Hi Blazers! This month on Sisterly Advice we’re diving into the top asked questions to offer thoughtful guidance for those with questions! Make sure to continue to send in questions for the column with the form linked below!
- “How do I get the best grades? How do you study and retain info?”
The first part of this question can be simply explained by the fact that your “best grades” look different for everyone. It is most important to learn your own study habits since what works best for you might not work for someone else, and that is okay! Some ways that some of my classmates and I study include whiteboard information dumps (my personal favorite), where you write out everything you know about a topic, and it highlights the parts you are not as confident about, so you know where to focus more time. I find that this method works well for memorizing key phrases related to a word in classes such as History (dates/people), Science (definitions/processes), or even English topics like grammatical rules or plot summaries of novels. Another idea is to use flashcards or Quizlet sets that you can review repeatedly before a test, or as a nightly review. Looking at your notes, talking through them with a parent or sibling to check your understanding for less than 10 minutes a night, is a game-changer for classes that have a lot of information to constantly understand. That leads me to another option: teaching your notes to someone else. Studies show that if you can teach your information, recalling those ideas in a way that someone else can understand, reinforces the same information into your mind, even more than another classmate sitting down reading the notes to themselves. Happy Studying!
- “How do I avoid sophomore slump?”
My biggest advice on sophomore slump, or just any cycle of lost motivation, is to have a change in perspective that provides some novelty to beat the pressure and boredom that can set in. Find a new extracurricular, meet new people, and make more memories with the old ones. These subtle changes can spark motivation and excitement that is lacking from the sort of “let down” from the bliss of freshman year and the desire to be an upper-class woman. It is important to look at sophomore year as a chance to grow and focus on schoolwork and academic success, due to the few big campus events going on.
- How do you choose your classes for senior year, such as which classes you should drop and which classes you should keep, depending on what you want to take in college?
Choosing classes is an important thing that can start as early as freshman year electives. However, if you are not sure what direction you want to go in college, electives can be a chance to explore the possibilities. Selecting classes becomes easier as you gain more experience with WINternships, hearing from club speakers (WIM, WIS, etc.), or simply learning what classes interest you on a day-to-day basis. I would also suggest talking to your counselor or college counselor around sophomore-junior year if you start to realize that you are not sure what appeals to you yet. There should be no stress about dropping or choosing classes because it’s all a part of finding the right fit for you!
- “My sister loves to talk about her interests with me but whenever I try to bring up what I like she immediately shuts me down. I have some friends to talk to about it, but I feel like my family barely knows what I like.” “What to do if you feel like a backup friend?”
I chose to put these questions together because I think that the same underlying concept applies to both. First, it is normal to feel, in your teenage years, that parents or friends “don’t understand you” because a lot of times, we are all still learning ourselves too. But letting those emotions stay unspoken can make them heavier. That’s why my first piece of advice is to open up to that friend or family member about what you’re experiencing. For some people, like myself, talking about things like that is normal, but I also understand that it might not be that simple for others. Talking about what you’re feeling will most likely show you that the other person is not acting like this on purpose; they simply haven’t realized it was affecting you like this. When it comes to friends, I encourage you to have the confidence to share how you’re feeling. If your feelings aren’t received in the way you hoped, consider spending time with friends who make you feel supported and understood. As for family struggles, similar to the friend situation, it is important to communicate and continue to show them the interests that matter to you.
Thank you to everyone who fill out the advice form, it will remain open for more questions! I hope the advice and guidance shared is helpful for those who asked, and those who are wondering!