Continuously learning from each other and working at Studied alongside your internships

Sofie has been teaching at Studied for 2.5 years now. She is doing this in addition to her master's degree in Medicine at Maastricht University, for which she is currently doing internships. In conversation with me, Sofie talks about her time with us, shares some tips for students and explains how to combine her lessons with all her activities.

Who are you? What do you do in daily life? And what do you do at Studied?

My name is Sofie! Five years ago, I swapped the Achterhoek to study in the most beautiful city in the Netherlands, Maastricht. Currently, I am in the second year of my master's degree in Medicine at Maastricht University. Here I do various internships called internships in various hospitals in Limburg and the Eindhoven region. To do this, I am now working on my scientific research into adrenal cortex cancer. In addition to the many hours that I spend in the hospital, I enjoy sharing my knowledge in my spare time. That's why I'm in the right place at Studied as a student lecturer!

Which subject do you like to teach the most?

The most fun subjects to tutor are, of course, biology and math.

What do you love about teaching at Studied?

In the 2.5 years that I've been working at Studied, no tutoring has been the same. Each student has their own way of learning, interests and bottlenecks. This allows you to respond to something else every time. In addition, I'm learning a lot from it myself. Indeed, for a future doctor, it is important that you can explain difficult processes in biology with the right words as comprehensibly as possible, while you also need to be able to see whether someone has actually understood that explanation. You are constantly working on that in the tutoring sessions. So the student and I are constantly learning from each other!

What do most students have trouble with?

Difficult subjects in biology often include heredity, evolution and cells. I try to explain this as best I can using examples, exercises and videos. Where possible, I try to link processes in the body to what I learn in the hospital. This keeps the tutoring fun and interesting!

How do you ensure that your students progress?

It is important to first make an assessment of where the bottlenecks lie. Once this is clear, great steps can be taken through regular lessons, the right way of learning and a lot of practice. If this goes well, the joy in learning will return, which will ultimately only strengthen progress.

What is your most important tip for students?

Biology processes or math problems can sometimes look very difficult at first glance. An important tip: see if you can divide the sum or the process into different parts and ask yourself each time: “Do I understand why I'm taking this step or part of the process”. When you understand what you're doing, it's much less easy to forget it!

What is your most important tip for the final exams?

An important tip before the final exam is to practice a lot with old final exams. This way, you get used to the way of asking questions and you have an idea of which topics are important. When you find out that you don't remember something, look it up in your books. And perhaps the most important tip is: trust yourself! In all those years that you have been working towards your final exams, you have received a lot of material that you now need to apply again. You've got this!

How important do you find the connection with your students?

A good relationship of trust with students is very important to me! This creates a safe learning environment, where students can share everything and dare to make mistakes. Especially during the learning process, it is important to make mistakes, because this is where you learn the most. Ultimately, a good click reinforces the ability to learn and practice well, so that we achieve the desired results faster.

Do you find it easy to combine your work with your other activities?

Sure! In addition to my internships in the hospital, I find it important to make time for friends, family, sports and trips. In addition, I want to save some time to study and prepare the patients I'm going to see. Fortunately, my lessons at Studied are pre-scheduled with the student, so my work at Studied is easy to plan in combination with my other activities. By the way, you can make work as busy as you want. You decide how many students you supervise.

Would you recommend working at Studied? And why?

The work at Studied is definitely recommended. No tutoring is the same. I enjoy building a band and preparing for the final exam together. It is amazing to see how much progress the students are making. Moreover, the work is easy to combine with full agendas.

Want to get guidance from Sofie? Check www.studied.nl and get in touch with us!