Hello everyone! My name is Daana, and I am a second-year student in the bachelor’s degree programme in Science and Technology. In this blog, I would like to tell you about a day in my life!
My day usually begins at 8 a.m. I have breakfast and then head to the gym. I like to exercise and since I live with a roommate, I go to the University of Tartu gym (https://sport.ut.ee/) for group workouts in the morning or sometimes in the evening. In most cases, this is pilates, stretching, or aerobic exercises. Afterward, I go back to the dorm, get ready, and go to the university.
The first lecture on microbiology starts at 10:15 am and takes place at the University of Molecular Biology. I get there from the dormitory (Narva 27) by bus, which takes 5-10 minutes. Today there was an exciting lecture; we went through the metabolism of bacteria. It’s interesting how subjects in science are related. Last semester in biochemistry, we went through glycolysis, and in this microbiology lecture, this process was also mentioned.
On Tuesdays, I go to cafes with friends for coffee, snacks, buns, and a bit of study before our next class on evolutionary processes in two and a half hours. In February, Estonians celebrate Shrove Tuesday (Vastlapäev in Estonian), and coffee shops serve the sweet bun stuffed full of whipped cream called ‘vastlakukkel’. There are three coffee shops that we love: Sade, Werner, and Cruffin.
After I finish my studies for the day, I go to the Institute of Technology’s plant physiology lab for a few hours. There, I am doing an internship in stomata cell research. I usually count cells with the app “ImageJ” or work with a microscope. Sometimes I participate in experiments related to planting plants and checking genes for mutations.
In the evening, I cook dinner. Today was pasta with tomatoes and spinach. Then I study for a couple of hours. Today I need to do bioinformatics homework and revise a lecture on evolutionary processes before a small test. If I have free time, I call my family, watch movies or read a book before bed.
All in all, the bachelor programme in Science and Technology is fascinating, interdisciplinary, and challenging. I liked that we had lab experience since the first semester, so it helped me understand what specialization I would like to choose. It is excellent that we have an opportunity to decide about discipline later. Moreover, this program gave me a lot of new knowledge and options.
That concludes my day of student life at the University of Tartu! Thank you for reading!
