ESSEC Diaries: Proven Tips for Academic Excellence with Eun Li Seo

Eun Lee, a student from South Korea, shares her strategies for academic excellence. She emphasizes consistency, efficiency, and understanding in her studies. She actively engages during lectures and uses mobile applications to manage her schedule. Eun Lee also prioritizes effective time management and recommends using digital tools to stay organized. She prefers the Cornell note-taking system and taking notes alongside lecture materials. Eun Lee prepares for exams by reviewing lecture slides and notes and utilizing practice exams. As an international student in Singapore, she highlights the challenges of adjusting to a new educational culture and language barriers. Eun Lee advises active participation in class and building a supportive network with fellow students. She encourages students to overcome hesitations in speaking their non-native language, as the learning environment is inclusive and supportive. Eun Lee recommends Microsoft To-Do app and Google Drive for managing tasks and c Welcome to ESSAC Diaries, Student Journeys in Singapore. I'm your host, Joe Escobedo. On today's episode, we're talking about academic excellence, how to do well in the classroom. Joining us with some very practical tips is Eun Lee. I'm Eun Lee Seol, a senior year student from South Korea, and I'm currently pursuing a double degree in business administration and management at Peking University's Guanghua School of Management. My academic journey spans multiple countries, growing up in South Korea, China, the Philippines, and Singapore. This international exposure has shaped my understanding of global markets and cultural dynamics, which is essential for my studies in business and management. I'm glad to be here today. Absolutely. Very excited to have you on. And I should have mentioned you're on the Dean's List as well. Now, I'm curious, what are some of your strategies when it comes to studying and preparing for class? My study strategy is centered around consistency. I aim to give my best in everything I do, whether it's studying intensely when I need to, or fully enjoying my lecture time. I prioritize efficiency and understanding in my studies. By actively engaging during lectures, asking questions, and discussing topics with peers, I deepen my comprehension. This proactive approach during lecture minimizes the need for additional study time. I also use mobile applications to manage my schedule, ensuring the dedication and distraction-free study periods. So this strategy not only prepares me for exams, but also allows me to fully enjoy my university life. It's great to hear. I'm sure many professors love that you're so engaged and proactive in class. You mentioned a couple of different things, one of which was managing, because you want to make time for leisure, you want to make time for study. So what are some tips for managing your time effectively? Personally, I do believe effective time management is crucial for handling multiple responsibilities as a student. So I prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance. Using digital tools, Microsoft To-Do app, and the self-made Excel task tracker to keep track of my, all of the deadlines. So setting clear priorities and reminders helped me to manage my workload efficiently. This organized approach allowed me to maintain a balanced schedule among studies, work, and even my personal life. Awesome. So you use Microsoft To-Do list and Excel to keep track of all your deadlines. And what are your tips in terms of note-taking? You talked about being proactive and engaging and asking questions, but you're absorbing a lot of new information from classes. So what are some of the tips you use to take really good notes? I prefer a structured note-taking method like the Cornell system, which helped me to organize notes into summaries, keywords, and questions right from the lecture. Besides, I prefer taking notes alongside the lecture materials like slides. So that when I refer back, especially during the exam season, it's easier for me to review. This kind of method might be particularly useful, I think, especially to the international students in Singapore, where the pace of lecture can be fast for them because English might not be their native or their first language. So summarizing and questioning the content actively during the lecture is a great way to comprehend for the overall comprehension and also retention. Yeah, you mentioned a very good point in terms of many international students, English may not be their native language, and in terms of preparing for exams, what is your approach? In terms of preparation for exam at ESSEC, I think I begin by reviewing lecture slides and notes well in advance. So utilizing those practice exams and quizzes also helped me to identify areas that which I need improved. And also communicating with professors to clarify which topic will be emphasized on exam is also very beneficial, especially to me. And group study session is also invaluable as they tap into collective knowledge of peers, often uncovering inside me during my individual study. You mentioned learning from your peers as well as taking notes in class. And you mentioned one of the primary challenges for international students is learning in their non-native language. So were there any other challenges you face as an international student studying in Singapore? In my opinion, I witnessed some international students, especially those from maybe Asian countries who could not fully enjoy the benefit of studying on a Singapore campus, especially like the benefit of studying in a small size class. So I think one significant challenge for international students is adjusting to a new educational culture and language barriers. Since ESSEC emphasized learning by doing, many lectures value active student discussion and interaction with professors. So I strongly recommend all students ask questions and be involved in discussion during all the lectures. So I think for me, especially it was very beneficial to engage actively in class and utilize available resources, such as academic workshops, tutoring sessions, and even speaking with professors during office hours. So building a supportive network with fellow students, which is also very helpful and provide emotional and academic support, which I think is very crucial for adjusting and succeeding in new study environments. Yeah, it's very good advice in terms of being proactive, asking questions. I think many students that I've had over the years who maybe English is a native language, they may feel maybe not as comfortable or hesitant to speak, maybe because they don't feel comfortable or they feel like perhaps they're being judged. Have you seen anything similar where, you know, not only in terms of the difference of participating in class, but also because they feel like they don't feel comfortable speaking in their non-native language? I think definitely, yes. I think some of the students, they might want to like being active in class, but they just hesitate because, oh, maybe like when I speak, I have some grammatical mistakes, but to be honest, since a lot of students are from different background and culture, it's just like an emotional stress coming from individual side. So I feel like if you, once you overcome and try to speak for a few times, you will naturally be adjusted to the environment with the active discussion. Yeah, it's a very good point because the diversity of essay class, you have people, many of which the English is their native language. So you're all learning from each other and it's a very comfortable, warm environment where no one is really judging each other, particularly when it comes to a language skill. A good reminder for them. You mentioned some of the