Cody Stevens (USA)

PROGRAMME: Master's in European Language and Cultures (Specialty: German Language and Literature)

Why did you choose to study this programme?

I chose to study German language and literature as I have many family members who came from Germany. I had taken various classes to learn German at the university, but I really wanted to improve. I wanted to study in a programme where the main language of instruction was the language I was learning. I can say that my language skills have really improved even in a short time. I also was not really sure what I wanted to do at the time, but I really appreciated that the European Languages and Cultures programme at the University of Tartu was quite flexible. You have the potential to build the programme yourself to suit your needs. So, if you want to work with translation, linguistics, editing, etc. anything is possible. Therefore, I enjoyed taking a variety of classes to decide what I liked best.  

Why Estonia?

I never thought that I would end up in Estonia. However, I initially applied as it was the sister school of my former university in the United States. I knew a couple of friends from my home state who had previously studied at the University of Tartu, and they had amazing experiences, so I felt like it would be a good option to apply for. I applied to various universities throughout Europe, however, upon doing my interview for my programme I knew it was the place for me as the professors and staff were quite friendly and it felt more like a family rather than a university. I was really looking for a smaller city as well and Tartu really fits everything that I was looking for. Now, I cannot imagine choosing somewhere else.