The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
To my Scottie sisters: Caitlin, Mackenzie, McKenna, and Taylor. Thank you for being my best friends and keeping me sane. I love you more than words could express. – Meadow To all of my fellow seniors applying to college – trust the process. Keep working hard and “may the odds be ever in your favor.” – Sydney
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EDITORS’
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Dear Readers,
First and foremost, thank you for being here! We are thrilled to present you with Issue 8: a publication that has surely met our expectations while also surpassing them in many ways. The overall feel of this issue resulted from an attempt to bridge old and new, and we feel that our talented designers did an excellent job of rising to the challenge with their unique layouts. We aimed to channel classic newspaper and print media sentiment through our choice of fonts and photos, and our designers certainly delivered. Twenty-seven individuals contributed to this issue, and we would like to take a moment to recognize them for their hard work and dedication to our mission. The Academic simply would not exist without their creativity and talent! We hope that you have enjoyed getting to know a few of them through our Instagram staff takeovers. If you haven’t already, follow us @theacademiczine for a behind-the-scenes look at our creation process as well as insight into our lovely staff’s lives. As for challenges, this issue presented plenty. As Meadow began their first exciting year of college and Sydney started to tackle the daunting senior year, we occasionally struggled to maintain an active role in the publication process. However, Candyce Zotz, our newly-minted Art Director, rose to the occasion by providing both hard work that spanned across multiple areas of the creation process as well as contagious enthusiasm. We would like to personally thank Candyce for her efforts, as she managed her new role as Art Director with professionalism and omnipresent kindness. Although this issue has been riddled with challenges, we couldn’t be more excited to show you what we’ve been working on. Our skilled writers, editors, and designers worked diligently for the last three months to provide you with yet another motivating and informative issue. That being said, we invite you to turn the page and explore Issue 8. Enjoy!
Love, Meadow and Sydney
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MEET THE STAFF Issue 8
?
ARE YOU TEAM
PUMPKIN SPICE OR APPLE CINNAMON LLLLLL
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
F E I H C N I RS
O T I D E
MEADOWPendley 18 Decatur, GA
medscottie
Joined Issue 1 Team Pumpkin Spice Also a Writer
SYDNEYGerbel
17 Chicago, IL
boardingschoolblr Joined Issue 1 Team Apple Cinnamon Writing Director
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
S R O T EDI SAMANTHAMitchell
21 Illinois, USA
collegerefs
Joined Issue 3 Team Apple Cinnamon Editing Director
AMANDA
ALEXJohnson
17 Washington, D.C.
15 New Jersey, USA
eruditekid
idlestudy
Southern CA
Joined Issue 5 Team Pumpkin Spice
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CAROLHsu
COLBYPayne
16 British Columbia, Canada
colbystudies
studiix
Joined Issue 8 Team Apple Cinnamon
Joined Issue 3 Team Apple Cinnamon
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
S R O T EDI EMILY
RAWAN Mostafa
20 Toronto, ON, Canada
15 Oakton, VA
rawanexplores
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Joined Issue 8 Team Pumpkin Spice
SAMANTHAOlivares
ZHENGMAO
17 San Jose, California
15 Toronto, ON, Canada
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S R E WRIT ABBY Cantrell
BARRETT Yueh
17 Scottsdale, AZ
19 North Carolina, USA
kabalevskys
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Joined Issue 6 Team Apple Cinnamon
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CAILEE DELACruz
GABRIELLEDrong
22 SK, Canada
21 Chicago, IL
cskyestudy
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Joined Issue 1 Team Apple Cinnamon
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
S R E WRIT GRACE
JENETT Cheng
18 New Jersey, USA
17 UK
polvglot
intellectys
16 North Carolina, USA
Joined Issue 3 Team Apple Cinnamon
Joined Issue 8 Team Apple Cinnamon
NADIABey
SILVIA Zeamer
19 Boston, MA
hollohat
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Joined Issue 6 Team Apple Cinnamon
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S R E N G I S E
D
CANDYCE Zotz 16 Frisco, TX
scholarc
Joined Issue 1 Team Apple Cinnamon Art Director
ALISONHuang
DINDA Isni
17 Beijing, China
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16 Singapore
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JENNIFERLiu
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16 Singapore
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Also on Publicity
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S R E N G I S E
D JOCELYN Tsai
LIA Ngo
17 Terre Haute, IN
22 Toronto, Canada
julyjournal noeu
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NICOLEDinan
19 Westerville, Ohio
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TABLE OF The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
Editors’ Note Meet the Staff
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Study Resources for Your Core Classes, Part 3: Science
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New Year, New You: Making 2017 the Year of Achievement, Part 4
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Getting to Know Colleges You Can’t Visit
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Prestige vs. Hard Work: Are the Ivy Leagues Always Better?
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4 School Systems Around the World
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Tackling Tricky Texts
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Poetry Analysis
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Dealing With the Ugly Side of Studying
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37
8 Things to Know About Luck
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Using Journaling to Your Advantage
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Balancing School and a Job
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Discussing Mental Health
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Combating Procrastination
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Which Tea Fits Your Study Style?
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What Your Sun Sign Says About You
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Academic Podcasts
CONTENTS Layout by Candyce Zotz | scholarc
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PART 3:
SCIENCE WRITTEN BY NADIA BEY | GARDENOFIDEAS
EDITED BY AMANDA | ERUDITEKID
DESIGNED BY ALISON HUANG | PAPERCLPS
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Science is one of the many things that holds our society together. The people that design our infrastructure are guided by physics and discoveries in areas such as meteorology or medicine affect legislation and policy. The scientific method is used across multiple fields — including psychology, statistics, and even seemingly unrelated disciplines like business. It may be nerve-wracking to try and approach such a versatile subject, but studying science will help you strengthen vital skills for your future and gain a better understanding of the world around you. Here are some tips to help you succeed both within the lab and outside of school.
LEARN THE FOUNDATION
While science covers a wide scope of topics, many aspects of the subject overlap. All fields of science require some sort of math: while biology relies mostly on basic algebra, physics may require knowledge of advanced math. You may not need to know advanced chemistry to learn biology, but you need to understand organic molecules. If you are struggling in class and your teacher isn't giving you the assistance you need, it may be helpful to refer to a textbook. Textbooks are written in order from least to most difficult topic and they may contain details you didn't pick up on in class. Additionally, you can refer to online lessons and videos, which will be discussed later in this article.
KNOW THE CRITERA
The most important thing to keep in mind while studying science is “what is being asked of me?” Is this question asking for a Bohr model or a structure diagram? Is it asking for final velocity or acceleration? One of the most common reasons people struggle in science is because they do not know what they are looking for or how to look for it. There are four steps to approaching a science problem: First, define what you already know. This may be a given value, like 50 kilograms. Next, you need to define your goal. What is the question asking you to do or find? The goal may be a quantity or some sort of explanation. Some questions may utilize command words such as deduce, predict, or show; you should underline them. Third, set up the equation if needed, and finally, solve it! Additionally, you should ensure that you are completing everything your teacher asks you to do. If they want you to complete a lab report, you should review how to write reports. The instructor may have given you guidelines in class, or you can find a general outline on the Internet. (We also have an article in Issue 6 about lab reports!) If there is a rubric for the assignment in question, look at the criteria that allows you to receive the highest score.
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DRAW DIAGRAMS
Many areas of science can be simplified or explained through visuals. If you are taking biology or another life science, you may be required to draw cells or molecular structures. There may also be guidelines to replicating what you see in a lab. Meanwhile, in physics, students are encouraged to visualize the scenario in order to solve problems more efficiently. This is because research proves that creating a visual representation of a topic can help you synthesize the information better. It is useful to put extra paper in your binder for drawing or purchase a sketchbook specifically for diagrams.
ONLINE RESOURCES
The Internet is a vast place, meaning that there are plenty of websites to gather information from. Khan Academy is a jack of all trades, but there are other sites tailored to specific branches of science. The Physics Classroom contains audio explanations, exercises, and simulations to assist in learning tricky concepts. The Biology Corner contains report templates and lessons while Get Body Smart is all about anatomy. If you are in an IB or AP science class, be sure to search for websites that match your program’s curriculum and standards. Additionally, college websites are usually reliable sources for information. Simply type your topic into a search bar followed by “.edu” to eliminate extraneous results. You can also utilize Quizlet to find sample problems and tests.
STRENGTHENING YOUR KNOWLEDGE
The easiest way to improve your science skills, as in any other subject, is to keep practicing! Review the material as often as possible and try different methods until you find one that works for you. Feel free to ask for help from your instructor or peers who understand the subject. Remember that strength is in numbers; it would be beneficial to form a study group with others who have similar struggles and tackle the work together! You can also attempt to teach others the topics you are studying. This forces you to condense the information in a way that others can understand, thus allowing you to identify the most important parts of the lesson.
If you keep these tips in mind, you will definitely make it through your science classes! Maybe science will become one of your favorite subjects. However, even if it doesn’t make your top three, it is always beneficial to learn about how the world works. You’ll know how the earth turns, why leaves fall in autumn, and what makes up every physical object in the universe. That is what science is truly about.
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NEW YEAR, NEW YOU: Making 2017 the Year of Achievement WWWWWWW SSSSSS GGGGGG | EEEEEE SSSSSSSS OOOOOOOO | LLLLLL JJJJJJJJ LLL
H
appy November! Issue 8 marks the final publication of The Academic for 2017 (yikes!), meaning that this is the final installment of the 2017 New Year’s resolutions series. As the seasons shift in preparation for winter, it’s time to evaluate the progress you’ve made on the goals you set almost a year ago.
