boozedcowboy
Tim | it/they/he | INFJ | chaotic evil | ravenclaw | here for a good time not for a long time
184 posts
Latest Posts by boozedcowboy
my grandpa saw my gemsona on facebook and now he wants me to draw him a gemsona
Free Education Resource List
Coursera - a generally good platform, from what I’ve heard. Like most other things, you can’t get actual certificates for free, but the courses *usually* are. Here’s a list of the ~1400 courses where everything but the certificate is free. This list has some pretty enticing courses, like an intro to classical music composition, Greek and Roman mythology, Russian history, astronomy, physical chemistry, and a lot more. The enrollment option you want is called Full Course, No Certificate.
YouTube - Never underestimate the power of things most people have access to. YouTube is an incredibaly powerful tool when it comes to learning things, particularly for things like science and math. My favorite educational channel is Crash Course, which might sound cliché because literally every AP World History class ever uses them, but I’ve literally spent hours watching their videos and taking notes. Just watching a bit of the biology series got me to test out of a lesson in my online bio course this year, which was super helpful.
Another good resource on YouTube is anything art. My favorite surprisingly education channel for drawing specifically is DrawingWiffWaffles, because she explains what she’s doing and why as she’s doing it.
Wikihow - another good resource people make over look because it seems obvious. Material on here I would cross reference with something else, because this can be edited by anyone (I’m pretty sure) and it can get a little shady, but I know there was a physics article that helped me understand electrons so much better.
Math Is Fun - a really solid, simple resource for math, particularly if you struggle a lot. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the site and their use of comic sans, there’s quite a lot of information to be found here. It helped me learn calculus, of all things.
Wikipedia - Once again, since anyone can edit this I would cross reference the information you get here with something else, but in all honesty this Wikipedia is my go to for literally everything. There’s unbridled power and pure, unabridged knowledge here, and I will milk it for everything it’s worth. I’ve used Wikipedia for everything from factoring quadratic equations (something I have a strange amount of trouble understanding) to astrobiology to linguistics to the Bohemian Reformation (which resulted in me writing an essay for my history teacher that *almost* saved my grade).
Local libraries are also usually very good centers for learning. I know the one in my town holds a lot of in-person classes (not at the moment) and provides card-holders with a free membership to Universal Class as well as some other online education platforms.
Anyone and everyone can reblog with stuff I missed!
Note Taking Template
*as recommended by my professor this semester. I honestly love it. It’s helpful*
Title of Chapter/Essay/Book
Also Include: APA Citation
Pre-Reading Thoughts
Include: 50-100 words about your first impression of the text, what you already know, what you hope will be answered, etc. The purpose is to get your mind in a place where you’re thinking about the topic.
General Outline
Include: Bullet point for chapter sub-section & bullet points under that for notes relevant to the sub-section title. Repeat for each section.
Vocab/Key Terms/Theories
Include: Create a 3 column table. Include the word, definition, and page you found it on. Include words that are new to you, key terms, etc.
Statistics Worth Noting
Note any statistics found in the text, what page it was on, and summarize it in your own words
Direct Quotations or Summaries
Include: Direct quotes and summaries of direct quotes, page number you found it on. Will help a lot when you have to cite things for essays and projects.
1 Paragraph Abstract
Include: An italicized thesis that sums up the entire text. 3-7 sentences that summarize the text.
About the Author
Include: A few sentences describing who the author is, to get an idea about where they were coming from & their perspectives
Questions for Thought
Include: Questions you have, questions the text raised for you, or answer homework/textbook questions.
Hi! I want to learn French and Russian. Could you share your favourite resources for beginners? Could you also include books and movies/TV shows recommendations for both languages in your post? Thank you.
That's really cool that you want to learn those languages!!!
I have a bunch of Russian resources that I used because I started out as solely self-learning. So a large part in my absolute beginner phase I spent listening to podcasts, specifically, these: understanding spoken Russian which is great for just getting a feel for the language while also learning a bit of grammar and this one for getting grammar and vocab explained in a very down to earth kind of way without any types of big words you need to know.
Besides these I essentially learned all the Russian grammar I know on Youtube. Especially from this channel. Daria is very cool and also has several podcasts under the same name.
This one has helped me with specific questions about little grammar things, so might also be useful.
Nastya has this year begun doing a Learn Russian in a Year thing where she uploads every day a thirty minute lesson. It's a bit slow for me personally having already learned a lot and just generally me being impatient but it can definitely help with vocab.
He also has good videos and also some free stuff on his website iirc.
For TV shows I unfortunately can't recommend a lot for beginners. What you can do though is watch episodes like Peppa the Pig on Youtube in English and in Russian/French to compare and learn or only in your TL as they're obviously at a low level. What I do highly recommend as a show though is слуга народу for Russian and Lupin for French.
Also, if you're into audiobooks, try typing children audiobooks into Youtube or try listening to the Russian/French version of Harry Potter (that's what I'm doing rn actually).
If you're looking for a book and willing to spend some money I recommend this book with Russian short fiction for beginners. I just finished it and I thought it was very fun with vocab lists and questions for the stories at the end. The same author has also books for higher levels.
Unfortunately, as I learned almost all of French in classes I only have one channel I actually use to recommend, which is this one. You'll find some of my posts where I used this channel as my source.
I hope this helps! I might update in future when I find more. Good luck with your language learning journey!!
Affirmations i use to study/get things done!
"You've prepared the whole year for this. Don't let it go to waste." "I can and I will." "It doesn't matter how hard it takes to reach my goal." "It doesn't matter if the other person is more talented than you. There's no rule for them to work more harder than you." "You can wake up anyday and decide to change the person that you are." "Who cares if I'm pretty if I fail my finals?" "One day, you'll leave this world behind so live a life that you'll remember." "If it's a million to one. I'm gonna be that one.” "You can't be perfect. No one can. But you can try to be the best." "Failure is a part of success. Use it in the best way possible." "You are more than capable of handling yourself and your textbooks." "Study like you haven't prayed and pray like you haven't studied." "You came this far only to come this far?" "There is no way I'm going to come back with something I don't like." "Study because learning is better than being ignorant." "Grades aren't everything but they do make your life somewhat easier." "I know more than i think I do." “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” "Progress > Perfection." "You're doing this for you. Only you. Don't forget that."
