10. guy camps out in a snow storm with his dog (lots of playful shenanigans in the snow, pretty useful tips on how to build a shelter and tie knots if you’re into that, they make a cozy stew) 

Comfort soup - 45cal

*10 pieces of spaghetti broken in half

*1 cup of vegetable broth

*¼ cup of chopped carrots

*3 tbsp of celery

Throw together in a pot and cook till the noodles and vegetables are soft

This is a warm homey soup which is great for if you are sick <3

Witchy To-Do List When You Got Bad Juju:

Bad Juju (as my mother calls it) is when you’ve attracted negative/heavy energy. This can be just not regularly cleansing, others casting the energy onto you, or visiting places that attract negative energy (busy public transportation stations, graveyards, toxic work environment, etc.). This can really put stress onto you, such as creating bad dreams, accumulation of small and annoying incidents, and just constant bad days. Here’s what I what do to get rid of this juju HARD: 1) Clean your entire living space. Whether it is an apartment or house: CLEAN. If your bad juju is particularly bad, DEEP-CLEAN. Wash your floors, deep clean your carpets, scrub those countertops. Act like you’re about to get a ton of guests over in a very short amount of time. Do laundry also! 2) Purge. Throw out expired food, trash, recycling, etc. Yes, it can be part of cleaning, but this is important. My mother and I used to throw out the dirty mop water from our windows before I moved out into an apartment. Now, I throw out my trash at the end of every clean session. 3) Burn cleansing incense. Sage (white or different variation), Palo Santo, Sweetgrass, Patcholi, or any other incense that makes you feel clean. Burn this after you’re done cleaning. 4) Listen to witch playlists or instrumentals that get you going. There’s plenty of these playlists on Youtube. I love listening to Slavic Drums and songs while I clean, as the drums really get me motivated.

5) Cleanse your bed. Take out the sheets, pillow cases, and blanket/comforter. Wash them all and/or replace with new sheets, pillow cases, and blanket/comforter. Then, dose your bed with sage or palo santo. I prefer palo santo as it’s easier to obtain and more ethical than sage. 6) Take a shower/bath and cleanse. By this point, you have worked up a sweat. Not only is a shower great, but you can visualize cleansing yourself in the shower/bath. Ultimately, you need to unwind and relax. 7) Meditate. If you can or want to, meditation really helps. Guided meditations are on Youtube. I personally listen to instrumentals and visualize peaceful places and really concentrate on the details of the location. 15 minutes minimum.

8) Drink water. Hydration is very, very important. A natural cleanser for your body, but it will really help with relaxing and feeling clean and better. I welcome you to add more to the list and you can add/change to your own routine! I’m also interested in hearing how other people get rid of bad juju! :)

Study Tips Straight from My Professor

Hi guys! So a lot of our classes are starting today, even with the eclipse so I thought I’d share some tips my teacher sent out to help everyone get a better grade in the sciences classes, which may or may not be slightly trickier than others. It’s important to realize that no one can get through all of these, so pick what is most important to you.

