Helsinki Student Guide

2016

For outgoing northumbria studentsMatthew fell

Northumbria University | City Campus East

Contents

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………2

Pre-planning………………………………………………………………………………..2

Travel…………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Arrival at destination……………………………………………………………………3

Accommodation…………………………………………………………………………..4

Shopping, food and prices……………………………………………………………5

The host institution……………………………………………………………………..6

Course registration………………………………………………………………………7

Contacts………………………………………………………………………………………7

Language and cultural issues……………………………………………………….7

Things to see and do……………………………………………………………………8

Nightlife………………………………………………………………………………………9

Trips and excursions……………………………………………………………………10

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Introduction

If you’re reading this then I assume you’re considering spending either a year or semester studying in Helsinki, at Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. This Study guide will give you all the relevant information that will hopefully help you make a decision as to whether Helsinki is the place for you. It’ll also provide relevant information for you, if you have chosen it as your destination.

Obviously I will cover the boring bits such as pre planning, subject and course planning and all the admin stuff. However, I will talk more about important things to do upon arrival, the daily student life, nightlife, things to see and do, and the trips and excursions in more detail, as I feel they greater represent what life is like as an exchange student in Helsinki.

Pre-planning

Throughout the application process and in the weeks and months prior to your arrival to Finland, I found that Metropolia are very helpful, willing, and very punctual with replying to any questions or queries you may have about the process. Your home university and particularly Metropolia guide you through the process well, but here I will outline some of the main things to consider and get done before you arrive in Finland.

Learning Agreement. After receiving a welcome pack from Metropolia, you have to fill out a learning agreement, a form basically saying what modules/courses you will study during your time abroad. Don’t worry too much about which modules to pick, as they are very flexible to changes in the learning agreement, if for example you go to a lesson and decide it’s not for you. (I personally changed about 3 of my courses within a few weeks of arriving).

Registration with Metropolia. You receive details of this in the welcome pack, and if I remember correctly they send you emails regarding this. You have to enter details and register on their online System. This is done through their online registration system called “Mobility Online”. This is a must as they will allocate a tutor who will meet you at the airport, and create your Tuubi account (their version of Blackboard).

Accommodation. Student Accommodation in Finland is all handled by a private company called HOAS. You have to apply online through their website, and then they will offer you an apartment around a month before your arrival date, which you then accept and pay the deposit.

Finances. You need to apply for your student loan as normal through student finance. In this process you have to select the options that you will be studying in Europe, so that you will be entitled to receive you Erasmus grant (Something which

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you will be very grateful for when a large sum of money enters your account sometime during your stay!).

Finally, it is a good idea to tie up any loose ends you may have in England, things such as cancelling phone contracts, and investigating any charges to use your bank card abroad are good places to start. I personally would not recommend taking with you any thick winter clothes (ie, big winter boots and a big thick coat etc.) as they take up too much room in your suitcase(s) and can easily be found when you are here for a prices that isn’t too much more expensive than the UK.

Travel

Flights to Helsinki from England are from Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester. It is generally cheaper to fly from one of the London Airports as you can fly with Norwegian - they are cheaper that the Finnair/British Airways operated Manchester flights. But this is for you to judge depending on where you live, and for your convenience etc. I won’t put on estimates of flight pieces as these are liable to change, especially if you are reading this years from now! All it takes to find flight prices is a quick search on Google or SkyScanner!

Arrival at destination

If you have filled out the right form and ticked the correct boxes, you should be met by your tutor at the airport. Your tutor is a student already studying at the university, and they are a big help and source of information in the first few weeks of living there. Your tutor should have already picked up your apartment keys and a welcome pack for you. My tutor then took me to my apartment. My flat mates were all very welcoming, and within about 2 hours of landing I was sat drinking beer in the sunshine at a park in the centre, meeting a lot of other exchange students.

In the following days and weeks my tutor helped a lot, taking me to IKEA to buy things for my flat and helping me with my phone contract. You are also supposed to register with the police, and at the Magistratii in the centre within 3 months of arriving, to officially say you’re now a resident of Finland. However, this costs around 40 Euros, and if you leave the country at any point within those 3 months, they reset. So many exchange students (including myself) never got round to doing this so don’t worry too much about this.