MAKE A GAME PLAN
Your first order of business should be a careful and thoughtful evaluation of the goals that you have not achieved yet. Are they all still reasonable given the amount of time left in the year? Will you still be able to make time for them as you dive deeper into the school year? Decide which objectives to focus on for the next two months and make sure they can fit into your schedule. If they are particularly time consuming, consider reworking your approach by examining what aspect(s) of the task are the most difficult and finding creative solutions to either bypass that part or at least speed up the process. It’s never too late to try a new system! A lways be mindful of what’s practical in terms of your final push. Achieving goals is a process that is supposed to make you ultimately feel better, not stressed or timid. Remember that what’s reasonable for someone else’s lifestyle may not be reasonable for yours! Consider
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THINK AHEAD It is never too early to start thinking about New Year’s resolutions for 2018. If there is a goal that you weren’t able to achieve this year, make note of it so that you don’t forget about it by January! Planning your resolutions ahead of time will help ensure that you are choosing to focus on meaningful achievements and life decisions next year. It is also important to consider how you have changed in the past ten months. Let your goals reflect your growth as well as motivate you to progress even further. pr With only two months of the year remaining, you might feel that there is a goal of yours that is simply no longer achievable in such a short frame of time. If it’s still important to you nonetheless, don’t throw it out! If there is no need to finish the goal by December 31st, don’t stress — rather, start working towards it gradually now so that it can become a habit in 2018.
REFLECT When the going gets tough, remember to keep your eyes on the prize. The goals we set are intended to create better, stronger versions of ourselves — they are not for pleasing others, climbing toward unreachable statuses, or threatening our mental or physical health. In addition to self-improvement, goals are made to ameliorate the world around us piece by piece to ultimately create a robust and interesting society. Take a moment to reflect on the progress you’ve made in the past year. How have your goals shaped you into a different person? How have they affected those around you? What can you do in the next two months to continue focusing on your New Year’s resolutions?
I sincerely hope that this series has helped you make measurable progress toward achieving the goals you created on January 1st. If you would like to, feel free to tell us what you’ve achieved by messaging us on any of our social media accounts — we would love to share your experience!
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colleges CHOOSING
WHEN YOU
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CAN’T VISIT
The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
Visiting colleges is typically considered to be an essential part of the U.S. college and university admissions process that it has become a part of its culture. College visits appear in television, are mocked by comedians, and are generally anticipated by college-bound teens. Despite this ubiquity, many do not have the opportunity to visit, whether because of time, finances, or some other obstacle. Without visiting, how can you get a feel for where you are applying? How can you know if this college is the one? Moreover, college counselors push for college visits. They seem vital. Their benefits are widely cited. By visiting colleges, you get a sense for the campus, make connections, and wi see what student life is like. You get the opportunity to ask questions and find out about the aspects which don’t make it into the pamphlets. While all of these are easiest on a physical visit, it is by no means impossible to get them without. Here are some easily accessible resources to facilitate the search.
Promotional Materials The glossy, beautiful viewbooks colleges send en masse to prospective students are often idealized fictions. The bits stitched together by admissions departments are taken from reality, though, however carefully they may be picked and chosen. Give them a read. See if you like what they present, made as they are to make you fall in love. Then dissect them. What do you want from your ideal college? What are the most important aspects to you? Make a list, if you like. See if it lines up with what you see. Notice what you aren't seeing. If any mention or appearance of dormitories, for instance, is lacking, you might want to investigate those elsewhere. yo
The College Website An easy next step is the college website. Of course, it is also made and controlled by the school in question, but it is likely to be far more comprehensive and consequently less selective in what it presents than any brochure. This is a good time to explore, extensively. Scan the front page: is it advertising scientific advances? Innovative teaching methods? Football games? Look at the admissions section. If there is a virtual tour, take it; it will give you a better sense for spacial relations than simply isolated photographs. Many college websites will have student blogs somewhere to be found. If the colleges you are investigating does, go read them. They can give you an individual's th view, a peek at something like where you might be in a year or two. See if you can find the sections dedicated to extracurricular activities and residential life too. Most will have an academics tab offering more-or-less detailed overviews of academic offerings. Read through the pages of the departments you're interested in. Go to their individual websites if they exist. If lists of associated faculty are included, you might want to send a few short, polite emails expressing your interest and asking any specific questions you have.
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Another advantage of websites is that they often serve multiple parties instead of being aimed exclusively at prospective students. See if you can find the pages aimed at current students. In some cases, these are found within students accounts, but if they are publicly posted, they can be a gold mine. You can find the nitty-gritty here: dining hall menus, course descriptions, office and library hours — in short, the boring details which constitute day-to-day life.
Independent Review Sites Beyond the materials produced by colleges themselves, the internet is teeming with material designed to aid you in the college search. Ranking lists and search engines are perhaps the best publicized, but far more valuable for getting to know schools are review sites like Niche and Cappex which connect you to the opinions of actual students. These give you the perspective of student blogs without the possibility that their contents are limited to what they want you to know. Review sites tend to be blunt and personal. That can make them invaluable, but take them with a grain of salt too; those who have had particularly good or bad experiences wi are the most likely to leave reviews, and those experiences are specific to individuals. If your inclination is to spend your time studying and making late-night cookies, "The party scene is DEAD uggghhh" might perhaps be more a recommendation than a drawback. In the same vein, searching the college on Rate My Professor can give you both a honest but also potentially a more biased view of what your teachers might be like than any official source. In conclusion, read everything you can find about the schools you are interested in, but keep in mind where the material comes from, and take it with a pinch of salt. Contact professors and current students where possible, if you like. Try to get a well-rounded idea of what it might be like for you to attend that school.
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PRESTIGE HA R DW O R K : WWWWWWW SSSSSSSS MMMMMMMM | EEEEEE AAAA JJJJJJJ | LLLLLL JJJJJJ TTTTTT & CCCCCCC ZZZZ |
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E
very student who aspires to higher education has a laundry list of universities they plan to apply to, but one university usually stands at the top of their list, their dream school. Dream schools are typically highly selective universities that, if accepted, students would commit to without a second thought. For American students in particular, it isn’t uncommon for a student’s dream school to be one of the eight renowned and prestigious Ivy League universities: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell, and The University of Pennsylvania. For most students, dream schools such as the Ivy Leagues are just that: a dream. With each of these schools accepting fewer than 14% of applicants, (the lowest acceptance rate goes to Harvard, which accepts just above 5%), it is obvious that setting your sights on one of these universities is risky and likely to result in a rejection letter. Generally, students understand that the dream of attending an Ivy League school has a relatively low likelihood of actually coming to sc fruition; after all, that’s why we apply to safety schools. But what happens when one becomes unhealthily obsessed with earning a spot at one of these elite universities? There exists a trend of obsessive fixation towards Ivy League institutions online, particularly in the “studyblr” community, a community centered around academia on the popular blogging platform, Tumblr. The “Ivy or bust” mentality persists among high-achieving high school students not just in the United States, but around the world. These students become obsessed with the prospect of attending an elite institution, and begin to truly believe that at the end all, be all of higher education rests inside the proverbially ivy-covered walls of those eight New England
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universities. For these students, nothing less than the most prestigious and exclusive universities will suffice. Students who subscribe to this insidious mentality are often unhealthily preoccupied with curating a perfect resume in an effort to land a spot at one of these renowned universities (think Rory and Paris from Gilmore Girls). They enroll in the most difficult classes offered, participate in as many extracurriculars as they can juggle, and rack up a frankly frightening list of community service hours. They spend virtually all of their free time during high school attempting to get into a school that, despite their best efforts, they will still likely be denied from. Yet, their efforts are somewhat understandable. Prestigious universities, particularly the eight Ivy League universities, are considered to be among the best universities in the world, allegedly offering incomparable educations that no public university could match. Often, it can seem like the only scholars who achieve success are the ones who attended institutions like Harvard or Princeton, and this fallacious belief can lead students to believe that the Ivy path is the only path to success. But, we must ask ourselves if exclusivity and prestige automatically result in a higher quality education and a more successful life. While the Ivy League universities appear to be intellectually charged beacons of scholarship in our favorite pieces of media, such as Gilmore Girls’ depiction of Yale, or Legally Blonde’s caricature of Harvard law school, they aren’t always all that they’re made out to be.
Is the Ivy League actually better? No one can refute the obvious benefits of attending an Ivy League institution: the schools are extraordinarily well-funded, employ some of the most accomplished and esteemed professors in the world, and thus provide a deluge of connections and opportunities for their students. Just having a name like Harvard or Princeton tacked on your resume can carry some weight. But does that automatically make these eight schools better than the other five thousand in the United States? To answer this, we must consider what makes a school “the best.” Generally, a graduate’s success post-graduation is how we understand the value of attending a particular university. But are students who attend these institutions automatically more successful in life than students who attend other universities? People often like to cite people like Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs, former students of Harvard University, as evidence of the power that the Ivy Leagues possess to mold the future billionaires of the world, but neither Zuckerberg nor Jobs actually graduated from Harvard University, suggesting that Harvard had very little to do with their success. As an example, Neil Armstrong, after having been admitted to MIT, was dissuaded from
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attending by an engineer and former graduate of MIT who reportedly told Armstrong that he didn’t need to travel all the way to Massachusetts to obtain a good education. Armstrong heeded the advice and opted to attend Purdue University in Indiana instead. Even after opting to attend a decidedly less prestigious university, Armstrong still found unbelievable success, ultimately working with NASA and becoming the first man on the moon. Despite what we’re told during high school, success isn’t necessarily contingent upon where one spends their undergraduate years. If someone is going to invent the next Facebook, they will probably invent the next Facebook regardless of their alma mater. In fact, researchers Alan Kreuger and Stacy Dale found in a 2002 study that, when comparing salaries of students who were accepted to and enrolled in an Ivy League institution versus students who were accepted to an Ivy League institution but opted to attend a state university instead, personal traits impact one’s future success more than the ranking of the university. In short, students with a more regimented work ethic oriented toward success can be as successful (and, sometimes, more successful) than their Ivy League counterparts. Just because a university carries prestige, it doesn’t automatically guarantee success for its students. The Ivy League is unbelievably selective, but we’re all led to believe that this selectivity is meant to sieve out the best and brightest students from the uber-competitive applicant pools. However, the exclusivity of the Ivy League is much more problematic than it appears on the surface. Legacy students, students whose parents or other family members attended an Ivy League before them, have as much as a 45% higher chance of being admitted compared to the average non-legacy applicant. The 2017 freshman class of Harvard University, for example, is made up of 29% legacy students — nearly a third. Legacy students, however, are not being admitted at higher rates as a result of their superior academic performances. On the contrary, several studies have found that legacy students are often less qualified than their non-legacy counterparts, with legacies often scoring significantly lower on standardized tests than non-legacies. So, if these universities are meant to educate the brightest and most accomplished students, why is there still alarming bias in the admissions of Ivy League universities? One could argue that this is because the Ivy League is made of up elite schools designed, by and large, for elite students. It should come as no surprise that elite universities are designed to educate and reproduce the elite classes of the world. And, maybe this is actually appealing to some prospective applicants. After all, one might find something enticing about having their peers being the children of some of the wealthiest and most connected people in the
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world. However, there is no paucity of first hand experiences written by current and former Ivy League students who regret choosing the Ivy League because of its cost, alienating environment, and extremely demanding courses. One student from Columbia University wrote about his experience for Vice in an article entitled “Going to an Ivy League Sucks,” which discusses the alienation a student can feel around elite students, the “culture of fakeness,” and the enormous pressure of attending an Ivy League institution. Another former Ivy League student describes their regret of attending an Ivy League school in The Financial Diet, stating that their Ivy League education left them $130k in debt and jobless. Obviously, one shouldn’t base their college decision on the experiences of a few students, but it is worth recognizing how troubling these experiences are. Going to college should not be an exercise in extreme academic pressure and alienation from rich peers. Non-elite students should not feel as though they don’t belong at a school just because they aren’t members of the upper echelons of society. Further, it is vital to consider whether these kinds of universities – the kind that advantage less qualified legacy students over more qualified non-legacy students – are the kinds of universities that we should support and yearn to attend. Of course, this isn’t to say that public universities don’t have some of the same issues at their institutions. While it isn’t wrong to aspire to be among the lucky few that are able to call an Ivy League their university, it is imperative to recall that Ivy Leagues are ultimately just schools, and not all schools are suit every student. Understand that there isn’t a singular path to success and be sure to consider the options available to you rather than just blindly following one of those “top colleges” lists; a school that might be arbitrarily ranked as the best might not be the best school for you. Your future is not determined by where you spend the next four years sitting in class; your work ethic and dedication will make all the difference.
