My autumn semester survival guide: staying active during the season of classes and cozy study spots

If you’re curious what your daily life will look like in your final year of bachelor studies - it’s a completely different experience from all the previous semesters. It's a stage of finalizing your work, brainstorming about the thesis, and most importantly, thinking about what lies ahead.  

Unlike my first and second year, this time I’m not overloaded with classes, which was planned out by me very much on purpose, to have enough time to go through thesis work and sort out my future plans. On that note, my advice for every student would be to choose your courses wisely - it’s better to start off intensively, and give last-year-you a break by granting them a lighter schedule, because they are definitely going to need it… 

 Regardless of the flexibility, if there’s one thing you should know about studying psychology is that you will always be surrounded by presentations, interviews, reports and deadlines. November is an especially critical period for them to occur - I guarantee you, if you randomly stop and ask any psychology student on campus, it will turn out that they are delivering a presentation to their class sometime this week. While others have midterms, we have projects. This is why I’ve lived through all of my semesters feeling constantly active.

Every part of your study journey will come with its fair share of stress, and knowing this, it is very important to be connected with things that make you happy. I cannot express this enough - don't lock yourself in, don't give up on your hobbies, use every opportunity to socialize and brighten up your day. By staying loyal to this mindset, I’ve noticed myself getting more and more resilient towards the autumn blues we all get once November approaches. Especially for someone coming from a warmer country that also does not have a light saving time-change, the dark and cold atmosphere of November took me off guard. But this is just another challenge that we should overcome by adaptation - University indoor events, Museum explorations, movie nights with friends, tea dates in cozy cafes - the opportunities are always there if you look for them.  

Another thing I’ve come to appreciate during this season is the power of routines. As much as I love spontaneity, having a few steady habits -like morning walks, weekly study sessions with friends, or even a go-to café for writing - has helped me stay grounded. November can feel overwhelming, but creating small rituals gives structure to the chaos. It’s not about being overly strict with yourself, but about finding little anchors that make your days feel more manageable and meaningful. Trust me, even lighting a candle while studying can turn a stressful evening into something peaceful and productive. 

What is even more interesting is that during the previous years autumn meant slowing down and accumulating all of my resources indoors, but since I moved to Hungary, travelling never seems to stop. A random fact from my Stipendium Hungaricum story that I always found very ironic is that moving here was the first time I ever left my country. The amazement of it all struck me hard - I was seizing every opportunity to travel to nearby countries, even during very cold days. I know it can be hard to bring yourself to plan a journey once it is so cold and dark that you don’t want to look outside, but believe me, that is what will make your autumn the most memorable.