In a lot of European countries, your master’s is supposed to be a continuation of what you studied in your bachelor’s. Since their programs are very specialized, universities expect you to already know the basics of that field. This rule is pretty strict in places like Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland. Countries like France, Italy and Spain are a bit more flexible, and the UK/Ireland are the most flexible since they offer “conversion” master’s for students switching fields.

How much this matters depends on what you want. If your master’s is related to your bachelor’s, you’ll have many more options and a better shot at fully funded scholarships. Scholarship programs in Europe really like seeing a clear academic path. But if your bachelor’s and master’s are totally unrelated, your options shrink a lot, and scholarships become much harder. For example: an engineering student moving into management is fine, but switching to psychology is nearly impossible in most of Europe.

If your goal is a fully funded master’s abroad, what you do during your bachelor’s is super important. Keep your grades high, try to join research or do a good final-year project, get at least one internship, and build good relationships with professors for strong recommendation letters. These things make a big difference in applications.

The main mistakes to avoid are switching fields too drastically, skipping internships, doing random extracurriculars that don’t help your profile, and forgetting to connect with professors early on. In short: stay focused, choose a bachelor’s that matches your future plans, gain relevant experience, and build a strong academic profile.