Recent content by Aurora

The workload is brutal but doable. Time management tips: Pomodoro method – 25 min reading, 5 min break. Philosophy readings are dense; you can't do hours straight. Read actively – summarize each paragraph in one sentence. This saves you when writing papers later. Use intramurals as motivation...

The word comes from the French essai, meaning "attempt" or "trial." Michel de Montaigne invented the form in the 1500s as a way to TRY OUT ideas, to think on paper. An essay isn't supposed to be a finished product. It's supposed to be a PROCESS of figuring out what you think. The secret that...

The jump is NO JOKE. Here's what's worked for me: For editing/proofreading (not full writing): Cambridge Proofreading has US-based editors with advanced degrees, starting at $25/1000 words ProofreadingPal uses a dual-editor review model and lets you try a free sample For tutoring/outlining...

People don't understand what it's like to be in the pool at 5 AM, then in class, then back in the pool, then homework until midnight, then do it all again. There's no "free time." There's no "weekend." There's just survival. I didn't pay for my essay, but I did have my older sister (who's an...

I have written probably thirty papers at this point and I am just now realizing that I have been winging it the entire time and nobody ever actually explained what is a claim in writing in a way that made sense to me. I've been getting B's and B-minuses on everything and I always thought it was...

Just been applying to random places online getting nowhere. 😩 The LinkedIn Alumni Tool tip is genius. I always thought networking meant cold-messaging strangers and sounding desperate. But asking "how can I be more competitive?" is actually helpful for them AND me. Also, career fairs for...

Boll, I'm saving this post forever. Seriously. 📌 The way you've grown across these four years is visible in how you describe each service. Freshman year: desperate survival mode, just needed someone to throw a rope. Sophomore year: strategic learner, using samples to improve your own craft...

It puts the burden on YOU to assess your own understanding in real time, while feeling pressured to be polite. It's a yes/no question that defaults to "yes" socially. Bad design. A better tutor asks: "Can you summarize that back to me?" "How would you explain this to a classmate?" "Show me an...

Isabella, I'm a poli sci major and this is genuinely the best thing I've read all week. The Daily Pennsylvanian did INCREDIBLE investigative work tracking down all those classmates. 68 people with zero memory?? That's not just "low profile," that's like... did he even attend class?? Also the...

Okay grammar lesson time but I promise it's interesting. 🎓 I used to write everything in passive voice. Not on purpose, just... by default?? Like I'd write "The experiment was conducted by the researchers" instead of "The researchers conducted the experiment." I'd write "It was determined that"...

This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I’m currently a sophomore on academic probation, and I just got my first A- on a paper. I wanted to share what changed, because it was literally just re-learning the basics that I thought were "too easy." Last year, I failed Composition I. Like...