Margarita Setska

What were you doing before MGH?

After completing my undergrad studies I worked in the sphere of international student exchanges. First, at a large student sponsor organization in the US and then in my home country, Belarus, sending university students on exchange programs abroad. Having met so many people from around the world, I realized I wanted to learn more about their countries and cultures to ensure the most successful cooperation. This is when I made my mind to go back to school to pursue my Masters degree.

Why did you choose MGH?

I chose this particular program for several reasons. First, it offers courses on almost every region of the world unlike many programs focused on a specific area. This proved to be very helpful for me as it provided me with a very nice introduction to African, Latin American, and Asian studies. I enjoyed the two courses on Latin American history most of all as I had always wanted to study the history of Latin American countries but only got this opportunity as part of this program. Secondly, I was looking for a program that would focus on Modern History and provide a link to the world we are living in today. The global approach of the program is only relevant if it is linked to the recent era of globalization and this is precisely what I looked for when searching for programs. Last but not least is the location of the two universities running our program and the great opportunity to study in Germany even if you are not a confident German speaker. All these factors made my choice quite easy.

How is the workload?

The program is organized so that one of the semesters is much shorter than the other one, which makes it harder to keep up with all the work we have to do in the fall semester. The schedule is also quite dense in the fall and one must be prepared to dedicate quite a lot of time to classes and studying. During the spring semester, however, there is more time to do everything you like, be it a relaxing day at home or a day trip to the North sea shore. Also, comparing with what is expected from the students in my home country, the workload here is quite manageable. Besides, given the flexibility in choosing the courses, we are all working on something we enjoy, so it works out well in the end.