Hi, I am Sevgi Mäkelä and I am a second-year student in IBL. I am originally from Turkey, but I have been living in Finland for 3 years now. I was an open path student in first year and then continued to the program as normal full-time student. I know many student does not consider open path, but everything went quite smooth for me and I made it to the normal degree without any problem.

What do you think about studying at MBS?

Studying International Business can be quite challenging sometimes with assignments and exams. However, it is always interesting to learn new things for me and students have a lot of potential of improving their skills with the assignments, group works and different projects. I personally chose IBL because of logistics. At the same time, I really enjoy finance and accounting courses as well.

What do you think about studying remotely?

I must admit that studying remotely is not as easy as I thought it would be. First of all, it is much harder to motivate me to study and focus on the lectures remotely. Also, I do not get to spend time and study on campus with my classmates which I really miss. However, I like the fact that I do not have to wake up at 7 for a course that starts at 8 and my home is actually pretty close to Myyrmäki campus. I know some of my friends have to wake up around 5-6 am to make it to a class at 8. I am sure they enjoy studying more than I do.

How can you do the group work during studying remotely?

It is challenging to work in groups remotely. But luckily, in most cases, we can form our own groups, so it is much easier to meet virtually and sometimes at home in small groups. That way we manage to communicate efficiently and work on the assignments.

Can you share tips for studying at MBS?

• In remote group work, the most important thing is to have good communication with the other team members otherwise it is quite challenging. The members must be understanding, patient and open-minded with each other.
• Certain courses are more challenging than others and the exams or the assignments cannot be completed without truly understanding the subject. For those courses, I always start early to study (usually right after the first class of the semester). Dividing the subjects and studying it regularly is the key to success in exams. We have a lot of assignments and deadlines.
• Making a calendar, marking all the deadlines and planning on what to study in advance is crucial in order to finish them on time. Being organized is not important only for the school but also for work life. I find it quite useful to make a to-do list for every week.

Written by Sevgi Mäkelä, IBL 19
Edited and interview by Nhi Nguyen, IBL 18