mobile apps and tools, but are there any specific ones, any additional ones that you use that really help you during your study process? I find tools like Microsoft to do app and my old Excel file invaluable for managing tasks and schedules. And for a collaborative project, since we are setting business, there are so many good projects. I feel like Google drive and Microsoft teams provide seamless platform for sharing and editing documents in real time, which is really great. I feel like you should become a Microsoft ambassador at this point. It sounds like you really love their products and offerings. So going back to your mission earlier about striking a balance between studying effectively and then living your life outside the classroom. How do you manage your time? I think staying motivated and balancing your overall life involves like setting personal goals and recognizing the process made towards them. I make sure to balance my hard work and activities that I enjoy, such as dancing, which not only relaxes me, but also energizes me to be more engaged and devoted to my academic task. So maintaining this balance is the key to sustaining the motivation and preventing burnout in the demanding academic environment. And lastly, the key is to focus and try your best in everything you do. So studying and even playing is a key part of my academic life. So studying and even playing, when you are trying your best, you can actually eventually make progress and reach a good balance in student life. So going back to what you're talking about in terms of goals. So I've seen my students over the years look at academia or studying from two different goals. One of which is how do I get A plus on every single class? The other batch of students' goals are how can I learn as much so I can apply it to, say, my family business or my future endeavors. Are the two mutually exclusive or do you, how do you set your goals? If I can ask in terms of academia? I think personally, your own reasons or your own goals for studying in this undergrad program is essential because for instance, as you mentioned, the first group of people, they might just aim for a high grade, but if you have a valid reason aside from it, I think it's also beneficial. It might be stressful, but if you're aiming for that, I think it's beneficial for you. For instance, like for me, I was aiming for a high score because I knew that when I was entering ESSEC, I wanted to apply for the double degree program so that I know that it's beneficial for me if I can get into the business. So that's why I was actively managing my schedule and setting my goals in order to achieve high goals. But I've also seen like the second group of students who wants to emphasize more on like application of the study because they know like what they want to do in career. Like if you are, I've seen a lot of my peers was aiming for like finance industry or consulting industry, especially those who are aiming for investment banking. Aside from reaching high score, I think there are more emphasize on I have to focus on finance courses. I have to learn not only from the class, but also maybe join like association, for example, the consulting association or finance associations to learn something practical, for example, building the expression models. So I think it really depends on your long-term goals in terms of both academics and also like a career. So I think it really depends on what kind of things you achieve and what kind of goals you want to achieve and what kind of long-term like or short-term goals that you want to achieve eventually to align with your study goals. That's a very good point. So looking at it, working backwards and saying, okay, if this is what I want to achieve professionally and say, in the next two to five years, what do I need to know, what skills or what degrees do I need to get to that point? I'm curious, were there any specific ESSEC resources, could it be the library or any other academic resources that you found helpful during your studies? Personally, I'm very encouraged to explore all resources offered by the ESSEC library, from study spaces to academic workshop and especially online database. Of course, when you are first time using those kind of online database like Statista, like Stata, etc., or even like Bloomberg, like you might encounter some problem. So my suggestion is don't hesitate to ask for help in finding materials or like learning to use those kind of research tools. Because I feel like leveraging these resources early in your academic life can significantly enhance your learning and research capabilities. Now, you sound like you have everything clearly planned out, but was there a time where you were struggling or maybe feel overwhelmed and then you did something and it was like that aha moment where it helped you really focus and improve your study skills? Of course, I have also the hard time and for instance, like I have a personal story about how the power of effective study habits and time management. So when I first started at ESSEC, I realized the importance of being not just like purely hardworking, but also being smart in terms of how I approach my studies. So the breakthrough came when I decided to create a customized study routine tailored to my own learning style. So for me, planning ahead and formulating a detailed study plan, including the daily to-do list, become like one of my strategies. So I set specific goals for each day or for each task where it can be an exam. This approach allowed me to break down my syllabus into manageable tasks, making the process less overwhelming and more achievable. So for instance, during my first semester's final, I created a detailed revision timetable in advance, specific chapters and topics from different subjects to integrate both review and the practice test. So I feel like this kind of approach paid off dramatically. Not only was I able to cover all the material systematically, but I also retained information better and felt more prepared on my exam days. So this led to a significant improvement in my grade, I think, which not only further boost my academic confidence, but also reinforced the value of having a personalized study routine. So I think this kind of experience actually taught me that understanding your own learning preferences and adopting your own study method accordingly can actually transform academic performances. It's not just about the hours that you put in or just being purely hardworking, but the more important thing is how effectively those hours, those study hours are. So by setting clear structure goals and following a tailored study plan. Personally, I was able to maximize my study efficiency and achieve excellent results. It's great to hear, and I think it's very good advice you mentioned in terms of breaking down your syllabus into manageable, bite-sized actions. That's, I think, very good because oftentimes you may look at a syllabus, you may be overwhelmed, especially at the beginning of the semester. But to your point, breaking that down in a month-by-month or day-by-day process can help you manage it much easier, it sounds like. So we have some wonderful tips. Maybe what's one last piece of advice you'd give the upcoming batch of students when it comes to really excelling in terms of their academic? I think my overall answers so far or my interaction with you are centered around being consistent and also maybe just try your best and be your best in everything. Play hard, work hard. There you go. Play hard, work hard. Wonderful advice. Thank you so much for coming on today's episode and sharing your insights. Thank you so much. It was a pleasure sharing my experience today. And for everyone watching, hopefully you enjoyed today's episode and we'll see you soon on the next one.