Tips for School, or Life really

Hi guys! So my friend Van Nguyen wrote these great tips in a collaboration with her friend Janice Lee. All credit goes to her. I think it's a great little post that let's us think about our life in the long run. Read the whole thing because it gives us tips for the bigger picture rather than just specifically for certain classes.

1. Start out on the right foot. It’s kind of like starting out your day with a nice breakfast and a good night’s sleep - you just feel good and you stay energized throughout the day. You’re less likely to dread the day if you start off strong. Similarly, if you start off the year strong, you’re bound to do well. Starting out strong gives you a good foundation that you can continue to build upon as the year goes on.
2. Stay organized. Make use of that crappy planner your school gives you. Keep a checklist in the planner of what you need to do that day so you don’t forget to do anything. (What I do is I keep a pad of sticky notes that serve as an everyday to-do list. I write down what I need to do for the day, and as I go through tasks, I highlight or cross them off. I start a new sticky note every day and I keep dates on them.) Keep a strict schedule of when to do homework and when you can relax. This will help you stay on task so you won’t be able to procrastinate! (I have such a terrible habit of procrastinating). Have a friend come up with small punishments that you have to do if you go off schedule. Pick a day each week to organize your binders and papers. Keep tabs in your binder so you can organize your papers by period. Being organized will save you so much time. This way you won’t be scrambling to find that homework you did last night or the paper you were supposed to get signed.
3. Don’t let the bad days define your year. One day is actually ridiculously long and you’ll be surprised how many good things can actually happen in 24 hours. Be thankful for what you have and even if school treats you horribly, just know that you’ll feel relief once you step through your front door. With 24 hours in a day, bad things are bound to happen to you. Just don’t dwell on them. If you had a bad day, take a step back and look at the big picture. Just because you had a bad day doesn't mean it’s gonna be a bad year! Don’t feel bad if you’re unproductive and tired. There will be some days where you can’t do anything but mindlessly go through your whole day. It’s okay. We all have our off days. Tomorrow’s a new day, so take advantage of the second chance.
4. Try hard when you can. You’re not going to be in school forever and realize that even if the work seems completely pointless and just there to torture you, all of it is going somewhere. Imagine getting that A in a class or getting a score you’ll be proud of on a test. It pays off in the end and when college app season comes around, you’ll be thankful you worked hard. Habits stay so it’ll benefit you in a number of ways. Just remember that even though slacking off seems harmless for the day or even for the year, you’re gonna end up paying for it when college comes around. If you try your hardest, you’ll know that you truly deserve the grade you get. 
5. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Take a break when you need it and just try your best. If your best is a 89% in your class, you should be proud because you tried your best and actually earned your score. Just remember that your grades don’t define you as a person. A personality cannot be defined in simple letter grades or percentages. 
6. Don’t forget that school can be fun too. There are a lot of clubs on campus. There are bunches of sports to join. There are new friends to make. Join clubs that you’re passionate about. Join a sport if you like it. Even if you think you can’t make the team, try out anyway! At least if you try out, you won’t spend the rest of the year wondering if you would've made it or not. Don’t forget that your teachers are people too. They have their own lives and I’m sure there’s something awesome about them if you look hard enough. Do things that’ll make you look forward to school.
7. Learn to love what you’re learning. People interpret the universe in so many different ways. Some people can make sense of the universe through math, history, science, art, literature, or computer science. Don’t judge someone just because they love that subject that you hate. Go to school to learn not for the grades. Your grades don’t mean anything if you didn’t actually learn something from the class. Most people go to school, ace a test, then they forget everything they learned. Don’t do that. The way I see it, the point of school isn’t to get a good grade. It’s just to try and make sense of your life. All the knowledge you learn from school can be applied in real life. Of course, I can’t expect you to retain all the knowledge you’ve learned. You’ll find interesting things in every subject. If you learn to love knowledge, you’ll learn to love school. Don’t call someone a nerd just because they’re enjoying school and getting good grades. It’s great that they’re doing that! (Of course, this is coming from a fellow nerd).
8. Live in the moment. You’re not always guaranteed a tomorrow. I have this philosophy/theory/way of thinking of how no one should think about any more than 100 future days. In 100 days, you will be an entirely different person because things are constantly changing. You won’t have the same worries as before. You will have different priorities and you will have met more people. No one should worry about the future that much. You’ll get so much anxiety if you spend all day worrying about the future. The best plan is always just to wait it out and see. Take things as they come. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan. Planning for the future is great! Just don’t obsess about the future. 
9. In the beginning of the year, come up with a list of things to accomplish by the end of the year. This way you’ll have a list of things to look forward to. You’ll feel so proud when you’ve accomplished them. It gives you a reason to live because you’ll be thinking of that moment when you’re finally there where you want to be; it’s just like a reason to live when things get really bad, you know? It will give you a sense of direction. (I did this for summer and even though I crossed like 5 things off, I felt so good knowing that I actually did something with my summer. I know that I didn’t waste it, which made this summer worthwhile.)

