It’s a new season, a new semester, and the start of a new academic year, here at the University of Tartu. Tartu has once again come alive with familiar faces, and some not-so-familiar new faces. We are slowly sinking into academics and have started most of our courses and lectures. So, in recognition of our new students and our not-so-new students, I thought it would be helpful to list my study tips in light of the new academic year we just began. Without further adieu, here are my top 10 tips for studying effectively in Estonia!
- Take notes effectively.
There are various methods and styles of taking notes: you can take your notes down on your tablet, laptop, or paper (and refuse to use a device like me). You can use lengthy paragraphs, short notes, sticky notes, draw diagrams, mind maps, graphs, and grids to write down everything you possibly can, or just write down the things you feel that are important. Whatever your preferred method of taking notes may be, I recommend investing some energy to make notes for yourself while studying. Because, for most of us, no matter how much we think we will remember what our professor said later… we don’t! Using someone else’s notes isn’t as effective as studying your own. Spare some time to figure out what would be the most effective way of taking notes for you. In my experience, I score better in subjects that I have great notes in, compared to subjects that I didn’t write my own notes.
- Study in advance as much as you can.
At UT, most subjects have a continuous assessment style and you may need to study a few topics at a time or sit for multiple exams that would count towards your final grade. As opposed to studying everything at the end of the semester, studying throughout the semester helps you gain confidence in the subject material and helps you remember what you study over a long period of time. You don’t have to commit to studying everything every day, but revising throughout the semester helps to remember better, and reduces exam stress significantly. To my fellow procrastinators, let’s commit to studying earlier as much as we can!Â
- Schedule your day/week/month.
Most students have busy schedules, so it can be difficult to stay on top of your studies, extracurricular activities, employment, and even your meals. Scheduling has helped me a lot in this aspect. Even if I don’t do all the things on my schedule for the day, I tend to do most of it when I have a schedule, as opposed to when I don’t. With a well-made schedule, you know what you need to do, and you can prioritize or postpone tasks accordingly. At the very least, it helps you keep tabs on everything that you need to do within a certain time. Higher education requires time and resource management skills!
- Sleep well.Â
Estonia gets pretty dark and moody during Autumn and Winter. There tend to be very long nights and very little sunlight. This could really affect your sleep if you come from a region with abundant sunlight around the year. Don’t worry, you will get used to it! Until then, you will either be sleeping too little or too much. This, coupled with studying long nights too frequently and depriving yourself of a lot of sleep can actually affect your memory and brain somewhat negatively! You can be a night owl who studies very late into the night, but make sure to get ample sleep whenever possible. Staying on top of your studies is important, but you will lose a lot of time and potential by falling ill because you are not getting enough rest. Give your body and brain a time to relax. Studying longer hours does not necessarily mean you are getting a lot of work done. Always do quality work over quantity and find enough time to have a good night’s sleep.
- Eat healthy, stay active!
As I mentioned earlier, effective studying involves staying fit enough to do so. Staying active (there are a lot of options for gym and indoor activities here in Tartu) and eating healthy are two major components that I focus on (and would like to focus on more, going forward). Invest in your health! I recommend paying special attention to your active lifestyle and food during Winter!
- Ask questions.
Asking questions and writing to your professors and instructors when you have doubts or need clarification on something is always encouraged at UT. This is one of the things I like most about the University of Tartu, you are always encouraged to ask more questions and have conversations about the material that you are studying. Especially in Science, all my professors and lecturers are very welcoming when you need to ask them about something from their presentations. The answers and the conversations happening around these questions are always so informative and interesting. You learn a lot by listening, reading, and discussing things – I love that this is very encouraged at UT.
- Participate in Extracurricular Activities, build connections & strengthen your Résumé.
One of the lecturers at my previous university told us on our first day at her lecture, that we need to develop certain skills to match our academic skills on paper. Completing your Bachelors, Masters or Doctorate is great, but it is also important that you build skills that would add value to it. You get to meet new people, professionals, academics, and prestigious researchers who are pioneers in your fields by participating in faculty and non-faculty activities and clubs. Most courses at the University of Tartu have amazing opportunities for you to participate in exchange programs, international competitions, conferences, and more. This will help you sharpen your knowledge in your field, build connections, and strengthen your résumé. Make it a point to study outside your classroom!
- Familiarize yourself with ÕIS and Moodle.
Knowing how to navigate the student information system (widely known as ÕIS) and Moodle, helps to access extra material about subjects. Specifically in ÕIS, when you are choosing your subjects, you can see a lot of information about the subject including the topics that will be covered. You can make informed decisions about which subjects would benefit you the most and choose accordingly. Also, it took me a while, but learning how to search on ÕIS for optional and elective subjects is also important. This is when you can choose subjects that are related to your discipline (elective) and or unrelated (optional). The University offers you the chance to take courses from various other faculties as well, so make sure to learn how to navigate ÕIS and Moodle so that you know how to look them up and register!
- Make the most out of Group Study and Group Assignments.
Working in groups can be a great opportunity for the most part, but not so much when not everyone is as enthusiastic about the work as they should be. However, group assignments are a great way to learn collaboration and share knowledge. Don’t sit out on group assignments, always try to make the most of it! Studying in groups is a great way to study, as you will be studying using many of your senses at once. When you study alone, it’s mostly just your visual input that helps you remember. When in groups, you see, hear, and speak about your material, which (in my opinion) helps to remember more.
- Attend your Classes.Â
Lastly, this is a no-brainer, but attend your classes! I have been severely unmotivated to attend classes during winter. The cold weather makes me want to stay at home, all warm! However, attending your classes is important and for me, I feel confident when I have been present for most of my classes. This way, I know a lot of what the professor mentioned firsthand and know about tips and pointers for the exam, which you cannot usually find on slides later on.
It can be discouraging at times, but studying will be rewarding and all the efforts will be worthwhile in the end! So friends, I wish you all a great semester ahead. Let’s give it our best shot and hopefully at least a few of my tips will help you to study effectively and make the most of your time while you are at UT!
