My Notes - Blog Posts

Day 1/14, 31st August, 2023 – Thursday

Today I wasn't as productive as I should've been since I'd had a terrible headache (horrible start, I'm aware). However, after taking some medicine and eating something, I started to feel better and began to do things. I finished taking down notes from my biology ppt, so that was good! I plan on getting more done tomorrow.

Studying isn't about grades, it's about falling in love with a subject.

I've officially started my last year of college and have never felt more excited. These years have been a process of learning to love learning new things, but i think I've finally started fully appreciating the opportunity to study subjects that not only interest me, but will also help me in my life and career post-university.

I'm grateful to have professors that are passionate about the courses they teach, I'm grateful for the friends that are just as dedicated to learning as I am, with whom I can always discuss interesting details and debatable theories.

It's a new year and I'm grateful to become a new me.

6.11.2022

Trying to get back in the studying mood is the hardest part of studying.

There's still time left until my midterms, but I don't want to cram a lot right before the exams, so I'm trying to get back on track. Productivity level is remarkably low.

Any advice on getting motivated to study?

11/3/19

I’m really happy with how today has gone. I’ve had two hours of French and an hour of Biology, and then started these notes in one of my frees

Happy Monday 😊

30/1/19 - Where has January gone?!

So I’ve become very bad at posting lately but I am so so busy! I’ve made good progress with A2 Maths and I have so many French books to read, too. My lovely French teacher has lent me three books in one go after I finished the one she lent me yesterday that very night haha

I hope your January has gone well :)

20/01/2019

So I bought myself an iPad to save my back because I carry about far too many notebooks but I still like writing my notes. I’m also saving paper haha

I’m still getting to grips with this but I really love it so far!

Sorry for the inactivity - I just needed to take some time off. But I’m back now! I’ve got my mock results back and I’m very happy with them :)

9/1/18 - 3/100 days of productivity

Today has been awesome. I had chemistry first thing, and then double German (my favourite class!), then I had some Galette des Rois in French and ended the day with Biology. No frees today but a really positive time all round :)

I’m sat doing homework now and I’ve promised myself I can watch a new TV programme that’s on later if I get it done haha

8/1/18 - 2/100 days of productivity

Sorry this is late - I had no WiFi yesterday at all! However, in my only free I made these notes on the brain :)

I hope you’re having a great week!

07/10/18 - 25/100 days of productivity

Whiteboards are my favourite way of revising. To add a dimension of challenge and novelty, I often incorporate French and German into science revision. That way if I watch a video to revise, I know I won’t switch off and automatically assume that I know it all just because it’s familiar. I actually have to listen and do something with the language to make sure I understand, because the content is being shown to me in a different way. It also kills two birds with one stone!

Plus I completely forgot how to translate Entgiftungsfunktion into English (despite the fact that I am English 😂) and figured that the German encapsulated it quite nicely. I just go with what’s tidiest hehe

05/10/18 - 23 days of productivity

Hi all! Today has been a busy one - I only had one free period today and I was blessed with Doppeldeutsch :D

Chemistry involved revising the very start of AS, which was boring since it encases the very basics that have been drilled into you and used so much since the start of GCSEs that you will never ever forget them. Ever. However, I did get to work with people I don’t normally work with, which was fun.

Biology came second, where we started the topic of neuronal communication (I made the notes last month hehe).

Then I had 2 hours of German, where we did some reading, listening and talked about our individual research projects. I’ve decided on women in the GDR vs the BRD.

And then I got to practise a Cambridge admissions test for the maths practice.

When I got home, I made three quizlet sets ready for next week, finished my German and French homework and then did an end of topic test in maths for proof (which you see pictured).

I’m going to curl up with a book now, and yet another cup of tea!

How have you spent your Friday?

04/10/18 - 22/100 days of productivity

I quite like the combination of typing and then hand decoration. We are studying Das Leben Der Anderen in German and I’m making character notes. I’m going to move onto maths soon though.

I’m not having a great day, because my bus didn’t turn up and so I was late to school and very stressed this morning - I plan my day to the minute to stave off my anxiety and if it doesn’t go exactly to plan I can’t help getting upset. However, I have taken steps to calm down and I am being quite productive!

