Moving to a new country can require some adjusting; new surroundings, new university and new friends. Luckily, our Student Ambassador, Emma Craven has put together her top 5 tips to help you settle in and really make the most of life in Ireland.

                Midterms, papers, exams, group projects, and everything in between. We are right in the middle of the semester and the assignments are piling up. I along with many of you are international students and with all this stress, home sickness and thoughts of friends and family tend to creep in. So, here are some five tips that might help during this hectic time:

Tip One: Make a schedule and stick to it!

                Creating a schedule, to do list, or just some sort of outline of things you want to complete can help keep you motivated and feel like you are accomplishing something. Whether that be writing it on a piece of paper like me or keeping a list on your phone, it’s a great start to planning out your day or week.

Tip Two: Find a good study space

                Personally, I can’t really study in my apartment, I get distracted with how comfortable my room is, conversation with roommates, or watching TV. So, it is really important to find somewhere that you can get actual work done. This could be the library an empty classroom or trying to find a place outside in the two hours a day it is actually warm enough to be outside.

Tip Three: Work smarter, not harder

                Work smarter, not harder is my life motto. Life is crazy as it is, so if there are little things, we can do to make our own life easier, do them! Here are some smart tips at UL I’ve learned that:

• instead of carrying your laundry all the way to the village laundry, roll it in your suitcase
• Take the bus for grocery shopping. And if you want to save money on the bus?? Take the Lidl bus on Mondays and it drops off at the village dorms and it is free!
• Cook two giant meals on Sunday, eat the leftovers for the rest of the week

Tip Three: Ask for help

                It is okay to be overwhelmed. It’s such an isolating feeling, but everyone feels it. So don’t forget to ask your friends, roommates, professors for help. It is okay to lean on your people!

Tip Four: Have some fun

                Whether you are here for a semester or a year, the time is going by FAST. So, don’t forget it. Of course, go to class, do your work, blah blah blah, but don’t forget to actually enjoy the time you have in Ireland. It’ll be December before you know it, so take this as your formal reminder to have some fun!