The period between getting accepted and actually starting university felt really long.
I got accepted at the beginning of December, but the orientation week information only arrived on 14th of January 2025. So for a month I was packing up my things, moving out of my apartment, preparing for the studies, but I really didn't even know what was gonna happen.
When the orientation week email came, I was relieved that I finally got some information on what the heck is gonna happen... But honestly I was still sooo terrified because I'm going to a new country! I'm really strange in the way that I make very spontaneous decisions (like starting my studies here at RSU), but I really need to know every step of the way to feel comfortable. I hated how unclear so many things were. I really would have loved some more structure to the beginning of my studies. That's actually a big reason why I started this blog.
I packed my things and lived at my parents place for a few weeks (which I hadn't in two years). It was very strange and I was really anxious to start my studies. I ordered a labcoat from a website called bp (yes, really just bp). This is the specific one I got. I also got another one from RSU when I arrived but honestly I've used this one way more because it's stretchier and more comfortable.
There also is always a Facebook group made for the RSU semester. For example, for last semesters freshies, it was this:
In this group you'll find the link for the semester WhatsApp group! So make sure to check it out. The whatsapp group is important because in there you'll have all the semester communication throughout your studies.
Arriving in Riga
The first 48 hours honestly felt quite surreal.
I drove to Riga with my dad. The drive was really long and I felt like I was in a daze the whole time. He helped me move my things in, which I’m very grateful for, because finding my apartment was honestly stressful. I had moved into Old Town, and if you’ve never been there before, it’s not exactly beginner-friendly. The streets are super confusing and the house numbers don't really move in a logical way. I still wouldn't really know how to navigate here just based on an apartment/street number, even after 1,5 years of living in Old Town. Btw, if you're still looking for an apartment, I have a blog post about apartment hunting that you can read here.
The city was beautiful. There were still Christmas lights everywhere, and I remember walking around thinking that this felt so exciting, like I had found some new light to my life (as cringe as that sounds). I also felt like this was a new beginning to my life. I had always lived in a quiet town in Finland, and Riga was very different compared to that.
Transportation, however, was a disaster at first. I didn’t understand the system yet, so I used Bolt taxis for months. PLEASE don't do that.... You'll end up wasting SO much money! I could have gotten a public transport card for 12€ a month, but I didn’t know how yet. I have a youtube tutorial for that (it's super short I swear) that you can watch here.
Orientation Week was useful-ish, but overwhelming
Orientation week started one week before classes. I got an email about it a few weeks before. It had the timetable and schedule, as well as events hosted by ISA that you could go to. I really recommend going to the ISA events. They're actually great for making new friends :)
The morning of the first day, I was terrified because I didn't know exactly where to go.
Finding the entrance to the university was confusing at first. The main building is right next to a road, and it doesn’t really scream “this is the entrance”. Once inside, though, things were clearer and staff guided us well. I've also made a youtube video on how to get to the main building, by bus/tram that you can watch here.
But yeah here's the entrances to 16 Dzirciema Street, AKA RSU Main Building:
One thing I did like was that during orientation we were already sitting in our study groups. Each group has 14 students, and you spend most of the year with the same people. Basically, some classes (like Latvian/Latin and physics), will only have your group in it. Some will have your group + a few other groups. Sitting with your group during orientation week definitely made it easier to start recognising faces and talking to people. I was very nervous, I sat next to someone who was also Finnish and we talked a little bit. The first day there was a few "games" that each group played to get to know each other. Honestly, I think the orientation week is the most useful for just recognising faces. The ISA events are really the place where you meet new people. You can also ask your groupmates whether they're going to the events and if they wanna meet there :)
By day three, I was honestly a bit bored of sitting and listening. I miiiight have skipped the last 3 days but... I'm still here!
The Social Side (Very Realistically)
Orientation week was basically presentations during the day and social events or bars in the evening. I went out almost every night, mostly because that’s how you meet people when everyone is new. Trust me, I'm super introverted and awkward. It was really tough to put myself out there. And it's okay if you don't meet your best friends in the first few weeks. Because I ended up not even being best friends with the people I spent my time with in the first month. I got closer with new people I met in my third semester!!
RSU’s International Student Association (ISA) organised a lot of activities. Some were better than others, but in my opinion they were well worth it. Like I really haven't had fun the same way I did during orientation week since... I mean, organisations do host events so I might have to do that more often again. But studies really do suck a certain part of you out...
One of the ISA activities I did was laser tag. That’s where I met my boyfriend! We're still together 1,5 years later so I'd say.... worth it.
First Impressions of Campus and Classes
From the outside, the RSU campus is… not pretty. I’ll be honest. It’s quite ugly.
Inside, it’s better. The big auditorium is actually very beautiful. The rest of the campus is fine. I will say, floors 5-7 are terrifying. The lights are always off and it lowkey looks abandoned sometimes!
Classes are mostly with your own group of 14 people. For subjects like anatomy, histology, biochemistry, physiology, groups are combined, so you see more people.
Nationality-wise, the biggest groups are always:
- Germans
- Swedes
- Finns
There are many others too, but those three dominate.
Attendance turned out to be strict, but at first I didn’t even know where to check it. Another frustrating thing is that teachers almost never attach clear dates to things. You’ll see things like “colloquium on the 7th lesson”, and then you have to count lessons in the calendar yourself! I promise, after a few semesters this gets a little better mostly because you get used to it... But I still sometimes have to check my groups whatsapp group to see when the colloq dates are (because our lovely group leader usually sends the dates and some reminders).