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017 Written by Silvia Zeamer | hollohat Edited by Carolyn Hsu | studiix Layout by Candyce Zotz | scholarc
SCHOOL SYSTEMS AROUND THE WORLD Each society has its own method of instilling the knowledge deemed necessary for adulthood in the young. In many cultures today, that method takes the form of a structured school system with clearly defined stages and tracks. While the variations between and within these systems are enormous, they all share the same essential goal of preparing students for adulthood. In this brief examination of a few of those systems, I have chosen to discuss Finland, Japan, the US, and the UK because each represents a distinct culture and philosophy, and because all four are fairly well-known around the world. Of course, this selection is in no way representative, and these summaries are much abridged, but I hope that they can be first step toward investigation of the rich and fascinating topic of education.
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FINLAND Beginning at age seven, school consists of six years of primary school, followed by three years of middle school and either high school or professional school. There is an emphasis on equality in comprehensive schooling, and there are no separate programs for gifted or special needs students. Schools also provide all necessary supplies such as food, books, and workbooks to students in order to level the playing field. The content and provision of education is largely standardized throughout the country, but individual teachers, as highly trained professionals, have some degree of choice in how the curriculum is presented to classes. Progress at the primary level is measured mostly by projects and portfolios resulting from sustained inquiry rather than by examinations. As students advance to middle school and secondary school, elective options increase. From the fifth grade on, English, Swedish, and Finnish are compulsory subjects as well as natural sciences, humanities, religion and ethics, physical education, practical and arts courses. Within these broad areas, a range of specialized classes are available, and some students even study an additional language. Upon completion of secondary education, students may move on to either university or polytechnic school by passing matriculation exams, a national test given at the conclusion of upper secondary education, or by completing a course of study at vocational school. Students taking the prior path study to take the matriculation exam in four different subjects, one of which is their mother tongue. The other three may be chosen from foreign languages, mathematics, or general studies, including the sciences and the humanities. Students who choose to attend vocational school instead of upper secondary school receive technical qualifications, which allows them to enter the workforce with specific skills, or to start undergraduate programs or polytechnic school.
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JAPAN 99% of Japanese children begin their education with a pre-kindergarten program. They then progress to nine years of compulsory education, comprised of six years of primary school and three years of middle school. For the most part, these first nine years are standardized across the country. In addition to Japanese, students study mathematics, social sciences, science, home economics, physical education, and arts such as music, crafts, and calligraphy. Many schools also teach English. The school day typically lasts six hours, often followed by optional extracurricular activities or additional academic workshops. Students often participate in preparing and serving lunches, which are eaten by classes together, and the food is usually of good quality. A typical school lunch consists of a soup, rice or noodles, and a protein such as fish or tofu. School operates on a trimester schedule, beginning in April — with a two week vacation in the winter — and spring and summer vacation running from July through early September. Following middle school, paths diverge. Attendance at high schools is determined largely by test scores, and there are high schools specialized for many different paths such as athletics, engineering, trade school preparation, or university preparation. The great majority of students continue their education through high school. Students in high school typically join a single club or extracurricular activity and pursue it for the entirety of their years as a student. High school tends to be strict and heavily focused on academics, especially for those students who aspire to attend college. For these students, the majority of the last year of secondary education is spent preparing for an annual two-day examination given nationwide to determine university admissions. Those who do not go on to university may choose to attend a special training school or a college of technology, which prepare students for specific industries.
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THE UNITED STATES In the US, primary and secondary education is roughly divided into three sections: elementary school, middle school, and high school. From the first year or elementary school through the last year of high school, each year is termed a grade. Students typically begin attending school in kindergarten or first grade between the ages of four and six, and progress to middle school in sixth grade and to high school in ninth grade. The first eight years teach a core curriculum to all students including math, English, social studies, science, and in some cases a foreign language. Depending on the school, quality of teaching and additional programs such as art classes, accelerated tracks, and academic support vary wildly. School systems are highly localised at the state, district, and individual level. Every state imposes different rules and standards upon education. Within states, districts often determine aspects of curriculum as well as funding. Finally, schools vary in type from private to public to independent, with each having a different degree of self-determination and a different mode of financial support. This variation continues in high school, where offerings typically widen somewhat to include electives on more specific subjects. At the end of secondary school, collegebound students may take a range of standardized tests for college admissions — discussed in depth in The Academic’s issues 4 and 5 — and, in the case of IB and AP, as the culmination of a course of study. Regardless of track, all students graduate with the same qualification: a high school diploma. They may then proceed to enter the workforce, attend technical school, or start college.
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
THE UNITED KINGDOM Students begin mandatory schooling at the age of five in primary education until the age of sixteen. Between these ages, all students are entitled to state-funded education. Before the age of five, a limited amount of publicly funded schooling is also available. Upon entering mandatory education, students may either attend state-funded community schools for free, or private schools, which typically charge a large tuition. Within schools, students are separated into multiple levels depending on ability, and may be moved from one to another throughout the year. The school year generally begins in the first week of September and ends in mid-July, with two-week breaks for Christmas and easter, and one-week “halfterm” breaks in between. The school day runs from about 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. During the school year, most schools require that all attendees wear uniforms. Supplies such as textbooks and workbooks are provided, and students either bring a bagged lunch to school or get their lunches from a canteen, the offerings of which are governed by a national nutritional standard. At the elementary level, children study 10 to 15 subjects including core courses such as math and science as well as Design and Technology, Citizenship, and Information and Communication Technology. Children move on from primary school at age eleven, after which they can choose any combination of typically between 8 and 10 GCSE’s including English and Mathematics culminating in an exam taken at age sixteen, after which students receive their General Certificate of Secondary Education. After this, state-mandated education finishes and students have the choice to continue their education or to enter the workforce. Students who choose to continue take AS levels in 3 to 5. After this first year, some drop one subject before moving on to focus on 3 to 4 subjects in an intensive course of study culminating in A-level examinations. The results of these examinations, along with a written statement, determine university admissions. After finishing A-levels, a range of choices, from beginning an undergraduate degree, to entering into an apprenticeship, to going straight into the workforce, are available.
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WORKS CITED Anonymous. Personal Interview. September 2017 Barrow, Mandy. “Education in England - Life and Culture.” Project Britain. N.p., 2013. Web. Berlatsky, Noah. “Japan’s Cutthroat School System: A Cautionary Tale for the U.S.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. “The British Education System.” HMC. N.p., n.d. Web. “Finnish Education in a Nutshell.” Ministry of Education and Culture & The Finnish National Agency for Education, 2017. Web. “OPINION: How Finland Broke Every Rule - and Created a Top School System.” The Hechinger Report. N.p., 21 June 2017. Web. Semuels, Alana. “Japan Might Be What Equality in Education Looks Like.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 02 Aug. 2017. Web. Semuels, Alana. “Japan Might Be What Equality in Education Looks Like.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 02 Aug. 2017. Web. Weller, Chris. “Japan’s Mouthwatering School Lunch Program Is a Model for the Rest of the World.” Business Insider. Business Insider, 27 Mar. 2017. Web.
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
L ayout by Nicole | NicolediNaN
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
TACKLING TRICKY TEXTS WWWWWWW GGGGG | EEEEEE S OOOOOOO | LLLLLL JJJJJJJ TTTT |
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
All literature students know the struggle that comes with opening up a book written hundreds of years ago. They stare at blocks of text with indecipherable grammar structures, gawk at the archaic vocabulary, and finally turn to SparkNotes instead. Oftentimes, this simply is not enough to actually understand the literature, but with a positive attitude, organization, and dedication, you will be much better equipped to handle any tricky texts that may come your way.