03/10/18 - 21/100 days of productivity

Ok, I’m knackered now. I love chemistry but graphs are so awful to draw by hand because it’s so easy to mess up 😂

That curve of best fit though (looks a bit funny at this angle but it’s a perfect curve irl)👌🏻

02/10/18 - 20 days of productivity

Pictured above are my biology class notes and then my written up, neat version I refer to when I revise. I like writing them up - it’s therapeutic and helps me remember them. However, I typed these up in my only free period only for my memory stick to decide to corrupt itself beyond repair for no reason at the end of the lesson, so I lost everything. I’m currently crying about that - even though I have hard copies of all my other notes, which is good. I didn’t lose too much!

Today I had a fairly alright day - but I completely forgot to do my French homework and cried a bit because that’s so unlike me. I had an excellent German lesson though, and I’m Chemistry I got to do separate things to everyone else because my teacher dreads me getting bored haha

27/09/18 - 16/100 days of productivity

Well, today was... interesting. I got to school at 8am, went to form, had a cup of tea and did a maths challenge in said form... and spilt my water all over my bag. My important stuff was fine, but my phone and everything up front got soaked. Oops!

I had to lay all my stuff out on the desk and wait for my mother to bring a spare backpack. Of course, stupid me forgot to take my key out that bag so I was locked out for an hour when I got home :(

Other than that, I had 4 free periods and 1 lesson today. I made biology notes on gene regulation and the lac operon from 08:55 to 10:55 and did a mixed exercise on geometric sequences from 11:20 until 12:20.

Then came Chemistry, where we did worksheets on orders of reaction because my teacher had a massive migraine.

Lesson 5 was my designated time to see my tutor, who is a retired maths teacher and is helping me along. We spent 45 minutes talking about the binomial expansion and then radians, which was great fun. That was such a nice way to end the day.

When I got home (which was almost an hour later than usual since I was locked out!) I kind of flopped on my bed and completely forgot that I had to do homework due in tomorrow.

So at 17:00, I sprang into life again and finished German (pictured) and then Chemistry. That took until 21:00, when I forced myself to stop.

Girl’s gotta look after herself, you know?

25/09/18 - 14/100 days of productivity

Hi all! My Tuesday has been fun, although sneezing constantly isn’t. Here’s what today looked like:

06:45 Get up and in the bath

07:00 Get dressed, pack my bag and take my medication (always disgusting because it’s a liquid but you know. Gets the worst out of the way)

07:25 Out the house, waiting for the 07:35 bus.

08:00 I arrived at school and did some German quizlets!

08:30 Form time - I normally read but I left my books by accident.

08:50 Lesson 1 - Biology. We learned about SCNT, embryo twinning and the ethical argument about cloning.

09:55 Lesson 2 - French. We debated whether it was right to allow transgender biologically-male people to join girl guides.

10:55-11:25 Break; I found my chem teacher to discuss my personal statement

11:25 Lesson 3 - free. I did a maths paper

12:30 Lesson 4 - German. We talked about the EU, doing topic work from our text book

13:30 Lunch

14:00-15:00 Lesson 5 - Chemistry. We had to make presentations about orders of reaction and the rate constant.

15:40 I arrived home and took myself to bed because I feel like having a day off today.

17:00 Tea time - I love me some tomato soup when I’m ill haha

17:20 Cup of tea, documentaries and chill. I’d normally stick my headphones in but my ear aches so I’d better not :(

24/09/18 - 13 days of productivity // Day 1 of 7 in my life

Despite the raging cold, this is what my Monday looked like!

07:10 Wake up!

07:15 Brain training using Peak while having a bath

08:20 Finally got out the bath... don’t judge it was cold outside haha

08:30 Dressed and ready to knuckle down. I had taken my meds and made a cup of tea.

08:30-09:00 Chemistry homework!

09:00-09:30 German quizlets

09:30-11:20 Maths

11:20-11:45 Lunch!

