I’ve studied for one semester in the BA of Business Administration, so here are the answers to the questions that I personally had and that you might have before entering the University of Tartu. I’ve also interviewed some of my course mates to make this blog more interesting and to include more points of view.
1. How hard was the entrance exam?
It was easy for most of my course mates because of their passion for math, which I hate…It was a little hard for me because I used to study languages and literature more at school, but I spent more time studying math right before the exam, so I can say there was no unknown topics on the test. I visited University of Tartu on Open Doors Day 2024 and met students from this programme. One Ukrainian said that there won’t be anything more complicated than what we are taught in Ukrainian schools, and I found that to be true.
2. Is the math hard in this programme?
As Zhanet said in her blog in 2023, it is not hard because we mainly study math in terms of economics. You must have already read Zhanet’s advice, so here is what I will add: if you have never studied economics before – do it before taking the courses. Knowing economics before entering this programme is not obligatory, but knowing some basic economic terms will make your life much easier!
3. What are the most interesting courses?
“For students applying for the Business Administration program, I would say the Quantitative Methods in Economics is surely an interesting one, but you have got to devote a serious amount of time to it. Yet, it is really helpful in terms of building a business and not getting bankrupt. Marketing helps widen your mind and give space for creativity to step in. I definitely recommend this course. Also, as an international student, learning Estonian language seemed a bit scary from the start, but as time went by I started liking it for the interactive learning methods and the teacher herself. I think it is also a great opportunity to dive into day-to-day life with this bit of knowledge))” – Pari (1st year BA student from Azerbaijan)
4. How different is university from high school?
It might seem harsh to spend 2 or 4 hours for a lecture in your timetable (I even had a 7-hour lecture one time), and it was a little hard to get used to. However, most lecturers are people to, like students, so often they give us a 10-15 minute break during the lecture. Also, for me, it was a shock that you could leave the building any time, and you don’t need to get permission from the teacher. I really like that now. When I have an hour’s break between classes, I can go home and sleep. Finally, you can build your schedule yourself and choose what classes you will attend and what times of day you will be busy this semester.
Working in class
5. How do exams and assessments work?
“Exams and assessments differ for each course. Usually, these include written, oral or practical exams, as well as continuous assessment by way of assignments or quizzes. Many courses are project-based. Thus, students choose case studies and research them in groups and are usually graded based on their presentations. Other assessments are conducted online, through Moodle. While some courses provide a pass/fail grading, the majority use an A-F scale and allow students to retake exams in case of insufficient points. Also, you should remember to have academic integrity, due to strict rules and university policy about cheating and plagiarism.” – Olena (1st year BA student from Ukraine)
6. Is it easy to make friends in the programme?
Be ready for a lot of group work! All my course mates are really chill guys… It is easy to make friends because all of you are concentrated on the same goal and have approximately similar interests. Even if you don’t know how to start talking to people, lectures (with tons of group projects and discussions) will allow you to meet people, and spend time with them outside of class. And, of course, during the first semester, you will have peer tutors who will support friendly relations between classmates.
7. Are lectures interactive or mostly just theory-based?
“The format of a lecture depends on the subject. For example, marketing lectures are interactive because students can express their creative ideas, while subjects with a large theoretical component, such as Mathematical Economics or Quantitative Methods in Economics, tend to be more theory-based. I believe this is right way of teaching because not every subject can be interactively explained.” – Polina (1st year BA student from Ukraine)
8. Is it possible to learn Estonian while studying?
The Estonian for Beginners course is one of the elective courses for the BA programme, but I plan to continue studying the Estonian language. I can do it easily because the classes are well structured, and you can understand and study everything calmly. Although the Estonian language is not an easy one, many smart and professional lecturers will help you with your studies.
Studying Estonian
9. Is there a lot of independent work?
Oooh yeah… There is a lot of independent work. There are some courses in which lecturers do not really require thorough preparation for their seminars, but for others, I spent a lot of time reading study materials, preparing for the seminars, solving problems, doing assignments, or just looking through notes I did during the lecture.
10. Is it possible to keep up with deadlines without stress?
“It is definitely possible or at least reducible. It has always been an issue for me to have zero stress when exams or deadlines were coming up, but I definitely know now how to avoid it for a little while. First of all, stress comes from being unsure in ones knowledge, to get rid of that you should plan your studies. I think organising subjects, taking notes, and using calendars are great ways to see how much progress you have made and always remembering that time is a precious thing to do something useful. When preparing for a lecture or test always set a timer to see how long you have studied for and not forget about taking breaks for your brain as well as physical wellbeing. One of the things that helps a lot is always having water by you and maybe some snacks containing glucose for the brain. Studying for the last minute is a really stressful thing to do, so make sure you revise your notes after each lecture or at least spend an hour on the weekends to freshen up your memory. And then no stress will be around” – Pari (1st year BA student from Azerbaijan)
11. Where can students find study notes and useful resources?
“I personally prefer to search the web or going through the notes or presentations that lecturers/professors put on the Moodle platform. There are also some quizzes in the internet that are more detailed and really help to prepare for tests faster. The library may help as well for the amount of books it consists of. So, you will definitely find something out there.” – Pari (1st year BA student from Azerbaijan)
12. Are there many students from Ukraine or other countries?
“During my studies in Tartu, despite the fact that I have been here only six months, I have met many representatives of several different cultures. Most of all, I remember the large number of students from Germany, Spain and Ukraine. As for my group, despite the fact that we study in English and our group is considered international, about half of the students are Estonians. The group also includes Ukrainians and students from neighbouring countries such as Finland and Latvia. I really appreciate this experience of communication with different cultures.” – Polina (1st year BA student from Ukraine)
Class lecture
13. Is it easy to make friends with Estonian students?
Estonians are not really talkative people, but they are really friendly. In my group, more than half of the students are Estonians, and it can seem a little hard at first, but then you’ll find out how fun it can be to chat with them and how glad they are to help you with anything you ask. There are also many parties organised not only for Estonians, but also for international students and anyone interested (for example, ESN organises parties in English), so you will have enough opportunities to meet them in an informal environment.
14. Can you balance studying and working part-time?
“In this matter, it is important to remember that the priority is studying and to choose your work schedule accordingly. Balancing school and work requires sufficient time management skills. Your schedule should have a gap between work and study hours, so that you allow yourself time to rest and take care of personal matters. Working in daily shifts may not be the best option, as it requires too much energy and time, but remote work on a project basis with fixed deadlines can work if time is properly allocated.” – Olena (1st year BA student from Ukraine)
Images author’s own.
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