Ida-Susanna Pöllänen, MA European Public Affairs
Ida is from Finland, has a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Warsaw, Poland, and decided to come to Maastricht for the master’s programme European Public Affairs.
“I’ve always been passionate about EU relations and I just knew my master’s studies would have to be EU related. Maastricht University is very popular in Finland due to its high ranking and reputation. In fact, during my bachelor’s in Warsaw, I met quite a few people that had studied at Maastricht University. I came to the Master’s Open Day and knew for sure this programme was the best fit for me. Other deciding factors were also that it is a one-year master’s programme, the opportunities for the internship, and that we get professional skills’ training, since employers nowadays simply expect you to have them when you start your career. My dream ambition is to work for Finland in a EU environment, either in the security sector of public affairs or working on defence policies. To that end, I will first join the Finnish army after I graduate, to learn more about the army and all the aspects involved in that.”
Ida-Susanna Pöllänen
November 2019
Ida-Susanna was Student ambassador during academic year 2019-2020
Watch her ambassador video
Combining my master’s degree with my future army experience will give me the perfect basis for my dream career.