Anastasiia Starchenko: “Never underestimate the importance of extracurricular activities for your career”
Anastasiia is from Ukraine. She came to study International Relations at TalTech and spent over three years here. Later she connected her professional and academic career to the international affairs and education. Time flies and she is already about to graduate from the postgraduate programme at College of Europe in Warsaw.
How did you come across the studies at TalTech?
Six years ago, I decided to switch my academic and professional background from Law to International Relations. Considering the nature of the field, I started searching for study opportunities abroad, and a friend of mine suggested checking out the Baltic States. Estonia instantly became my first choice. Not only was I able to study in English, but I could also afford the tuition fees for non-EU students and living expenses in the country. Having done my research on the Study in Estonia website, I applied for a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations at TalTech, which at the time existed as an independent programme.
Eight months later, in the end of August 2015, I was already exploring Tallinn, and it instantly felt like home. Even without knowing Estonian ⸺ aside from tere, äitah, and vabandust ⸺ I could easily go by with English or, occasionally, Russian. I still remember my first walk in the Old Town and the first class at TalTech as if it happened yesterday. There hasn’t been a day when I would question my choice. Three years of foreign politics and interdisciplinary studies, numerous student jobs, incredible time management skills, thesis nearly soaked in sweat and tears, inspiring professors, and people who will always be my second, international family. It has been quite a journey.
What can you say about the student life in Tallinn?
Studying in an international environment changes your mindset forever, in a positive way. It was especially beneficial for the field of our studies: we learned to co-exist and appreciate each other despite any cultural differences or expectations. As for student life, there have always been many events and social activities to participate in. For example, we always looked forward to the ESN’s international dinners, where we could enjoy our cultural diversity and taste delicious food from all over the world. In terms of professional development, those interested could join some university- or student-organised initiatives. I personally took part in the Student Ambassadors project and held a one-year position as the International Student Coordinator at the university’s Student Union. Although I have to admit that the Estonian and the international communities at TalTech exist in separate worlds, it didn’t prevent any of us, foreigners, from feeling integrated into the university’s life.
In less formal terms, a small city of Tallinn has a vibrant international life. Even while living there for more than three years, I haven’t been able to explore everything I wanted to. Festivals, fairs, exhibitions, restaurants, bars, night clubs ⸺ there are so many things to do any time of the year, even during the darkest and coldest days. Otherwise, home parties in our international group of friends are one of the sweetest memories of my student time in Estonia. Have you ever tried to fit 30 people into a small dormitory room?
Currently you are studying in Poland and remotely working for Study in Estonia. How did your career develop after graduation?
After graduation, I did a six-month-long research internship at the Institute for Security and Development Policy in Stockholm, Sweden, for which TalTech awarded me an Erasmus+ traineeship grant shortly before my graduation. Last spring, I came back to Tallinn and started working for the Archimedes Foundation. More precisely, I joined the team of Study in Estonia, a place where my Estonian journey has begun. By the way, never underestimate the importance of extracurricular activities for your career and networking: I am very grateful for the help and advice I have received from the Student Ambassadors coordinators at TalTech.
At Study in Estonia, we cooperate with the local higher education institutions in order to increase the visibility of Estonia as an attractive study destination for international students. As I mentioned before, Estonian higher education exists in a highly international environment, that’s one of the selling points we have. According to our statistics, there have been over 5,000 international students in 2019; one in 10 students in local universities comes from a foreign country. This alone shows the competitiveness and viability of Estonian higher education in the world. Other than that, many foreign students admit that Estonian universities, and TalTech specifically, value critical thinking, creativity, and initiative ⸺ it turns out that studying can be enjoyable. Such an approach helps students go beyond the theory and be prepared for a real-life workplace. This may sound obvious, but that’s not always the case, especially elsewhere in Europe outside of the EU.
In August 2019, I switched to remote work and started a postgraduate degree at the College of Europe in Warsaw, Poland. I am soon graduating with a major in European History and Civilization and starting a part-time internship at New Eastern Europe, a Poland-based news magazine dedicated to Central and Eastern European affairs. It’s been a very busy time, but I enjoyed every moment of it.
What are the topics that attract you the most in your field of study? Would you like to follow the academic career in future?
I am interested in the post-Soviet development of Eastern Europe and Russia, especially when it comes to history and memory politics. Historical knowledge, domestic dynamics, and a wider international context must all be taken into account in the field of regional studies. Although I generally consider pursuing a PhD, I am more attracted to the think tank industry, which engages in research, influences public policy, and encourages a wider public debate on specific issues. In a way, it is a middle ground between academic research and journalism.
What would you suggest to future students?
Apart from general recommendations to do internships and be engaged in networking, I suggest identifying specific professional interests and developing relevant experience from the very beginning. Of course, the specialisation will likely change over time, as it did in my case, but it’s a natural process of exploring the opportunities and understanding the benefits that you can bring to the professional world. Also we shouldn’t forget about foreign languages: they are always required in IR, but especially in diplomacy, international institutions, and regional expertise.
What are some extra-curricular books that you would suggest to future professionals?
When we only started at TalTech and I was completely new to the field of IR, everybody was talking about Henry Kissinger’s “Diplomacy”, Francis Fukuyama’s “The End of History and the Last Man”, and Samuel P. Huntington’s “The Clash of Civilizations and The Remaking of World Order”. You will come across these titles everywhere, and that’s a good start for a general overview. For anyone interested in Eastern Europe, and especially Soviet history, I recommend books by Anne Applebaum and Timothy Snyder.
The article is part of the series: “TalTech Alumni Stories”.
Stay tuned for more interviews with our graduates.
