Jim Braafhart: European Languages and Cultures MA programme seemed like a perfect fit

Jim is currently pursuing a master's degree in Russian Language and Literature at the Institute of Foreign Languages and Cultures. He is in his second year working on his thesis project and hopes to graduate this June. Since all students are recommended to spend one semester in a university where the language of the speciality is spoken as the first language, he had planned to do an exchange programme in Moscow, but that was obviously cancelled early on last year. Now he is volunteering as an English tutor for a Ukrainian refugee. "This and the thesis project take up most of my time, so I will not be travelling abroad soon," said Jim.

Jim obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of Groningen, where he studied International Relations with a focus on Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. He did an exchange to Krakow, Poland, where he focused on the Polish language and culture. Back in the Netherlands, he did an MA in East European Studies at the University of Amsterdam, focusing more on culture, literature and language.

Since he wanted to expand his knowledge of the Russian language, Jim started looking for universities that offered degrees in Slavic philology, and Tartu was one of the options. "I knew the University of Tartu by its reputation as a good institution, and I had visited the city twice. The atmosphere of a small student town is something I really appreciate. In addition, the MA programme was taught in Russian instead of English, German or Dutch, so it seemed like a perfect fit," explained Jim.

Jim explained more specifically what fascinates him about his speciality: "All professors are genuinely passionate about their respective fields, and the rather small-scale nature of our programme means that a good individual connection is easily made with our teachers. Therefore the teachers are able to provide a lot of help and support when needed, and they can communicate their own interests and inspirations well." 

In addition, he spoke about the competencies and skills he has acquired during his studies: "Since I am a student of philology, I have focused mainly on language proficiency. I am now able to acquire basic language skills quite easily. The University of Tartu Institute of Foreign Languages and Cultures offers a lot of interesting language courses, and I have had the pleasure of following classes in Russian, Ukrainian, Polish and Estonian. I came here to improve my proficiency in Russian, which worked out very well, but I had not expected to do so much more!" 

According to Jim, Tartu is a good place to study: "I really appreciate the peace and quiet of the city, which is conducive to studying, while Tartu does not become boring. The vibrant student atmosphere is a real advantage. The university itself is modern, technologically advanced and open. I like the main library a lot; it is a very comfortable place to be, with everything at hand." He added that Tartu is very international and that he is still sometimes surprised about the huge variety of nationalities that come together at the university. 

When asked what he plans to do after graduation, Jim laughed and jokingly replied that he would like to jump in the fountain at the Town Hall Square of Tartu. Aside from that, he will likely move back to the Netherlands for some time.

"But I am always tempted to keep exploring. I am currently looking for a job in publishing, ideally something to do with Slavic language and literature. Someday I would like to continue my academic career by pursuing a PhD related to East European history and culture. I do believe Tartu has enabled me to follow such a path!"