office space setup

Why Virtual Study Hubs Work – productivity, motivation, and everything in between

I’ve been attending virtual study hubs for nearly a year and I must say, I don’t think I would’ve got through my virtual academic year without them. Last year, motivation was the bane of my existence. With libraries closed at…

(Barely) Imparting Senior Student Wisdom

Hello new semester! Don’t you just love the buzz around campus this time of year? You know, its that time in the semester where midterms haven’t taken over life yet, the weather is still amazing and you have a whole new batch of stationary to play with. Okay, that last one only applies to me and a handful of very cool people. It’s also that time of year where I usually make tons of new goals and try extra hard to get this whole studying thing right.  

Library Da[y]ze

As a student who ‘double-dips’ in both the arts and sciences here at U of T, I can tell you that sometimes a full library day is something you can’t avoid. My kitchen table is where I do the majority of my school work, but occasionally I need the focus and academic-y aesthetic a library provides. The many reasons students end up at the library vary, but I’m sure we all have one thing in common: we don’t really want to be there.
A picture of my kitchen table littered with notebooks, textbooks and my MacBook.
A typical Madeline-at-home work space.
I once made made a trip out to Queen's University to visit some friends who studied there. It was during the impromptu library tour (it didn’t take long, they only have seven) that I was told if you were going to get anything done there, you must get a desk with an outlet not for your computer charger, but for the mini kettle that would apparently provide enough sustenance to read for hours on end with instant coffee and Mr. Noodles. And while I have never seen a person with a kettle at Robarts, I still think of this every time I pack up my bag for a full day of studying.

Random study/worky tips (or, $%@#%#$@ — OMG!)

It's the most wonderful time of the year... MULTI-ESSAY WEEK For other students, this may be Super-Multi-Exam Week, Superior-Memorization Week, Assignment-Death-Match Week, Read-All-Those-Chapters-You-Didn't-Read-for-the-Last-Three-Months Week, etc. In a desperate attempt to correct erroneous and dooming work habits of the past before…