Annotating the text Marking up the text will not only help you understand it better, but it will also improve your memory of the plot. When annotating, you should note relevant literary terms and their impacts on the text, as well as important events, quotes, and moments of character development. Some people like to color code their work, others use symbols to denote different types of annotations, and others still like to simply record their thoughts — it’s up to you to pick the approach which works best for you. However, just annotating as you go along isn’t enough. When you have finished a segment of reading, review your annotations and decide which events, quotes, and decisions were most important. Using that information, summarize the chapter on a sticky note or a blank space in the book. Doing so will give you a quick reference to that chapter when you come back to study the book, and it cements the events of the chapter in your brain.
Focusing on the big picture Contrary to popular belief among literature teachers, using online tools to understand literature is not a sin. Reading a plot synopsis is a fantastic way to grasp the overall meaning of a text and piece together all of the individual storylines. Websites like Shmoop, SparkNotes, and CliffsNotes do an excellent job of providing synopses, and you should absolutely use those tools to your advantage. However, avoid becoming dependent on them to break down every element of the text! Read analytically and use them only as a supporting tool. Along the same vein, don’t become too hung up on every reference or word that you don’t understand. It isn’t necessary to look up every single unfamiliar term, and the best approach is often recording words and phrases you don’t know, trying to figure them out using context clues, and checking your guess using a dictionary or an online tool.
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Using external resources The best way to understand any literature is to put it in context, which can be done in numerous ways. Check to see if there’s a movie and watch it through an online provider or rent the DVD from your library. This is especially important for plays, as it helps to see them performed as they were intended, with real characters and natural speech patterns, rather than just being read on paper. It also helps to see dynamic characters in adaptations of books, and can augment your understanding of the plot. Learning about the period in which the text was written and possibly reading other literature from that era is also very useful. It provides social context, and gives you the ability to analytically compare and contrast customs of the era with the modern day — an incredibly valuable tool when writing essays and trying to find the reasons why events happen or why characters make certain decisions in the text.
Staying on top of your work Of course, with all these different elements to address, reading and analyzing any difficult work of literature becomes quite a time consuming endeavor. Try breaking your reading down into segments and scheduling these using a calendar or planner. Sometimes teachers will assign these blocks, but if they do not, these segments should usually be acts or chapters. However, if there is a particularly long soliloquy or side plot, don’t be afraid to give it its own chunk of time to make sure you fully grasp its meaning. Furthermore, don’t be afraid to ask for help. As with any academic issue, it’s best to address it before it becomes worse, so stay on top of any questions you can’t answer by yourself and ask a teacher about any particularly difficult elements of the text. By thoroughly applying yourself to your work and keeping this advice in mind, you’ll be much better equipped to tackle any tricky literature that might come your way. Of course, it’s always going to be a bit tough to get through, but if you annotate and stay on top of your work, you’ll definitely succeed in truly understanding literature!
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
POETRY
ANALYSIS
Analyzing poetry can seem like a daunting task, especially since poems are much more figurative than literal, meaning they often incorporate several layers of linguistic devices to be deciphered. As a result, there are many literary elements, different forms of meter, and nuances one must recognize when performing an analysis. Here are some pe necessary basics to effectively and holistically understand a poem:
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
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MAIN LITERARY TERMS Literary devices are techniques that writers use to convey meaning, and they bring about a certain clarity to the text. Different literary devices help readers interpret a work and come to an understanding, as well as providing a certain richness of sound to the work. Metaphor: a comparison between two dissimilar things; implied and not stated Ex: “Hope” by Emily Dickinson — “Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul” Dickinson compares hope to a bird without using words of implication, just saying it “is.” Simile: a comparison between two dissimilar things; implied and stated using the words “like” or “as” Ex: "Harlem" by Langston Hughes — “What happens to a dream deferred?/Does it dry up/like a raisin in the sun?” Hughes compares dying dreams to a raisin shriveling in the sun with his use of “like.” Alliteration: the repetition of initial consonant sounds Ex: “The Windhover” by Gerard Manley Hopkins — “I caught this morning morning's minion, king/dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon” There are two examples here: “morning morning’s minion” and “daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn.” Personification: giving human attributes to an idea, object, or animal Ex: “Paradise Lost” by John Milton — “Earth felt the wound; and Nature from her seat,/Sighing, through all her works, gave signs of woe.” Here, Earth and Nature can feel pain, sigh, and give signs of woe.
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Allusion: a reference to famous figure, place or event in history, literature, mythology, or the Bible Ex: “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost — “So Eden sank to grief/So dawn goes down to day.” Frost references the Garden of Eden from the Bible to show the humans create their own downfall.
Apostrophe: an address to someone or something who is absent Ex: “Ode to a Nightingale” by John Keats — “Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird! Keats addresses the Nightingale as “immortal Bird.”
Synecdoche: use of a part to refer to its whole Ex: “Ozymandias” by Percy Shelley — “Tell that its sculptor well those passions read/Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,/The hand that mocked them.” Shelley utilizes synecdoche in the last line with “the hand” which refers to the “sculptor.”
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Metonymy: use of a closely related idea for the idea itself Ex: “Julius Caesar” by Shakespeare — “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears” Shakespeare uses “ears” as means to convey the idea of listening.
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
SCANSION Form and the rhythm are very noticeable aspects of poetry, especially when reading aloud. The meter of a poem often reveals something about the piece as a whole, and is important to consider during an analysis.
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Rhyme scheme: a pattern of rhyming words in the poem, often characterized by letters representing each pair of rhyming lines. Ex: “Neither Out Far Nor In Deep” by Robert Frost has an ABAB alternating rhyme scheme: The people along the sand A All turn and look one way. B They turn their back on the land. A They look at the sea all day. B
Because “sand” and “land” rhyme together, their lines are categorized by A, while “way” and “day” create a new rhyme and are categorized by B.
Meter: the stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern in a poem. Simply reading aloud and recognizing the way your voice rises and falls, as well as what natural stresses are placed on syllables can inform one of the meter. Here, from Shakespeare's “Twelfth Night” the stressed syllables are underlined:
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
Scansion: the marking of the meter, specifically whether the syllables that are stressed or unstressed in a poem. The stressed syllables are marked by a slash (/) while the unstressed are marked by a shallow ‘u,’ as seen in “The Road Less Traveled” by Robert Frost. The lines are split up by feet (|), which are groupings of 2 or 3 syllables:
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There exist multiple videos that teach scansion and provide a better understanding of the natural inflections one places on words. There are helpful videos for learning this skill on Youtube under The Writer’s Block Library channel. It is also possible to follow along with a class learning scansion on The Mustang Moon’s channel titled “Poetry Scansion 2016.” Reading the poem aloud naturally and then syllable by syllable allows one to better understand how to interpret poetry.
OVERALL MEANING
Often the meaning of a poem is not simply what the poem literally seems to be “about.” For instance, although Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” is literally about the speaker choosing a path during a fork in the road. However, it is actually a metaphor for life and the choices we must make. Knowledge of literary terms is incredibly helpful to aid in understanding the overall meaning of a poem, and should always be taken into consideration. The tone of the poem is also important- is the poet serious? Mocking? Sad? Ironic? A thorough reading of the poem line by line can go a long way and also add to a better understanding. Although it may seem challenging at first, some practice with poetry analysis will help it quickly become second nature.
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
DEALING WITH THE UGLY SIDE OF STUDYING BBBBBBB YYYY | EEEEEE EEEEE LLLLLL DDDDD IIII |
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
The studyblr and studygram communities — a quickly-growing population of students who share their academic experiences through social media platforms such as Tumblr and Instagram — are responsible for encouraging thousands of students at all levels of education to persevere through their studies and achieve their goals while maintaining a carefully groomed aesthetic based on identical sets ca of Muji pens, Leuchtturm notebooks, and Zebra Mildliners. Yet, the most well-known studyblrs are no more special than the rest of the student world. Everyone is balancing their extracurriculars, studies, social life, and sleep in a precarious schedule. As beautiful as a minimalistic shot of a gray Kanken backpack on a white bedspread is, sooner or later, everyone needs to face up to the fact that being a student sometimes means not making the bed, much less taking that photo. So what is the “ugly side” of studying? The definition of unenjoyable can vary from person to person, but the general consensus is, if you’re averaging 0-4 hours of sleep a night, crying regularly, and have a constant tremor in your hand from drinking nothing but coffee, you’ve crossed the line. Some of the greatest challenges a student can face include mental illness, not understanding the course material, sleep il deprivation, and burnout. This might sound miserable, but with any luck, this article can give you a few tips on avoiding that line.
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
Understanding course material If your teacher is proving themselves to be inadequate or you don’t have access to resources such as private tutors or older siblings, there are still ways to learn your course material. The most reliable resource is almost always help hours or office hours — even if your teacher has failed to help you understand a lesson, don’t hesitate to ask another teacher in the same department or subject an for help. They’ll still know the material you need explained, and it’s helpful to have someone put a fresh spin on things. If your instructors aren’t offering any help, ask a friend or classmate to explain material to you. This can be humiliating for some people, but classmates often understand what is the most confusing aspect about a concept from a student’s perspective, making their explanations stronger and more appealing to other students like you.
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
How to pull an all-nighter and deal with sleep deprivation Most people find that when vacation ends and school returns, they lose a large amount of sleep from what they’re used to, and some find that they need to pull an all-nighter for some reason or other.
11:00 PM - If for some reason you’re finding it incredibly difficult to stay awake, try another nap — but be cautious, because it’s easy to actually fall asleep and not wake up until the morning. Stick to a 15 minute nap if you need one. Keep in mind that even if you don’t take a nap, it’s best to take a break every hour or so.
While all-nighters should not be a regular activity, it’s a skill that will likely occur at some point in everyone’s life. Some people will suggest banking sleep before an all-nighter, but it’s rare that you know an all-nighter is coming — or if you did foresee it coming, you ignored the assignment causing it. Here’s an hour-by-hour, tried and true guide to pulling an all-nighter — with minimal disruption to your sleep al schedule in the following days:
12:00 AM - Avoid caffeine until around three hours before your goal completion time. If you drink coffee now, you’ll crash in a couple of hours and be sad. If you need to stay awake, do some jumping jacks and drink some cold water. 1:00 AM - Continue taking breaks every hour or so to avoid burning out prematurely. If you’re falling asleep, try changing your environment, turning on more lights, taking a shower, doing some more jumping jacks, or standing.
