I am…
Susanna Hoppe.
I study…
voice in the BA programme at the Antonio Salieri Department.
My favourite place at the mdw is…
whatever place can become a stage with an eager audience turning up.
What do you wish you’d known back when you started studying here?
That our university, with all of its offerings and opportunities, is a protected but also limited space. And that you need to muster up your own courage to step away and find your niche out there in the world.
You’ve recently become a mother. How, in your experience, can studies and family be reconciled?
So far, they’ve gone together really well—at least as far as time is concerned. Perhaps not unsurprisingly, I do often find myself really pushing my limits both emotionally and energy-wise. But even so, I do love being able to live out having a family and pursuing my studies.
What would you say to other students who are contemplating how (artistic) studies and simultaneously starting a family might work?
I’d say that material aspects are really important in our society. Even during pregnancy, you get hit with so many more expenses than I’d imagined … for extra check-ups, special birthing options, and similar. That’s something you just have to deal with. Afterwards, though—especially when a baby’s still really young, definitely during the first year or two—I think you need very(!) little apart from a whole lot of love for each other. That is, as long as you don’t allow yourself to be influenced too much by the “baby industry”. In general, I can recommend ensuring the steadiest possible income, support from family and friends, and the Willhaben app. [Laughter]. And it’s definitely also helpful to have completed as many subjects with an attendance requirement as possible—which was still easy for me during pregnancy—and to cultivate teamwork as a couple!
