how to be an ACADEMIC WEAPON this semester 📝 non-basic tips, organization hacks

Summary

In this video, Tonian shares practical tips for starting the school year strong, helping students succeed throughout the semester. Drawing from personal experience, she emphasizes organizing all deadlines in a single calendar, creating cheat sheets, tracking mistakes, taking detailed syllabus notes, and starting flashcards early. Tonian also suggests making monthly vision boards, creating a study support network, and using productivity tools like Gantt charts and reading extensions. Finally, she highlights the importance of mental health, encouraging students to focus on progress, not perfection, for a balanced academic journey.

Takeaways

• 📅 Prioritize organizing your schedule early in the semester by placing all school deadlines and personal commitments in one calendar.
• 📝 Create a personal cheat sheet at the front of your binder or notes for quick reference to frequently used concepts and formulas.
• ❌ Keep a mistake log to track errors from assignments and tests, so you can identify patterns and avoid repeating them.
• 🖋️ Take detailed notes during syllabus week, as professors often provide valuable insights into how to succeed in their course.
• 📱 Start making flashcards (using Quizlet or similar) immediately after each class to gradually build up study materials for exams.
• 🎶 Listen to calming study music, such as indie folk or instrumental soundtracks, to enhance focus while studying.
• 🎯 Make a vision board each month as your laptop wallpaper to stay motivated and visually track your academic and personal goals.
• 🗓️ Consider using a reverse syllabus or Gantt chart to map out your study schedule and break down tasks for major assignments.
• 📚 Frontload your semester by completing readings and assignments early to reduce stress during exam season.
• 👥 Develop an academic support network, including peers, professors, and upper-year students, to rely on for advice and study help throughout the semester.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The video discusses tips on how to be successful throughout the school year by starting strong and staying organized.

Why does the speaker emphasize starting strong at the beginning of the semester?

The speaker emphasizes starting strong because it prevents the need to catch up later in the semester, as they experienced personally when they focused on non-school projects early on and struggled to keep up.

What is the speaker's first tip for academic success?

The first tip is to consolidate all schedules, including syllabi, deadlines, and personal commitments, into one calendar to manage time effectively and plan ahead for busy periods.

How does the speaker recommend organizing important information for easy access?

The speaker suggests creating a personal cheat sheet or reference page with formulas and key information at the front of your binder or notes, so you can quickly access it throughout the semester.

What is a mistake log, and why does the speaker recommend using it?

A mistake log is a record of errors from assignments and tests. The speaker recommends using it to identify patterns in mistakes so that these errors can be avoided on future exams.

Why does the speaker advise taking detailed notes during syllabus week?

The speaker advises taking notes during syllabus week because professors often give important insights on how to succeed in the course, which might not be recalled later when studying for tests.

When does the speaker suggest making flashcards, and why?

The speaker suggests making flashcards early in the semester, after each class, so that students can begin reviewing the material throughout the term rather than rushing to create flashcards right before exams.

What types of music does the speaker recommend for studying?

The speaker recommends indie folk music, Studio Ghibli soundtracks, and instrumental music from 'Bridgerton' for studying, as they find these genres helpful for focusing.

What is the purpose of making a vision board, according to the speaker?

The speaker suggests creating a monthly vision board to stay motivated and focused on personal and academic goals. Changing it monthly helps reflect on past achievements and set new priorities.

What is a reverse syllabus or Gantt chart, and how can it help students?

A reverse syllabus or Gantt chart helps students map out study schedules for major assignments and exams weeks in advance, allowing them to manage their time effectively and avoid last-minute cramming.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Starting Strong for a Successful Semester

The speaker, Tonian, introduces the video by emphasizing the importance of starting the semester strong to avoid playing catch-up later. She shares her personal experience from the previous year when she focused on non-school-related projects early in the term, which negatively affected her academic performance. Tonian highlights the importance of getting ahead now for smoother sailing throughout the semester. She assures viewers that the tips she'll share are effective for both high school and university students, and provides some background on her academic achievements.

05:01

📅 Organize Your Calendar for Success

Tonian’s first tip is about organizing your schedule by putting everything into one place, including due dates, extracurricular activities, and other personal events. She explains that many students use separate documents for academic deadlines and personal schedules, but advises integrating them into one calendar for better planning. By seeing all your commitments together, it helps with mentally preparing for busy periods, such as having multiple exams and events at the same time, and encourages you to start working on projects early.