one of the biggest things I can advocate for (in academia, but also just in life) is to build credibility with yourself. It’s easy to fall into the habit of thinking of yourself as someone who does things last minute or who struggles to start tasks. people will tell you that you just need to build different habits, but I know for me at least the idea of ‘habit’ is sort of abstract and dehumanizing. Credibility is more like ‘I’ve done this before, so I know I can do it, and more importantly I trust myself to do it’. you set an assignment goal for the day and you meet it, and then you feel stronger setting one the next day. You establish a relationship with yourself that’s built on confidence and trust. That in turn starts to erode the barrier of insecurity and perfectionism and makes it easier to start and finish tasks. reframing the narrative as a process of building credibility makes it easier to celebrate each step and recognize how strong your relationship with yourself can become
we are the universe experiencing itself
Energy Management
A human-based organization method
click on images for better resolution; images also available here (link to google drive)
Other posts that may be of interest:
Getting stuff done: How to deal with a lack of motivation
Flexible time-blocking: A more breathable way to get things done
The ABCDE Method
Astrophysics/Astronomy Recs
Academic Earth: Astronomy (multiple courses)
Class Central: Relativity and Astrophysics (course)
NASA Astrophysics (govt. website)
MIT Astrophysics II (lecture notes)
Astrophysics and Cosmology by Prof. Somnath Bharadwaj (lectures)
Matrix Operations by Richard Bronson (maths textbook)
Linear Algebra by Seymour Lipschutz & Marc Lars Lipson (maths textbook)
The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack (book)
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil de Grasse Tyson (book)
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking (book)
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene (book)
The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking (book)
YouTube channels
the astrophysics students
dreaming of discoveries yet to be made
wonder at the vastness of the cosmos
long equations scrawled across graph paper
jwst images as your phone lockscreen
solving complex orbital mechanics problems
debating the nature of dark matter
studying relativity and gravitational waves
mind-bending thought experiments that change your way of thinking
stargazing on a clear night
seeing supernovas and black holes in your mind's eye
discovering new stars and planets
a drive to understand the fundamentals of our universe
related: physics, astronomy
Math masterpost!
So you want to learn math. Good. Math is amazing. I studied physics for two years and I miss it SO MUCH. Learning math isn't just cool, but it's a great way to improve skills such as:
Resilience: sometimes you will get stuck for a while on a problem - this is absolutely normal for college-level problems. You won't start from here though;
Self confidence: mastering a subject known to be difficult is fun;
Problem solving: you will be less likely to just sit down and do nothing if something comes up in your life, you will be able to try to find a solution.
It will change your approach to failure as you will become more flexible in your thinking.
Unfortunately most people never learn how to properly study math. We all probably know how to study a book over humanities. We start by reading the material, then we take notes of the keypoints. But this method doesn't work with math, and math teachers often don't really know either.
For the basics I've made this post here. To sum it up:
Please don't start with "but i suck at it". Because then your brain will actually prevent you from learning (self-fulfilling prophecy, anyone?);
Realise that you need to master one topic before covering the next one or you won't be able to progress;
Really, the methods you use for things like literature or psychology or whatever won't work
Now I'm not a genius, I always was and I always be a terrible student. I have adhd, depression and chronic pain, all of which add a difficulty layer with learning.
I feel like most people fail because of the first point. I've seen this with people I've tutored IRL, people I try to fix their pc... Don't be the person that gives up before trying because no one likes that. Just don't. Remember that you are learning on your own and no one is going to grade your excercises. Now take that and make a poster out of iy.
Now, resources Where To Find The Stuff.
Khan Academy. I didn't follow this courses becuase well, university, physics, but everyone references them.
Professor Leonard
The Math Sorcerer
3b1b (curiosities in math)
Vsauce2 (fun)
numberphile (this for understanding math memes)
r/learnmath resources are great!
A great study method
Proofs? Proofs.
A 3 page document on learning math (but it's cool)
Terry Tao's famous post "there is more in mathematics about rigour and proofs"
Remember that, even if you don't like a specific youtuber, source or anything it has been a while since college and high school teachers started to upload their own material. Generally, looking for like "calculus pdf" will give you a lot of resources. Youtube is full of university courses of every kind and it's so good to access all of this knowledge for free. I cannot recommend you anything regarding textbooks because I still have my high school one. Also yes, i've used the Rudin as a complementary textbook in university but that's a bit too much.
I really, really want to emphasize the mentality part. Leaning formula is useless if you feel like garbage because you weren't able to solve the first exercise you picked up after a decade not doing anything.
My personal and sparce advice:
Unless you have dyscalculia don't use the calculator. I know, I KNOW. But this "lazyness" will make everything 10 times more difficult.
Beware about overlearning. Basically, when you solve everything at the first attempt and you keep doing the same thing over and over because it feels good, but the truth is that you are wasting time. This is the time to move forward.
Try to differentiate between a knowledge error(did I actually study the subject?), a conceptual error (did I understand the material), or a mere calculation/distraction error (fo example a missing sign, writing the wrong thing etc)
Try to solve the problems in different ways if you can.
After a certain time, It will be useful to review things done in the past, (ref: spaced repetition method).
Write everything down. Reasonings, steps etc. It will be easier for you to review them.
This posts keep crashing so I have to call it quits now.
but:
have fun
Back to School Resource Masterpost
Hi everyone! It's that time of year again, back-to-school and all the excitement of learning new things, along with the stress and anxiety that inevitably occurs. I've been on Tumblr for longer than I'd like to admit, and have compiled a long list of resources below!
