Today’s Mood Board. Source! - Preparing For Exams

What you think archival research will be: immediate amazing discoveries about exactly what you’re working on

What archival research actually is: well now I want to know about all of the socks that the Archbishop of Florence sent to the Pope in 1512.

How I prep for a new semester at uni:

I make a new time block sheet. I put all my classes in, then my commute time. From there I plan study hours, when I need to wake up to not feel rushed, work hours, etc. This plan helps to keep me from getting too overwhelmed and let me feel like I have everything under control.

I do my school shopping on prime day or after the back to school rush. You'll find those nice multi subject notebooks on sale for cheap and fun stationary and backpacks a lot cheaper like this!

I try to get a head start in classes. If I know we're reading a book or something I'll start a couple weeks before school starts. I try to take notes on as many chapters/subjects as I can and all that. This not only helps me get ahead, but it also helps me for when I inevitably fall behind.

I get all the routine maintenance done on my car. I drive over an hour to get to classes so this is very important. Oil change, tire rotation, balance, filters, etc. I save up my summer tips to get all this done.

I stock up on easy and fast foods. Instant noodles, granola bars, frozen meals, etc. Between working a lot and doing classes I don't have the energy to cook and do dishes so this saves me.

I give myself little reasons to get excited. The teacher or the campus or a friend. Whatever it may be. I HAVE to have a reason to drive that long to attend a class for an hour and come back and not get stressed.

I make a food budget. It's so easy to spend $150 a week on snacks and treats and coffees and such. So I have to set a budget and a plan for myself so I can actually pay my rent haha

I plan my walks to classes on campus. Where I'll park, how much time I have between classes, how to get there, etc.

If I have late classes, I make sure that I can call someone after every class as I walk to my car to make sure I'm safe.

Plan little treats and rewards. If I realize there's a week that's going to be super hard on me, I'll plan a little early morning walk or something special I don't do often after as a reward.

I try to be more positive to myself the closer the semester comes. I have to be proud of me and my work. I have to be confident in my abilities. So I have to have that mindset. Which is super hard as someone with severe anxiety and depression and who has been conditioned growing up to be quiet and a background character essentially. But I AM good. I AM smart. I can ace these classes. I deserve to be here and I deserve good things.

I triple check with my job to make sure they have my updated availability and will give me the flexibility I require due to my classes.

Overall, I just get my shit together once again and try and get myself excited. I have the opportunity to study at a university and that in itself is absolutely amazing and something I don't take for granted.

Being a history major is you wake up, you read about the most horrifying atrocities ever committed before you finish your morning coffee, you write a 10 page research paper and forget to put a single footnote because that's a problem for tomorrow, you cry about the fact that humans have had vibrant experiences for millennia and we treasure the scattered remnants they leave behind, you catalogue 100 pages of meaningless government documents in an excel spreadsheet, and then maybe at the end of the day you get a waffle.

the intimacy of sharing feelings and thoughts that were buried deep inside with someone who understands and listens to them patiently and acknowledges them and does not make you feel like you're too much is everything

if your uni doesnt hv a reading week remember you can always take one yourself 🫡

latecia

There’s no better time to get back into studying than the present. Don’t forget to take breaks.

the touchpad of my laptop stopped working a whole year ago (i use a mouse so not a big deal but still annoying) and it. just. started to work again ? out of the blue ??? HOW ?