When I started studying cultural studies 4 years ago I didn’t even know that programs like Publishing Studies existed. I applied for a brand new program at the small University of Koblenz-Landau. Everything was still a bit chaotic and the organisation was not that great, but it still got me hyped for life as a student and got me interested in media studies.

After my undergrad I knew I wanted to do something new and different, so looked for similar programs for my Postgraduate. I found a book studies course (Buchwissenschaft) at the University of Erlangen-Nuernberg in Bavaria and knew immediately, that that was a perfect way to connect my interest in media studies and my fascination and love for books. After I spent 3 years learning about the cultural importance of books, written knowledge and literature I had no problems explaining why I thought cultural studies and studies about books were connected. Apparently I managed to convince not only the staff in Erlangen but also the people who paid my grant.

Right from the start in Autumn 2011 I also knew that I would like to take this last opportunity for an exchange year and started planning it right away. The postgraduate was designed to last for two years and I didn’t want to waste any time, so I studied two semesters at once and simultaneously planned to go to a University somewhere in the UK. Scotland was my first choice because I had never been before and there were only a few Universities to check for fitting programs. I ended up finding Stirling pretty quickly and got in contact with the department of Publishing Studies. The program managed to convince me pretty quickly and I decided to apply.