University of Helsinki
I moved to Finland in August 2010 to study for my master’s degree in Media and Global Communication at the University of Helsinki. Previously, I had completed my bachelor’s degree in Media and Communication at the University of Passau. My bachelor’s degree was less scientific and I enjoyed having a more research based approach to media and communication studies in Helsinki. When our program started, I was positively surprised by our small group size and the extreme dedication with which both our programme coordinator and the thesis advisor took care of us. When I studied in Germany we were over 100 people in the programme and had to fight hard to get a place in interesting courses. Throughout my studies, the master’s programme provided us with a close knit community where everyone supported each other and a perfect learning environment. Not to mention the great facilities such as the library where researching and studying got that special feel.
I had already worked after my bachelor so going back to studying was quite a challenge for me and as it turns out the research approach wasn’t the easiest after all. Nevertheless, I am happy that I accepted the challenge and got the chance to do something that didn’t come easy for me but where I could move out of my comfort zone and learn highly analytical skills and enjoy some of the best lecturers that were available on a global scale. Studying at the University of Helsinki has taught me to think critically about how the world we live in is and how it is developing.
Shortly after I started my studies, I started working which unfortunately meant that I got to enjoy less of the excellent student life and education possibilities in Helsinki. I started working in a company called Kiosked, which is today one of the leading ad-tech companies in the world and got the chance to be part in building up their digital communication channels and learned to use marketing automation technologies which helped me in my future career. Although studying and working at the same time was tough, it is something that many Finns do and it definitely helps to add a practical side to the analytical skills you learn at the university. Even though at times it seemed like our studies where just theoretical, I notice in my daily work that most of the skills, especially the research skills are still the ones I am using all the time. After all, finding information and evaluating it critically is something we need to do in our work life.
Text: Wiebke Arendt
Orginally published Master’s Programme website