10:02

📘 Create a Personal Cheat Sheet for Quick Reference

Tonian recommends making a cheat sheet with key formulas and concepts that you struggle to remember. She used this strategy in high school, especially for subjects like math and science. Having an easily accessible sheet at the front of your binder or notes prevents wasting time searching through pages and helps quickly reference information when needed. She emphasizes the value of creating personalized cheat sheets tailored to your specific struggles for efficiency.

📝 Make a Mistake Log to Track and Learn

Tonian advises creating a 'mistake log' to track errors from assignments and tests. By writing down the mistakes, along with their correct answers, students can identify patterns in their errors. This allows them to focus on problem areas when studying for finals, ensuring they don't repeat the same mistakes. The log becomes a useful tool for revision when exams approach.

📂 Take Notes During Syllabus Week

Tonian highlights the importance of taking notes during the first classes of the semester, often referred to as 'syllabus week.' Many students overlook this, but professors often give crucial details about how to succeed in the course. She advises paying attention to specific information about exams and assignments, and taking notes on how much focus should be placed on textbooks versus lectures. This information helps guide study efforts later in the semester.

📇 Start Making Flashcards Early

Tonian encourages students to start making flashcards right at the beginning of the semester instead of waiting until exams approach. She recommends using Quizlet and praises its mobile app, which allows students to review flashcards whenever they have spare time. By creating flashcards early, students can gradually review content and be better prepared for exams.

🎶 Study Playlists for Focus and Motivation

Tonian shares her favorite study playlists, mentioning how instrumental music helps her concentrate. She recommends playlists like 'Autumnfall Indie' by Alex Rain Bird, 'Mulberry Mousse' by Alan Gole, and soundtracks from Studio Ghibli and Bridgerton. These playlists offer calming and motivational background music to enhance the study environment.

🎨 Create a Monthly Vision Board for Motivation

Tonian recommends making a vision board each month and using it as your desktop wallpaper. She finds this motivational and shares how it helps her focus on personal goals like trying new recipes, making YouTube videos, or daily journaling. The vision board reflects goals for the current month, helping track progress and reset priorities regularly. It's a fun and practical way to stay goal-oriented.

🗓️ Use a Reverse Syllabus or Gantt Chart for Planning

Tonian briefly touches on using reverse syllabi or Gantt charts, strategies some students find helpful for time management. These methods involve working backward from exam or project dates to plan study sessions and project tasks in advance. While Tonian doesn’t use these tools herself, she suggests them for students who struggle with time management.

📖 Frontload Your Work to Reduce Stress

Tonian advises students to frontload their semester work by finishing assignments and readings as early as possible. This proactive approach helps reduce stress during exam season and ensures students have more free time when workloads intensify. She also suggests using tools like the 'Half Bold' extension to speed up reading tasks and increase productivity.

👥 Build an Academic Support Network Early

Tonian’s final tip encourages students to develop an academic support network early in the semester. This can include professors, upper-year students, and peers who can provide guidance, share notes, or help form study groups. She emphasizes the benefits of seeking mentorship and joining university support programs that offer valuable tips and shortcuts for specific courses.

✨ Wrap-Up and Final Words of Encouragement

Tonian concludes by wishing her viewers a successful school year and reminding them that effort and preparation are key. She advises viewers not to stress about perfect grades, reminding them that their mental health should be a priority. She also encourages viewers to subscribe for more content focused on university life and academic tips, reaffirming her commitment to consistent uploads.

Keywords

💡Semester Start

The beginning of the academic semester is critical in setting the tone for the rest of the term. The speaker emphasizes the importance of starting off strong, as early efforts help avoid falling behind later, especially during exams and deadlines. They contrast this with their personal experience of focusing on non-academic projects early on, which led to difficulties throughout the term.

💡Personal Calendar

A personal calendar is recommended by the speaker as a tool for organizing all aspects of one's life, including academic deadlines, extracurricular activities, and personal commitments. They argue that integrating everything into one place can help in planning and managing time effectively, especially when juggling multiple deadlines and obligations.

💡Cheat Sheet

A cheat sheet, as described by the speaker, is a custom-made reference sheet that contains important information or formulas students frequently need. This sheet is placed at the front of a binder or note document for quick access, helping avoid time wasted searching through notes. The speaker gives the example of using it for chemistry formulas like stoichiometry.

