From Mathematics to Business Analytics: Finding My Path at Tartu

Yevheniia Baranovych, alumna of Business Administration from Ukraine

Since childhood, I have been more into mathematics and analysing things. However, as I grew older, I realized that this should have some practical implications rather than staying equations on paper. So, when I was in high school, I started thinking about my future career, and my attention was drawn to Business Administration at the University of Tartu. As I was reading more about the programme on the website with all potential courses, international experiences and social events, my eyes sparkled, and I started working on my application.

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The University of Tartu offers a flexible “puzzle” system in which you can build your own curriculum and schedule. That’s why I knew it would be perfect for me, not only to build a strong foundation in accounting, economics, finance, marketing, management, and other business disciplines, but also to develop additional hard and soft skills that will support my future career.

Even though I imagined my study experience in Tartu like in all popular movies and series, it exceeded my expectations. The proof of that is my full 4 years of studies and 266 ECTS earned (yes, the program is 180, and?).

Sometimes it was a bit harder, sometimes easier, but it was definitely fun. Throughout my studies, I have gained the basic knowledge needed to understand the enterprise and how to run it. I have met many inspiring people who are experts in their fields during lectures, networking, and larger events such as Delta Trends Day or TEDxUniversity of Tartu. And of course, a lot of group projects with tons of talks, deadlines, meetings, and so on.

Another thing is that the studies are done in a smaller group, so I could actively participate in discussions and study at my own pace, exploring something that is more interesting or useful at the moment, within and beyond the business field. And of course, I have to mention the Neuromarketing lab, where I got the possibility to get into people’s minds or at least track the movement of their eyes.

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There is so much to talk about my studies and the environment. Let’s start with Delta building, where all BBA lectures take place. For me, it felt like a second, if not a first home in Tartu. Everything is designed to help you feel comfortable studying and inspired, so you feel like you can achieve anything.

Moreover, lecturers, professors, and staff are so nice and welcoming that you just want to stop by to chat for 5 minutes or share some ideas or hesitations. Tartu is a student city where every day you run into someone you know or potentially you will. So networking here is not just a word. And of course, you can meet so many open-minded and amazing people that you will create great memories with and stay in touch with long after your studies.

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Even though I had already moved from Ukraine to study in Estonia, it was still a bit scary to change everything again and move somewhere else for my Erasmus exchange. But it was a wonderful experience, totally worth it. I have done 2 Erasmus+ exchanges, one in KU Leuven in Belgium and another at the University of Mannheim in Germany. Studying there differs from studying at the University of Tartu, as they have different rules and setups. For instance, I had much less assignments and group projects as courses are quite often assessed based on the final exam only. Or I had lectures in different campuses, which was kind of new for me. But overall, this time made me try things I haven’t done before, deal with paperwork completely on my own, made me stronger, more independent and more confident overall. And of course, meeting even more people and getting to know them. I would absolutely recommend taking this opportunity!

During the first year, I participated in Student StartUp Camp, where we built an app prototype and won the Best Pitch award. However, I felt the urge to do something, especially during my last year. I became a member of EMTS - Business and Economics Students' Association – in the event team, which I think is a really cool place to get to know more people from the School of Economics and Business Administration. I also got to know first-year BBA and high-school students while showing them Delta building around. In addition, I was honoured to represent the BBA programme in one of the biggest study fairs in Finland – STUDIA, where I talked with potential students about the application process, some challenges, and gains that they will get while studying at the University of Tartu.

But I would say one of the greatest experiences was TEDxUniversity of Tartu, which we organised together with my friends for the first time in our university. It was a long 5 months of preparation, contacting people, and being in the loop with other teams, but the result was breathtaking and even better than we had imagined. It definitely taught me to be more patient, stay organised, and manage my time more effectively. But as a result, I now have 20 inspiring TEDx talks to look back on and plenty of valuable networking connections.

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Throughout the years of studying, I understood that I wanted to specialise further and decided to focus on business analytics. Although a large part is coding and visualisation, it is important to understand what is going on behind the numbers. That’s why the BBA programme is especially useful, with a broad understanding of finance, marketing, HR, and management, which allows one to look at the bigger picture and understand the challenges from the perspective of the whole organisation.

I would recommend the BBA programme for anyone looking for flexibility in their studies, practical knowledge of business and economics, an international environment, and the opportunity to build something new on their own. So if you are curious and enjoy trying new things, you will find plenty of opportunities to grow here.

I will be pursuing an MSc in Business Analytics and Econometrics at the University of Cologne, where I will study both traditional and modern analytical approaches to identify patterns that are not obvious and use them to make better business decisions.

*Yevheniia was also rewarded for the best bachelor’s thesis of Business Administration. Read her work here.