University of Helsinki
Student life is rich and diverse in Helsinki. All undergraduates and graduate students at the University of Helsinki are members of the Student Union (HYY). Approximately 250 various student organisations operate within HYY and they organise thousands of events every year.
Furthermore there are faculty and department clubs, interest groups and clubs, the Student Nations, etc. They all have their own style of doing things, however it may be connected to a major, a hobby, an ideology, or even to the region where the students originally came from. If you enjoy singing, sports, or the theatre, you will find many choirs, orchestras, sports clubs, and theatre groups you can join in. Or maybe you’d like to start something entirely new like a couple of our International Student Ambassadors did.
Do it yourself!
One of the newest clubs is CISSI – the Committee of International Social Scientists of Helsinki University. CISSI was formed last February by social scientists with two primary goals: to further address the challenges and needs of new international students, and to promote and facilitate improved student integration, between both Finnish and international students.
“We provide a forum for social and professional connections – but most importantly, we are a channel for International Social Science Students to get involved in the student life of the University”, tells Jaakko Haarala International Student Ambassador and Chairman of CISSI.
CISSI is fun, simple, and dynamic way to have a good time, broad networks and get the most out of your student life in Helsinki. “One of our most important tasks is to welcome the new students at the beginning of the academic year”, Jaakko continues, and invites all students to the events.
Discussing World Politics, a sub-organisation with HYY, is a platform to discuss contemporary political events in English. Co-founder and Chair of the initiative is Regina Welsch, Master student of international politics. Together with some fellow Master students she created an open forum to engage in discussions with experts on a specific topic, which quickly gained resonance at the department as well as outside the university.
“Discussing World Politics is a student-led organisation that hosts bi-weekly discussions on a wide range of issues with a turn-out of 30 up to 50 people. Foreign and Finnish activists and researchers from a variety of disciplines attend our meetings and share expert insight on the topic of discussion with students and other participants. We had talks on e.g. the surveillance scandal, the Ukrainian crisis or also the welfare state in Finland. Everyone is welcome to join”, Regina says.