In your orientation week at university you will be given lots of information about Helsinki life and the university and courses etc. During your orientation week you should also be going to HSL office to get your public transport travel card. This is essential as you will be using a lot of public transport when here, whether it be going to university or into town, and fines for getting caught without a ticket can be up to 100 euros.

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Accommodation

As said earlier, all student accommodation in Finland is organized through a private company, HOAS. You can look for your own accommodation but I recommend going through HOAS for a number of reasons. It is a lot cheaper than private accommodation, more convenient for you, the locations are good, and you will be with all the other exchange students. The locations for the Two main areas of exchange student accommodation can be seen below.

The red marker is where the larger area of student apartments is, in Kannelmäki. The blue dot is where a smaller amount of exchange students live, including myself, in Pasila. You don’t a get a choice where you live between these two locations, it’s just where HOAS decide to put you.

Pasila is extremely well located. The large train station has commuter trains running to the centre every 2 mins or so, and all trains leaving the centre stop there. There are also well connected bus routes. The walk to and from the centre is nice (if not long) in the summer. But I would recommend against it as it is around 45 mins!

I would have put pictures of my flat in this guide, but it is getting renovated as soon as I move out so there’s not much point. However, I can say that mine is pretty much the last building to get renovated, so the chances are very good that you’ll be given a nice new apartment.

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1A pic I took on the walk home one evening

Shopping, food and prices

The food in Helsinki and Finland is very similar to that in the UK, all the supermarkets have everything you could want. The only thing I haven’t been able to find are hash browns, but I have been reliably informed they do have them, they’re called Rӧstiperunat.

Finland like all Nordic countries is an expensive place to live, however the price difference is offset somewhat by the exchange rate. Even so, you will still be hard pressed to find a beer for less than 5 euros in the centre.

It is a similar story with clothes, they have familiar brands and many shops and large shopping centers. The main ones being Kampii and Forum. The Stockmann department store is also up there with the biggest stores I’ve been in. The first time you go in it’s almost a given you’ll get lost. But yet again you can find almost anything you want there. The cheapest shop for clothes is probably H&M.

Important: As alcohol is so expensive in Finland, many Finnish people and exchange student go to Tallinn in nearby Estonia to by their Alcohol (seems crazy I know). The ferry is 2 ½ hours and you can get tickets from about 15 euros return. You go in the morning, spend the afternoon there, and then before leaving I recommend spending as much on spirits as you can carry (take a big rucksack). People spend easily over 100 euros at a time when they go, but it saves so much money in the long term. I went about a month ago and still have all this lot left! (And yes, that blue box at the back contains 5L of vodka and only cost around 50 euros).

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The host institution

As you can see from the map, the business campus at Myyrmäki is quite a way out of the centre, however it is but a 2/3-minute train from Kannelmäki, and a 10-minute train ride from Pasila.

The university itself is very new and modern, founded in 2007. It has 15,000 students spread across it’s 20 campuses around the city. However, in the next few years this number will be vastly reduced.

The lecturers are from all over the world, and all speak excellent English. They are also very quick to respond to emails, and more than willing to help if needed.

Classes last for around 3 hours (either all morning or all afternoon) with a break in the middle. At first I found this a bit of a shock but, now I am used to it, I quite like it. Classes are larger than the seminars we have in England, ranging in size from around 15 students up to 30/35 students. Active participation is encouraged by most teachers. In almost every single module, there is an element of group work that counts towards your final grade, whether this be a presentation, report, or whatever. So if you enjoy doing group work, you’ll be in your element.

Many of the students are international and there is a large amount of fellow Erasmus students going each semester, so you will have no problem making new friends. All students speak English very well, as all classes are taught in English.

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Course Registration

You have to choose and register for your courses here, as opposed to that getting done for you in England. You will be emailed links to the list of courses after you have been accepted into the university. You then register for the courses you want on the system they have called WinhaWille. When you have done this, your teacher will then enroll you onto the course. However, don’t worry too much about dong this before you arrive, because it’s a complicated system that doesn’t make sense for newcomers, and you have sessions and opportunities to sort all of this out in your orientation week, along with your learning agreement.