Bottom line is there are a countless amount of things you could do to make your year better. You’ll find them as you go along. You’ll learn year after year what works for you and what doesn’t. Learn from each year. Make each year better than the last. 

Last of all, JUST RELAX (but not to the point where you slack off). You’re gonna be fine. People will love you. Stay on top of things. You’re the only one you can depend on, so don’t let yourself down! Just remember that some things will be out of your control. There are some circumstances that you cannot change no matter how hard you try. So just relax and make the best of what you have. Stop worrying so much. :)

Honors Chemistry (Regli)

For information regarding what kind of teacher she is, please view http://www.ratemyteachers.com/shannon-regli/23661-t/1

My thoughts on the class: Chemistry was a challenge for me. In hindsight, I wish I would have followed Regli's tips on the syllabus but, quite frankly, I'm lazy. She recommends rewriting the notes in my own words but I just didn't really want to.

1. Tips for Studying
1. Don't fall behind on the homework. Chemistry is a dense subject; you learn a lot during lecture everyday and the homework reinforces all that new info. Do it every night and correctly (not just to finish), yes I know it's tedious, but practice makes perfect. 
2. Review your notes before the test. Or even better, re-write your notes in your own words as Regli recommends. Especially for units mainly testing on theory ( like the nuclear chapter), I recommend the latter. Notes are a better guide than the textbook, so you can skip the reading in the textbook.
3. Make sure you know the reasoning behind the problem solving. On tests, all of the questions are similar to those of on either the notes, homework, or sample test. If you know how to solve all the problems and the reasoning for why it should be solved a certain way, you have an increased chance of doing well on the tests.
4. The main restriction on the tests is time. To overcome this obstacle the key is practice! If you ever need more questions to practice, the book has plenty! Regli also has the teacher's edition book so you can always check your answers too.
5. Specifically for nomenclature, memorize. It's a pain to memorize everything, but you set yourself up for failure if you don't because the nomenclature re-appears in future tests. Also, it's the only test that is so straight-forward that the majority of the students do well. Take advantage of the grade buffer!
6. Regli has to go through a lot of material in a short amount of time and sometimes you get confused. If you don't understand a problem, tackle it quickly. Chemistry is like math; the knowledge builds on each other, so you need to have a good foundation. My go-to explanation places are Crash Course and Khan Academy. Notice how I didn't include the textbook. :-)
2. Passes
1. About: Regli gives a sheet with 3 tardy passes and 3 homework passes in the beginning of each semester. It's worth 6 extra-credit points at the end of the semester if none are used. Your name must also be written in pen for you to use it/ redeem it.
2. Tip: Always keep the pass on you! It was really devastating to see a few of my classmates unable to receive any points because they forgot to bring the pass when Regli was collecting them. So, keep the pass in your chemistry folder/binder rather than leave it at home where you won't lose it because you just might forget to bring it to school on the most crucial day.
3. Other
1. Get the Casio scientific calculator she recommends! You don't even have to buy it -  just check it out in the library and you can use it for the whole year :) The texas instruments one has harder buttons to push and I know that sounds super trivial right now, but during a test you're going to beg your classmates for a casio.
2. She rounds up at 89.5, 79.5 etc.

Thanks to strangedolphin and Train for the help!

