Author: Kaisa

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Heading home, exchange student?

Some of you exchange students are heading home after autumn
semester and there are a few things we would like you to remember before leaving
Helsinki.

  •  Collect your Transcript of records before you leave. If all of your credits have already been registered, you can go to the Student Services to get your Transcript straight away.
  • You can get one transcript free of charge. For additional transcripts you need to pay a fee. More information regarding the fees is available here.
  • If all of your credits have not been registered before you leave Finland, you should order a transcript after you have returned home: Check your transcript through WebOodi. Your University of Helsinki user-id usually works until the end of January. Once all your courses are registered to WebOodi, send an e-mail to studentinfo(at)helsinki.fi stating: your student number, your mail address, i.e. your postal address and the language in which you want the transcript (Finnish/Swedish/English)
  • Your credits will remain in the student register of the University of Helsinki in case you need a transcript later on. Information on how to obtain a transcript and the fees are available here.
  • If you need a signature and stamp for your Erasmus departure certificate, you can get it stamped and signed at the International Exchange Services office. UH does not have its own departure certificates, so if your university did not give you any forms to sign, the Transcript is all you need. You can find us at University Main Building, Fabianinkatu 33, 1st floor, Office hours: Mon-Thu 10-15:00, but please note that there will be some exceptions during the holiday season:
    24.12.2012-2.1.2013 closed
    3.1.2013 open normally
    7.1.2013 open normally
    8.-9.1.2013 closed, the coordinators can be met at Welcome Fair in Language Center

We have enjoyed having you here, and wish you a safe trip back home. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Finland!

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Begin your stay in Helsinki with a visit to the Welcome Fair!

Even though it might seem that your exchange studies at the University of Helsinki are still far away, you’ll be surprised how fast January will be here.

Your exchange experience will begin with a visit to the Welcome Fair on January 8th or 9th, 2013. The Welcome Fair is the perfect place to get to know the University and the Campuses as well as to get all the official matters out of the way.

The venue for the Welcome Fair is the Language Centre of the University of Helsinki (address: Fabianinkatu 26).

At the Welcome Fair you can pick up information materials, certificates such as the certificate of attendance and local transport discount certificates and ask all the questions you have. You will also get information on things such as language courses and on how to register for the courses, information on the Student Union, student organisations such as the Erasmus Student Network (ESN)etc.

Those exchange students who have not paid the Student Union fee in advance, should visit the Student Union Customer Service, where you have the opportunity to pay the Student Union membership fee. More information is available in the attached pdf.

During the Welcome Fair you can also attend Info Sessions, which give you a lot of information on practical matters that you need to be aware of at the beginning of your stay in Finland and at the beginning of your studies. The Info Sessions are open to all new international students.

The Faculties at the University of Helsinki also arrange Faculty specific orientations. These are an excellent way for you to get to know your Faculty and department and to get a good start in your studies.

All dates, hours and locations for the different orientations, sessions and the Welcome Fair, are available on the Orientation website at http://www.helsinki.fi/orientation/course/programmes.html.

We have also created a Facebook event for the Welcome Fair, if you are on Facebook, please join the event and you will see who else is coming: http://www.facebook.com/events/143792165768755/.

During the Christmas holidays and New Year’s most of the staff at the University of Helsinki have some time off, so if you do not get an answer to your emails straight away we ask you to be patient.

See you all at the Welcome Fair!

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Thanks for visiting the Welcome Fair!

Last week’s Welcome Fair was once again a success! It was great to meet over 500 new exchange students and over 100 international degree students there! We hope you all got a good start to your studies and enjoyed the fair as much as we did!

If you still have exchange related paperwork to do, the International Exchange Services office is located at the University Main Building, Fabianinkatu 33, and we’re open Mon-Thu 10-15. Instructions for Erasmus students can also be found here.

We are here just for you and we’re doing our best to make our services as good as possible. If you have any feedback to give us about the Welcome Fair, please leave a comment here or in facebook

We really hope you will enjoy your stay in Helsinki!

Kaisa from the International Exchange Services

 

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The application period for the incoming exchange students for the spring 2013 has started!

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The application period for the incoming exchange students for the spring semester 2013 has just begun!

To get started with your exchange student application process, please read our previous blog post here. Remember also to explore our exchange-website!

Please remember that the online registration form will be closed on 15.10.2012!

We hope to see you in Helsinki next spring! (For the succesful applicants who will be arriving to Helsinki for spring semester 2013, the Welcome Fair will take place on 8th and 9th January)

Kaisa from the International Exchange Services

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The Welcome Fair is just around the corner!

WELCOME_FAIR_LOGO_blackWelcome Fair will take place on August 30 to September 1, 2012 (Language Centre of the University of Helsinki, Fabianinkatu 26). Welcome Fair is the first not-to-be-missed opportunity to get to know the University and the Campuses as well as to get all the official matters out of the way.

At the Welcome Fair you can pick up information materials, certificates such as the certificate of attendance and local transport discount certificates and ask all the questions you have.

Please read more about Welcome Fair from our previous blog post.

