Morning Activities

I normally wake up at 7:30am and have biscuits for breakfast, sometimes accompanied by hot chocolate milk. On days with no classes, I usually go for a morning run - and since I live in BT1, the gym is only a lift button away. Regular runs help keep me active and set the mood for the whole day. I also like to do my laundry in the morning. I’m a morning person, I guess!

Elms BT1 gym

What’s in My Bag?

Normal stuff actually - like my glasses case, calculator, and water bottle. 

However, there is one thing that differentiates Actuarial Science students from the others: The Actuarial Formulae and Tables Book, or as we sometimes call it, The Orange Book (because…well, it’s orange). It’s a cool book filled with important formulas, numbers, and probabilities for actuarial calculations. 

The Orange Book

Some modules and exams require us to bring it, unless you’ve memorised things like the probability of a 40-year-old male not making it to 41 by heart. Be my guest! 

(I do remember some of them, actually).

Classes

I walk a 40-minute journey from BT1 for my classes, since all of them take place in QBS (Queen’s Business School) Student Hub. I like the fresh air and the walk itself, especially when I get green at every pedestrian crossing light. When it’s too cold during the winter or raining heavily, I take the bus. 

Classes last for 3 hours and are taught by experts in the actuarial field. Our modules are basically a condensed version of the whole undergrad equivalent, so it can be quite rough. I think the classes are fun and engaging, making a 3-hour class not feel too long. 

Road to QBS

Recently, we just completed two weeks of long classes - 5 to 6 hours each day - as part of our summer term. We barely survived those two weeks, but we got ourselves an early summer holiday…so we could start our individual summer project. What fun!

For lunch, I normally grab some food from Centra or from a nearby Asian restaurant called Gangnan Restaurant in Stranmillis. The restaurant serves a big portion, so I get to take home half of it for dinner - an awesome money-saving trick. This is definitely not an advertisement, but please try.

After Class

If my groceries start to run out, I go for a shopping spree after class. I do this once every week, on average. This is when I plan on which shops to go to, what stuff to buy, and the shortest path I should take so the whole shopping process finishes in the quickest way possible. This mindset of planning and being efficient helps a lot during exams. (It really does, trust me).

View from accommodation

After returning home, I watch some Netflix series or play some games. I also do my leg day in the gym every week, as it helps with my running sessions.

Study Time

I review that day’s materials and do the tutorial questions after I have my dinner. I like studying in my room. Studying in the library sounds fun, but considering the one-hour commute to and from the library, the trade-off doesn’t sound worth it.

I always try to finish my review and tutorial questions on the same day. I’ve done this every week since the first week of each term. This way, I get to enjoy my days off completely. This method is called spaced repetition. It’s actually similar to physical exercise, where rest days are equally important. 

It also allows me to sleep earlier - and I love my sleep. I won’t let my studies interrupt that. It’s better to exert a little effort consistently every week rather than doing late-night grinding days before final exams.

(Yes, exams - with an “s” - and there are 4 of them each term. Go study).

Free Time

On days with no classes, I prefer to disconnect myself from studies and my room. I like to walk around parks and Belfast streets. Queen’s Accommodation often organises trips that I usually join. Some places in Belfast are hard to reach by public transportation, so the trips definitely help. 

Castlewellan Park

My favourite one was the Castlewellan Forest Park trip. No friends - just with other students who registered for the trip, and some Residential Life staff. There was a huge lake with a trail and benches around it. I walked along the trail and sat on a bench, located at the vantage point overlooking the lake. I just sat there, staring at the wide blue lake, with trees surrounding it. Quiet and serene. No lecture slides, no distractions - just stillness.

One of the best feelings ever.

Final Words

For me, studying or working is important - but living a good life is just as important. 

Study. Exercise. Sleep. Enjoy. Repeat.

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Why Queen's for Postgraduate Study

Information for students from Indonesia

Your Student Guide

Ivan Teno MSc Actuarial Science | Postgraduate Student | Indonesia Hello there. I’m Ivan, an international student from Jakarta, Indonesia. I’m an MSc Actuarial Science student at Queen’s University Belfast, expected to graduate in 2025. I got my BSc in Financial Mathematics from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China.  I like Star Wars (not the sequel trilogy), enjoy running, and have a passion for teaching students - from primary school to university level. I’ve been teaching mathematics for 5 years, private tutoring style, and seeing students understand a concept makes me happy. I recently finished watching The Office (US version) series, and it’s easily one of my favourite shows so far.