AP English Language & Composition

Honestly, this class isn't challenging. Yes, it's an AP course, the first of many, but don't let the AP label frighten you sophomores. The class in itself is pretty easy; if you manage to keep up with the work, you should be able to earn an A. The actual AP curriculum that you need to learn for the test is kind of funky; it's nothing you can't take but it's nothing you've ever done before. The good news is, your teachers are pretty great and if you listen to them then you should be able to pull out of a 5 (I was able to easily). Basically the test is made of three essays that you have to finish in around 2 hours and 40 minutes and 50 multiple choice (your AP E&L teachers should tell you all about this in class so if I'm wrong, smite me)
One is the synthesis essay, where you are given documents and an issue where you have to utilize the documents to support your stance on that issue. This one is hard because you have to be able to read and analyze quickly, but as you go through the course, hopefully Mrs. Link, Mrs. Cheney, or Mrs. Madrid will give you enough practice that it'll come easy breezy! As for tips for the synthesis, honestly, if you're sitting there just stuck, I just hit the documents first. Always go for a strong stance, but if you can't find one, choose the side that probably easier to argue from the documents. In short, read the documents first and then choose your stance from there. It doesn't hurt to hone your reading skills in a short time frame; I wouldn't be lying if I said that being a fast reader didn't help me on the synthesis.
The second is going to the rhetorical analysis essay. This essay is by far the hardest for most students (thought I personally found it to be the easiest and most enjoyable to write, but maybe I'm just weird). This is when you encounter something you never have before: you aren't writing about meaning, you're writing about how the author conveys that meaning through strategies. What the heck does that even mean? Well for example, I'm using a colloquial tone in this piece in order to keep you interested in what I have to say. I'm using shorter sentences to keep the consistency of my writing choppy in order to make this advice column seem less banal than it already is. If that made no sense to you, no worries! Honestly rhetorical analysis isn't something you learn over night, I started out with a 6/7 essay and ended up consistently getting 8/9's. If you're stuck on this one, your safety net will be the triangle of a good argument, pathos, ethos, logos and tone. I think what prevents most people from doing well on this essay is the sheer foreignness of its nature. You should try to practice these essays as often as possible in order to morph your writing from literary to rhetorical.
The third is probably the easiest, the argumentative essay. It's pretty similar to the SAT argumentative essay, you're given an issue and you have to take a stance and support it. It's easiest for students because it's probably the one that most of us are familiar with. The hard part: the examples. Build an example bank if you can and always have some really broad ones that you can go to no matter what the topic. Good examples are going to be ones that are hard hitting, for example the Arab Spring vs something banal like your daily struggles at Troy (not to trivialize your pain). I read a lot of news online (Huffington Post & National Geographic are good) and I have a subscription to Time; I would highly recommend reading the paper every day just to naturally build your awareness about the world and thus your example bank. Literary examples are always a surefire way to do well, but of course even if you use a literary example, you aren't guaranteed a 5. The thing about literary examples though is that they play on so many different themes that (for example) I could easily use Brave New World by Aldous Huxley to talk about homogeneous societies or the effects of technology on society. I, myself, am a pretty avid reader, so it made it easier for me to think of examples for my essay. :) In recent years, the essay topics have become a little more philosophical, so it also wouldn't be a bad idea to read up on some Socrates or Aristotle (like the Symposium), just to get your smart juices flowing so you don't look at a prompt about existentialism and just blank out.
As for the multiple choice, it's pretty tough. There are really strange and obscure questions about terminology but don't sweat it because the curve is often going to be big enough so that you can get 7's on your essays and a 50% on the MC to get a 5. With that said, don't take it lightly though. I would highly recommend just practicing as much as you can (5 steps to a 5 500 Questions brought me from a 50% average to a 90% on MC), and read fast.
That's about it. I hope my tips help some of you get 5's! Best of luck (and skill).

APUSH

This is really quite beautiful for us lazy children who don't keep up with the reading.

Great list of presidents that have a good outline of what happened during each president's term

Nicholson's presidents list for those who have lost it. (not completely the same, but mostly the same)

Nicholson's and Robinson's Troy High pages for review. LOTS of material on there! Timelines/notes/ etc.

FRQ Practice + Tips (collegeboard)

~currently expanding

Let me introduce myself...

Salutations, blog visitor. I am a new addition to this lovely school oriented survival blog. I'd prefer not to disclose my name (though you will find it eventually seeing how the evolution of the Internet has destroyed any notion of privacy), but you can call me Train. I will mainly be editing posts made by the established author, but from time to time, if I feel it be appropriate, will publish some of my own personal work and insight.

I have, like the other author, have been at Troy for two years now. I was a full IB/ Troy Tech candidate, but I decided to drop the IB title going into my junior year because I view the rigor of the International Baccalaureate system as synonymous with slow and painful torture (not to mention the fact that IB tests cost a small fortune these days). 

I hope to major in Political Science and English, while hopefully later be accepted to law school, contrasting with the other author, thus I hope to reveal another side to Troy - not oriented around the excesses of science and mathematics we are known for. I believe that Troy stands for more than what its widely associated with; though others can probably argue the same for their Alma mater, I believe Troy has a true eclectic mix of students that creates a unique and wonderful atmosphere that results in prosperous alumni. With that said though, I would like to utilize this blog as a means of pointing out some of my anxieties I have developed as I've enrolled and gone to Troy.

Seeing that I will be speaking to you all in the up and coming months, I'd like to share a bit of background information about myself: I am an avid reader. I enjoy engaging in political conversations and I consider myself fairly liberal (to use the term loosely). Unlike many of my peers, I enjoy every part of English class, from literary analysis to rhetoric. I have a list of clubs and activities that I could divulge, but as it may bore you, I will refrain. On a more personal note, I have a penchant for indie rock groups and vintage clothing. I am an artist, specializing in acrylic painting. I have played a total of 5 or 6 instruments in my life, yet never long enough to truly develop a passion for the art form (perhaps because any musical inclinations I've had have been eclipsed by my visual desires).

