I’d love to say time management and designing meticulous study plans. Realistically though, I think it’s about putting in the work: reviewing lecture notes, doing readings, spending long hours in the library polishing assignments. But this can be fun, especially if it’s time spent with friends. I thought of most assignments as learning opportunities, which helped with motivation, and I tried to make them interesting to the intended audience. I also believe that memorising facts in your area of interest is essential. I therefore turned lecture content and readings into Anki flashcards to review on the metro.

I am grateful for the range of courses taught and perspectives put forward by world-class professors and leading practitioners. This helped me position myself within complex energy transition debates. Comparing and contrasting insights gained from my courses with those from my part-time work at the German Association of Local Public Utilities (VKU) further prepared me for the diversity of energy research and policy. I already draw on my PSIA experience in my current position at the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG) in Brussels.

Enjoy your classes, Paris, the museums, the bars, and the very cool community of students you share this with. Personally, I also recommend using the third semester to write a master’s thesis to develop your own project. Take a research course on AI and machine learning. Also, don’t be too harsh on yourself: combining uni, work and/or volunteering, as many students do, can be tough, but it is rewarding in the end!