Meet Rida Zahra, a master’s student at the University of Turku and an UTU Ambassador for 2024-2025!
"Moi! I’m Rida from Pakistan, currently in my first year of master's in Public Mental Health. About two months ago, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and immediately began my master’s studies. Initially, I wanted to study neuroscience; however, I wasn’t offered a scholarship in the Human Neuroscience programme. Instead, I was accepted into Public Mental Health, where I received a 100% scholarship. After speaking with my student tutors, who highlighted the flexibility of studies at UTU, I realized that I could choose neuroscience as my minor.
Since starting my studies, my perspective has changed greatly. I now love learning about mental health on both local and global levels, alongside neuroscience courses. The flexibility at UTU allows me to tailor my studies to align with my future research goals in digitalizing mental health through R and Python.
Before moving here, I was worried I would miss my cat, Trig (short for Trigonometry). I do miss him every day! In my free time, you can find me sitting on the benches in front of Feenik's Library, FaceTiming my cat—that's pretty much all I do, haha.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about studying a master’s at UTU!"
Rida's study experience:
Honestly, there are many reasons why I chose the University of Turku (UTU). One random and somewhat silly reason was their website—the layout just made sense. After watching a few videos about the university, I was really impressed. Of course, a more professional reason was the quality of research at UTU. When I was applying, I read several research papers by UTU professors, and they were all quite well-written.
What I love most about studying at UTU is the exam system. You can take an exam up to three times, which is a total game changer. Even if you don’t do well the first time, you still have two more chances to improve. This really takes the pressure off and helps ease exam anxiety.
Career-wise, I’m still figuring things out. Right now, I’m planning to book a career counseling session through the university career guidance services to help with certain things.