💡Mistake Log

A mistake log is a record of errors made in assignments or tests. The speaker advises creating one to track patterns in mistakes and focus on avoiding these errors in future exams. This proactive approach helps identify weak areas and ensures better preparation for final assessments.

💡Syllabus Week

Syllabus week refers to the first few days of a course, where professors go over the course outline and expectations. The speaker stresses the importance of taking detailed notes during this time, as professors often provide crucial insights into what will be important for exams, projects, and assignments.

💡Flashcards

Flashcards are highlighted as a useful tool for active recall, which is an effective study method. The speaker suggests starting to create flashcards early in the semester, using platforms like Quizlet, so that they can be used throughout the term for practice, rather than waiting until just before exams.

💡Study Music

Study music refers to background music that aids concentration while studying. The speaker shares their favorite music recommendations for creating a productive study environment, such as instrumental music or playlists from artists like Alex Rain Bird Music, Alan Gole, and Studio Ghibli soundtracks.

💡Vision Board

A vision board is a visual representation of one's goals, created to provide motivation and focus. The speaker suggests making a new one every month to reflect changing priorities and ambitions, and recommends using it as a desktop background for constant reminders of personal and academic objectives.

💡Gantt Chart

A Gantt chart is a time management tool used to plan tasks or study sessions over a period of time. Although the speaker admits they do not personally use one, they mention that some students find it helpful for managing deadlines by visually mapping out the steps needed to complete major assignments or exams.

💡Academic Support Network

An academic support network consists of people who can provide help throughout the school year, such as peers, upperclassmen, or professors. The speaker advises building this network early in the semester to ensure that students have reliable resources when they encounter challenges or need guidance.

Highlights

Start strong at the beginning of the school year to set the tone for the rest of the term.

Consolidate all your deadlines, exams, and personal events into one calendar to better manage your time.

Create a cheat sheet or reference page at the front of your binder or digital notes for quick access to essential information.

Keep a mistake log to track errors from assignments and tests to avoid repeating them in the future.

Take detailed notes during syllabus week, as professors often provide insights on how to succeed in the course.

Start creating flashcards immediately after each class using apps like Quizlet to streamline exam preparation.

Study with music: indie folk, instrumental, and film soundtracks can enhance focus.

Make a vision board each month and set it as your laptop background to stay motivated and aligned with your goals.

Look into creating a reverse syllabus or Gantt chart to plan your studying and assignments in advance.

Frontload your semester work, completing readings and assignments early to reduce stress during exams.

Consider using the 'half-bold' extension to speed up reading by bolding part of each word, improving focus.

Develop an academic support network early in the semester, including peers, mentors, or professors.

Seek out upperclassmen or join peer tutoring programs to gain specific tips for your courses and professors.

Remember that grades don’t define you—prioritize your mental health and well-being above all.

The speaker aims to create more consistent content focused on academic tips and university life.