I look forward to bestowing my knowledge about the black, red and white campus I have learned to love through all the blood, sweat, and tears upon this audience. 

AP European History

Scale of difficulty: 4

The class is heavily weighted on tests. The homework counts for 20 points and tests one hundred points and some other miscellaneous assignments. However, completing the homework is very important -  turning in partially completed homework is better than nothing. My grade actually plummeted to a C in the beginning because I didn't turn in one homework assignment, whoops.

After completing the class, some things I would recommend that allowed me to succeed in the class are:

• listen intently during class and really digest all the information
• this allowed me to thoroughly understand the material
• for certain chapters, make a timeline like the French Revolution
• for some chapters, every thing happens in a short amount of time and some questions are the test are straight-up asking the order for certain wars/ treaties
• memorize the important things
• yes, I know that's vague but you should already know what's important and what's not. Often, like I've said before, a lot of the questions are just facts rather than critical thinking
• once you've memorized the facts, understand the concepts
• like what was the cause and effect of an event and even relate it to another event in another unit! Tying it all together :)

On a brighter note, it's one of the more interesting classes at Troy! (That may just be because I enjoy history; it's so exciting!)

Resources:

• Liem's Afterschool Review Recordings
• Just need to download the file; no viruses, I promise!
• Annabelle's Review Page
• -made for Troy students!- check this one out for sure! It has some really helpful sites that I would place on here, but it would be redundant.
• AP Euro Notes
• compiles all the powerpoints onto a nice, pretty website.
• *some of the links don't work because the website is a decade old*
• Chapter Outlines
• for the tenth edition of the book. Just adjust accordingly.
• AP Euro Notes
• AP Euro Notes
• AP Practice Questions
• 1,000+ questions, but you can only answer the questions one time (very frustrating)
• organized by century and different topics (religion, social movements, art, politics, etc.)
• Flashcards
• a previous student's flashcards
• Lectures:
• Lectures
• professor from Berkeley's lectures on Euro
• really detailed, almost too detailed
• Khan Academy Videos
• mainly concentrated upon the French Revolution and Napoleon (I watched it before the test and got an A!)
• Hank's History Hour
• on iTunes so convenient to listen to on-the-go!
• Review Sheet
• more broad, not specifically for Troy (more tailored for the AP exam)
• More Review
• if you've read everything else... might as well!
• ACE Practice Tests
• practice tests tailored for our AP Euro textbook! 
• the questions are not very difficult

AP Computer Science

Summary: A conceptual class. You must understand the logic in order to succeed.

Just a hint when googling for help: end the question with "java", type the specific issue rather than the lab name.
ex: how to change str to str[]  java


I've compiled some of the sites I've found to aid me in my journey to understand how to program!

• CodingBat answers
• *this website isn't meant for copy and paste; it's to help you learn from your mistakes quickly!*
• Java Tutorial
• written by some unknown source... but helpful!
• Java Tutorial #2
• written by Oracle, I use this for EVERYTHING! (this and Stackoverflow)
• Collections Overview(list, maps, sets, quene)
• Java Tutorial #3
• since it's hosted on CodingBat, the videos are especially helpful for the CodingBat assignments 
• Methods for all classes
• it has all the methods for a class and it can be really helpful in looking for a specific method to use (I use this pretty often)
• How to Write Recursive Methods

These are more geared towards the actual AP test. 

• AP Comp Sci Review Part 1
• AP Comp Sci Review Part 2

2nd semester--

I have taken on a great challenge this year - AP Comp Sci. It's not a very tedious class because most of the actual 'work' is all class work. At first, I struggled a lot to understand how to code everything from correct syntax and complier-issue-free code. I have googled endlessly to help me with CodingBats, Warmups or labs. There are lots of great sites with lots of information and some sites which confuse me even more...

We've started GridWorld around two weeks ago and it'll be 25% of the AP test apparently. Who knew? I think GridWorld is really fun to play around with. It reminds me of the first time I coded in Alice or my first CLA lab (okay, maybe not the CLA lab). What is really essential to succeed in GridWorld is to complete the homework and actually practice using GridWorld so the concepts are deeply embedded into your memory. The homework is quite simple - just reading and answering questions. Helpful tip: Study for the first quiz!!

Here are some helpful links/ documents that will help you understand GridWorld more!

• Student Manual : Basically the Holy Grail to GridWorld. The homework that the teachers give correspond to this and the first few labs are also derived from this.
• GridWorld Solutions : Please, please don't just copy the answers from this, rather use this as a guide towards the right answer! Your grade will suffer if you don't understand and just copy since tests are 80% of your grade! :)

That's all for now!