Sometimes we all think time travel would be pretty cool. Although it’s not possible yet (I’m going to follow the KTH’s latest inventions, and who knows…), there are some things I wish I knew when I started my studies last year. So in this post, I’m going to share with you some tips I would give myself back then. Here we go!
- Don’t hesitate to reach out
Although I consider myself an extrovert, I sometimes tend to be too shy until I feel comfortable with people around me. And not surprisingly, many of the people I know are the same, as all of us are waiting for somebody else to organise a party, study together etc. For instance, it took our class several months to properly get together and have some fun outside of studies. So, I’d advise a beginner student Valerie not to wait until somebody takes the initiative but do it yourself instead. The same goes with study or career advice from former students, professors when you have some specific questions or literally anything. People actually do like helping others; it’s a simple truth we tend to forget about.
- Plan your summer in winter
When I just came, I wasn’t thinking much about summer break, more about trying to adapt to my new life. However, there were definitely some missed opportunities hidden in there, as many summer internships and graduate programs are open for applications already in autumn, and most of them in winter, especially if we’re talking about large companies. Moreover, applications for the autumn exchange semester usually open in late autumn or early winter as well, and before applying, you should do your research which takes some time, too.
- Learn stuff during the semester, not a couple of weeks before the exam
It’s a classic catch many students fall to, and I was not an exception here. Let’s just put it this way: the more attention to the studies you pay throughout the semester, the easier it will be for you to get good grades. I knew this from my bachelor’s, and to be honest, I probably wouldn’t listen to myself, but I wish I did! I can’t say I’m the student who would try to get straight A’s. Still, I spent too much time regretting I didn’t do the things in time, especially during the exam weeks.
- Apply for the personnummer the next day you’re in Sweden
If you wake up a Swede in the middle of the night and ask for his personnummer (Swedish personal identification number), he would probably tell it without hesitation because these are the most important digits you can ever get. You need them to open a bank account, get to the doctor, and even issue a discount card in a supermarket. So the Swedish tax office Skatteverket should probably be the first point on the route to local attractions. I applied for it two weeks after my arrival and got to the very peak of the same lovers of procrastination because I waited for my number much longer than most of the people I know.
- Get some proper rest before the semester starts
As simple as it may seem, I didn’t think of that before moving to Sweden. I had been working full-time for two years by then, and I remember thinking: “Ah, come on, studies are not going to be as hard as a full-time job, you’ll get some rest in the middle”. So wrong! I want to go back in time just to make myself get a proper vacation before my master’s, as this was something I regret not doing the most. I only had a few days between quitting my old job, packing and moving to Stockholm, and by the end of September, I already felt like a squeezed lemon. Please don’t make this mistake; you will be so thankful to yourself!
I hope these tips will be helpful to some of you who are about to start studies at KTH this autumn, as I wish someone had told me this back then. But for now, enjoy your summer and stay tuned for the upcoming blog posts 🙂
Take care!
// Valerie