Jade Bowler - The Only Study Guide Youll Ever Need: Simple Tips, Tricks, and Techniques to Help You Ace Your Studies and Pass Your Exams!

First published in the UK by Blink Publishing

An imprint of Bonnier Books UK

4th Floor, Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, London, WC1B 4DA

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Sveavgen 56, Stockholm, Sweden

Hardback 978-1-78870-419-9

Ebook 978-1-78870-420-5

All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or circulated in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing of the publisher.

A CIP catalogue of this book is available from the British Library.

Designed by IDSUK (Data Connection) Ltd

Graphs and diagrams by Envy Designs Ltd

Illustrations by Sophie McDonnell

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Copyright Jade Bowler, 2021

Jade Bowler has asserted her moral right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Every reasonable effort has been made to trace copyright holders of material reproduced in this book, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked the publishers would be glad to hear from them.

Blink Publishing is an imprint of Bonnier Books UK

www.bonnierbooks.co.uk

For my YouTube audience,
who somehow managed to make a very ordinary
girl feel extraordinary.

You are always my casual magic.

CONTENTS

W elcome. I have a secret: I know something about you.

I dont know your name. I dont know your life story. But what do I know? I know you care.

Whether you believe it or not, you care about your education, your future and your learning. You see, whether it was shoved in your hands by an eager parent or ordered online in a time of crisis, you picked up this book and made it to this first page and that means you want to take charge of your education. You decided to invest your free time in reflecting on how you study, which is so bloody cool!

Being a teen is hard. Genuinely, I salute you. The education system seems to forget that there are hundred other things going on in our lives besides just school. You might be working a job to support your family. You might be juggling friendship drama. You might be figuring out your identity (which is a full-time job in itself!). Mental health is just overlooked when it comes to productivity. If youre battling dark clouds in your brain, how could school ever be the number one priority? Which is why this book is not a one-size-fits-all approach. This book welcomes the multi faceted you and is an invitation to motivate yourself to achieve whatever academic goals you want to have, whether thats turning your predicted As into A*s, or finding a reason to smash a pass in that subject you hate. Ive done my best to make this book fun, accessible and actually helpful. Ive drawn on examples in my life that helped me slay the exam system and explained techniques that I wish someone had taught me. You dont have to dig into the primary literature of the neuroscience of learning Ive done the basics for you.

My name is Jade and Im a 20-year-old British university student. I achieved all A*s (8s and 9s) in my GCSEs and all A*s in my A levels. However, that doesnt make me an expert. I do not have a PhD in study methods or any other official credentials. In fact, neither of my parents went to university and as Im the oldest child, I was the guinea pig I didnt have older siblings who could share their wisdom with me. Thats sort of what I hope I can be for you. So this is a guide for students written not by a teacher, a professor or an academic instead by someone who has been through the process recently and who loves learning. It includes all the realistic tips and tricks I wish Id known a few years ago. If I can make it through the system and not only survive, but learn to thrive, you can too.

I went to a state school just outside London where I felt very uncool for liking learning. I watched many of my peers give up before they even started and saw teachers come and go, sometimes leaving mid-way through the exam year. In other words, my school was hardly the peak of academia.

But Ive always cared a lot about learning and I decided early on that I was really going to try. For, as many flaws as the UK education system has, Im so grateful that we have the chance to learn. I knew I had a choice: to coast along and be done with it or to tighten my laces, shove my curls behind my ears and work out how to be more efficient. I chose the latter.

I was an extremely stressed GCSE student. For those years, I lived in a bubble of pressure from teachers, parents and peers. It was only after I finished my exams that I realised I had been worried for nothing. There were so many things I wish Id learned earlier everything from achieving the right mindset to how to tackle all the content. I began to mentor younger students and it was fulfilling to share my knowledge and help others.

When I was doing my GCSEs, Id headed to YouTube looking for just that sort of helping hand. All I wanted was advice from older students who had gone through it already to put me at ease. There was nothing. As someone who wasnt into traditional YouTube culture, I was the last person my friends expected to start a channel and yet there I was, suddenly convinced that I had something the internet needed to hear.

I saved up for a camera for a year, split half the cost with my parents as a Christmas present and felt like Id found the missing piece to something bigger. Alongside studying for my A levels, I spent two months teaching myself how to edit. In February 2017, I started my YouTube channel UnJaded Jade, driven by the need to share my experiences and create an online space for students to relate to others.

My videos follow my academic journey, share honest tips and advice for navigating our school system and, ultimately, try to inspire a positive mindset where anyone can achieve anything they want. The response I have received over the years has been overwhelming. I get hundreds of messages every day from students who feel more in control of their education. YouTube utterly changed my life, when all I wanted was for it to change those of others.

Ive always dreamed of compiling my advice into one guide. One that encompasses not only effective revision techniques but the nuances of being a successful, genuinely happy student in whatever academic system youre in.

This is a story of productivity and motivation. I made lots of mistakes when I was studying and I have explained them here so you dont have to make them. This is what school never teaches you: how to revise properly and how to not burn out.

As I say, I really am no expert. But I do know what worked for me. Maybe itll work for you too.

How to Use

The beauty of this book is that it is not mine, it is yours, and you can use it however you want. If you have a bit of time, I recommend reading it from start to finish because the chapters build on one another. But if youre crunched for time, or desperate to work out how timetables work, skip through the pages to your hearts content; I wont judge. Daringly turn to that chapter you need and inhale it until you can breathe new life into how you study.

What I do ask is this: Come into each chapter not as a passive museum-goer at an art exhibition. Dont admire the words and smile at the techniques and agree that it sounds good.