Inka Kohonen: “living here has taught me to step out of my comfort zone”
Inka decided to move to Tallinn from Finland to pursue her childhood dream and study law. Gradually she learned more about her favourite specialisation — contract law and now wishes to continue studies on master’s level after graduating from TalTech.
Why did you choose to study law?
My interest towards law has developed over time, as ever since I was a child I got to hear fascinating stories from my family friends who were lawyers. Hearing them talk about their jobs always made me look up to them, giving me the feeling of “I want to do that one day as well”. They’re also the reason as to why I wish to be working within the contract law field in the future.
Where did you first hear about TalTech and why did you decide to study here?
I first heard about TalTech from a friend of mine who had decided to come to study here. After hearing about her first year here and the specialisations that our school offers, I quickly realised that it was something that I wished to be specialising in the future too. In addition, I have always known that I wanted to be working internationally, and therefore completing my studies in English would offer me something more valuable in the future.
How would you evaluate the study programme?
Studying in the middle of a pandemic has been a challenge to everyone and the traditional way of learning, meaning classroom lessons, hasn’t been practiced as it normally would. Therefore, our studies are definitely more academic and theoretical. However, I’ve learned that because of this, I also had to put a lot of more work on studying myself, meaning that my own ability to do research has improved by a mile. My favourite subjects have been contract law, as it is something that I wish to focus on in the future, and also courses held by professor Tsybulenko, because of how interactive they are.
What is your vision on the future of the EU and International Law?
I believe that the field of international law is in need of more knowledgeable scientists, especially in Finland. This is a complicated field which is constantly changing and developing, making it difficult to keep up for “regular” lawyers, who have specialised only in one legal system of one state. Therefore, the education surrounding these topics cannot be undermined.
What do you plan to do after graduating?
After graduating from TalTech, my plan is to go do my master studies somewhere in Europe, where there is a master’s programme for business/contract law. Ultimately, after those studies the only criteria I have for my future workplace is that it offers me a possibility to work within the field of my specialisation, and that it enables me to do so internationally.
How is a student life in Tallinn?
Student life in Tallinn is quite lively. Not only do the multiple student organisations arrange activities for nearly every week, but the students themselves are always up to do something and go somewhere, meaning that there’s always someone somewhere and you’ll never have to worry about being bored or having nothing to do. For example, when I’m not either studying, at school or at gym, I’m always hanging out with my friends, either going for a brunch or to the movies or just simply going out.
What’s unique about Estonia?
It is a perfect place to be living in as a student, and more specifically in Tallinn. It’s not too small but not too big either, there’s a lot to do and it is friendly for a student’s budget! For example the fact that the public transport is free for the residents of Tallinn is unbelievable and it was a shock to me when I first moved here. It doesn’t go without saying that there’s life outside of Tallinn as well. For example doing one-day road trips to other cities such as Tartu, is easy to make happen. Living here has taught me to step out of my comfort zone, as moving to a whole new country knowing no one is always difficult and a little intimidating. However, the atmosphere around students here has always felt welcoming and so getting to know new people and making new friends has never felt easier.
The application process to TalTech is still going on. See details here: taltech.ee/en/admissions
