Returning to study after a break

Welcome back!

It is great that you are resuming your studies. You are warmly welcome back!

Regardless of whether you have been absent for a shorter or a longer time, you are still a valued member of our university community. You are not alone and there are various things that will support your return. This page contains issues and tips that may be helpful for students who are resuming their studies after a break. 

A mix of emotions and questions

Getting back to studying after a break can be an exciting time for many reasons. The reasons for taking a break from studies may vary greatly: health issues, work, family situation, coping, or taking time to rediscover motivation. Factors influencing the return may also differ individually. Resuming one’s studies after a break might make one enthusiastic about something new, but also bring uncertainty about new challenges, one’s abilities, or coping. Returning may evoke all sorts of emotions, which is completely understandable. 

No matter what your reasons for taking a break or returning have been, there are a few things that can help to facilitate the transition:

• Take stock of your current situation and plan your new daily routine accordingly. It is perfectly all right to proceed at your own pace.
• Give yourself time and space to re-familiarise yourself with university life and community.  Feeling a sense of belonging often helps with the studies and makes it easier to return to campus.
• Make a list of things you need to sort out to get things rolling. Support is available so please see the tips and links at the end of this page.

Making studying part of everyday life one step at a time

Studying is one part of life alongside everything else.  When resuming studies, it is important to consider your current situation and how it might affect your studies. 

You might find it helpful to reflect on such questions as: 

• What aspects of my life should I reconsider now that I am studying again?
• How much time can I realistically dedicate to studying alongside everything else?
• What are my current mental resources for studying? 

Returning to studies often involves some kind of change. You might need to adapt your old study habits and routines to suit the current situation or even create entirely new ones. It is best to take things slowly and set realistic goals. It also pays to note that making changes and building new routines will take time and energy. 

Rejoining the student community 

You might wonder whether you are the only one returning to studies or the only one whose studies have not gone exactly to plan. You are not alone since many others are in the same boat.

Each student’s path is unique, and there’s no single right way to study. Study paths can vary in length and include breaks, but every student is a valued member of our academic community regardless of their study path.

When you return, you might find that your old fellow students have graduated or are now in different courses. However, you can still find peers and fellow students not just within your own subjects, but across the wider university community. Here are a few tips for meeting other students:

• Opportunities to connect might include attending contact teaching, having lunch on campus, studying in shared spaces, or joining SportUni’s fitness activities.
• There are also various forms of peer support.
• Joint Guidance and Counselling Services offer a wide range of group guidance services related to well-being, study skills and career planning.
• You can meet people interested in the same things as you from the associations operating within the Student Union of Tampere University TREY.
• Kamula is a meeting place for students in the age range of 16–30 years that operates off-campus. At Kamula, you can spend time in a relaxed atmosphere and get to know other students.
• If you just need a place to talk to someone, Marhaban center is a meeting place for people from different cultures, in the heart of Kaleva. Marhaban is a living room where everyone is welcome! Read more from Marhaban web page.

Tips for taking care of practical matters

• For most, vital practical matters that need to be taken care of include:
  • Right to study and enrolment. Topical issues may also include extending one’s right to study. Help is available from the Student Affairs Office and the Instructions for Students.
  • You should update your personal study plan. Ask your faculty’s Education Specialist for help.
• You may also need support in other situations:
  • Joint Guidance and Counselling Services help with issues related to study skills, wellbeing and career planning.
  • Individual study arrangements may also facilitate your studies.
  • Remember to check (and renew, if necessary) the validity of your residence permit if you need one. If you need help with your paperwork, you can find assistance in more than ten languages at the  International House Tampere Multilingual guidance.
  • See Jobmarket Finland for options to fund your studies on Managing financially during studies.