Contacts

Your tutor. You tutor will be a vital source of information especially during the first few weeks, and is an excellent source of local knowledge.

Terhi Topi. Terhi is the International Coordinator for the business school at Metropolia. She will be the one who contacts you throughout the application and registration process and will also be a present figure in your orientation week. She can be contacted via email at Terhi.Topi@metropolia.fi

Anu Luoma. Anu is the woman you contact if you have any trouble with your course registration, changing a course or you timetable, get in touch with her at anu.v.luoma@metropolia.fi

Language and cultural issues

The Finnish language is notorious for being one of the most difficult to learn in the world. It is not similar to anything else out there, I can barely say half of the names of places even now! However, this is not a massive issue, as almost everyone speaks fluent English. If someone tries to talk to you in Finnish, just say “Sorry I only speak English” or “Sorry I don’t speak Finnish” or the like, and they will switch to English no problem. There is the option to choose a Finnish language module at University – if you dare! But obviously living here you pick up various bits and pieces anyway.

Culturally, Finland is very similar to England. There are no major differences. The Fins are a very reserved people however, and like to keep to themselves on things like public transport even more than us Brits.

Furthermore, in England you will be used to going out clubbing on any weeknight and not having trouble finding somewhere busy and where you’ll have a good time. While the nightlife here is very good, and varied for all tastes, it is predominantly active on Friday and Saturday nights. I will talk more about the nightlife later on.

A final note, one thing that took me by surprise when moving here, was the extent to which everyone loves the English accent. It may sound strange, but I’ve been sat with another English guy on the train or bus talking, and occasionally we have caught people staring at us. It may sound arrogant, but even things such as ordering drink or food has made the employees (especially the women) take an interest in us. Use this to your advantage!

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Things to see and do

Suomenlina. This is an island off the coast of Helsinki that was originally used by the Swedish Kingdom as a fortress and then by the Russian Empire. It is a 10-minute ferry ride from Helsinki, and Ferries run every 20 minutes or so. It is a beautiful place to explore, and in the opening weeks there is a massive student gathering there, where students sit and drink and have a laugh watch the sunset, and some even have a barbeque. This goes on late into the night, with an after party at a club in the centre somewhere.

Seurasaari. This is an Island just out the centre, it’s is actually an open air museum with historic Finnish buildings. However, its nickname, Squirrel Island, allows you to guess the real reason tourists head there. The Island is home to hundreds of Red Squirrels, who are relatively tame and will happily come and take nuts out of your hand if you are patient and quiet enough. The Island is accessible over a bridge, and is well worth a visit, as it is a nice walk around, too.

The Churches/Cathedrals. One of the iconic pictures on Helsinki is the Lutheran White Cathedral. However, there are other beautiful and interesting building to see. There is the Rock Church, The silent Church, and Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral.

Sports. The National Sport in Finland is Ice

Hockey, and the Fins all love it. There are

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two Main teams in Helsinki, Jokerit who play in what used to be called the Russian Super League, and HIFK who play in the Finnish league. The Finnish football season runs from April through to October, due to the cold and often very snowy winters. So upon arrival you will be able to see the last few games of the season.

Nuuksio National Park. Located not far out from Helsinki, this beautiful national park is very popular especially in the summer, with open fire pits for barbeques, and the “every man’s right” law in Finland allows people to camp wherever they like. It’s excellent to go walking and camping it is easily accessible via a train and then bus.

Finally, there is Helsinki zoo, which I personally haven’t been to, but I have heard it’s amazing in the summer. There are also art museums, Cinema’s, endless coffee shops, and loads of bars restaurants and pubs.

Nightlife

As you would expect from a capital city, the nightlife and music scene is incredibly varied. However, like I previously said, it is predominantly active during Friday and Saturday nights.

There are two main areas to go for nights out: the city centre or a district called Kallio. Kallio (outlined on the map with the circle) is very popular with locals and students alike due to the comparatively cheap prices, and huge selection of cheap bars. The bars in Kalliio all close at 1.30am, however it is also home to two excellent clubs, Kaiku and Kuudes Linja. These are two of the most popular clubs in Helsinki for fans of trance, techno, edm and grime.