9:00 PM - If it seems that you will be staying up past 2:00 or 3:00 AM, take a nap now. Aim for a 20-30 minute nap, and keep your lights on so you don’t sleep past your alarm and wake up full of regret at midnight.
2:00 AM - If you’re feeling cold, avoid turning on the heat — it’ll make you feel sluggish and sleepy. Instead, put on a sweater, avoiding anything that’s too comfortable. If you’re feeling hungry, aim for fruit or something that’s low-carb.
10:00 PM - You should have a game plan for the night. Know exactly what you need to get done and have a general idea of how to do it.
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3:00 AM - Depending on when your goal completion time is, this is when you might consider drinking coffee. Keep in mind that as you drink caffeine, you’ll become dehydrated, so make sure that you drink lots of water along with the coffee in order to avoid feeling sick or tired.
it to make yourself feel more refreshed. Force yourself to drink a full glass of water — don’t chug, just sip. Take a shower if you need to. 7:00 AM - Congratulations, you’ve pulled an all-nighter! Don’t make a habit of it. Remember how badly you wanted to cry at 4 AM and use that as motivation to keep yourself from procrastinating again. Throughout the day, if you’re unable to stay awake, tell your teachers you’re tired so that if they catch you napping in class, they’ll hopefully go easy on you. Take a cl longer nap later in the day — preferably late afternoon — so that your sleep schedule won’t be entirely skewed and you’ll still be able to do the rest of your homework that night.
4:00 AM - You’re probably regretting many of your life decisions at this point, and it’s okay to do so. At this point, it’s worth taking a longer break just to clear your mind and assess how much you have left to complete before you need to go to class. 5:00 AM - If you’ve completed your work at this point, congratulations! Consider a 90 minute nap before school. If not, take another break to assess whether or not you can complete everything by the time need to go. In the event that you can’t, prioritize and press on.
If you’re battling a massive sleep deficit, it’s likely you’ll start to master the art of taking a powernap anywhere. This is incredibly unhealthy, but if it’s a necessary evil, try taking naps during study halls or lunch — however, keep in mind you might be able to gain some sleep later in the day by doing your homework at this time. Try to get at least 8-9 hours of sleep on weekends to avoid destroying your health completely.
6:00 AM - The sun is probably beginning to rise and you’re likely extremely tired. If you need to start getting ready for school, do not drink coffee if you drank any in the last twelve hours. Put together a healthy breakfast. try to include fruit in
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
Studying with mental illness and burnout
In addition to mental illness, burnout can happen as early as a few weeks into a semester. With any luck, you’ll be able to avoid it, but if not, it’s okay to step back, reassess the situation, and approach it cautiously.If you’re feeling burnt out, clear your mind. Move things related to school and work to one side of your desk, or even better, put them in your backpack. Out Ou of sight, out of mind. Take a few hours to relax: meditate, draw, journal, take a shower, or go for a walk. Use this time to refresh yourself. Think of it as a reset button.
If you’re struggling with depression, OCD, anxiety, or any learning disability or mental illness that prevents you from focusing and working as efficiently as your peers, one of the best ways to address this is to talk to your teachers or professors. Explain that you are in a situation where you are trying your best but are faced with factors from beyond your control that might prevent you from achieving that standard. Chances pr are, your teacher will be a bit easier on you and more flexible with extending deadlines or postponing tests. They’ll also understand that any failure to perform to class standard isn’t because you’re blowing off the class. In addition, some schools — especially at the university level — have disability resources, and most schools have counseling resources, which you can utilize if necessary to get special accommodations for your classes. If your mental illness or learning disability is a significantly negative factor in your academics, consider talking to a counselor or someone else from these resources so that you can minimize obstacles in your learning experience.
Once you’ve taken some time off from thinking about schoolwork, make a list of everything you need to do. Include even tiny tasks, like taking out the trash. It’ll allow you to check things off your list frequently and motivate you more. Consider cleaning your study space — don’t do a deep clean, but take a few minutes to file away papers and organize your stationery. When you’ve reset yourself, you can begin working. Keep in mind that you can cut yourself some slack and you don’t need to complete everything that’s due the next day. Consider which classes would require more effort to fix the grade if you were to fail to turn in an assignment, and do work for those first. Once you’ve finished those, take a break and go to sleep. Coming back from burnout doesn’t need to be an immediate ba process; it’s better and easier to avoid a relapse if you ease yourself back into the rigor of your schedule. If things work out in your favor, you’ll be able to avoid crossing the miserable coffee-dependent, crying, sleep-deprived state where students sometimes find themselves. But if not, you’ll hopefully know how to handle coming back from a slump.
Also, as mentioned previously, don’t let a mental health day turn into a mental health week. If you take a day off, use it to take care of yourself, but also try to regroup. Make a list of what you missed in class and draw up a reasonable plan detailing how you will go about accomplishing tasks. Remember that even small tasks, such as doing the laundry or half ha an hour of revision, are still victories.
Good luck with the rest of your semester!
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT LUCK Written by Jenett Cheng | polvglot Edited by Samantha Mitchell | collegerefs Layout by Candyce Zotz | scholarc
For hundreds of years, luck has been a prominent concept in Chinese culture. It explains the red and gold during Chinese holidays, the ubiquitous lucky cat in Chinese shops, and the love for fish in dishes and decorations. However, Chinese conceptions of luck are not just limited to material objects; luck is also associated with one of the oldest notions of mankind — numbers. The Chinese love attaching meaning to numbers based on puns and aphorisms. As a tribute to the number eight, the most prosperous number in Chinese culture, and to celebrate The Academic’s eighth issue, here are eight things I have learned about luck.
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
1 LUCK IS IMPORTANT — SOMETIMES.
As much as we’d all like to be able to have full control over our lives, luck is crucial in certain circumstances. Getting into college, nabbing that internship, or even getting the good biology instructor all require some pretense of good luck. Acknowledge the wild card factor in every situation, let go of the things you can’t control, and try to focus on the things you can control.
2 DON’T FOCUS ON OTHER PEOPLE’S LUCK. It is quite easy to envy the good luck that other people seem to have. Everyone else seems to be snagging cool jobs with no effort, getting accepted to prestigious programs, and cruising through life without a care in the world. But, what we see is really just the tip of the iceberg. The results we see are just that — results. When we focus on solely on luck, we do not see other’s hard work. We do not see their valiant efforts to teach themselves course material, their determination to perfect their interview skills, and their commitment to doing the best they can. The success that other people achieve is not only the result of luck, but also the product of continuous effort. Besides, the time you spend focused on other people is time you take away from promoting yourself.
3 GOOD LUCK HAPPENS.
Everyone receives some form of good luck one time or another. This could manifest itself in friends, family, class schedule, promotions, or even the weather. Have some hope about the good luck you’re going to get. Optimism can really change your outlook on life.
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4 BAD LUCK HAPPENS.
Bad luck is simply part of life — sometimes things don’t work out. There is Chinese proverb that literally translates to, “leaves emerge where they should not;” in other words, new problems arise where we least expect. We don’t always get the instructors we want, the classes we want, get the last pastry at Starbucks, or catch the bus on time. Accept it mundane misfortune, and don’t dwell over it.
5 LUCK IS ABOUT PERCEPTION.
This is something to keep in mind when approaching bad luck. This year, for example, I was waitlisted at my dream school in Washington, D.C. and ultimately decided to attend an in-state school instead. For the first three months after decisions came out, I was really bummed about my luck. My best friends had all been accepted into their top choices, and I felt like I couldn’t share their happiness. But as time went on, I realized that my luck wasn’t as dismal as I was making it out to be. My university is only one hour away, which means I can be home to do laundry and enjoy a home-cooked meal. In-state tuition for public schools is decidedly cheaper than tuition for any private school I applied to, so I didn’t feel like I had to make a difficult decision regarding my family’s finances. In addition, I have tons of relatives and family friends that are alumni and know all the best restaurants in town. Not to sound corny, but the glass is half full.
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APPRECIATE THE LUCK YOU HAVE.
Like I said before, everyone gets a little bit of good luck. Reflect on it and be thankful for it. On the days you are feeling particularly unlucky, think about the things that you have to be appreciative of. Since Chinese culture places a heavy emphasis on numbers, for example, I tend to notice lucky numbers in my life. I am incredibly grateful for my birth month because it’s in the summer and it’s the eighth month of the year. Or, when I’m pulling my hair out during the spring semester because I’m overloaded with work, I remember how lucky I am to have the opportunity to get an education. Being appreciative helps you capitalize on your luck.
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7 LUCK IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS PERSEVERANCE. “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” We’ve all heard this quotation before. Heck, I bet one of your guidance counselors or relatives has it on a poster hanging up on their wall. Despite the cliché, there is certainly some truth to this idea: both good and bad luck affect everyone. What’s entirely up to you is how you handle this luck.
8 MOVE ON.
When we keep lamenting about the obstacles in our lives, we miss opportunities for growth and self-improvement. Moving on from the past is necessary in order to to focus on the present. As the saying goes, “Do a facemask, and move on.”
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
USING JOURNALING TO YOUR ADVANTAGE WWWWWWW BBBBBBB YYYY | EEEEEE RRRRR MMMMMMM | LLLLLL JJJJJJJ TTTT |
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I recently attended a conference to discuss initiatives regarding voter apathy and political activism. While waiting for the conference to begin, I pulled out my bullet journal, set it on the table in front of me, and nearly screamed in excitement when the girl in front of me turned around and said, “Is that a bullet journal?” Not to brag, but I single-handedly started the obsession with stationery and bullet journaling at my school. Last year, my IB class of 47 kids had never heard of a bullet journal. This year, six of them have picked up the habit, and I was a trending topic in the group chat when I visited a Moleskine store over the summer. My bullet journal tracks nearly every detail of my life, from my finances to my job, to my homework and agenda. People can flip through it and see what classes I’m taking, what extracurriculars I’m involved in, and what I do for my job, making it an excellent icebreaker — which is exactly what happened at the conference. Because it keeps track of so much of my life, though, my classmates were shocked when I pulled out a journal that wasn’t my bullet journal one day. And when I showed up to a party with a sketchbook, they were blown away. There is a multitude of ways one can use a journal, and they all have purposes that, whether others acknowledge it or not, are incredibly helpful to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and fostering creativity. Some might consider them a waste of time, but I’ve put together a list of my favorite ways to fill unused notebooks in a productive and healthy manner.
