Sophia Lee gives study strategies a seat at the table with girlmeetsdesk

Sitting by her desk, Sophia Lee smiles at the camera. The first-year anthropology student runs the studygram account @girlmeetsdesk, where she has accumulated nearly 100,000 followers. (Neha Krishnakumar/Daily Bruin staff)
By Lex Wang
Nov. 4, 2023 4:13 p.m.
This post was updated Nov. 19 at 7:07 p.m.
Sophia Lee has got some pages to turn in her textbooks.
Run by the first-year anthropology student, girlmeetsdesk, an Instagram account dedicated to fostering healthy study habits in day-to-day life, provides both motivation and inspiration for its nearly 100,000 followers. First started during the peak of the pandemic – back when Lee simply posted aesthetic photos of her work surface – girlmeetsdesk has since evolved into a more relatable platform aimed to support her peers, she said.
“Being a student myself, I know that studying is a hassle,” Lee said. “It’s (girlmeetsdesk) a nice avenue for students to see the brighter side of things and also learn how to study more efficiently and effectively.”
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Prior to running the account, Lee lacked enough knowledge on how to properly learn school material to educate other students on the topic, she said. However, as she began to research scientifically proven methods of studying over the years, Lee felt more confident in being a source of information for others, she said.
After discovering new suggestions to promote successful studying, Lee began to implement her tips into her own school life, she said. Now, she said she regularly utilizes the Pomodoro timer, a process that balances studying for a certain amount of time with break periods in order to prevent burnout. She also said she uses active recall and spaced repetition as well – two methods that enable memorization over longer periods of time.
Although many students stick to mainstream study methods without considering their own learning style, whether that is auditory, visual or other types, Lee said finding approaches that are efficient can mitigate avoidable levels of stress. While many experience academic pressure, discovering the right way to study can completely change the learning experience, she added.
Despite the ongoing trendiness of minimalism, Lee said she favors a multicolored aesthetic for her desk. For Lee, ensuring her workspace is bright and includes different shades – as opposed to an impersonal, bland-looking space – and displaying plants, pictures and books help create an environment that is conducive to an exciting, rather than stifling, studying journey.
“It’s very important to feel like you’re comfortable and at home,” Lee said. “To me, feeling that way is by introducing a lot of colors. … It all just adds to the liveliness, which translates into a very flamboyant atmosphere, which I want to make sure I have, because I want to show students that they can make fun out of studying rather than just having it be a very flat experience.”
Catherine Rhim, Lee’s mother, said that during Lee’s high school years, she was quite self-motivated, as working hard has always been part of her ethos. Even so, it has also been important for Lee to advocate for positive mental well-being and a strong work-life balance through girlmeetsdesk, Rhim said. Alongside study inspiration and motivation, the account also features lifestyle videos that show her simply at leisure, Lee said.
“It’s okay to be young, in the sense that you can have fun. You should go out, you shouldn’t be cooped up in your room 24/7 studying all the time. That’s not great for your mental health at all,” Lee said. “I show vlogs, and I’ll show me walking my dog, or walking outside during sunset, or grabbing food or biking in the city.”
As one of many “studygram” accounts in the community, girlmeetsdesk was designed to motivate students in an academic setting, Lee said. Across the community on Instagram, different pages are all simultaneously breaking down the stigma of studying as well, Lee said, with fresh and varied perspectives on how to learn. Lee’s account thus fits in that narrative but, like any other account, is defined by her own distinct aesthetic, she added.
With her platform, Lee has also partnered with corporations including Dell and Texas Instruments, she said. Although Lee said some may perceive the partnerships as a ploy for more recognition, study tools can actually assist in the process of making studying enjoyable, albeit, in a bit of an out-of-the-box way.
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The more girlmeetsdesk expands, however, the more Lee has realized she lacks the ability to fully support all those who ask for it, she said. In the past, she has struggled with the fact that some users will comment that her suggested study techniques have not worked well or made a difference to them, she said. Regardless of her successes or hardships, witnessing the empathy involved in taking the time to support her peers using her platform has been inspiring, said Jay Lee, Sophia Lee’s father.
Having started the account in high school and now being an undergraduate Bruin, Sophia Lee said she is reluctant to abandon her community even after she graduates. Her future plans for the account are contingent on her future itself, Sophia Lee said. If she decides to attend graduate school, Sophia Lee said she hopes to adjust the content she publishes based on what is occurring in her life, whereas if she decides against doing so, she may transition the account into a more lifestyle-rooted platform.
“It’s been great – well, that doesn’t do it justice,” Sophia Lee said. “It’s more so rewarding just knowing that you’re making an actual impact in your community.”