All dates, hours and locations for the different orientations, sessions and the Welcome Fair, are available on the Orientation website. Faculty Orientation timetables can be found here.

Please follow the Schedule of your own Faculty, it will include a visit to the Welcome Fair. Usually your tutor will bring you there. You can also come by yourself if you have free time, but remember to attend your Faculty’s programme!

We have also created a Facebook event for the Welcome Fair, if you are on Facebook, please join the event and you will see who else is coming!

See you all soon at the Welcome Fair, you don’t want to miss it!

Kaisa from the International Exchange Services

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Juhannus – Magical midsummer in Finland

Midsummer (juhannus in Finnish) for Finns means celebration and the long, white night which is said to be the “nightless” one (yötön yö). In the Helsinki region the sun sets at about 22:50 and rises again already around 4:00 o’clock in the morning. In the Northern Finland the sun does not set at all! The nightless night of Finnish midsummer gives a great contrast to the darkness of the winter time.

Many Finns leave the cities for Midsummer and spend time in their countryside cottages. Midsummer celebrations traditionally include bonfires, sauna, good food, possibly swimming and of course spending time together with family and friends! For many Finns midsummer is the time when the summer holiday starts and for some families this means moving to the summer cottages which are usually located by the sea or lake.

Bonfires (in Finnish juhannuskokko) are very common and they are burnt at lakesides and by the sea.Sometimes two young birch trees (koivu) are placed on either side of the front door of the house to welcome visitors. Swedish-speaking Finns also celebrate around a flower decorated midsummer pole (in Swedish midsommarstång, majstång, in Finnish juhannussalko).

In Finnish tradition, Midsummer Eve and the long, bright, nightless night has always believed to have magical qualities. Still some people do spells and charms with a twinkle in the eyes. Most of those spells are in some way, linked to ones love life. For instance, if you put seven different flowers under your pillow on Midsummer night you’ll meet your future spouse in your dreams… Why don’t you give a try!

The celebration of Midsummer starts on Midsummer’s eve and many workplaces are closed (also shops close their doors at noon). If you’re already in Finland, please keep in mind that grocery stores are open on Friday 22.06. (Juhannusaatto, Midsummer’s eve) only until 12:00 – 13:00 and grocery stores are mainly closed on Saturday 23.06. (Juhannuspäivä, Midsummer Day). Some small stores might be open though.

If you’re in Helsinki but you don’t have the possibility to visit a Finnish summer-cottage, there are also some midsummer events in the city area:

Seurasaari Midsummer Bonfires will be organized for the 57th time by Seurasaari Foundation on 22.06.

Retrojuhannus (Retro Midsummer) at Piritta on 22.6 (free entrance!), live music by Kaipuun Kukkatarha, starting at 20:00 o’clock.

Juhannus in Pihlajasaari
Friday 22.6.2012, starting at 21:00 when the bonfire will be set on fire. Also grilled food and traditional dance music. Location and how to get there –instructions can be found here. (Last ferry back from Pihlajasaari leaves at 2:00 o’clock in the morning).

Hyvää juhannusta!

 

International Exchange Services


 

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Congratulations to accepted exchange students!

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Many of you exchange students have already received acceptance letters from your Faculty.  In case you have not heard anything from your Faculty by the end of the week 25 (June 22nd), please contact the appropriate Faculty. If you are accepted as an exchange student, the International Exchange Services will register your data automatically to the University of Helsinki’s student register Oodi.

Attached to your letter of acceptance sent by email was also information from the Student Union of the University of Helsinki (HYY).  The membership of HYY includes, for example, services at Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS, YTHS) which means free or highly affordable general, mental and oral health care.

Also doctoral/PhD students may join the Student Union (HYY) if they wish. However, they are not entitled to use health care services of FSHS (YTHS). Note that the FSHS fee is not an insurance policy neither does it cover hospitalization costs!

To become a member of HYY for the academic year 2012–2013, you need to pay the Student Union (HYY) membership fee.  You find the payment instructions here.

We highly recommend paying the membership fee before arriving to Finland. If you are unable to do it via bank transfer, you can also pay the fee in cash at the Welcome Fair of the University of Helsinki on Thursday 30.08. or Friday 31.08. Unfortunately paying the fee on Saturday at the Welcome Fair is not possible. At the Welcome Fair you can present the original receipt to verify you previous payment.

For more information, please visit HYY’s webpage.

If you need to cancel your exchange, please inform the coordinator at the Faculty and the appropriate coordinator at the International Exchange Services.

Joyous preparations!

International Exchange Services

Photo by Veikko Somerpuro

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From Down Under to Up North – Greetings from Student Mobility Fair in Melbourne!

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Every once in a while the hard working back office people of the UH student services go out to the world in attempts of attracting foreign students to come to Finland and our university. My turn was in early May when I had the honor of attending student mobility fair at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

The dreadful memories of a night of horror due to a bad sushi faded away the very minute when the first student arrived at the fair.  Soon, the place was packed with smiling Australian mates. University of Helsinki stand was strategically located right next to the entrance so no student could possibly have entered the building without having me feed them with info on study opportunities at UH together with some Finnish chocolate. Fortunately, many of them actually seemed to be interested in my promotion mantra and even challenged me with some great questions. Especially students in arts and natural sciences seemed to stay at my stand a little longer than the duration of my monologue. One young lady even revealed to be a Finland fan.  This, of course, deeply warmed the heart of a dusty back office official whose wonderful days in Melbourne had converted her a big fan of the land down under.