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If you want to dig deeper within yourself, try . . . • morning pages. The idea with morning pages is to write a set amount, usually two to three pages, every morning when you wake up. The writing in your morning pages notebook should be in the style of a stream of consciousness — don’t think too hard about what you’re writing, just write what you feel. Some basic questions you can answer in your morning pages are as simple as what you mo want to achieve today and how your day was yesterday. Not only does this allow you to think about how you want the day ahead of you to turn out, but it gives you a chance to reflect on the day before.
If you want to keep your life together, try . . .
• keeping a da Vinci journal. Leonardo da Vinci kept track of everything in his journals, and you can do the same. Take your journal with you everywhere and write down anything that comes to mind. Take time to record your personal thoughts about something you might hear a passerby saying. Sketch the potted plant at your table in the coffeeshop. Keeping a journal like this allows you to see how you jo think, what you think about, and what matters to you — chances are you’ll gravitate towards writing about and drawing things that have more meaning. It also keeps you constantly thinking about the world around you.
• bullet journaling. It’s a very flexible way to list your tasks and schedule in multiple formats that appeal to you, organizing them in yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily spreads. If you like the freedom of customizing your agenda, bullet journaling is a great way to combine your style with organizing your life, and the studyblr community has no shortage of inspiration to draw from.
• a task list notebook. This is as simple as it sounds: keep a notebook strictly for tasks. As homework assignments and chores come up, you can make a note of them in a running list. Think of this as a simplified bullet journal, for those who aren’t inclined to plan things out ahead of time or who don’t want to deal with the hassle of a bullet journal.
• traditional journaling. Sometimes, the best way to journal is to simply sit down and spill your thoughts onto the page. As with morning pages, your thoughts don’t need to be organized. However, morning pages tends to focus on your goals and feelings with regard to your day, while journaling can be as uncomplicated as some thoughts you have on a song. Traditional journaling lets you keep your so own pace, too — if you have nothing to say or remember on one day, it’s perfectly fine to skip it. Your journal easily becomes a chronicle of key points in your life, as well as random things, and how they made you feel.
• a time tracker. If you suspect that your “five-minute study breaks” aren’t really five minutes long, this is a way for you to quickly log when you begin and end a task or take a break. This allows you to gauge how much time you devote to certain kinds of assignments, or how much time you lose procrastinating.
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If you’re always trying to learn more, try . . . • a vocabulary journal. Any time you hear or see a word you don’t recognize or don’t know the meaning of, write it down. When you get the chance to, look it up and fill in the definition. You’ll find that by actively trying to expand your vocabulary, you’ll also enjoy and understand more of literature that you might’ve once found boring. Your sense of humor will develop and you’ll also have just hu the right word for every situation.
• a language journal. I actually have six language journals — four of which are for languages I speak and two of which are for learning. Similar to the vocabulary journal, language journals are dedicated to deepening your understanding of a language and culture. If you come across a new word you haven’t learned before, write it down with its translation. Write about culture. Language journals are a great way ab to expand your vocabulary and understanding of speakers of your target languages, and they’re a great way to maintain your fluency in languages you already speak.
If you want to explore the world around you, try . . . • a travel journal. Most people have kept some sort of travel journal at some point in their lives. I combine my travel journal with my bullet journal, keeping mementos and ticket stubs in the back pocket of my Moleskine. However, it’s worth investing in a journal specifically for travelling, where you can record words you learn, people you meet, and the nitty-gritty of the culture you’re experiencing — ni no detail is too small. It’s always refreshing to flip through your own or someone else’s travel journal and relive the experience of travelling through a culture that might be familiar, or one that might teach you something entirely new.
• a sketchbook. You don’t need to be an artist to keep a sketchbook. Sketchbooks are great tools if you simply like recording things visually — you can draw anything that strikes you as worth saving. If you’re not an artist naturally, you might find that over time, your drawing skills improve, and you get a chance to refine your own unique style. It’s also a great idea to combine a sketchbook with a travel journal so that you can sk record even more of your adventures. 45
The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
And finally, if loving yourself is a little hard, try . . . • a gratitude log. This can be shaped to skew towards what you’re grateful for, or to skew towards what makes you happy. You can write in it as frequently as on a daily basis, or simply when you experience something that makes you smile. Keeping a list like this can be incredibly helpful and useful, especially when you feel that fewer and fewer things make you laugh. You certainly don’t need to struggle with mental illness to keep do a gratitude log — they’re great tools for everyone to appreciate the smaller things in life — but as anyone who has struggled with mental illness knows, little victories count.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to journaling. Whether you use a $20 Moleskine hardcover notebook or a $2 pocket notebook from the dollar store, there’s an infinite number of things you can do with it. Journaling is an incredible way to foster awareness and creativity, and you’ll have a great memento to document your life in future years to come.
• a therapy journal. Keep track of your appointments with your therapist or psychiatrist. Write down what you talked about, what you’re meant to work on, and how you feel before and after the appointment. In the short term, this can help you remember basic coping techniques or simply recall what your therapist tells you, but in the long term, it’s interesting to see how you’ve improved and how far you’ve come. im
• keeping track of your emotions. This is something I started last year when my stress levels were rising. At regular intervals during the day, or when I have a sudden shift in mood, I write down the date, time, where I am, and what I’m listening to. Then I record how I’m feeling, if something physically hurts, what’s on my mind, and how anxious I am on a scale of 1-10. Individual entries can seem banal, but it’s helpful In to assess what causes me distress or conversely, what cheers me up and calms me down.
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B A LA N C I N G
SCHOOL JOB AND A
WRITTEN BY GABRIELLE DRONG | COLLEGEREFS EDITED BY COLBY PAYNE | COLBYSTUDIES LAYOUT BY ALISON HUANG | PAPERCLPS
n top of going to class, doing homework, and participating in extracurricular activities, many college students also have part-time jobs. Maintaining a job during school is often necessary in order to have money to pay tuition or to buy food and school supplies. However, juggling at least 15 credit hours in addition to a job can be daunting and often leads to problems and unnecessary stress unless managed correctly.
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TIME MANAGEMENT
SCHOOL COMES FIRST
Once you know your class schedule, create a personal schedule with time set aside both for work and for study time. You can do this by hand by using schedule apps such as the free Calendar app on the iPhone or Android, or by creating a specialized calendar on your laptop. Websites such as freecollegeschedulemaker.com and schedulebuilder.org allow you to customize your schedule to fit your needs. You can also find multiple printables made solely for college schedules on Pinterest.
It is crucial to remember that school is your first priority. You may be tempted to fill every available hour you have outside of class with work, but be cautious with your available time. At the beginning of the semester there may not be a lot of work, but it will pick up rapidly, and having limited study time can quickly become overwhelming. You may have worked forty hour weeks during the summer and want to make more money, start the school year with low availability, as you can always pick up more shifts, or ask to work longer hours. I would recommend having eight to ten hours of work per week, and leaving at least one day where you do not work so you can focus solely on school that day.
Though it can be difficult, you must make sure you follow the schedule to the best of your ability. Self- discipline is an essential part of this. Know yourself! It can be daunting to come home from work and immediately start studying. Unless you are the type of person who can do that, make sure to give yourself free time to relax and to transition into study mode.
Make sure to give yourself free time to relax and to transition into study mode.
KNOW YOUR LIMITS
ASK FOR HELP
Sometimes, especially during a hectic week, such as during midterms, it is necessary to take a step back and re-evaluate. If you need more time to study or to do homework and work is infringing on that time, do not be afraid to talk to your boss or supervisor about cutting down your work hours. Often they will be understanding, especially if you work for the university. They know the amount of pressure you are under and do not need you to be more stressed, as both your schoolwork and your job performance will suffer. Burnout is real! Remind yourself that once things become manageable again you can pick up more shifts.
It’s hard to keep on top of things all the time, and it’s okay to ask others for help. During chaotic times, let your roommate or roommates know that you’ll be occupied and ask if they can take over your chores for the week in order to give you more time. Everyone has been there, and they will usually be willing to make a stressful time easier. Just remember that if your job is causing you to constantly ask for help, or causing consistent stress, it’s time to cut back. You’ll thank yourself later.
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ADDRESSING THE STIGMA: A DISCUSSION ON MENTAL ILLNESS Written by Cailee Dela Cruz | CskyestuDy & syDney Gerbel | boarDinGsChoolblr edited by Carol hsu | stuDiix L ayout by niCole Dinan | niColeDinan
A
ccording to the National Institute of Mental Health, 1 in 5 teens ages 13 to 18 have or will have a serious mental illness, and an additional 1 in 5 adults in America are currently experiencing symptoms of a mental disorder (“Mental Health By The Numbers”). It’s no secret that mental illness is a prevalent concern in the global community, so why is it such a taboo topic of discussion?
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MENTALLY ILL
ADDRESSING THE STIGMA
There’s no cookie-cutter image for any mental illnesses, as they often take several forms in the minds of different people. Symptoms can be both tangible and intangible, explaining why so many people are convinced that they’re crazy for feeling the way they do. In reality, these people most often aren’t crazy — rather, they simply don’t understand why they experience the things they do.
Mental illnesses have held a negative connotation for centuries. At one point in time, even witchcraft was attributed to mental illness. Instead of learning how to address mental health as a medical issue, people are often told to “toughen up” or “get over it,” and their problems are immediately swept under the rug. Although this stigma has decreased in recent years, it’s far from gone. 50
The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
Due to this stigma, it’s understandable for you to be weary of talking about mental health. However, conducting these conversations is the first step to normalizing the discussion as a whole. If society learns to talk about mental health in a productive way, we can surely abolish the stigma.
