Advice for studies

Hello everyone!

As a student who is nearly holding her bachelor degree in her hands I think I am an appropriate person to give student related advices. Personally I love being a student. Nevertheless I have also been facing situations where I didn’t know what to do. In the following I would like to give few advices which might be helpful for every student.

My first advice is that one shouldn’t choose a subject to study which is not in one’s personal favour but in the favour of their parents or friends. The reason why I am saying that is simple: I have had a lot of friends who chose to study medicine at the beginning. They necessarily didn’t begin to study medicine because they wanted to become a doctor. They chose to study medicine because it is highly respected and valued by their parents. Yes, being a Doctor is a good job but being a doctor doesn’t only require a degree it also requires passion. You need to be willing to work with people. Besides that, studying medicine in Germany takes one almost 6 years. From experience I can tell if you are not interested in a subject or topic one will find it hard to study. So, study what is in your favour. School is already a stage in our lives where we can’t decide what to do because the educational system arranges everything beforehand. So once you have the opportunity to decide what you want to do in your education, choose wisely and choose according to your personal preferences.

My second advice is that shouldn’t give up easily. Yes, I chose to study what I want to study but I still have courses in my studies which are not in my favour. Such is life. The courses which aren’t in my favour make it hard for me to study. When exams are approaching I used to start panicking and I started thinking about how I should survive this course and pass the exam. My mindset was negative. I reached a point where I realised I can’t change the situation. I realised that I have to have this course. There might be a reason why this course is part of my studies. Instead of complaining and panicking I should find a way to study effectively. What helped me in situations like that was that I put myself together with friends who are good at the subject and could easily teach me. Another solution I also found was to attend private lessons. This helped me too. I learned that sometimes it is not the subject which is necessarily bad, it might be the lecturer too. Nevertheless, I didn’t give up and I found a joyful way to study this subject and pass the exam with an unexpected good grade.

My third advice is that one should not compare oneself to another person. This advice is not only studies related but also life related. I realised at an early age that the comparism at school or at uni is unhealthy. Students feel super smart simply because they constantly write A and B’s. In school the grades are more subjective than in University but in University to a certain level the given grades are still subjective. I have been in a situation where I was really good in a subject but the teacher refused to give me a good grade. I started doubting myself and I started believing that I am really bad at school. When I grew up I realised that many people define themselves by their grades and I personally find it wrong. I strongly believe in the fact that one can be good at school or at Uni but can be bad in real life situations such as work or daily life. People are unhappy because they see people succeeding and think they are worth more because of the achievement. In University I can tell you that we are all on the same page. It is totally okay to have different skills. University really taught me to love myself and be aware of my capabilities. I also learned not to define myself by the grades I write. So my advice to each and everyone: Don’t compare yourself to anybody. Only compare yourself to the person you were in the past in order to see how great you are right now in the present!

My 4th advice is about study techniques. At University one needs to study a lot all the more one needs to find out its‘ best study technique. I personally can learn best when I study alone. My reason for that is that I get less involved in distracted conversations and I know how to effectively make complex topics easy and understandable to myself. When studying I use lot of colours to do my notes, this method takes time but I love doing it. That is why I can study alone best because I schedule my study sessions and I am really disciplined when it comes to my studies. Many people prefer studying in groups because of the group feeling. That is perfectly fine, as long as one knows how to study effectively. So please find out how you can study best and stick to it. Pay attention to having fun when studying. If you have fun while studying you wouldn’t consider the amount of studies as much!

My 5th and last advice would be: enjoy being a student! The reasons why I love being a student are plenty. I love being a student because:

1. I had the opportunity to decide what I would like to study
2. I have a lot of free time compared to being a full time employee
3. I have a lot of vacation compared to being a full time employee
4. I can decide whether I would like to attend lectures or not
5. I have met a lot of interesting people with different nationalities in my study period
6. I can travel as much as I can (when doing a semester abroad for instance)

As a student you have a lot of benefits all over the world and I can consider my time as a student as one of the best stages in my life.

Don’t hesitate if you have any questions. My IG is: bella_abena

Lovely regards,

Myra

#seamk #seinäjoki #seamkstudents #studentambassador