Transcripts

hey everyone it's tonian welcome or

welcome back to my channel so today I

want to talk about things that you can

do right now while it's still the

beginning of the school year that will

allow you to be successful or as

successful as you can be throughout the

rest of the term of the semester because

I know that the beginning of your

semester really makes a big difference

on how you'll do for the rest of the

term because speaking from experience

last year my second semester I spent the

first month of that semester kind of

focusing on personal and non-school

related projects and that really made me

play the catchup game for literally the

entire rest of my semester so if you

start off strong and you get ahead now

it'll make it'll make for smooth sailing

for the rest of your term so here are

all of my personal tips that I use

they're non AI generated nonbasic tips I

also picked all tips that I think are

applicable to both high school and

university/ col students also whenever I

make academic related videos I like to

give a little bit of background about

myself just so you know who you're

taking tips from so I've always been a

very high cheer when it comes to school

back in high school I got grades almost

all the '90s I was in the fa students

myd you know in the past years

University I have been list so these are

tips that normally do work for myself

and I hope they will also work for

you my first tip is to put everything

that you have on your schedule into one

place now this might sound kind of like

a basic tip but let me explain so I know

that a lot of people when they first get

like their syllabi with all of their

different due dates their deadlines for

like essays their midterms their exams

they'll put them into like a separate

place than their normal go-to calendar

so I know that a lot of people will use

like a Google Sheets or they put like a

Google Document any kind of separate

maybe sometimes like a notion page but

personally I highly recommend instead of

doing that or on top of doing that

putting in all of those things also into

like your personal calendar where you

have like your work schedule your

extracurriculars your sports your clubs

different events everything that you

have going on in your life because it's

really insightful to see what you have

going on during those due dates because

you see that you have like two midterms

on the same time that you have like I

don't know a trip coming up you need to

plan ahead mentally put like a note in

your head that oh like just because it's

two months away I actually should start

working on it a month earlier because

I'll have all this other stuff going on

in my life at that same

time my next tip is to make your own

like cheat sheet that you put at the

front of your binder or if you don't use

like a binder if you just use like your

laptop to put at the top of like your

notes and basically I did this so much

in high school especially for my very

like STEM related math science classes

and basically you'd be like a full like

8 and 1/2 by 11 blank sheet of paper

where I just put at the front of my

binder and I put down anything that I

thought personally I would keep wanting

to refer back to or things I'd always

forget throughout the school year so it

would often times be formulas but also I

remember stochiometry specifically for

chemistry I struggled a lot with

remembering a lot of the things it's not

necessarily things that everyone

struggles with but it's just things that

yourself your own little brain can't

always quite keep in your head having at

the front center place you can easily

access is so much nicer than having to

go back to your dozens of pages of notes

and being like Oh oh like where's that

one thing that I can't quite remember

even what it is so I don't even know

where to look it up it's nice to have it

at the front and always refer back

to the sixth tip kind of goes hand inand

very similar to my last tip but it's to

make a mistake log and basically you

keep track of your errors from

assignments from tests that identify

patterns to avoid repeating those

mistakes throughout the school year so

whenever you get a test back you're like

oh I got this question wrong dra a new

sheet of paper that you can call my

mistake log whatever and write down this

is the question and this is the answer

and then when you're studying for the

final assessment the final exam you can

have your mistake log and you'll see oh

like I constantly mess up on these type

of questions and you can practice those

attend before your final

exam my second tip is to take a lot of

notes when your teachers or your

professors are going over the course

outline during your first couple of

classes now I know a lot of people

especially in like University will call

this like oh it's just like syllabus

week it's not important but those are

honestly some of the most important

classes that you'll go to because more

times than not your professor or your

teacher will kind of tell you how to do

well throughout the course whenever like

I go to that class like the syllabus

class I always have my laptop open and

I'm taking so many notes and I look

around or I can just hear I'm the only

one typing and no one else is writing

this stuff and maybe it's just because

they think oh like this is like common

knowledge but it's very like specific to

that class and to that teacher and how

they mark because you have so many other

classes going on you're not going to

remember 2 months down the line when

you're preparing for that test or for

that exam exactly what your teacher said

before an exam your teacher says

throughout this course we're going to

have one big test one project and one

exam okay and then they'll say the test

and the exam are both multiple choice

all of the content will be in my lecture

slides or stuff that I say in class the

textbook is just there if you want you

know learn about it further or only

about 10% of the test and the exam are

going to be on the content that's in the

textbook then I would write that down in

my notes so that when I'm studying for

the exam and the test down the line I'll

like look back at my notes that I took

in the beginning of this class and

remember myself oh yeah like I don't

actually need to read these eight

chapters that will literally take me

like 12 hours to read save all that time

and instead focus on doing active recall

and all the stuff that are in the slides

and making flashcards and practicing

those instead so all of this information

they'll tell you on the beginning days

will really help you down the line when

you're starting for the big

tests my third tip is to start making

your flashcards right now as soon as

your classes start I know the past

couple years I've been using Quizlet but

I would only make my flashcards like

right before the exams and that just

took a lot of time time that I wish I

could have been just recalling them at

the time instead of making them for the

first time so after each class start

typing out your Quizlet cards now so you

can practice them whenever you have dead

time that's why I recommend quizzes

specifically is because yes there's like

the desktop app but there's also like

the phone mobile app where you can

practice them on your phone so if you're

just out and about you got nothing to do

you can pull them up and you can start

you know recalling the stuff that you

learned early on in the school year and

that way you'll be ready when the exam

comes my fourth tip is actually quite

basic but I just want an excuse to share

some of my favorite study music so I'm

going to go over a couple of my favorite

playlists and songs that I think are

underrated also if YouTube will allow it

I will play little clip bits of the what

it sounds like so the first one is

autumnfall Indie it's a playlist by Alex

Rain Bird music and this person actually

makes a lot of great playlists on their

page so if you like like indie folk very

kind of like chill music I would

recommend checking out their page

[Music]