FINDING PROFESSIONAL HELP The search for professional help begins with reaching out to someone you trust. Whether this individual is a family member, close friend, or trusted advisor, make sure to choose someone who will prioritize your health and be a positive influence on you. From there, seek professional help when you feel ready. Check to see what your school offers — you may be surprised to learn that it has a counseling office or another service for students who are struggling.
That being said, we’re not trying to pressure you into talking if you’re not ready. Various writers of The Academic have discussed self care in previous issues while maintaining one common idea: your personal well-being is most important. Be patient with yourself; ease yourself into a ready, willing mindset; there is no need to force yourself far beyond your comfort level. Our goal is to provide you with some guidance in starting these conversations should you ever decide that you want to start them.
Finding Professional help can be the key to managing a mental illness or even everyday stress. Although it requires more effort than simply ignoring the issue, the benefits of professional help significantly outweigh the costs. One study found that although half of all chronic mental illnesses begin by age 14, there are delays as long as decades between the onset of symptoms and when individuals seek help (Kessler et al). Delaying your search for help hurts no one more than it hurts yourself, so it is certainly worth the time and effort to find an outlet that can help you manage your mental wellbeing.
Often, it’s difficult to talk about mental health simply because we don’t know enough about it. Even when you’re talking to your closest companion, it takes courage to say “Hi, I’m dealing with something that I don’t understand, and I think I need help.” It’s normal to be nervous about having these conversations. In terms of deciding who to talk to first, it’s all about comfort. For some people, it’s easier to approach a close friend or a parent; for others, it’s easier to approach a teacher or another adult figure. Regardless of who you choose, make sure that you reach out to them in a comfortable setting where both you and the other person are supported and safe.
WORKS CITED Kessler, Ronald C., et al. “Prevalence, Severity, and Comorbidity of 12-Month DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication.” Archives of General Psychiatry, American Medical Association, June 2005, jamanetwork.com/journals/ jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/208671.
If you chose to do some research before you talk to anybody, perhaps that decision led you to this article. Rest assured, you’re headed in the right direction! While we’re here to provide you with resources to aid your journey, Google is not a doctor. We do not condone selfdiagnoses, and we encourage you to visit a mental health professional in order to receive a proper diagnosis.
“Mental Health By The Numbers.” NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness, www.nami.org/ Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the-Numbers. 51
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Every student has been there — you have a project due in just a few hours that you haven’t started yet and all you feel is stress and regret. Why is procrastination such a tempting trap to fall into, even when you know it will leave you feeling panicked and exhausted later on? It turns out there are many different reasons students procrastinate, but there are plenty of st ways to combat the urge to put things off.
COMBATTING PROCRASTINATION WWWWWWW AAAA | ---EEEEEE AAAAAA | EEEEEEEEEE LLLLLL
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PROBLEM ONE According to Hara Estroff Marano from Psychology Today, one major factor that contributes to procrastination is the fear of failure or rejection. You may find yourself putting off projects because if there is no paper to hand in, there is no paper to criticize. This may turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy: by putting off the a project you are not giving pu yourself time to do your best work.
HOW TO FIX IT Remind yourself that nothing, especially the first time around, is going to be perfect. Give yourself enough time to experiment and get all your ideas out there – good or bad – and then go back and figure out what works for the project at hand. Having an extremely rough draft that no one will see can be helpful for taking some of the pressure off he because even if you end up scrapping your first idea entirely, having something done makes the task seem less daunting.
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PROBLEM TWO Another reason students procrastinate is that the task seems boring or unpleasant. In a world where there are seemingly endless distractions readily available at all times, it can be tempting to put off work by scrolling through Instagram for a few hours. This doesn’t make the task any an more pleasant when it has to be done, but instead means that it will take up free time that could have been spent socializing, relaxing, or getting caught up on more enjoyable work.
HOW TO FIX IT There are two keys to getting boring work done: attitude and discipline. Having the right attitude can make a huge difference in motivation, so switch your thoughts from negative ones like “This has nothing to do with my major, why should I have to do it?” to more positive ones like “This will make me a more well-rounded person.” ma Similarly, if you use positive language when talking about tasks to others, it will affect the way you actually feel about them. So stay positive! The second component is discipline. At the end of the day, there are going to be things that you have to accomplish no matter how boring they may seem. One way to make sure you complete a task is to assign a time to start and then set an alarm on your phone. When that alarm goes off, you stop what wh you’re doing immediately and get to work. No exceptions, no “five more minutes.” Be firm with yourself and avoid making excuses.
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PROBLEM THREE You may also be putting off a task because of a lack of self-confidence or believing that you are not yet prepared to begin. The task may be one that you have never done before and you feel that before you start you must gain more knowledge, experience, or simply think about it longer before you start. However, the likelihood be of magically becoming an expert in biology before your lab report is due is slim, especially if you are n0t doing anything to expand your knowledge.
HOW TO FIX IT It is important to remember that every expert started out in the same place you are and the only way to improve is through experience. School work is not a competition (even though it may feel that way sometimes), but a learning experience. You learn through trying new things and making mistakes. It’s okay if you’re not ma totally prepared for something – people rarely are – just jump right in and figure things out along the way, and you can always ask for help if you need it.
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PROBLEM FOUR The last factor that could be getting in the way of your productivity is the way you prioritize your time. Imagine this: it’s 8 o’clock on a Sunday night and you have homework due in the morning, but your closet is messy and you know there’s no way you can get any work th done until you clean it out. Sound familiar? Probably so. When a task seems unattractive for any of the reasons listed above, it may be tempting to substitute for a productive but not urgent task, like cleaning or replying to emails.
HOW TO FIX IT Try to establish which tasks are urgent vs. non-urgent. Urgent tasks are those that must be completed by a certain time. This includes responsibilities like writing papers, reading textbooks, feeding your pets, or preparing for an interview. Non-urgent tasks are those that can be completed at almost th anytime with little or no consequence for completing them later. These include organizing your closet, replying to non-urgent emails, or writing personal blog posts. Schedule more urgent tasks for earlier in the day, so that you are sure you accomplish everything you need to before you start on anything else. Identifying why you procrastinate is the first step to combatting it, so pay attention to the excuses you make the next time you find yourself putting off a task. With the help of these tips you can be one step closer to a more relaxed and productive school year.
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017 WWWWWWW LLLLLL
AAAA CCCCCCCC | EEEEEE JJJJJJJ TTTT |
---EEEEE
Whether you’re an early riser who runs on caffeine or a night owl in need of some relaxation, there’s a type of tea out there that’s perfect for your go-to study mood. Try out one of these blends the next time you’re in the mood to switch up your study drink.
WHICH TEA FITS YOUR STUDY STYLE? 57
For Energetic Morning Studying When your schedule is packed and you need to get a head start on things, try a tea with high amounts of caffeine. Classics like Earl Grey or English Breakfast tea are perfect for boosting your energy. Pour it into your favorite cup, add some cream and sugar, and you’ll be ready to get to work.
For Relaxed Nighttime Studying If, on the other hand, you prefer to get your work done long after your roommates have gone to bed, you need a tea that will prepare you for a good night’s rest. A hot cup of chamomile is incredibly relaxing, especially when consumed while wearing your favorite ultra-cozy sweatshirt.
For Watching The Leaves Fall One of most exciting times of year is when the weather starts to get chilly and the leaves begin to fall. The perfect cool-weather drink is a hot Chai latte — the blends of spices taste just like Autumn in a mug. Bring it with you to drink in the fanciest building on campus, turn on some classical music, and you’ll be an an studious mood in no time.
For Studying on The Quad On days when it is just too beautiful outside to spend the day in the library, take your books and your favorite picnic blanket out to the quad and study in the fresh air. Iced or green tea fit the laid-back vibe of working outside. Prepare in advance and put it on ice (or mix with lemonade if you’re feeling extra adventurous) for the perfect late-summer treat.
The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
WHAT YOUR SUN SIGN SAYS ABOUT YOU Written by Nadia Bey | gardenofideas Edited by Zhengmao | aplacetofocus Layout by Candyce Zotz | scholarc
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When you think of astrology, you might imagine a fortuneteller in a dimly lit room surrounded by incense and magical paraphernalia. Even though we have become accustomed to astrological references in newspapers and on social media, some people still do not understand or believe in astrology. Whether you believe strongly in it, see it as a fun discussion topic, or think the idea holds no merit, astrology is not going away anytime soon! Astrology has been present for millennia, dating back to 2000 BCE. The practice takes on many different forms from one culture to another, some well-known versions being Western astrology and Chinese astrology. Western astrology depends heavily upon the placement of the cosmos at a given period of time, such as someone’s birth. This is why astrologers produce natal charts, which are meant to predict a person’s behaviors or personality. The twelve zodiac signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. The signs appear throughout the natal chart alongside celestial bodies such as the sun. In fact, most people associate the phrase “zodiac sign” with sun signs. Sun sign astrology is the simplified version of astrology which is used in horoscopes, and it only takes into account the position of the sun at birth. The sun represents the ego or your sense of self. It is the part of you that stays consistent throughout your whole life. So, what does your sign say about you?
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Aries (March 21 to April 19) You are very energetic and independent, ready to take on anything that life throws at you. However, you can be extremely impatient. Freedom of choice is highly important to you, and if you feel like you are being stifled, you are inclined to get away as soon as possible.
Taurus (April 20 to May 20) You can be incredibly stubborn, and this shows in multiple areas of your life. You refuse to be the first one to throw in the towel, and the practical side of you is often at war with your idealistic side. It annoys you most when people make assumptions about you or your abilities, and you are often motivated by the need to prove yourself. Having others to rely on is very important to you, so you try to be a rock for others as well.
Gemini (May 21 to June 21) Your mind is constantly going a mile a minute; you can jump from one topic to the next in no time. People may think you’re two-faced, but in reality, you have strong feelings that conflict with each other. Communication is essential to you, and this shows in your relationships with your loved ones. You may even enjoy socializing or public speaking!