11:45-12:30 More Maths

12:30-13:00 Break with my mum

13:05 Bus to school

13:30 Arrival at school - their lunchtime

14:00-15:00 Biology lesson

15:00-16:00 French lesson

16:16-16:30 Bus home

16:30-17:30 Chill (Skyped friends today)

17:30-18:10 More maths! Arithmetic progressions and all that jazz

18:10-18:30 Tea time! (Or dinner, depending on where you’re from)

18:30-19:10 French homework

19:10 Pack my bag for tomorrow, relax in my room with a cup of tea and Le Père Goriot

21:00 My bedtime - non-negotiable haha

22/09/18 - 11/100 days of productivity

I’m in the library today, currently doing maths. I’ve already gone through 4 sets of quizlets for German and next up once I finish this will be to finish my chemistry homework.

My friends are going to turn up at some point, too. I’m going to help one of them with a personal statement and then I’m going to read Le Père Goriot

Juggling 5 A Levels: a week in my life

Hello all! I’ve been getting a lot of questions based on how I balance school and home life, so I’ve decided I’m going to break down my days, hour by hour, over the course of the week beginning Monday 24th September 2018.

I’m mainly doing this because I love finding out how people use their days - and because I would personally benefit from really analysing how I use my own. Is this something you’d like to see?

21/09/18 - 10/100 days of productivity

10% of the way there, folks! I’ve done some chemistry revision today, learnt 4 sets of 30 German flash cards before having double German and doing loads of grammar drills. I had 2 cups of tea while my lovely bio teacher was talking about osmoregulation and then in my free at the end of the day I made some maths notes while sneaking pizza into the work room.

I hope you’ve all had great days :)

20/09/18 - 9/100 days of productivity

I had one lesson today - chemistry! We did a really simple practical for our official records which I am about to write up. I also got my maths mock back - 82/100, which is an A! I’m so happy!

Nothing can bring me down today and I’m feeling so productive. I’ve just done my German homework (as you can see, it’s about the EU 😭) and I have also done a load of Quizlet practice and admin for German.

I’ve also started reading Le Père Goriot by Honoré de Balzac, which my lovely French teacher brought back from her parents’ home in France for me to read!

Next up: filing away and revising French notes so I can be prepared for a mock speaking on Monday :)

19/09/18 Maths notes!

17/09/18 I have to write a surprise essay on Wednesday so I’m revising quotes for themes in L’étranger

🎵Clair de lune - Debussy🎵

17/09/18 - 6/100 days of productivity

Good morning all! I’ve just arrived at sixth form and I’m making chemistry notes and clearing up any homework I have left until my first lesson starts at 2pm (I have 4 free periods).

14/09/2018 - 3/100 days of productivity

No pictures today - sorry! I’m a bit rushed but I thought I’d update to prove I can finish what I started hehe

I spent an hour reviewing German vocab I learned last year in my last free period of the day, and I also got all my homework completed in time for the weekend. That included biology and chemistry. I got a lot out of my lessons today - I had my first lesson with a teacher I haven’t had since Year 9 (and I’m in Year 13 now!)

(I’m off to Nottingham tomorrow for a uni open day, so I can’t work)

I hope you’ve all had productive days!

13/09/18 - 2/100 days of productivity

I make all my notes in advance of lessons (these chemistry notes are weeks if not months in advance) so lessons are revision sessions and I can just get on with practice questions. I can add to them in lessons if needs be :)

12/09/18 - 1/100 days of productivity

Today is an inset day (even though we’ve only had 2 days back haha) and I’m using it to research the author of the German book we are studying.

I will also do some maths today and write up yesterday’s biology notes.

(Sorry for not posting in a couple of days - I’ve had a nightmare trying to readjust and I was panicking a bit. I’m ok now!)

09/09/18 Year 13 starts tomorrow!

We are studying Der Vorleser in German in the coming year so I’m giving it a re-read to have it fresh in my head (I read it last year).

07/09/2018 Biology notes in the local library!

I met up with a friend and we are having a very productive day.

03/09/18 Chemistry notes! I finally understand the hype about Whitelines paper... I had to save up a fair while to buy any though haha

Edit holy shizzle 100 notes?! Thank you so much!