From theatre stages to international business

In 2022, I applied and was admitted to study at ELTE, which was a significant switch from what I was studying before. At the time, I had already completed my second year of Theatre and Film Studies back home in Nigeria.

I will start by admitting that I had the opportunity to study something else but chose a course that ended up being frustrating for me. I spent two years doing something I was not enjoying because I could not admit to myself that I had made the wrong choice.

Growing up, I wanted to be a lot of things, but for most of my secondary school years, especially during Mass Communication classes, I wanted to be a journalist. I was in Press and Debate Club from my first to my last year of school. I enjoyed compiling news stories for our weekly announcements, and it was fulfilling to head the club in my final year.

But somewhere along the line, I became fascinated by the idea of movie directing. I spent time imagining what that would look like, so the next step was to apply for Theatre and Film Studies. Our first play as first-year students came, and I could not land a role. Maybe I was too timid to audition. In my defense, I was not there to act. I wanted to be behind the scenes. I joined the lighting crew and worked the spotlight for the narrator. I passed the course, but in second year there were even more practical classes where we had to take on roles. There were early morning and late night rehearsals I could not keep up with anymore. I enjoyed the theoretical parts, but the practical work became overwhelming.

When ELTE came, it was not a dramatic moment of following my passion. I had to think logically and choose something I would genuinely benefit from. But starting at ELTE was not easy either. Because of visa delays, I resumed late, right in the middle of the semester. I was completely lost, behind on past lectures, and confused about the current ones. The professors and the international office were very supportive and accommodating, which made everything less overwhelming.

My most interesting course so far has been Marketing Research. During seminars, we practiced what we learned by interviewing classmates, and my favourite project involved interviewing people outside class, recording, transcribing, and analysing their responses. That course prepared me for my primary research during the Project Work 2 course. Creating questionnaires and interview structures was not a problem anymore.

Another memorable moment was giving a presentation on my country’s taxation system during the Taxation course. I had fun with it, learnt a lot, and even discovered things I did not know before.

Outside classes, study sessions with friends have been some of my favourite memories. We stayed after school to work together, and my favourite place in the ELTE Economics Faculty is the study rooms. They became a small comfort space where studying did not feel dreadful.

Becoming an ambassador has also been one of the highlights of my time here. During my own application period, I had many questions and nowhere to turn for answers. Now I get to help potential students by answering their questions and sharing my experiences in any way I can. It feels full circle.

I am set to graduate in July, and honestly I do not know how to feel. What I do know is that I am glad I made the switch and did not stay until the end of a path that was not meant for me. After graduation, I hope to continue studying. I want something not general but specific to where my interests lie now.