Notetaking

Typical bagel morning on this rainy day featuring my cool pajamas

i finally finished my basic chapter notes, i still need to write some practice problems, but i’m proud of how this set went

the weather is great but I spent the whole day inside studying for tomorrow’s propulsion exam (ok I went out to get a coffee once because you just gotta treat yourself sometimes)

Tips to study in one week or less

Exams and finals are fast approaching for many people and we’ve all been in a place where we have too much to study and too little time to do it. I am an avid procrastinator so more often than not, I let all material build up in my desk and then I stress out to go over everything before the exam! Fear no more! I have the perfect formula for you!

Stop procrastinating! Going through productivity/study tips youtube videos or studyblrs is not going to do the work for you. Stop obsessing about it, leave your phone out of your study space and organize everything you have to do.

Make a list with all the chapters/topics you have to study. That way you can have a notion of everything you should know. Once you get over them, you can cross them out and feel productive enough to keep going. Trust me, that feeling is one of the best when you are studying!

Study smart, not hard — Understand what are the most important ones and focus on those. If you have little time, there is no way you can go over every material (if it’s too much like usually happens in college/uni) and also, no professor will question everything with the same detail in the exam.

Distribute the amount of material for the amount of days you have — leave at least 2 out. It’s important to organize the material during the amount of time you have so you don’t get too lazy in one day and then stress too much over the many things you have to study on another. Evaluate well what might take longer or not and if it doesn’t work as planned, adjust your plan in the end of the study day. The last two days before the exam are important to leave free for revisions and exam preparation.

In those last 2 days, test yourself. It can be previous exams from previous years (they’re the best option), tests online, quizzes with a friend. Exams from previous years are my favourite option - professors aren’t very original so it’s highly possibly that they will repeat questions. The line of questions are also very similar and even if there aren’t many repeated, at least you already know the basis. Tests online similar to what your professors use are also a good option as well as quiz a friend and vice versa, however, this last option might take longer and not work in little time. If you work well with a study buddy, testing each other would be beneficial for both.

REVIEW ONLY what you’re less prepared for, what you did wrong in the tests, what professors ask the most. If you don’t have enough time, you don’t want to waste it reviewing what you already know. If you know, you know. Believe and trust yourself!!

Don’t stress yourself, it will be alright. Stressing over little time can be a good pressure and motivator but too much can do the opposite effect and that’s not your intention. Find a balance, use your study breaks well enough to rest and relax so you won’t be too overwhelmed in the middle of an afternoon and do nothing the rest of the day.

GET A GOOD NIGHT SLEEP THE NIGHT BEFORE. You can wake up earlier to review but make sure you have at least 7 hours of sleep that night. Sleeping well the night before the exam is essencial for your brain to process everything you’ve studied. It will also allow your brain to be fresh and ready to work by the time you take the exam. If you are too tired from an all nighter, your brain will be tired and not work as quick and efficient as you need it.

Trust yourself. It doesn’t matter the amount of time you had, you still know the material. If you believe in yourself, you’re halfway passed!! You have to remind yourself that you did the best you could with the time you had. As long as you know that, you’ll feel so much lighter and the exam will go so much better. And if it doesn’t, you won’t feel guilty because you know you gave your best. In college/university, we never know everything or get out of an exam feeling like we scored the best grade ever.

Personal Bill of Rights

(stolen from The Anxiety And Phobia Workbook by Edmund Bourne, which was originally given to me by my therapist years ago when I was dealing with a bad environment at home. Some of you might need this.)

I have the right to ask for what I want.

I have the right to say no to requests or demands I can’t meet.

I have the right to express all of my feelings, positive or negative.

I have the right to change my mind.

I have the right to make mistakes and not have to be perfect.

I have the right to follow my own standards and standards.

I have the right to say no to anything when I feel I am not ready, it is unsafe, or it violates my values.

I have the right to determine my own priorities.

I have the right not to be responsible for others’ behavior, actions, feelings, or problems.

I have the right to expect honesty from others.

I have the right to be angry at someone I love.

I have the right to be uniquely myself.

I have the right to feel scared and say “I’m scared.”

I have the right to say “I don’t know.”

I have the right not to give excuses or reasons for my behavior.

I have the right to make decisions based on my feelings.

I have the right to my own needs for personal space and time.

I have the right to be playful and frivolous.

I have the right to be healthier than those around me.

I have the right to be in a non abusive environment.

I have the right to make friends and be comfortable around people.

I have the right to change and grow.

I have the right to have my needs and wants respected by others.

I have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

I have the right to be happy.

Learning astronomy

Podcasts

astronomy cast  : hundreds of podcasts! Great for beginners and general facts, but keep in mind that those are from 2006, so some technical things may no longer be relevant

Videos 

crash course : amazing synthetic videos about astronomy, those are my personal favorites 

Websites

astronomy basics : all you need to know if you’re a great beginner!

Free online courses

probably the most complete one I’ve ever seen

khan academy astronomy courses are quality af

Books

list of books about what to see and how with a telescope

another list of books about astronomy in general 

telescope books

astrophotography

Stargazing

Sky maps

sky maps per month 

very good starwheels aka planispheres 

How to observe

basic skills

10 steps to begin

the perfect all-in-one stargazing guide: I can’t recommend this highly enough!!

Telescopes and things

telescopes

telescope reviews : aka what to chose for what you want to see

everything about telescopes : super useful when you start using one!!

Astrophotography

Starting

everything you need to know depending on what equipment you have!!

all you need version 2!

General

catching the light

hundreds of tips 

Apps and websites

For computers

stellarium

googlesky

astroplanner: plan your observation!

winstars: 3D planet/stargazing!

planetarium 

+ full list of softwares and websites

For mobiles

starwalk2 (android version): alright guys, this one is my absolute favorite at all times. Like, really. Have you ever wished you could point a device at the sky and know exactly what’s above you? And have a description of those things? Even in the middle of the day?? Well, now you can yaaay! :D 

Astronomy News

astronomy.com

universetoday

skyandtelescope

space.com aka my personal favorite

astronomynow

sci-news

++bonus !

All the random facts

here +other links:  x x x x

Backgrounds

hubble site gallery

ESA/Hubble gallery

HD wallpapers

NASA gallery

Even more resources

friendsoftheobservatory

NASA

European Space Agency

ISS Live

I really hoped it helped! Thank you very much for reading! Zoya

orange rabbit sleeping in a boat requested by William on patreon [Caption: Soon, I’m going to do amazing things, but right now, I need to rest and that’s ok.”]

06.04.18 // 🎧: Spring Day - Japanese ver. - BTS

ventured out of my room for once to catch some rays while revising them 🌤 ~

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[Drawing of me with an elephant head next to a caption that says “How do you know you’re good enough to follow your dreams?” and above a caption that says “I know it because I’m deciding it. I’m deciding to work hard and challenge myself. I’m deciding that if I can’t do a necessary part of the job, I’ll learn how to do it. I’m deciding that if I fail, I’ll try again until I succeed. I’m deciding not to give up. I’m deciding to believe in myself, and I’m deciding to remake that decision as many times as it takes.”]

Lockheed Martin engineers assemble Orion’s crew module at NASA Kennedy Space Center Operations and Checkout building. Orion will travel 450,000 km away from Earth on Exploration Mission-1.