Please note that I did my absolute best to find the original links to all of these posts, but many of them are 4+ years old and the users have changed blog names/deleted. If any of the links don’t work, or there is a link to an original post which I am missing, please let me know! Many of the master posts have dead links so if you find any updated resources please feel free to add on :)
Starting College/New School Year
College Study Tips that Actually Help by @samsstudygram
How to Study in College by @niccistudies
Guide for Starting a New Semester by @studybeshy
No to Low Stress College Studying Strategy by @plannerdy
A Really F*cking Vulgar Guide to Not Losing your Sh*t in College (TW swearing) by @alice-rolfe
How to Be Successful in College by @goddesszillaa-blog
Studying for An Exam in A Really Short Amount of Time by @studiyng
Study Tips for the New Semester by @universi-tea
Back to School Masterpost by @studylau
Resources for the School Year by @ginsengstudy
Back to School Tips Masterpost by @starry-eyes-and-blissful-nights
Notetaking
Unconventional Note Taking Tips by @studyspiration-coffee
@emmastudies note taking system
Effective Notetaking by @afternaomi
Note Taking for Different Lecture Styles by @caffeinatedcraziness
Note Taking Tips by @eintsein
How to Take Notes from a Textbook by @staticsandstationery
Note Taking Tips by @parisgellerstudy
Essay Writing
Transition Words for Essays by @soniastudyblr
How to Write a University Level Essay by @healthyeyes
How to Write a Kick-ass Essay with Half the Stress by @wittacism-blog
Recovering an Unsaved Draft on Microsoft Word by @touched-dreams-blog
Helpful Websites for Writing Essays by @intellectys
Tips for Being Overwhelmed
How to Handle Having Too Much to Do by @howtomusicmajor
4 Tips for Getting Ahead after Falling Behind by @passwithclassandaniceass
Motivation Tips and Avoiding Procrastination
7 Strategies to Manage Distractions by @myhoneststudyblr
7 Strategies to Improve Concentration by @myhoneststudyblr
Tips to Stay Motivated by @maeve-studies AKA myself
6 Ways to Avoid Procrastination by @ivystudying
Tips for Motivation by @sobistudies
Getting your Shit Together by @coffeesforstudiers
School Prep and Motivation by @tea-study-sleep
Productivity
Guide to Crafting your Daily Schedule by @werelivingarts
Four Rules for a Disciplined Life by @a-disciplined-life (OG credit to reddit user ryans01)
How to Stay Productive by @busystudyin-g-blog
A Productivity Masterpost by @effortanderudition-blog
Planners, Apps, and Printables
Learn to Code by @boomeyer
Popular Apps Perfect for Students by @emmastudies
Printables Masterpost by @studywithnerdyglasses-blog
Listing of printables by @emmastudies
Study Apps and Extensions by @mujistudies
Apps for Students by @moleskinestudies-blog
Emails and Templates
Email Template for Anyone Who Struggles with Writing Emails by @ischemgeek
Post Interview Thank You Note Template by @a-windsor
Language Resources
Language Studying Tips by @ssehuns
Google Drive with a Link to Language Grammar Resources by @ingenjor-blog
Studying and Time Management Tips
@aimstudies on effectively reading textbooks
Tips on Managing Research Projects by @munirastudies
Memory Tips by @brain-exercise
Study Less, Study Smart by @marias-studyblr
Tiny Tips for Things You Never Thought About by @leahrning
18 Unexpected Tips for Higher Exam Scores by @studyblob
Study Tips from an MIT Student by @academicheaux
Self-Care and Burnout
@hellenhighwater on loving what you do, and doing what you love
Small Ways to Improve Your Life by @cwote
How I Ditched my Phone Addiction by @universi-tea
How to Avoid Overthinking by @onlinecounsellingcollege
Tips for Staying off Your Phone by @intellectys
Simplifying your Life by @universi-tea
For All the Bad Days by @studykouffee
How to Deal with Burnout by @kawaiistudy
Calming Masterpost by @shelbys-advice-blog
Ideas for Self Care by @educxtional
Masterposts
Masterpost of Everything pt 1 by @areistotle
School Cheat Sheet by @jwstudying
School Cheat Sheet part 2 by @jwstudying
Misc Studying Posts by @epicstudyings
Bullet Journal Ideas Masterpost by @optomstudies
Study Sounds by @universi-tea
Studyblr Masterpost by @getstudyblr
Study Methods by @etudiance
Study Skills by @schoollifeandstuff
heyy! with school starting again, I decided to combine a lot of helpful post, so you can rock the new school year! I’ve spent quite some time going through different masterposts and the ones i included here are very helpful resources. good luck for the new school year! <3
STUDYING
study effectively
revise method
take a break
study journal
planning the perfect study schedule
all the things that got me studying after one year of living through tv-show characters and wasting time on youtube (be honest, we all need this)
how to memorize
flashcards
preparing for exams
how to pull an all-nighter (but pls only do this in extreme situations)
how i study
SCHOOL
how to wear what you want to school
first day of class
emergency kit
list of tips (this is super helpful)
test taking tips
help! i hate my teacher
how to annotate
NOTE TAKING
how to take notes from a textbook
tips
what to do when you ruined your notes
upgrade your notes
ESSAYS
five paragraph essay
how to write 20 pages
battling essays
STATIONERY
essentials
backpack buying guide
cute and cheap stationery
LANGUAGES
tips + resources
different ways to learn a language
how to learn a language by doing nothing
SELF CARE / PERSONAL
self care
some advice
back to school glow up
morning routine
night routine
skin care
stress route
mental health tips
school and heartbreak
tests for when you don’t know what to do with your life
burnout - a guide for students
FOOD
study foods
ideas
easy recipes for students
ORGANIZATION
organize & refresh your phone and laptop https://youtu.be/3b00aqUqoZI
staying organized
guide to bullet journals
bujo for students
PRODUCTIVITY
beat procrastination
how to increase productivity
sort out tasks
self-discipline
MOTIVATION
study moods
motivation
gentle reminder
how to motivate yourself to start studying
MUSIC
mildliner inspired study playlists
best spotify playlists and albums for your study session
playlists for different moods
study music
PRINTABLES
binder covers
grade tracker
study pack (task tracker, formula list, habit tracker, task tracker)
go to sleep
back to school kit (class data, study group sheet, supplies list)
APPS
google chrome extensions
my favorite study apps
apps for students
Tips For Studying When You're Burned Out:
(ideally, you shouldn't even be studying if you're burned out but we live in a shitty world and sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do)
don't look at your assignments as something you have to do. that leads to frustration and constant anxiety over procrastination. instead, think of them as something you want to do!! do them well for the sake of doing them well, not because you have a deadline in two hours.
start with the least emotionally taxing stuff first, like readings or some math warm-ups to get you into the groove. it'll help you ease into the right mindset so you can work properly.
use lifeat.io if you're on a computer!! they have amazing virtual study spaces which have helped me focus whenever i'm in a less-than-ideal situation with a lot of noise and distraction.
listen to calm music if you're the type that needs headphones in to do anything. a good example would be lofi hip-hop or some uplifting classical music. angsty indie is fine, but crying in the middle of your economics essay probably isn't the best use of your time.
if you've been working on something for a few hours and don't understand the topic, take a break and do something else (don't scroll through social media, you'll end up losing an hour or so procrastinating). recharge with a warm drink and let your brain reset. you're more tired than you know.
khan academy and photomath are your best friends. use any and ALL online resources you have, it'll save you a lot of energy!!
if you absolutely can't cope up/know you can't prevent the inevitable, please, please email your prof beforehand!! state clearly the reason why you're not able to complete the work they assigned and what you're going to do to make it up. most of the time they'll be understanding and extend your deadline.
but if your prof is that 5% which doesn't care about your mental health and/or thinks you're slacking off, you probably should have a conversation with your mentor and re-evaluate whether being in that class is the right thing for you.
stay safe and take care of yourself lovelies, you'll make it through this!! <3
manifesting totaling studying 24hrs over the next 3 days in preparation for my calc midterm
Study Masterpost
I spent a whole lot of time on this… tumblr post length limits KILL me when I make masterposts ૮₍ ˃ ⤙ ˂ ₎ა! I will update this with more resources, subjects etc until i run out of room. Make sure you check the tag “makabees masterposts” to find the updates. Feel free to send requests to my inbox for subjects ( ⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝)! Most of these are free resources..
