Student organisations: getting involved in student life

Moving abroad to study can be challenging. From homesickness to culture shock to feeling lonely - adjusting to your new home can be difficult. A great way to combat these frustrations is to get involved in your community. Luckily, the University of Tartu is a great place to build a community, with plenty of student organisations available to join where you can make friends and get to know your university and the city of Tartu better.

In episode 13 of the first season of the Tiksu to UniTartu podcast (check it out here), Vincent Arata speaks to three representatives of the University of Tartu student organisations about their organisations and how international students can get involved. Marlene Marjapuu discusses the University of Tartu Student Union (UTSU), Anton Prevost talks about the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), and Azhar Kazakbaeva speaks about being an International Student Ambassador (ISA).

Marlene from Estonia works with UTSU as an interpreter and international student coordinator. The university’s student union, UTSU, represents all students. They make sure that the university listens to the students’ needs and treats them fairly. UTSU members also represent students in the university senate (see more here), which includes the university rector and representatives of faculties. The Senate meets once a month to discuss the university’s teaching, research, and development.

UTSU is quite a formal organisation. Its board and bureau members have titles and are officially hired by the university. The organisation also has policy advisors and a lawyer to make sure everything is legal, and they can represent the students in the best possible way. They also function as students’ direct link to the university. If you have a study-related complaint against a professor, or have an idea of how to improve the study experience, you can reach out to UTSU on their website (click here).

Why join UTSU? Marlene says she loves working with her fellow UTSU members. She has made many good friends, with whom they work together, have fun, and at the same time, make the university a better place for all students. According to her, it’s a place where you get to have fun and be productive at the same time. It is very rewarding, and she really likes it.

If you’re interested in joining UTSU (see more here), Marlene recommends attending events, networking, and talking to people. To keep the organisation fair and truly representative of the students, elections are held every spring to choose the representatives for the next year. If you’re interested in running, you’ll need to fill out a form to indicate your interest. Then, other students within your institute or faculty will vote for the candidate of their choice. If you’re elected, you can expect to represent your fellow students in your institute or faculty council, act as liaison between students and administration, and participate in UTSU’s workshop weekends.

Anton, a representative of ESN, is originally from France. He moved to Tartu after taking a gap year in Estonia. He loved the experience so much that he decided to stay and study here. As an Erasmus student, he joined ESN Tartu (the local chapter), which is open to all students from anywhere in the world. The network organises activities that are open to all. Anton thinks that the best part of being an ESN member is the free access to events and the weekend trips every semester, where members get to spend time together and participate in group activities.

As an international organisation, ESN is represented in over 41 countries across Europe. They offer special student discounts to cardholders, and host parties, karaoke nights, and private events at local venues across Tartu. Additionally, they organise exciting trips around Europe. This year, some of the trips offered include a winter trip to Lapland and a Baltic cruise to port cities across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. You find their events by visiting their Instagram page (click here) or joining their WhatsApp group (click here).

If you’re interested in joining ESN Tartu as a full member, Anton recommends coming to their first meeting next year. The meeting takes place in early September, at the beginning of the academic year. There, they explain the responsibilities and expectations of the organisation. As a full member, you will help organise events for students and members of the Tartu international community.

The final organisation discussed in this podcast is ISA, the International Student Ambassador programme. Azhar, a master’s student from Kyrgyzstan, decided to study at the University of Tartu because she felt it was a good place to move with her family, who she brought with her. Here, she decided to join ISA to help prospective and current international students integrate into the university and Estonian life in general.

ISA organises several events for new and prospective students, such as virtual Q&A sessions and information panels, and in-person scavenger hunts, debate nights, and study sessions, among others. The events are free of charge and open to all students. They also run a blog, with ISA members sharing their personal experiences of Estonia.

For Azhar, the blog had been the main reason why she joined ISA. She had come across some blog posts while searching for information about the university. She felt that by joining she could share her experience of coming here, and studying here with other parents who also come to study, and other prospective students from her home country. For her, ISA is an organisation where you can find friends, network, meet new people, and get more involved in social life in the new city and the university.

ISA accepts new members each autumn. Students interested in joining ISA need to submit an application through the website (click here), which includes answering a few questions and submitting a video explaining why you’re interested in joining. From there, you will have an interview in person, and you’ll know within a day or two whether you’ve been accepted.

While being an international student can be intimidating and bring a host of challenges, finding community and purpose can help alleviate the fear and the culture shock of moving abroad. Joining student organisations is an excellent way to help establish your own network of friends and colleagues in a new city. The University of Tartu Student Union, Erasmus Student Network, and International Student Ambassadors are three such organisations at the University of Tartu. All three are welcoming and friendly organisations eager to help students adjust to life in Estonia.

Listen to the "Student Organisations for International Students" episode of the Tiksu to UniTartu podcast: