As soon as I had been there a week I already felt at home with the uni day. But the semester ended as quickly as it began. After precisely two weeks of in-person lectures, we (along with many others) received a message that the semester would continue online for the next few weeks. At first we couldn’t imagine what online learning would be like, but were thrown in head first and there was nothing else to but accept the new concept.
In all courses, we were given scripts that we then able to work on independently in our own time. Our virtual lectures were held as per our timetables and with the subject lecturers. As we were given self-study from the middle of march and our exams were coming up two months later, we had quite a lot to learn in this time. In some cases, we were assigned the entire learning material all at once.
My five tips that I found helpful:
- Write to-do lists for ordered and stress-free days.
- Set yourself learning-goals and share and divide the learning material up into chunks.
- Talk to friends from your course as often as you can. We called each other daily and asked each other questions.
- Don’t lose your nerve! Every now and then you’ll have a day that just feels hopeless and stressful. Think about the time after the exams and try to keep yourself motivated.
- Give yourself regular pauses and do something that you enjoy. Our brain can’t perform at full power from morning until night, it needs time to process what we’re studying.
At the end of the theory phase, I was faced with seven exams that I had to take online from home. Thanks to my preparation, my exams were doable and all in all, I found self-study better than I had expected. In time, you find your rhythm, new methods, and know best how you can best learn what you have to.
Many of you probably found yourselves in the same situation over the past two to three months. After having this experience, I can tell all of you on the same journey: Be open to new things and try to make the best of unknown situations! It might even turn out better than you expected!
Best wishes,
Jana