MATHEMATICS
✧*̥˚ algebra*̥˚✧
khan academy’s free algebra course 1 / 2
OGT algebra playlist
Cliffnote’s algebra notes
Mathplanet for free textbook and videos
edx’s entire selection of algebra courses for free
brilliant’s algebra practice
thriftbooks algebra for dummies
✧*̥˚ calculus*̥˚✧
OGT calculus playlist
Khan academy precalculus course
Brilliant’s calculus course
Professor leonard calculus lectures
Caclulus MITOCW textbook (workbook?)
Calculus full course vid
✧*̥˚ physics*̥˚✧
pocket physics app (ANDROID ONLY)
intro to physics pdf
college physics openstax textbook
stanford: understanding einstein special theory of relativity course
SCIENCE
✧*̥˚ psychology*̥˚✧
sparknotes psychology
psychology 150 notes
simplypsychology guides for students
psychology crash course
coursera psychology selection
alison psychology selection
principles of neuropsychology pdf
MIT intro to psychology textbook
YALE intro to psychology lectures
✧*̥˚ biology*̥˚✧
khan academy bio courses HS / AP
STANFORD human behavioral bio lectures
MIT introduction to biology lectures
Biology sparknoets study guide
Thebiologynotes online bio notes for students
bio lectures
introduction to marine life course vid
marine biology at home playlist
marine biology lectures
marine biology lecture notes
✧*̥˚ chemistry*̥˚✧
general chemistry playlist
cliffnotes chemistry
khan academy chemistry
organic chemistry playlist
chemistry textbook pdf
✧*̥˚ neurology*̥˚✧ (brain stuff)
MIT open courseware cellular neurobiology
MIT ENTIRE NEUROSCIENCE OCW COLLECTION
neurology: divisions of the nervous system
neurology videos/playlist
HARVARD opencourseware neuroscience pt 1 / pt 2
✧*̥˚ astronomy*̥˚✧
astrobiology : exploring other worlds course
crash course astronomy playlist
YALE astronomy lectures
CALTECH astronomy lectures
general astronomy lectures
caltech the evolving universe course
journey throught he universe documentary
✧*̥˚ cosmology*̥˚✧
STANFORD cosmology lecture collection
understanding modern physics: cosmology and relativity
the beginning and end of the universe documentary
caltech physical foundations of cosmology pdf
intro to cosmology pdf
✧*̥˚ ecology/environmental*̥˚✧
MIT open courseware Ecology 1: The earth system
MIT open courseware Ecology 2: engineering for sustainability
MIT open courseware oceanography
Elements of ecology thriftbooks
netflix our planet playlist
✧*̥˚ geology*̥˚✧
engineering geology and geotechnics
geology 101 lectures uni of hawaii
MIT OCW intro to geology notes
geological sciences lectures
✧*̥˚ archaeology*̥˚✧
osteoarchaeology: the truth in our bones course
the archaeology of disease documented in skeletons
introduction to archaeology lecture
archaeology lectures playlist
ENGLISH/LITERATURE/ARTS
✧*̥˚ grammar*̥˚✧
grammarly handbook
purdue writing lab
✧*̥˚ literature*̥˚✧
Thriftbooks entire literature section for cheap lit
creative writing specialization
plagues witches and war: the worlds of historical fiction
✧*̥˚arts*̥˚✧
MIT open courseware Intro to art history
lecture at MFA
prehistoric art lecture
my art ref masterpost
list of pdf books that might help artists
✧*̥˚mythology*̥˚✧
greek and roman mythology pdf
greek and roman mythology course
old norse mythology in the sources course
Mathematics is so beautiful and creative, I truly believe the way we are taught in schools ruins the appreciation towards subjects
(I can’t find the original post, I’ve had this saved for a while)
- Sylvia Plath, from the 'Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath' (Pg. 522)
the way neil gaiman talks about crowley and aziraphale’s relationship with gender and sexuality is one of my favourite things because… well, yeah me too.
“their sexuality doesn’t fit into human labels” me too!
“their gender? they’re supernatural/occult beings, gender isn’t really something they think about, they kinda just… exist. they’re not really taking their precious time on earth trying to understand the social construct of gender” me too!
omg,,,,,,their hearts were full of love and blood and whiskey,,,,,,,
Dark Academia Teas
hot, motivated, angry
+ earl grey
+ english breakfast
+ nepal black
+ masala chai
+ english toffee
melancholic, lost, cold
+ ice wine
+ peppermint
+ eucalyptus
+ jasmine
+ blueberry
+ pomegranite
+ valerian
contemplative, warm, sophisticated
+ chai
+ cinnimon
+ english afternoon
+ pumpkin chai
+ ginger
+ orange pekoe
bright, content, amiable
+ lavendar
+ chamomile
+ peach
+ rose
+ lemon ginger
+ dandellion
+ roobios
the folklore studies students
telling stories on long winter nights
a reverence for information passed down from generation to generation
the original grimm’s fairytales on your bookshelf
being fascinated by oral forms of storytelling
fighting to have the importance of folklore traditions recognized, rather than dismissed
the warmth of human conversation
comparing various communities and cultures
a love for the art of storytelling
understanding the importance, through context, of seemingly trivial traditions
studying anthropology and literature to supplement your work
the gentle flickering of a candle flame
appreciating the whimsical details of life
folklore as a vehicle for reflecting on the world
analyzing the messages behind myths and fables
the power of cultural heritage to counteract oppression
a stack of folklore anthologies with your favorite pages marked
finding deep significance in a simple legend or story
wanting to make folk culture and traditions more widely recognized and understood
examining the many different versions of a single tale
a fascination with all forms of communication and expression
the theology & religious studies students
fascination with the nature of faith and belief
the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of a house of worship
untangling the ways we make sense of the world
reading ancient religious texts and comparing different translations
comparing different branches of larger religions
the words of a prayer or meditation, murmured just above a whisper
a respect for all systems of belief
studying history, anthropology, and even psychology
debating the boundaries of what “religion” exactly is
the smell of incense
tracing the evolution of religious practices and traditions
travelling to holy sites
sunlight shining on burnished gold
knowing that the human experience oftentimes goes beyond that which can be directly observed
devoting time to philosophical thought and deep reflection
ancient structures, built and protected through the years
aged parchment, crumbling at the edges
analyzing the historical and cultural impacts of faith
seeking a more thorough understanding of the world
the comfort of ceremony and ritual, a single act repeated a thousand times
You know what. I’m starting a new aesthetic, population me.