The top two questions Aussie students asked me were about the weather and the language. They wanted to know whether it was ok to come and study in Finland without knowing any Finnish language or possessing any winter clothes. For the first question the answer is a definite yes, for the latter one I suggest googling  “winter in Finland” and making a judgment of your own.

For the Aussies, Finland is actually a pretty cheap place to live in. Housing costs maybe a half of what the students in Melbourne pay and there is no tuition fee except for the summer school (www.helsinki.fi/summerschool). The one thing  that Aussies and other foreign students however ought to be aware of is that they should not count on finding a part time job during their studies in Finland. There are some jobs for non-Finnish speaking people particularly in the restaurant field but for most foreign students, restaurants stand for a place to spend the money rather than earn it.

Whether it is for a semester or duration of an entire master’s program, coming to Finland is surely worth the investment. Where else in the world can you enjoy the Nordic culture, meet the Slavic culture and taste chocolate with salmiakki*? Come to Finland and enjoy it all!

Jelena Santalainen
from the UH International Exchange Services

 

*salty chemical fix us Finns call “candy”

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The application period for incoming exchange students closed on 15.05.2012!

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The University of Helsinki received over 700 applications from incoming exchange student applicants around the world (for the autumn 2012 or for the whole academic year 2012/2013)!

We received from Europe nearly 600 Erasmus and Nordplus applications and from other continents in various programs altogether over 100 applications.

You will receive your Acceptance Letter by e-mail, sent by your host faculty, if your application is approved. Acceptance information is usually available around mid-June at the latest. Before that your application is considered by your host faculty. Please try to be patient!

In addition to the Acceptance e-mail, university bilateral exchange and ISEP, AEN, MAUI and North2North exchange students (not Erasmus SMS, Nordplus etc.) will also receive an Acceptance Letter from the International Exchange Services. This letter is always sent to the coordinator of the students home university, and it is needed for Residence Permit applications.

It is very important that you should notify the faculty and also the International Exchange Services immediately, if you need to cancel your exchange period or if there is a change in your exchange period.

Accepted exchange students will receive necessary information for the enrolment with the acceptance letter and we have gathered information about how to get started at the New Students website. You will meet staff and other new students latest at the Welcome Fair on August 30 – September 1, 2012.

If you did not apply, the next application round for incoming exchange students begins in August! Stay tuned at our website!

Kind regards, International Exchange Services

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Considering coming to Finland for a shorter period of time – applying to University of Helsinki as an exchange student

Has your home university selected you for exchange at the University of Helsinki? Thinking about what to do next? Congratulations! You are making a good choice.

If you have already been nominated by your own university, you have taken the first steps towards becoming an exchange student.

Wondering about what to include in your Learning agreement or how to apply? You aren’t the only one. Every spring about 600 students from UH’s partner universities apply to UH as exchange students, planning to come here for one semester or a year.

In total, University of Helsinki welcomes about 1000 exchange students each year, for one term or for the full academic year.

Applying is quite straightforward: there’s the online application, and a few enclosures (Transcript of Credits, Learning Agreement and a Language Certificate)

There’s also a different group of students, who apply independently as so called free movers or visiting students (without the nomination from their home university). Their application process is a bit different.


For the to-be-exchange students, there are a few questions which are asked often. What puzzles the exchange students most? It’s the Learning Agreement, a preliminary plan for the courses to take during one’s exchange stay… The rules shortly are as follows: choose between 20-30 ECTS credits per semester (with 30 ECTS per semester being the norm), at least 50% of those from one of the UH’s 11 Faculties

The puzzling part? The Learning Agreement is based on this year’s teaching. It is not the final list of courses you will be taking during your exchange. Information regarding courses in 2012-13 will be available around June. What is important for UH now is that you know what types of courses are offered at UH in general, and how you can use them towards your degree at your home university.

Housing? Yes, you need to apply for it as soon as possible:

In need of technical support? UH’s Mobility Online experts will be able to help, but please read these instructions first.

Detailed questions about courses? These are the people who’ll help you:

Questions about applying in general? Please find more information here.

If you upload all the enclosures to your Mobility Online application account, then there’s no need to fax or send paper copies. That’s what Mobility Online is for!

Most importantly, when will you hear the results? When can you start packing?

The deadline for applications for autumn 2012 and full study year 2012-13 is 15 May. You’ll get e-mails throughout the process, explaining which step your application is in.

Your application first goes to UH’s International Exchange Services, where the staff checks that you have included everything. Then it is sent to the appropriate Faculty for their consideration. You’ll hear the results via e-mail by the end of June.

We are looking forward to meeting you soon in Helsinki!

Raisa from the International Exchange Services

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