1) Put in the time. Using the “three-to-one” rule, three hours of studying outside of class time per one credit hour. If your class is 3 credits, you should be studying independently an additional 9 hours. For 4 credits, 12 hours. Teachers expect you to treat studying as your job (even if you do have an actual job) meaning you should virtually be studying anytime outside of meals, class, sleep, work, etc. > To clarify, this is per week. Not at all per day. You will never be able to shove an appropriate amount of studying per class into one day. Do not try, it is not healthy. 2) NO cramming. It is MUCH more productive to study a little each day rather than 9 hours the day before a test. You will remember virtually nothing if you do and will not be as happy with the grade you recieve. Taking it in little bits stores it in long term memory and you will actually learn it rather than just regurgitating it onto a test. 3) Time management is crucial. Especially if you are someone who works or has kids or other priorities that also need attention. Make a schedule and. Stick. To. It. 4) Be prepared and organized. Do not be the person who lost their pencil and doesn’t have an extra, forgot a notebook or textbook, keys, etc. Give yourself enough time so you’re not rushing and make sure you have what you need! Your college professors are not here to attend to your personal needs when some of them have 800+ students a semester. 5) Use a calender. Write down your assignments, projects, class times, anything you need to remember. Use it religiously because it will be so much easier than trying to keep it all inside your head and that way you will not forget anything. 6) Use the book AND the notes. Most professors write things in a different way than the book and reading something in multiple different ways will better help you remember the concept rather than the sentence word for word. 7) Read ahead. Doing so helps you prepare for and not be lost in lecture and it will benefit you as well as the teacher. 8) Attend all/as many classes as you can and be an active listener. Sit up straight, face forward, don’t pay attention to what others around you are doing (I sit up front whenever possible). Keep an extra piece of paper near you in case you have questions so you can either ask or go back later and look it up yourself. 9) Take detailed notes. With permission, record the lecture so you can hear it again later, abbreviate whatever you are scribbling down, and then as soon as you can after class, rewrite it in a neater, nicer way and don’t be afraid to word things differently. A review shortly after class is proven to help it convert to long term memory. 10) Keep your phone off in class. I know we all love our phones and class is boring, but it’s also crucial information. We’ve all been through that period of regret where we wished we had paid attention. Don’t let that happen anymore. Use it only for emergencies and recording lectures. 11) Even if you don’t rewrite your notes after class, review them. Make sure to pay attention to anything the teacher may have repeated or any learning objectives they would like for you to know. 12) Study early and often! This goes along with no cramming but the sooner and more repetitively you relay information to your brain, the easier it will be to remember it. If you don’t look at the information for 2 weeks and then suddenly need to remember it all, not only will you be too stressed to retain it, you’ll also be wasting valuable time. Make your own study guides and test questions. 13) Make flashcards. Flashcards are only useful when you a) shuffle them occasionally and b) take the ones you’ve memorized out of the pile but still review them every now and then to make sure you still remember. Put any back in the pile that you missed. 14) Use mnemonic devices for lists of related terms. 15) Type or rewrite your notes. I’d recommend writing them again, because physical writing by hand is another way to help remember it. 16) Consolidate your material. This means: tables, lists, figures, concept maps. Reasonable chucks. 17) Teach it to someone else. The best way to tell if you have mastered something is that you are able to explain it to someone else correctly in a way that makes sense. 18) Pick a good place for effective studying. We all love our study groups, but let’s be honest. At most the first 20 minutes is talking, then 10 minutes of studying before half the group is surfing Tumblr and the other half is complaining they’re hungry. I prefer to study by myself for this reason. Find a quiet place with minimal distractions and get prepared to work your fucking ass off. 19) Get decent rest before the exam and be sure to get there early or on time, unpredictable situations included. Exams are important and your teacher will not care if there was a traffic jam. If you miss the exam, you miss the exam. 20) Learn from your mistakes. Review your incorrect exam answers and figure out why it was wrong and why the correct answer was correct. Talk to your teacher, TA, resource lab, anyone who may help you if you’re stuck. 21) Review the midterm and start preparing for finals. Most of the midterm material should be on the final, so it’s one of your best study guides. 22) Keep your textbooks and notes. I know we’re all broke as fuck and would like to sell them back, but you never know when that information will be useful in another class down the road. 23) Do NOT discuss grades, quizzes, tests, or exams with your class mates. Of course they’ll complain that they didn’t study, that chapter 6 was this, or chapter 8 said that and it was confusing. This type of conversation will only make you nervous so steer clear of all of it.

Edit: I have made an adjustment to #2 to clarify that the 3 hours of studying/1 credit hour for that class should be per week, not per day. 💕

Have you taken AP Chemistry, AP U.S. History, or AP Literature and Composition? If you have, what is your advice in those classes and like how to study for them and learn more easily?

I have not taken them, but here are some links I have - a lot of them contain more links!

AP Literature reading list

AP, history, and how to study for history classes

Studying for APUSH

The imperfect guide on AP classes

Free SAT & AP prep materials

APUSH resources

Free standardized test prep

AP study resources

Science resources (mentions AP chem)

Sorry I don’t have a better answer! You can also check my study tips tag.

{September 14, 2017} | AP Macroeconomics notes and avocado toast 🥑✨

YO WHO MESSED UP NOVEMBER BUT IS WITH ME TO MAKE DECEMBER THE MONTH THAT THEY LOSE OR AT LEAST MAINTAIN AND NOT GAIN??? ♥️💪💪👋

writing my “dear future APHUG student” letter:

Quizlet is God

listen to the bookwalks, dont read the textbook

make up your vocab examples

turn in your assignments right before the deadline so your teacher doesnt look at them and gives you a 100

when in doubt, India

acronyms save time, but never use them in papers

watch all the review session recordings, no need to study

why do work in class when you can do it at home at midnight?

Africa has a shit ton of countries

this class isn’t AP hugging