Romantic Science, AKA Dark Academia for STEM people.
Thrifting a lab coat and embroidering it with your initials and a little insignia, whose significance is known to you and your lab partner only
Watching The Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game and Hidden Figures and basically every movie about historical scientists and mathematicians you can find
Decorating your desk with old slide rules and vintage lab equipment. Your prize possession is a set of vintage lenses you found at a thrift store
Wanting an articulated human skeleton far, far too much
Getting a set of (brand new, NOT thrifted, be safe ppl) beakers to drink from, and putting them directly onto your stovetop to boil water for tea or coffee, because borosilicate glass can survive anything.
Secretly relating far too much to Henry Jekyll and Victor Frankenstein, because you too want to do a gay little science experiment that challenges god.
Thunderstorms and late nights in the lab, the light of the Bunsen burner glistening off of your flasks and scribbled chalkboard equations
Papering your walls with vintage scientific diagrams; even if you know that our understanding of the world has evolved since they were made, looking back at scientific history is amazing
Writing code late at night and feeling, in some metaphysical way, as though Ada Lovelace herself is with you in spirit
Being far, FAR too obsessed with the concept of emergent ai sentience and how it has the potential to be Frankenstein irl
Looking through a telescope on clear nights, whispering the names of the constellations and stars, painting a star chart on your ceiling in a burst of creative inspiration
Collecting and mounting samples from everywhere you can think of to pore over in an antique microscope
Bringing a field journal wherever you go, learning how to draw and label botanical samples, preserving plants and flowers for study later
Dreaming of what undiscovered mysteries lie in the deepest depths of the sea, feeling the thrill of discovery whenever you learn about a new species and one day hoping to discover one yourself
Just. Romanticise STEM.
Subjects that belong in academia proletaria (and should be more appreciated):
Religious Studies - theology, polytheism, ancient evidence of religion in Cape Town cave paintings, timelines of Zoroastrianism and Judaism, Animism and Taoism, Yoruba and Zulu. Respectful visits to Mosques and Temples, puzzling your own spirituality together piece by piece or not at all, never loving the study of it any the less
Geography - glaciers, entire ecosystems in decomposing logs on the forest floor, wildfires and serotinous pine cones, how the Himalayas themselves have stopped wars - documentaries and encyclopaedias, memorised walking routes through rainy heathlands, the scrappy camaraderie of the university mountaineering society and a devotion to the breadth of learning that academics so often dismiss as the generalist’s science
Language - Mandarin, Arabic, Russian, Hindi, Amharic, Portuguese - the dialect of the changing modern world and the roots of the very essence of communication deep in history, audiobooks you can hardly keep up with and pocket books stuffed full of vocabulary
Civil Engineering - bridges, train tracks, redbrick and brutalism - drawing out entire towns in a notebook, scale models and the smell of fresh paint, a wardrobe very clearly divided into “clothes I have already ruined” and “clothes people are surprised to see me in because they aren’t covered in oil or superglue”, a good pair of boots
Education - having loved your subject so much that you couldn’t bear to leave education behind, seeing great things for the next generation even if they don’t quite know where they’re going yet, backpacks full of books to mark and nostalgic home-town teaching placements, a bad photo on your lanyard and students hanging back after class to talk (even when its sixth period and getting dark)
Social Policy, social work - setting off lively debates in the local state school on one day, and speaking quietly with an angry kid while the rain falls outside your office window on another - protecting libraries, community meetings, union strikes and non-gov organisations, posters made with the help of local youth groups and jackets with “the young are at the gates” stitched across the chest
Subjects that still belong in academia proletaria even if they are already appreciated:
Literature and poetry, of course, don’t let them make you think these are out of your reach or disregard their romanticism. War poems, American literature, Anne Carson’s Antigone and the joy of reading books that indulge just a little on your childish side, experiencing again the ability to read books like breathing air as you did when you were young (the bone clocks by David Mitchell (READ IT!!))
Mathematics, thinking in numbers and seeing patterns everywhere. Adding up your late-night corner-shop haul sum in your head before you see the numbers on the cash register, harbouring a strange attachment to prime numbers, the careful chronology of a formula breaking numbers into their hidden parts down the side of your page (lots of pencil shavings)
Music, picking up an instrument in a high school music tech cupboard and never putting it down again, finding tutoring where you can and vehemently keeping up with the kids who took lessons since they were six, scratching out compositions on printer-paper manuscript and knowing the garageband software inside out. “Play me a song to set me free, nobody writes them like they used to so it may as well be me”
Art, We All Hate Damien Hirst, sort of getting what the Dadaists where going for at this point, borrowing (stealing) materials from the department and stepping in paint, genuinely compelling photography and a friendly relationship with the local photo printing shop in town, sometimes taking things too seriously but more often not taking them seriously enough, CARBON PAPER !!
History - the brilliant “beware of the dog” mosaic in Pompeii, Italy, Horrible Histories songs, an unusual depth of knowledge to do with the Great Fire of London, mental maps of historical museums and books about everything from Genghis Khan to the Six Day War. Digging up the time capsule you buried when you were 11 because you put that CD you really loved in and want it back even though you had hoped it would outlast the centuries
“Find something you love to do and then… do it for the rest of your life.”
From the desk of
While I was obsessively searching through jet pens for cool stationary products - I realized school is a month or two away.
So I checked out the Prepare for your Classes tab at University of the People to begin my coursework in Computer Science. I downloaded the books and saved the course resources links and read through all the syllabi.
