All About English Studies: An Interview With Alex Lyysaari

Why English Studies?

Could you tell me little about yourself and what you did before studying in the English Studies programme?

Before I started studying English, I graduated from Metropolia with a degree in music. I did my BA in the Bachelor’s Programme of Languages here with English as my major along with some optional studies in general linguistics and Chinese. 

During my BA I was really active in the English student organisation . I started my studies during COVID, so it seemed like a great way to socialise. I’m also an organised guy, so I like making things run smoothly in organisations like this. I started on the board as the treasurer, next year I was the president, and the third year I was the secretary, webmaster and responsible for studies. I was never part of the event team which is the part of Sub that most people see, but it was nice to do things that enabled them to make the events as great as possible. 

Why did you decide to study in the English Studies programme?

My options at the University of Helsinki after the BA were Translation and Interpreting, Language Technology or English Studies. I thought that doing teacher training would be useful in case I want to become a teacher, and I could include pedagogical studies in the English Studies programme, so I went for that. And I guess it worked out career-wise, I’m working as a teacher now.

What topics have you been focusing on during your MA studies? Have there been any standout courses?

During my first year I did teacher training, which is sixty credits, and now I’m focusing on my master’s thesis. Teacher training really cut down on the number of optional courses I could take, but I took two on language technology and one on L2 communication and liked all of them. The final project of the L2 communication course was akin to something I had done in teacher training, so that wasn’t too difficult. That course was definitely one of the most interesting ones.

What have been the best parts of the MA programme so far?

It’s just a good programme for anyone interested in languages, it gives you a lot of options to explore language in different ways. Not a day goes by when I don't think about the way someone said something and wonder if other people would say it the same way. I really focused in on teaching aspect in my MA because I already did a lot of general linguistics in my BA, but teaching is only one of the options you have here. You have a lot of freedom, and not only in languages but in other fields as well. 

Student life in Helsinki

What does a typical weekday look like for you?

I’ve always kept myself really busy. I worked throughout my studies, and at first I was really busy with Sub, then I did teacher training which doesn’t leave much time for other things, and now I’m working as an English teacher and finishing my MA thesis. At the current moment I don’t have time for much else than working and studying, but it’s still been manageable. Most people wouldn’t choose to take on quite this much, and I don’t think I’ve ever been too busy because of my studies. I also still do music. I try to make music every day, even when I’m busy.

What are the city and university like for you as a student?

Helsinki is a good city for students, especially foreign students who come here. The university is a really diverse environment, and the location of the centre campus is great, you can study and then go shopping or do whatever you need to either before or after class. Distances between places aren’t too bad, especially because public transportation works really well, even if it has been getting a little expensive recently. I don’t personally need to worry about that too much because I just cycle everywhere, even if it's raining or snowing. 

The Future

What would you say to those considering applying to the English Studies programme?

Go for it – if English is your thing what else would you do? Even if you’re interested in language in general, you can learn about other languages while studying English, and it’s a sensible option because it’s a global lingua franca. You’re never going to run out of things to talk about or research, and there’s not going to be a shortage of jobs for professionals in English anytime soon. 

I would also highly recommend attending events organised by Sub. It’s a great way to broaden your horizons, meet different kinds of people and expand your social network, which can also benefit you career-wise. It’s also quite active because it’s quite a large organisation, at least compared to others in the Faculty of Arts. Sub also takes safety up a notch compared to many others, it’s a really safe and comfortable environment for everyone involved.

What do your future plans look like?

At the moment, it looks like I’m going to be teaching, I’m going to have a family, and I’m probably going to be living in Helsinki. I might move to my hometown Turku in the future, but for now I’m just going to keep on keeping on. Maybe in five years I will feel like I should do my PhD, we’ll see about that.