Attendance requirements are usually:
- 75% without sick notes
- 50% with sick notes
BUT PLEASE CHECK PER COURSE!!
You can check your attendance differently per course. Some courses have an Attendance section in e-studies that looks like this:
You can get a sick note from the university ambulance (if you’re lucky enough to get an appointment) for around 30€, or from a private clinic. How to submit a sick note:
myRSU > Applications and Inquiries > Applications and Inquiries (yes, twice...) > Change of Status > Application for excused absence > Topic > I wish to register incapacity to work > Date from & to > Short explanation for which classes youre missing > Attach sick note
I also have a youtube video on how to send a sick note that you can watch here.
We received our actual study calendar about a week before classes started, during orientation week. You can see it through myRSU or more reliably, through Outlook with your student email (form 000000@rsu.edu.lv)
More about attendance in this blog post.
Studying
Teaching quality varies a lot.
Some teachers are great. Some are... quite bad at teaching. Some have accents that are a bit difficult to understand. You get used to it eventually.
Anatomy, for example, has:
- one online lecture per week (“DemoLab”), early in the morning
- one practical class per week
You don’t need to speak or turn your camera on during DemoLab, which is honestly nice. More about studying Anatomy in this blog post.
Histology works in a similar way later on.
You can recognise online classes or recorded lectures by there being no location in the calendar. So go on Outlook with your school email, open the calendar, click on the class. Is there a location? If yes, go there. If not, check if it says Video lecture. If yes, probably just a recorded lecture. If something else, it's probably a online lesson. One exception is the DemoLabs, they for some odd reason have a location but they are online. Check out this blog post for more specific info on how the timetable works.
The pace feels fast at first, mostly because everything is new. Some courses feel useful, some feel pointless. I definitely had a lot of moments where what I'm doing feels like a waste of time. But honestly, those courses are over before you know it. For example, we had a bioethics course in our first semester and that felt like an absolute waste of time. But I blinked and it's been a year since it ended!
I learned quickly that the mindset here is often: just get through it.
In physics, there’s something called a defence, where one or two students are randomly asked to come to the front and answer questions. These are graded and affect your final grade. Stressful at first... to put it lightly. I have also written a blog posts on how those work that you can read here.
Some courses also offer an autopass, meaning if your average is high enough, you don’t need to take the final exam. The requirements vary by course. For example, Molecular Biology, Medical Chemistry and Physics have this structure.
If you want to read more about the first semester courses, read this blog post.
Daily life in Riga
Latvia is super into loyalty cards.
Seriously. Get them. For everything.
My closest shop is Rimi, so I downloaded the app and started collecting discounts immediately. It adds up, I save like 30€ per month on groceries just because I scan it.
You should also get it for shops like Stockmann, Jysk, Drogas, and honestly just check at every store if they have one.
Public transport is cheap but a bit complicated. You have to apply for a student transport card through RSU systems, forward emails, visit a service centre in person, and bring your passport (a normal ID wont be enough!!).
Here's the detailed steps: myRSU > Applications and inquiries > Inquiry request > Status Inquiry > Change receiver to RP SIA "Riga Satiksme" and language to Latvian. You'll receive an answer to your RSU email on outlook. When you receive it, forward to sekretariats@rigassatiksme.lv Add your contact details and address of the Client Centre you intend to visit. I decided to visit Origo location. When you visit, bring your PASSPORT!! Not an ID, or drivers license. Only PASSPORT!!
It costs 12 € per month, and you need to renew it like this every semester. During the semester you can just refill the card at those Rigas Satiksme machines that are around or in Narvesen. You can also just get four months at a time when you first buy it at the beginning of the semester.
Don't rely on Mobilly long-term to buy the one-time tickets (1,5€ /ticket). It gets expensive...
Watch this youtube video for how to get the monthly ticket.
Emotionally, How Was It?
Honestly I haven't regretted the decision at any point. There are times that I look at the next many years I have to spend studying, but then I think: "The time's gonna pass anyways, might as well become a doctor!" Some days are really tough, and burnout does happen. It took me three semesters to learn how to not drive myself to burnout at the start of each semester.
Expectations vs Reality
One thing that surprised me was how old-fashioned many systems are. Like, nothing can be done electronically I swear! And older workers often don't speak a word of English. Even the cloak ladies at the RSU main building don't speak English, and often won't bother to use Google Translate. So if you lost your coat there... It'll be a bit tough trying to find it. But you'll get through it.
The study quality varies a lot. I expected all the studying to be super old fashioned textbook studying. But we have 0 textbooks. Sometimes we're lucky if we have clear materials for what we need to learn :') The professors are often young, but some of them... Can't understand a word.
But yeah, making new friends was harder than I thought. I thought I could just become an extrovert just like that. But it's not really like that. It takes a while sometimes to meet your people. But just because you didn't meet your best friend in the first few weeks, doesn't mean you won't ever. New people join groups all the time because they are redoing a course. You end up meeting so many people during your studies. If you want to read more about loneliness in uni, read this post.
Final Thoughts on the First Weeks
The first few weeks didn’t really give me that magical stable footing in Riga I had imagined.. But honestly I hope to help some of the people who stumble upon this blog with starting their studies :)
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