Here are the things:
Liberal Arts!!
Education Strategies & English 101
Programming!!
Programming Fundamentals
Programming 1 & 2
Computer Systems
Maths!
College Algebra & Intro Statistics
Calculus (Copy Pasta)
Learn Calculus- MATH 1211
Course Overview
This 3-credit course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the core concepts of differential calculus, covering a wide range of topics. Content includes both applications and theory of differential calculus leading to an introduction of The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Learners will continue to refine independent study skills, problem-solving, logically correct and mathematically precise writing and thinking, and their ability to use geometric, symbolic and analytic formats in presenting solutions to both abstract and real world applications.
Preparation Resources
Strang, G. (1991). Calculus. Wellesley, MA: Wellesley-Cambridge Press. Available online at https://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-18-001-calculus-online-textbook-spring-2005/textbook/
Calculus- MATH 1211 -
Course Schedule and Topics:
This course will cover the following topics in eight learning sessions, with one Unit per week. The Final Exam will take place during Week/Unit 9 (UoPeople time).
Week 1: Unit 1 – Calculus Introduction: Velocity, Circular Motion, Trigonometric Functions
Week 2: Unit 2 – Limits and Derivatives: Rates of Change and Limits and the Derivative of a Function
Week 3: Unit 3 – Derivative Rules, Derivatives of Trigonometric Functions, and Limits and Continuity
Week 4: Unit 4 – Applications of Derivatives, Extreme Values of Functions, and the Mean Value Theorem
Week 5: Unit 5 – The Chain Rule and Implicit Differentiation
Week 6: Unit 6 – Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
Week 7: Unit 7 – Newton’s Method and the Integral and Antiderivative
Week 8: Unit 8 – More on the Integral, Definite Integrals, and Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
Week 9: Unit 9 – Course Review and Final Exam
So excited!
Also, this...
£10k - £15k in 3-6 years @ 15-30hrs/week.
All online!!!
Now what? Besides needing some more notebooks I am trying to decide between a digital or analog note taking system. One costs $800 bucks but will be higher quality with a slight learning curve - iPad Air and Pencil and a note taking app (probably Notability)
Here. Read. Learn.
And a second article:
![12 Best Note-Taking Apps for iPad [College Edition]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/f310dd69d3091da729ba9296fec4454c/56bfca9c42d58a78-06/s1280x1920/9ed9303ec261aa8aceb38f587b2d3afa9a42ee56.jpg)
I’ve read about the differences between IPad Air and Pro for note taking and Meh.
I like the latest IPad ($349) or the Latest iPad Air ($549). Choosing between the Apple Pencil 1 ($99) or Apple Pencil 2 ($129) isn’t the biggest deal breaker either.
Apple support is about $3.50 per month until you turn it off so... yeah.
In any case - this is the one I want:
The cost is similar for the IPad case. Not bad, but that’s a LOT of Notebooks, Washi Tapes, and Pens!
The conclusion?
For about the cost of an iPad Air bundle, I can purchase ALL OF THE stationary supplies AND a better digital camera AND a few months of unlimited data for my modem.
So you know.
In regards to Content? Both options?
Oh yes please!
AND new pretty furniture AND gaming system (XBOX) AND TV (LG) AND a streaming device AND you know - costumes?
Livestreamer blues.
Mics and stuff aren’t cheap man. Neither are cameras and elgato devices (effect box, cam link, game link). Boo!
The desire for moody dark academia study blr and pagan influenced live stream aesthetics aside...
IBM offers Professional Certificates Coursera in Data Analytics & Science for $40 a month or $400 per year!
Don’t believe me? Look!
Ka-pow!!
Until next time... I’ll be perusing digital camera and lighting kits... really I’m going to start my coursework. Maybe after dinner and a nap. Maybe.
How To Stay Motivated (from an unmotivated person)
Hello Wonderful Humans,
I see you have returned back to my page, good, very good. Keep up the good work.
Today, I woke up quite early than I like to because my sister decided to blast music through the sound system in the living room. Her taste in music is crappy so, I had to get out of bed, take a long walk to the living room from my bedroom, and slam a pillow across her donkey face. I asserted my dominance in the house, ETHINA RULES MUHAHAHA
After getting the peaceful and quiet environment of the house back, I wanted to go back to sleep but, I couldn't sleep anymore because I don't know why. Therefore, I thought, why don't I try to stay motivated today and see how it goes?
Yes, I woke up and chose violence.
Here are 5 tips I used throughout my day to stay in a good mood and be productive:
TIP #1 PLACE YOUR ALARM CLOCK AWAY FROM YOUR BED this kitty banner is cute tho
If you want to spend a motivated productive day, the first step is to get out of bed. How the heck are you going to get work done if you don't get out of bed?
If you keep on saying your alarm "5 more minutes" and snooze it like me, you need to keep your alarm away from your bed so you have to get out of your bed to shut the screaming phone off.
Turn on the lights right after you get out of bed and turn off your alarm. This way, your brain will know it's already morning and stop being lazy.
If you are still feeling sleepy, go take a cold shower to wake you up (a hot shower will make you more sleepy as it relaxes your muscles). Trust me, the moment the ice-cold water will hit your skin, you will feel more alive than you ever felt.
TIP #2 MAKE A TO-DO LIST (IT HELPS) this white aesthetic is hurting my eyes
After you are done with your post-shower rituals (yes, rituals) make yourself a healthy breakfast (don't eat the leftovers from last night, start your day with a fresh meal.). While you are eating your delicious first-meal-of-the-day, get a notebook, diary, or whatever you write your nonsense in and make a to-do list.
I write what I want to get done throughout the day. Keep it as detailed as possible. This way, you are letting your brain know what you want to do today thus, you know EXACTLY how you want to use your day.
TIP #3 FIND SOMETHING YOU LOVE minimal art supremacy
We all have that special something that we love to do, be it watching K-Dramas or watering plants. Ask yourself, what is that one thing that you love to do and lowkey wished you didn't have responsibilities to carry so you could do the thing you love carelessly.
Let's take me as an example. I love food and food is equivalent to life for me. I don't give a damn about the nuclear explosion, I just want my fried chicken with barbeque sauce.
I say myself, Ethina, if you finish studying for all your tests, we will take a ride to your favorite chicken place and buy fried chicken with barbeque sauce. We will also get croissants.
I love my friend chicken with barbeque sauce, I also love my croissants. I am very dedicated to food and if getting food means studying, I AM READY TO SACRIFICE MY PRECIOUS SLEEP FOR IT.
