studypastels:
hexaneandheels:
I am a member of the studyblr community. So I obviously think it’s a positive enough experience to remain in the community. But here are a few things I personally don’t like about it that I think need to be discussed more often.
Studyspo overload. This particular point I’ve actually discussed plenty. So much in the past. But I don’t think it can ever be said enough. Studyblr should not be about studyspo. For many reasons. It makes the community about aesthetic rather than education and learning. And it’s typically classist; not everyone can afford pretty stationery. Among other reasons, but those two are up there. And I know that’s not going to change the fact that dashboards will always be clogged with studyspo.
The “everything is rainbows and butterflies” attitude. That’s not how it actually is to be a student. And I think we all know that in our own ways. The most successful students don’t thrive off of purely good vibes and positive thoughts. Sure, those things make it more bearable, and that’s important in its own right. But success is made through hard work, and oftentimes, failure. Shoving those real, negative thoughts and experiences aside for sugar-coated motivational quotes and pretty pens gives an unrealistic expectation of what it’s like to be a good student.
Click bait study tip posts. These really grind my gears. Posts that have titles involving buzz words such as “4.0″, “Straight-A”, or “Best Students”. Frankly, a lot of those posts have the most basic advice out there. The same advice over and over again that I’ve seen in so many posts. Advice that seems reasonable but, in my experience, don’t actually fit what real students who get 4.0s do. Or at least skip over the actual reasons they get those 4.0s (which doesn’t boil down to a list of quick tips, but is, rather, a type of mindset or approach to studying).
Original studyblr blogs are hard to find. I like a decent dose of studyspo like anyone else, but at some point, following studyblrs means getting the same material over and over again. Personally, I’m much more interested in hearing about others’ academic journey and seeing original posts. To each their own, but I think the real experience of being a student is lost amongst a dash filled with pictures of pretty notes.
How afraid studyblrs seem to engage in academic discussion and constructive criticism. This relates to my second point. People here are nice. Which is great. But at the same time, it seems to discourage any type of discussion that might run close to offending anyone through disagreement. In academia, people disagree. And that’s okay! We can still have conversations about these things without the intent being to personally offend anyone. If we just assume that everything any studyblr says is correct… We’re going down a slippery slope of blissful, self-imposed ignorance. And, frankly, a lot of you studyblrs are young, impressionable high schoolers. You should learn now to question what you read. Don’t take peoples’ word just because they seem reliable. Myself included.
I hope this starts some good discussion. If you disagree, feel free to add your own commentary. This isn’t about the “right” or “wrong” way to be a studyblr. It’s about encouraging discourse.
Everyone has an opinion. You should be allowed to defend it. And even more importantly, you should be allowed to change it without the shame of being “wrong”. That’s what learning is all about.
@hexaneandheels I hope you don’t mind me adding on to your post (I don’t think the replies are working for me?), you’ve really said what I’ve been thinking for a long time. When I joined the studyblr community exactly a year ago, I was enamoured with all of the beautiful ‘notes’, because they are aesthetically pleasing. I felt pressured to go out and by all of the ‘staple’ stationary, so I did (turned out that I already had cheaper, more comfortable alternatives to some things). I thought, “everything will change this year, I’ll get better grades!” but all that happened was that I felt constantly demoralised and pressured to reach the ‘beautiful notes’ standard.
I spent precious time that I could have spent revising or doing more work, re-writting my notes to make them ‘perfect’ and re-arranging things on my desk to get the best photo. I regret that so much. Because the ‘studyspo’ part of the community didn’t teach me anything, it didn’t help me when I failed my business test completely— “but I tried so hard!” I thought to myself, only to later realise that I didn’t try half-as-hard to actually study. I felt like studying had become an obligation to reach someone else’s standard rather than a way of achieving my academic goals, I didn’t want to study anymore. The pressure to reach this carefully crafted level of perfection literally killed my passion for learning and ambition for a little while.
I feel like so many studyblrs, especially the ones with a huge following, perpetuate this (maybe without realising it). It is our duty to speak up, to change the perception that what makes studying effective is beautiful notes. Sure, I still enjoy looking at ‘studyspo’ and I’m inspired to make my bullet journal beautiful, because I express creativity through that, but I’m trying to acknowledge that it’s not the be all end all. It is our duty to spread positivity, yes, but it is also our duty to acknowledge that failure is inevitable, in fact that success is impossible without failure. I joined the studyblr community because it motivated me to be better, in a twisted way, and because I felt that I had finally found people who share my passion for learning, but I’m sad to see it slowly moving away from that.
This community is full of brilliant, supportive people— I just wish that we’d all remember to take a step back from aesthetic and focus on actual learning.
Thank you.