The city centre is also home to a large selection of clubs and bars. The most popular ones include, Aussie Club, Le Bonk, Capital and Kaivohuone for your standard club kind of music. Ville Wӓinӧ and Tavastia have a very Finnish flavor to them and are extremely popular among the locals. I have heard Tavastia has a bit of

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a rock feel to it, but I haven’t been so cannot comment. Roska is a very small and cosy place, playing a mixture of Finnish music, classic rock and indie music.

With Regards to bars in the centre, we tend to not really go to them all that often because they are so expensive. However, we are big fans of Henry’s Pub, and Molly Malone’s Irish pub. Steam Bar Helsinki I’ve heard is also really nice, but the age limit is 22. That is another thing to watch out for, depending on how busy places are, they are sometimes liable to increase the age limit to 21 or even 22, so if you’re 20 like I am then you may get turned away occasionally if you get there too late etc. However, I have only ever been turned away from a club once because of this and I’ve been here about 6 months now.

Finally, something to watch out for, is the policy with coats and jackets. In England we are used to queuing up in freezing conditions in just a shirt, t shirt or a dress. Here, while that is okay in the summer, once the temperature drops below a certain point (sometime in October usually), you will not get let into a club if you do not have a coat or jacket with you. This is because the clubs have a legal liability to not let people leave if they are not wearing suitable clothing because of the extreme temperatures. I can tell you from experience, queueing for a club in -20 degrees is a unique experience.

Trips and Excursions

One of the main pulling reasons that attracted me to Helsinki was the opportunity of being able to participate in a huge number of visits to countries and places other than Helsinki and Finland. In Chronological order I’ll briefly outline what I’ve been up to:

Like previously talked about, going to Tallinn is a must, if only to buy alcohol. The Tallinn Old Town is beautiful, full of old 14th and 15th century buildings and narrow winding cobbled streets. And with it being so easily accessible from Helsinki, it’s a must do day trip.

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In October I went to Visit a friend from university who was doing his Erasmus in Oslo. It’s

one of the nicest places I’ve ever been, very modern and stylish. Not to mention the incredible views on offer, just a 10-minute train ride out from the city.

At the Start of November there is the opportunity to go on an overnight party cruise from Helsinki to Stockholm. You then have a day in Stockholm and then do the same coming back. I can’t recommend doing this enough, it’s absolute chaos and so much fun and totally worth the 2-day hangover that follows.

At the end of November, I visited the Russian city of St. Petersburg. It was an overnight ferry from Helsinki and we spent 3 full days there. Russia is a difficult country to go if you are a UK

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citizen what with the complicated process of getting a visa, so these 72-hour visa-free trips are well worth it. It’s one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been, absolutely mental, it is nicknamed the Venice of the north, with a maze of canals and rivers across the city. Coupled with beautiful buildings and the crazy Russian culture, it makes for an incredible trip.

In December came arguably my favorite thing that I’ve done here, Visiting Levi Ski resort in Lapland. It is and expensive trip, and it’s a long 12 hour or so bus journey up here, but it is well worth it. A true once in a lifetime experience. Snowmobile driving, Husky sledding,

skiing, outdoor Jacuzzi’s, saunas, reindeer sledding, ice cart driving, and clubbing. One of the best weeks of my life.

Second semester I have booked a trip to go and visit Prague and then Riga in March with a friend. I going to Porto in Portugal, in April, to visit another friend that I made out here. I have also used the Erasmus money to help fund a trip to Iceland in September as well! I cannot wait for all of these.

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I just want to say as well, that all the photo’s used in this guide were taken by myself (apart from the overhead shot of the university). So that hopefully gives you a more realistic feel of what to expect. Because obviously anybody can search for something on google images.

Furthermore, if you are considering spending you time abroad in Helsinki, and have any questions or concerns, please feel free to get in touch with me on Facebook (Matt Fell) or send me and email at matt.fell11@gmail.com I’d be happy to help.

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