Elfi Aliyeva (Azerbaijan)
FACEBOOK MANAGER
PROGRAMME: Bachelor’s in Science and Technology
Why did you choose to study this programme?
The desire to uncover the secrets of scientific processes has always been strong. Basic explanations never satisfied me, and only as I started studying biology in school did I understand my true calling in life: science. By being given the chance to fathom the fundamentals of scientific mechanisms in the world around me, my desire to contribute to the scientific field flourished. I found myself diving headfirst into the scientific literature, reading and watching content dedicated to young learners, and spending copious amounts of time in museums. Aside from enjoying the theoretical side of science, I learned to love the process of innovating, creating, and elaborating my own personal research. Devising a hypothesis, researching, doing preliminary work, conducting the real experiment, and then looking for trends in the obtained data; all this made me realize that there is no major more suitable to me than Biotechnology and Genetics.
By studying Biotechnology and Genetics, I want to deepen my knowledge and understanding of the scientific mechanisms which form us. Having a real interest in medicine, yet lacking the devotion to work personally with patients, I find this course to be ideal. As someone who has experienced many diseases over my life, I also truly believe in the versatility and great potential of Genetic Engineering. Being able to study this branch of science, and moreover, contribute to it, would be the epitome of my wildest dreams. Having considered the reputation, professors, labs, and research programmes to have an amasing reputation at the University of Tartu, it became obvious that my ambitions and dreams would be fulfilled and encouraged upon studying this programme.
Why Estonia?
Originally, I knew close to nothing about Estonia, however, when the time came to apply to universities, I noticed how this specific institution has quite a good ranking. I already had some friends who studied at the University of Tartu, so hearing about their stories, their daily lives and most importantly, their studies, I became more and more attracted to this country and town overall. I personally prefer a more close-knit and peaceful environment to live in, so Tartu was pretty ideal for me. Estonia has beautiful, unique nature and climate, extremely different from my home country, Azerbaijan, so it’s always a pleasure to experience this other side of the world. On top of this, Estonia is more affordable than other European countries, which is a huge plus for a student. One of the most amazing aspects of Estonia is how highly digitized and technologically advanced everything is. Together with being so safe, Estonia also manages to preserve its historical monuments and integrate them with the comfort and convenience modern technology gifts us. I love how Tartu is a student city, where you are constantly surrounded by an environment of like-minded students your age, who are all working and studying hard to achieve their dreams.