Cancer (June 22 to July 22) Your most defining trait is self-advocacy. If you feel that you are entitled to something, you will stand up and fight for it. You can shift gears almost immediately if need be, and you may go from ecstatic to distraught in an instant. Stability is important to you, however, and no matter how fast the circumstances change, you will always follow your own lead. Despite this, you are not selfish, and caring for others is a top priority.
Leo (July 23 to August 22) You may not be a diva like the stereotypical Leo, but to say that you do not care about your reputation at all would be incorrect. You may carefully curate your image through outfits, social media posts, or activities you partake in. You always put your best effort forward, and you are incredibly passionate and outgoing.
Virgo (August 23 to September 22) One of the questions you constantly get is “why are you doing so much?” Indeed, you go above and beyond when it comes to accomplishing new tasks, sometimes to the chagrin of others. While you may be fixed in your beliefs, you do not always resist change, and sometimes see it as the best option.
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Libra (September 23 to October 22) Some may see you as frivolous or stuck up at times, but the truth is that you are passionate about multiple things at once. You are talkative and eager to do as much as possible, but be careful not to burn yourself out! It is also important for you to keep the peace, but remember that avoiding conflict will destroy your peace of mind.
Scorpio (October 23 to November 22) Despite your bold exterior, you are actually a very private person. It is important to you to build relationships with others and secure a better future for yourself and those you care for. Shallowness is not something that you are known for, because personal development is one of your top priorities.
Sagittarius (November 23 to December 21) For you, a life without excitement would be akin to throwing your life away. You have a brash, fun-loving personality even if it doesn’t show in all situations. You are a dreamer and once you set your mind on something, no one can deter you from it.
Capricorn (December 22 to January 19) You are hard-working and often easily frazzled. Even when the responsibility is not explicitly assigned to you, you often find yourself taking up a specific role anyway. Your ambition is one of your most defining traits, as well as your resilience and self-awareness.
Aquarius (January 20 to February 18) You are confident and intrigued by all the world’s questions. You may be interested in creating new things or investigating what already exists. You are intuitive and take time to consider all your options before making a decision.
Pisces (February 19 to March 20) You are people-oriented and occasionally sensitive. It can often seem like the world is against you, but fear not: you have the capability to face great challenges head-on. You always put your heart into whatever you aim to accomplish, while carving out as much time for relaxation as possible.
Works Cited “What is Astrology?” Cafe Astrology, https://cafeastrology.com/whatisastrology.html. “Zodiac Sign Dates: What Are the Dates for Every Star Sign?” Astrostyle, http:// astrostyle.com/zodiac-sign-dates/. 61
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ACADEMIC PODCASTS A mix between radio and television, podcasts are serial shows based on a variety of topics, from news to science to fiction. You can subscribe to your favorite shows, support your favorite creators, and find podcasts to suit every interest, style, and attention span. Podcasts are most widely available on iTunes or Stitcher, but many can also be found online through streaming services like Spotify.
WWWWWWW SSSSSS ZZZZZZ | EEEEEE RRRRR MMMMMMM | LLLLLL JJJJJJ TTTTTT
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Why listen to podcasts, you ask? They are versatile and accessible, which makes them a terrific learning tool. Here’s why we like them:
· ·
· ·
They are free! We understand that many students are living on a budget, so we think it’s important to recommend affordable resources. As mentioned earlier, they are accessible. Whether you use an iPhone, Android, Mac, PC, or tablet, there will always be a place for you to find podcasts. For your convenience, this list includes where each show can be found. They are awesome for multitasking. You can listen while you complete other tasks, or on your daily commute. For auditory learners, podcasts create an effective out-of-class learning experience.
STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Stuff to Blow Your Mind From the makers at HowStuffWorks, Stuff to Blow Your Mind delves into the innate curiosities people have about the world. The hosts discuss all things extraordinary and even the ordinary in order to make sense of the human brain. Average Episode Time: 1 hour, updated 2-3 times per week. Listen: iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher Where to Listen
Hidden Brain A lighthearted but relatively in-depth look at the psychology and neuroscience behind why our brains behave the way they do. Good for anyone who wants to learn more about the science of thought, as it is accessible without dumbing down the material. Created by NPR. Average Episode Time: 20-30 minutes.
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ACADEMIC PODCASTS
NEWS & POLITICS Can He Do That?
From the team at The Washington Post, Can He Do That? is a chronicle of Donald Trump’s presidency. Each week, they explore President Trump’s actions and behaviors, going on to explain what he re control what’s out of his are hands. Good for listeners aren’toffamiliar A mix between radio andand television, podcasts serial shows based onwho a variety topics,with learn. Produced The Washington Post. your from news to science to politics fiction.but Youwant cantosubscribe to yourbyfavorite shows, support Time: mins, updated weekly. Average Episode favorite creators, and find podcasts to suitTime every30 interest, style, and attention span. Where to Listen: iTunes, Soundcloud, Google Play Podcasts are most widely available on iTunes or Stitcher, but many can also be found
online through streaming services like Spotify.
The New Yorker: Politics and More
Does a really good job of going in depth of (mostly American but with an WWWWWWW SSSSSS ZZZZZZ | perspectives international perspective) political issues and getting different EEEEEE RRRRR MMMMMMM | on topics. A nice way to stay informed withoutLLLLLL any sensationalizing, and could JJJJJJ TTTTTT easily fit into a commute. Mild profanity (i.e.: "damn", "hell"). Average Episode Time: 15-20 minutes. Where to Listen: iTunes, Stitcher, WNYC, TuneIn, and the New Yorker website
Pod Save America Former Obama aides talk about current American politics. This podcast is definitely liberal leaning, and the hosts are less formal than say, NPR, but it's a fun and thorough way to hear the latest US political news. Occasional profanity. Average Episode Time: 1 hour Where to Listen: Listen iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify
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HUMANITIES College Info Geek
Hosted by Thomas Frank, who runs a YouTube channel of the same name. CIG offers advice and life lessons intended for students in order to improve the college experience. He covers everything from managing finances to Suitable for teens and young adults. Average Episode Time: 45 minutes – 1 hour, updated weekly.. Listen: iTunes, Google Play, Youtube Where to Listen
10-Minute Writer’s Workshop Each episode of 10-Minute Writer’s Workshop features a brief interview with a different author who is often being interviewed from the comfort of their own home. It’s a small but candid look into the minds of today’s (and yesterday’s) most influential writers. Suitable for young adults and above. Time: 10 mins, updated 2-3 times a month. Average Episode Time Where to Listen: iTunes, Spotify, Google Play
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History A dramatic, semi-philosophical view of the biggest events in history. Perfect for putting on in the background as you clean, nap, or study. Really good for people that don't like traditional history, but also hugely satisfying for history buffs. Some heavy content. Average Episode Time: 3-6 hours. Listen: iTunes, dancarlin.com Where to Listen
Stuff You Missed in History Class A narrative account of interesting, often funny events in history. Makes for a good review of world history while still being fun. Does a good job of touching all issues, even ones you wouldn't think of. One of the easier history podcasts, but still very good content. Good for everyone. Average Episode Time: 40 minutes Listen: iTunes, missedinhistory.com Where to Listen
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ACADEMIC PODCASTS
ART & DESIGN 99% Invisible
Radio host Roman Mars examines how the relationship between culture and design has changed throughout the centuries. It’s an exploration of the influence time has on architecture and building. Average Episode Time: 20 - 30 mins, updated weekly. Where to Listen: iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher.
A mix between radio and television, podcasts are serial shows based on a variety of topics, from news to science to fiction. You can subscribe to your favorite shows, support your favorite creators, and find podcasts to suit every interest, style, and attention span. Podcasts are most widely available on iTunes or Stitcher, but many can also be found online through streaming services like Spotify.
HEALTH & WELLNESS WWWWWWW SSSSSS ZZZZZZ | EEEEEE RRRRR MMMMMMM | LLLLLL JJJJJJ TTTTTT
Happier with Gretchen Rubin Author Gretchen Rubin offers advice and resources for managing stress, maximizing productivity, and boosting your mood. Happier is great for those who are easily overwhelmed and need guidance. Average Episode Time: 30 minutes, updated weekly. Where to Listen: iTunes, Spotify
The Minimalists Podcasts Two men discuss how they maintain their minimalist lifestyles amidst a society that is obsessed with consumption. This podcast serves as an important reminder that having many physical possessions isn’t necessarily the key to living a fulfilling life. Helpful for those who feel lost and uninspired. Time: One to two hours, updated weekly. Average Episode Time Where to Listen: iTunes, Spotify, Spreakers.
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Hello From the Magic Tavern
FUN
Hilarious, lighthearted impromptu comedy stylized as a talk show in another dimension. Special guests create their own characters but the three main hosts are wonderfully funny as well. Listener discretion advised for explicit language and content matter. Average Episode Time: 40 minutes, updated weekly. Listen: iTunes, hellofromthemagictavern.com Where to Listen
Fictional Retellings of the best stories in literature laced with sarcastic commentary. Fictional makes it easier to get through some of the more dense classics. Average Episode Time: 30 minutes, updated twice a month. Where to Listen: iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher
Lore Every episode centers around the true stories behind some of the most creep, scary, and bizarre urban myths in existence. Although it isn’t a true horror podcast, it will still send shivers up your spine. Average Episode Time: 30 minutes, updated biweekly. Where to Listen: iTunes, Google Play, lorepodcast.com
Tanis A fascinating serial docudrama about a mysterious myth called Tanis. Starting off as an informational documentary-style podcast, the lines soon begin to blur between fact and fiction. The most notable elements of Tanis are the music and sound effects. *Note: the first episode is numbered 101. Time: 40 minutes. Updated three times a month. Average Episode Time
This list hardly scratches the surface of all the academic podcasts available, but these shows are a solid introduction for new listeners. We hope our picks will help you along your learning journey. Happy listening!
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The Academic — Issue 8 — November 1st, 2017
INTERACTING WITH
THE ACADEMIC We asked our readers a question... and here’s how they responded!
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT FALL 30.8%
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It’s Almost Winter
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6.2%
Other
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Issue 8 | November 2017 @theacademiczine
Š Meadow Pendley and Sydney Gerbel All rights reserved.