Tips from Aalto University students for you, new student!
Plan, prioritise and schedule your studies
The students recommended focussing on study planning and scheduling. When time is limited, you have to decide between different alternatives about how to spend it. So prioritise the most important things!
A calendar is an indispensable tool for scheduling your studies. Plan your studies at different levels – by year, by academic term and by week. Careful planning and keeping to a schedule will help your studies go smoothly and reduce study-related stress.
If you need help with the planning, contact your study support team, ie. . You can practise scheduling on your own with the help of .
responses from the AllWell? surveyRemember, it’s important to study for the sake of learning and for developing your own skills, not just in order to get a grade. You don’t need to get top grades in every course no matter what. Sometimes it’s good to prioritise those courses that interest you the most or courses that you think would benefit your career path, for example. It pays to stick to your schedule and distribute the studies in it evenly, so that assignments don’t pile up and the workload and stress become overwhelming.
The most important skill for my own well-being has been learning how to make a clear timetable for each week, so that there’s also time for rest and leisure-time activities.
Using a calendar is pretty much a must. If I were to start all over, I think I would try to set clearer boundaries on my use of time and my studying. My advice to new students is: Think about how you use your time and how much of it you actually need to put into the different areas of your life.
Develop your study skills, find out what type of student you are
In their responses, returning students highlighted the importance of finding the particular study techniques that work well for the individual. Think about what kind of student you are and what methods could help you, as an individual, to learn. It may be that the techniques you found suitable before are now no longer so applicable for university studies, meaning you may need to learn new ways of studying.
Find out what factors affect study skills. The link has various kinds of exercises and self-study materials to boost study abilities. Aalto also has a complete range of guidance and support services that you can make use of during your studies.
responses from the AllWell? surveyThink about what study methods are the most effective for you. Everyone has their own particular way of studying.
In the beginning stage of studies, it’s good to identify your main weaknesses as a student. For example, are you able to study at home or not? If not, plan to spend your study day accordingly away from home. New students should focus also on active learning techniques (such as active recall) rather than passive ones (such as just reading through their notes).
Take care of your overall well-being
Looking after your own well-being is important so that you have the energy to study well and feel good. Getting enough sleep, exercise and eating a balanced diet will help you keep up your energy levels and improve your powers of concentration. Studies and work take up a great amount time, but it pays to set aside time for leisure, hobbies and recreation.
responses from the AllWell? surveySleep, hobbies and your overall sense of well-being affect your learning much more than you might imagine.
Find your study-time/free-time balance, develop study methods that work for you and invest in your total well-being by getting enough sleep, exercise, activities to recharge your batteries, etc.
The combination of work and studies can be energising, help you economically and increase your motivation for studies, but if you do both too much you are running the risk of burnout. Keep up your hobbies so you have something else to think of besides school. The brain works better after having a break.
Get to know other students and study together
Your time at university offers you the chance to meet new people. In their responses, the upper-year students encouraged freshers to boldly get to know their fellow classmates, get involved , and study together with others. Studying together helps maintain motivation and supports learning, especially of topics that seem challenging.
responses from the AllWell? surveyIt pays to be active. Even if you don’t have to come to campus, it is worth attending lectures or math clinics etc. and seeing other students, because that can energise and bolster your learning. Do assignments with your classmates, because that also helps a lot. Your classmates can help greatly when it comes to staying motivated.
Completing assignments and learning with a few fellow students not only makes studying mentally less taxing, it also often helps for grasping the bigger picture and realising that others are usually struggling with precisely the same things as you are.
Take part in orientation week and student guild activities; this will help you find friends. Developing teamwork skills is also a worthwhile endeavour, as it’s difficult to get through university all on your own.
Get to know people at the start of your studies, as they’ll be doing the same things as you are and you can turn to them for support if you need it.
Read more news
The default view in Sisu’s Structure of Studies section will change
The renewed Structure of Studies view will become the primary way to plan your studies.
Forests, Wood and Carbon: now also in Finnish and available via Open University
Starting August 2026, 'Forests, wood and carbon' online course will be available in English and Finnish. Students can select their preferred language at the enrolment. The course is also available through Aalto Open University.
Register now for Inventors in AI, biotechnology or the new multidisciplinary cohort
Three innovation trainings are coming up this fall and registration is now open for all Aalto researchers!