When I am done with my goal, I simply get my dad to drive me up to my favorite chicken place and buy me what I have promised myself.
TIP #4 SET A TIMER calming water aesthetic banner lol
Admit it or not, we all feel like we studied for 5 hours after barely studying for 5 minutes. Every time I open my Higher Mathematics Edition II Algebra Volume, I forget everything I ever learned. I start messing up simple problems like "2+x=4"
Setting up a timer will help you keep track of how much time you spend studying. You will know that you didn't study for 5 hours when you sat in front of your study station and stared at a blank wall for 2 minutes.
I highly suggest the Pomodoro Technique. This time-management technique was developed by Francesco Cirilo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks.
I set my timer for 30 minutes and break down my to-do list into small parts to complete within this 30-minute time period. Then, I take a 5-minute break which I use to walk around the house and check on my family (what if a mafia gang attacked my family?) after which I set a timer for 30-minutes again. After studying for 1 hour productively this way, I take a 10-minute-break for treating myself with food and start studying again.
You can customize the timer according to your need and you can even use a online Pomodoro timer like Pomofocus and apps like Forest.
I could study for 6 hours today and finish all my tasks on my to-do list without feeling fatigued, I am sure you can do it too! Make sure you stay hydrated during your study session, let's get that clear skin while we study!
TIP #5 LISTEN TO MUSIC THAT PUTS YOU IN A GOOD MOOD oml look at the floof banner so cuteee
We all love music. At times when no one understands us, music lends their comfortable shoulder for us and lets us cry our heart out. The true potential of music to communicate with people of all walks of life is truly amazing.
Listen to whatever music makes you happy. Don't pay heed to other's opinion about your music taste (even if someone slams a pillow on your face like me). We can listen to whatever artist we like, and if someone tries to stop us from doing so, gurl the Earth before and after your opinion is the same.
I like listening to classical music (those dark academia classical playlists on YouTube are bop) because they don't have any lyrics which might or might not take away all my attention. If I get tired of classical music, I just listen to orchestral versions of my favorite songs.
Music helps you to concentrate better, it also helps you to stay in a great mood (unless you are listening to breakup songs lol). I personally believe that music increases productivity even though everyone has a different opinion on this.
this banner doesn't go with this blog's theme but I like the feel of it so I am using it
If you are still here, congratulations! You survived my nonsense blabbering and I am sure you will survive life too! :)
I hope the tips above will help you become a better version of yourself!
A like and follow will be appreciated.
adapted from this response
1. Write your notes in a way where you can test your retention and understanding.
Many people write notes that do a great job summarizing their materials but their notes are not designed to promote learning, retention or diagnosis of their weaknesses. But my notes can – and so can yours. Simply put my notes can be used like flashcards because I write them in a form where I separate a “stimulus” from a “response.” The stimulus are cues or questions (think: front side of flashcard), while the response is the answer to the cue (think: back of flashcard). But the stimuli are to the left of a margin, while the responses are to the right. The key advantage of this is that just by putting a sheet of paper on top of your notes, you can hide the responses, while leaving the stimuli visible. You can have multiple margins and multiple levels of stimuli and response for greater information density. When you get good at this you can write notes in this form in real-time. To get some idea of what I’m talking about google for “Cornell Notetaking method”. My notetaking method is a variant of this. I usually use completely blank paper to do this because regular lined paper has too small a margin. To give you an idea of how powerful this notetaking method can be, I learned several courses just hours before the exam and still got an “A” in all of them during a difficult semester where I had too many competing priorities to spend long hours studying. Had it not been for this notetaking method I don’t think that would be possible. 2. Develop the ability to become an active reader (this is the perhaps the most important advice I have to share).
Don’t just passively read material you are given. But pose questions, develop hypotheses and actively test them as you read through the material. I think the hypotheses are part of what another poster referred to when he advised that you should develop a “mental model” of whatever concept they are teaching you. But a mental model can be much more than simple hypotheses. Sometimes the model resembles a story. Other times it looks more like a diagram. But what they all have in common is that the explain what is going on. Having a mental model will give you the intuition and ability to answer a wider range of questions than would be otherwise possible if you lacked such a mental model. Where do you get this model? You creatively develop one as you are reading to try to explain the facts as they are presented to you. It’s like guessing how the plot of a movie, before it unfolds. Sometimes you have to guess the model based on scarce evidence. Sometimes it is handed to you. If your model is a good one it should at least be able to explain what you are reading. Having a model also allows you to make predictions which can then be used to identify if your model is wrong. This allows you to be hypersensitive to disconfirming evidence that can quickly identify if your model is wrong. Oftentimes you may have two or more models that can explain the evidence, so your task will be to quickly formulate questions that can prove one model while disconfirming the others. To save yourself time, I suggest focusing on raising questions that could confirm/disprove the mostly likely model while disproving the others (think: differential diagnoses in medicine). But once you have such a model that (i) explains the evidence and (ii) passes all the disconfirming tests you can throw at it then you have something you can interpolate and extrapolate from to answer far more than was initially explained to you. Such models also make retention easier because you only need to remember the model as opposed to the endless array of facts it explains. But perhaps more importantly, such models give you intuition. Of course, your model could be wrong, but that is why you actively test it as you are reading, and adjust as necessary. Think of this process as the scientific method being applied by you, to try to discover the truth as best you can. Sometimes you will still be left with contradictions that even your best models cannot explain. I often found speaking to the professor after class to be a time efficient of resolving these contradictions. I discovered mental modelling as a survival mechanism to pass my studies at the University of Waterloo – where their teaching philosophy is misnomer because their teaching philosophy is to not teach as well as they could. You can see this from their grading philosophy. Although they don’t use a bell curve or other statistical grade adjustment, they make their exams so hard that the class average is usually between 68 (C+) and 72 (B-) in spite of the fact that their minimum admission grades are among the highest in Canada (you need more than A+ to get into several of their engineering programs). The only way they can achieve such low test averages from otherwise high performing students is by holding back some of what they know, and then testing what they didn’t explain well in lecture on their exams; or by not teaching to the best of their ability. This forces students to develop the ability to teach themselves, often from materials that do not explain things well, or lack the introductory background knowledge needed to understand the material. I realized I could defend against such tactics by reverse engineering the results into theories that would produce those same results; i.e. mental model induced from scarce facts. Then when I got to MIT I found myself in a place with the opposite teaching philosophy. Unlike Waterloo, if the whole class got an “A” the MIT professors would be happy and proud (whereas at Waterloo an “A” class average would be the cause for a professor’s reprimand). The mental modelling skills I developed at Waterloo definitely came in handy at graduate school because they enabled me to learn rapidly with scarce information. 3. Be of service to your fellow classmates.
