I already knew at the age of twelve that I wanted to study abroad. I wanted to change my environment, escape the familiar routine, and discover a much bigger world.
What I did not know was what I wanted to study.
My career ideas changed constantly. At fourteen, I dreamed of studying music and later acting, but my parents encouraged me to keep those interests as hobbies. By sixteen, I was convinced that Interior Design was the right choice, although I still had not seriously researched countries or universities.
Looking back, I should have started earlier. When I turned seventeen, I suddenly realised how quickly time was passing.
At first, I wanted to study in Norway, but I could not find a suitable programme taught in English. Friends then told me about Kastu, so I began exploring other possibilities.
I searched for Interior Design programmes in Denmark, but nothing truly matched what I wanted. I then considered the United Kingdom and had already started preparing an application when I attended a Kastu consultation.
There, I met a consultant named Justinas, who shared his own experience of studying in Denmark. That conversation made me question whether the United Kingdom was really the best option for me.
After returning home, I carefully compared the countries and opportunities presented by Kastu. Denmark offered several important advantages, including tuition-free education for EU students at the time.
That was the moment I made my decision: I wanted to study in Denmark.
However, I still needed to choose the right programme.
I began going through the entire list of available programmes and asking myself what genuinely suited my personality and interests. When I discovered Service, Hospitality and Tourism Management, something immediately felt right.
For years, I had convinced myself that management, organising, and working with people were not for me. But suddenly, I realised that this might be exactly the direction I had been searching for.
Sometimes your ideal programme is not the one you imagined as a child. It is the one that helps you recognise strengths you had overlooked.
I applied to three Danish institutions offering the same programme. My first choice was Zealand Institute of Business and Technology because I wanted to live close to Copenhagen.
Completing the application form and taking the Kastu English test were both manageable. My biggest mistake was leaving the motivation letter until the last moment.
I spent the final night before the deadline trying to finish it, which created a great deal of unnecessary stress. My strongest practical advice is to begin both your motivation and recommendation letters as early as possible.
After submitting the application, the long wait began.
I also applied to universities in the Netherlands as a backup plan. Only three weeks later, I received an admission offer. I was happy to know that I had somewhere to study, but Denmark remained my real dream.
The Danish decision took much longer. I became increasingly worried and contacted Kastu several times. The team reassured me that I needed to remain patient.
Finally, on 21 June, I received an offer from my first-choice university.
I had been accepted exactly where I wanted to study.
The next challenge was accommodation. I spent the summer searching, but when it was almost time to leave, I still had nowhere permanent to live.
While travelling to Denmark, I found an advertisement for a small room. I immediately contacted the landlord and arranged a viewing. After spending two nights in a remote hostel, I moved into a house around 25 kilometres from the university.
The distance sounded inconvenient, but a regular train connection made travelling to Køge manageable.
My first two months passed incredibly quickly. We completed our first study topic and submitted two written assignments.
I was extremely happy with both the university and my classmates. There were around fifty students in the programme, but only three of us came from my home country, which made the environment feel genuinely international.
The studies included group assignments, written projects, and close communication with lecturers. The relationship between lecturers and students was warm and informal. Sometimes they even brought us cake, breakfast, or drinks.
There was also a Friday Bar where students and lecturers could relax and spend time together. Outside the classroom, lecturers no longer felt like distant authority figures. They became people you could speak with naturally.
The atmosphere exceeded everything I had expected from university life abroad.
Some of my favourite memories are from the first warm afternoons in September. New students would gather outside the university beneath a few trees, sit together, talk, and enjoy the moment.
It felt almost like a scene from an American film or television series — except it was now my real life.
Studying abroad changed me in many ways. It made me more independent, open-minded, and willing to trust my own decisions. It also taught me that uncertainty does not mean you are moving in the wrong direction.
There will be both easy and difficult moments. You may change your mind about your programme, wait months for an admission decision, struggle to find accommodation, or question whether you are ready.
But every challenge becomes part of the experience that helps you grow.
My advice to future students is to listen to yourselves and not be afraid to leave your comfort zone.
You do not need to have your entire future planned from childhood. You only need the courage to keep searching until you find a direction that feels right.
Want it, prepare for it, and do not allow fear to stop you. Studying abroad may show you a completely different world — and a completely different version of yourself.