the second one is a specific song that I

actually just discovered a couple weeks

ago it's called Mulberry mousse by Alan

gole and it's just very beautiful

[Music]

instrumental and then the third and

fourth one are kind of based on movies

SL shows the first one is any Studio gly

music I think it's very like kind of but

also good to listen to while you're

[Music]

studying and then the fourth one is

Bridgeton instrumental because generally

speaking I do like to listen to

instrumental music when I studying and I

think Bridgton has a really great uh

like set list

[Music]

this next tip isn't necessarily strictly

academic related but I highly recommend

making a vision board every single month

of the semester that you set as your

background for your wallpaper for one

thing it's just fun to do but also it

kind of motivates me and reminds myself

every day whenever I look at my laptop

like what my goals are throughout the

year right now it's not actually too

academic related but I'll show you it on

my laptop so right now I have some

recipes that I want to make this month

like a craft that I want to try doing

things that I want to prioritize such as

like YouTube I'm going to make more

YouTube videos guys like meditation

daily journaling some outfit inspo and

changing that every month kind of allows

you to reflect on the month before like

what you achieved and also what you want

to specifically focus on for that month

because I know a lot of people make

fishion boards in January and then just

forget about them so making them every

month really allows you to focus in what

you want to achieve for that

month my next tip is to make a reverse

syllabus or Gant chart so I'm actually

not going to talk about this too much

because I personally don't use either of

these but I know a lot of my friends who

do like to use them so it's something

that you can look into a verse syllabus

is where you map out how you'll study or

review for major assignments or exams

weeks in advance so you look at oh I

have this exam I know I need to do these

flashcards for 4 days in a row it takes

me this many days to make them it's just

basically backtracking I also recommend

looking into Gant charts so if this is

something that if you personally

struggle a lot with time management and

what you've been using hasn't been

working you know this a resource that

you can look into to better than me

trying to

explain my ninth tip is to frontload

your semester work so basically finish

as much as possible early on to easing

your days ahead especially during exam

season again sounds like common sense

but most of us don't do it so here is a

really great example a lot of your

teachers have already given like your

readings throughout the semester if

these are things you actually do think

that you need to read to do well in your

class start reading them now I actually

want to highlight an extension that I

think you can get I personally have yet

to get it but I do want to once I start

getting to my longer readings and it's

called half bold and it basically makes

your reading easier because it'll make

half the word bolded and so when your

brain is reading it when it reads the

first little bit it can know the rest of

the word and it just makes reading a lot

easier for your eyes and also a lot

quicker apparently it helps with

productivity you know I'll get back to

you if I do actually end up using it but

it's something to also look

into my 10th and my last tip is to

develop an academic support network now

early on in the semester that you'll

have people to go to whenever you have

questions and concerns and need help

throughout the school year so this can

look like a wide range of different

people whether it's an upper year that

you know your professor and going to

their office hours or whether it just

means like your peers and creating a

study group do it now while it's early

on especially like upper years talk to

them now if you can whether you know

like your older sibling has friends or

if you go to university there's often

like mentorship or pure like tutoring

programs sign up for those because often

times they'll give you like life hacks

oh this this is how you can do well in

this specific professor's class or like

here are some my notes that you can use

and people are like willing to help you

if you look for it so develop that

Network now all right so that just about

wraps it up I just want to wish all of

you a really great semester really great

school year if you're watching this

video it just proves to me and it proves

to yourself that you're willing to put

in the time and the effort to do well

and also a reminder at the end of the

day if you don't get straight A's if you

get a couple B's I'm telling my past

self this it's not the end of the world

don't beat yourself up too much it's

it's not worth it at the end of the day

your mental health is your priority it

should be your priority if you like this

video give it a thumbs up and if you

like this kind of content subscribe hit

the Bell because although I haven't been

posting consistently I seriously do want

to really prioritize this that this year

as you saw my vision board I'm going to

prioritize uploading videos and

specifically I want to focus on like

University life and also like academic

tips so if you like that kind of stuff

subscribe thank you so much for watching

and I'll see you in the next one bye

[Music]

oh

hell what's what