I’ve personally observed and heard anecdotal stories that many students in highly competitive programs are reluctant to share what they know with their peers; a good example being the vast number of students in a top ranked science programs competing for the very few coveted spots in med school. I’ve seen people in such situations be afraid to share what they know because the fear it could lead to the other students “getting ahead” while leaving them behind. I would actually recommend doing the opposite: share liberally. You can’t expect help from others if you are unwilling to help others yourself. I spent hours tutoring people in subjects I was strong in. But, conversely those same people were usually happy to help me with my weaknesses when I needed it. I also found it easier to get good teammates – which is essential to getting good grades in team-based classes. I found I learned a LOT from other people. And their questions helped me to prepare for questions I may not have thought of – some of which would appear on the exams. 4. Understand how the professor grades.
Like the real world, the academic world is not always fair. You need to understand who is grading you and what they are looking for. Oddly, if you actually answer questions as written, you won’t get full marks from some teachers. Some professors expected more than the answer. Some only accepted the answers taught in class as opposed to other factually correct answers – which coincidentally can easily happen if you rely heavily on mental models. Some expected you to not even evaluate whether the answers to their multiple choice answers were true or not; only to notice which answer choices aligned or did not align with the theories taught in class. Some highly value participation in which case you ought to have a mental model of what they are teaching based on their assigned readings. The sooner you know who you are dealing with, the sooner you can adjust to their way of grading. Thankfully I considered the vast majority of my professors to have graded in a fair manner. 5. Get involved in research while still in undergrad.
Academics is a means to an end. To me that end was “solving problems” and “building stuff” specifically systems and organizations. Depending on the school you apply for, your research may be just as important, if not more important, than your grades. In fact if all you have are good grades your chances of getting into a top ranked CS program with a research component (e.g. MIT, CMU) are slim to nil; though you might still be able to get into a top-ranked courseware-based Masters (such as Stanford where there is no masters thesis). I did an Artificial Intelligence research project in undergrad and posted it on the internet. Not long after it was cited in three patents from IBM, AOL and another inventor. Then 40 other people cited my work. I feel this helped me get into MIT because they saw that I could come up with theories with practical applications. It also led to internships with top research teams whose work I am still in awe of. This research also helped my graduate application. None of this would have been possible if I didn’t do research in undergrad. 6. Attend classes.
I do not understand the students who claim they did well without attending class. Many professors will only say certain things in class. Many classes only present some of the material in class. If you don’t attend class you simply won’t get that material. You also won’t be able to ask immediate follow-up questions. I also found speaking to the professor after class was an efficient way to resolve contradictions I had found with my mental model. 7. Time management is key – especially in undergrad.
In my competitive undergrad program I once learned that a friend who achieved top 5% status actually timed how long he ate. While I do not suggest going to such extremes I offer this modest advice. I suggest spending no more than 30 minutes trying to solve a problem you can’t solve by yourself before appealing to office hours or another knowledgeable student. I also suggest you ask questions of your professor during or after class as opposed to leaving the class confused. This reduces wasted time in an environment when time is a very precious commodity. 8. Going out and having fun is conducive to good grades.
In my early undergrad years I studied as hard as I could. And I thought this meant putting in as many studying hours as possible. But I later realized that going out and having fun refreshed the mind and increased grades. Unfortunately it took at least 2 years for me to understand this lesson. 9. Learn how to do advanced Google searches.
This is an essential skill that enables you to answer your own questions, quickly. At a minimum I suggest you learn how to use the following Google search operators ~, -,*, AND,OR, and numeric ranges via the double dot (“..”) operator. The “site:” operator is also often helpful. I also found adding the word “tutorial” to a Google search often yields great introductory materials.
10. Turn weaknesses into strengths.
While studying for standardized exams I learned the importance of addressing one’s weaknesses as opposed to ignoring them. If you make a mistake on a question, it is because of a weakness within you. If you do not address that weakness it will follow you to the exam. I learned this lesson when studying for standardized exams. I was able to legally buy 30 old exams and thought the best approach to studying for the exam was to do as many old problems as possible. But as I completed each exam I kept getting the same score (+/- 5%) over and over. I had plateaued! But then I made a tiny tweak and my scores kept going up. Specifically, after each old exam, I would identify my weaknesses that led to each wrong answer, prioritize the weaknesses according to the degree to which they affected my score, and would address them in that order. When I did that, my scores increased steadily all the way to the highest possible percentile (99%). I later realized that such standardized tests are designed to provide consistent scores (if the student does not study in between the subsequent exams to address their weaknesses). In fact that is one of the statistical measures used to measure the quality of a standardized exam and it’s called “Reliability” (Google for “psychometric reliability” to see what I’m talking about).
dark academia guide to study latin
As somone who studyed latin at school for five years, here are my tips for all of you who want to teach themselfes how to speak latin:
Forget everything you know about learning a new language. Latin and Greek are different in structure from any laguage you might know. It doesn´t work like English or French or German. The translating is much more mathematical.
Grab a vocabulary book.
Study every vocab in there (it should be about 2.5k).
Realize that there is no word for yes or no but about ten related to killing and dying
Take a look at the grammar. All of it.
Study it until it´s stuck in your brain. You´ll have to remember every little piece of it. Except for maybe the NcI. I never needed that.
At this point you will probably notice that it is almost impossible to learn how to actually speak Latin. Give up that dream. Not even my Latin teacher was able to do that.
Grab any Text from Ovid or Ceasar.
Never just translate from the start to the end of a sentence. Always look for the predicate first and build your sentence up on that. Expect very, very long sentences.
Now you will realize that even translating is a ton lot more difficult than yout thought and you will probbably fail, even if you know all the vocabs and grammar. Again, learning Latin doesn´t work like lerning French. You have to analyse every letter because one small “e” instead of an “a” could change the whole translation.
Hopefully you have now noticed that teaching Latin to yourself within a few months won´t work and believing so was naive.
You could probably learn it with a proper teacher and lots of time, but then it won´t be fun anymore and you will suffer just like all of us students did learning it at school.
Forget about the idea.
Cry.