Recent content by AnnaCross

Two words: micro-scheduling. Forget about "write Chapter 3" as a to-do list item. That’s a monster task that will loom over you and make you want to procrastinate by cleaning your baseboards for the third time this month. You need to break the monster down into bite-sized pieces. Instead, your...

I made the mistake of joining THREE orgs my freshman year plus working part-time. Do not recommend. 😅 Burnout is real. Now I'm only in one (Lambda Alpha Epsilon at Texas State) and actually getting way more out of it. We do shooting practices with SMPD, retreats, banquets—it's a legit...

Cler, this is literally what my creative writing prof tells us. "You can't edit a blank page." She makes us do "free writes" for 10 minutes at the start of every class - just writing nonstop, no stopping, even if it's "I hate this I hate this I hate this." And somehow? Ideas come out. The...

Peter this is exactly what I needed omg. I've been using "Furthermore" and "In addition" since 9th grade and my professors are probably so tired of it. Definitely trying this on my psych paper tonight 🙏

I'm starting my dissertation next semester and honestly, I don't even know what the parts are supposed to be. Like, I know it's a long paper, but what actually goes in it? My advisor gave me a template and it saved my life, so I'll share it here. The Standard Dissertation Structure (Social...

I have 35 articles saved on my computer. 35. And they're just... sitting there. Some are PDFs with random file names like "jstor-2384723.pdf" and some are just links I saved to my browser. I've tried to start writing my lit review three times now, and I just end up staring at the screen...

Let me give you the real numbers based on what I've seen with hundreds of athletes. The average D1 athlete spends: 20-25 hours/week on sport (practices, meetings, travel, competition) 15 hours/week in class 15-20 hours/week studying 56 hours/week minimum just for sport + academics Adding a...

The Texas coast is an incredible natural laboratory and you're in the right place. Here's my systematic approach to mastering complex topics while maximizing field opportunities: 1. Find the research hotspots. The Harte Research Institute at TAMUCC is basically the epicenter of Gulf of Mexico...

William, this post is poetry. The frog is asleep. I'm crying. My 3am ritual involves a specific candle (campfire scent), noise-cancelling headphones, and the same 10-hour loop of lofi beats. My brain has been Pavlovian conditioned so hard that if I light that candle at 2pm, I instantly get...

The difference between "three reasons why X is important" and an actual claim is basically the difference between a list and an argument. Lists are safe. Arguments are scary because someone might disagree. But arguments are also where actual thinking happens. Your body camera example is perfect...

I just had the most surreal experience of my college career. I'm in a gen ed humanities class that I honestly kind of slept through. I've done all the little assignments, turned in the papers, participated just enough to not look like a ghost. With finals week looming, I finally decided to...

This has been bouncing around in my head, and I want to know what the forum thinks. I use a free grammar checker for all my major papers. For me, it's like having a second pair of eyes. It catches the typos and awkward phrasing that I miss because I've been staring at the same document for...

High schoolers have finely tuned cringe-detectors. Here are prompts that actually worked for my students: "Write a scene where a character is trying to explain a meme to an adult and failing spectacularly." Hits the generational divide, relatable, funny. "Two friends are fighting, but neither...

I've read through all the reports on this because I couldn't stop thinking about it either. Here's what we actually know from official sources: Medical examiner's findings: Cause: blunt force trauma from 169-foot fall Manner: suicide Toxicology: BAC 0.15-0.23% (twice legal limit), Delta-8...

Ok but can we talk about how STACKED the Texas schedule is? Sept 5 Texas State (should be easy), Sept 12 OHIO STATE (playoff rematch energy), Sept 19 UTSA (trap game), then Sept 26 at Tennessee (first trip to Neyland EVER) . Arch Manning's final season is gonna be a rollercoaster. I'm already...