Category: Helsinki

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Interested in Becoming a Student Ambassador?

Student ambassadors are student volunteers who love to share their experiences and introduce new students to the community. The ambassadors work in co-operation with the Admissions Services to help convince prospective students why the University of Helsinki is the perfect match for them.

Student Ambassadors

  • Write blog posts
  • Answer questions from potential new students (mainly Facebook and e-mail)
  • Post on Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat
  • Represent UH at student fairs and other events (Welcome Fair, Coffee with the ambassadors, Q&A etc.)
  • Make videos about student life
  • Take part in student recruitment photo shoots and interviews when needed
  • Give feedback on marketing material (brochures etc.) when needed
  • Generate new ideas for peer-to-peer marketing

This is an exciting opportunity to be an active participant of the university world and a great way to enhance your university experience! You will also get a diploma for being an ambassador.

We kindly ask you to send your free-form application with

– a short info on who you are and what experience you have especially operating in social media
– what you are studying
– why you want to become a student ambassador

to marjo.eskola@helsinki.fi by November 30, 2016. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us.

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Welcome to the Student Union!

You’ve arrived, all the paperwork is done, and you’ve registered for courses. Now you’re all set for your student life, the only thing to do is to wait for the lectures to start? Think again!

The key to an unforgettable time at the University of Helsinki is being active, joining student organisations, and meeting new people! The student union, HYY, offers you a student card with countless student discounts, affordable health care, and discounts on transport. Most importantly, though, the student union is home to a huge network of student organisations, new hobbies and awesome people from different faculties and countries – everything a student will need in Helsinki!

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Enjoying midsummer celebrations – Juhannus

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!

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. You can take it easy or party all night long.

Practical information for Midsummer
Shops have limited opening hours and the public transportation operates on weekend timetables during the Midsummer weekend.

Hyvää juhannusta, have a lovely Midsummer!

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Summer fun in the city

Summertime in Helsinki is jam-packed with events and destinations which don’t require a hefty pocketbook.

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However cliché the statement may be, summer is when Helsinki – and all of Finland – comes to life. The summer is short but full of a dizzying array of events and activities.

We have collected a few tips for things to do and see in Helsinki and its environs in the summer either free of charge or for a small admission fee. Feel free to share your own tips in the comments!

Bustling Helsinki Day

Helsinki Day is on Sunday, 12 June. The day means that the city will be full of free events from morning until night, and there really is something for everyone! Early risers can head to the Viikki Research Farm to watch the cows being milked. Walking and paddling tours of Helsinki will be available. The stage on Esplanadi will be hopping all day with live music and children’s performances. See the full programme and pick out your favourites.

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Tips for Moving to Helsinki and settling in!

RememberOn arriving at the airport you can take the Finnair bus straight to the town center for around 7€ (https://www.pohjolanliikenne.fi/cs/…), but the train also leaves from there now as do various buses depending on where you are heading (https://www.hsl.fi/). And don’t be afraid to ask for help, generally people are very helpful and speak good English here.
The student accommodation can be very plain when you move it so its worth bringing some little touches with you, photos of friends and family, maybe your favourite throw or duvet cover to help you settle in quicker.
The majority of student accommodation is unfurnished, there is the usual suspect of Ikea for cheap furniture but check out the recycling center http://www.kierratyskeskus.fi/in_en… There are several of them across the Helsinki area, you can get bigger furniture, linen, pots, pans and dishes etc. They even do a nifty student discount.
And yes winter does get a bit chilly here! If you have a good warm coat and shoes with good grips pack them with you. Things like thermals you can buy pretty cheapily in the supermarket once the colder weather arrives.

And don’t forget your best resources too – the student ambassadors! We have all been in your shoes so please feel free to really ask us anything we are here to help you.

Sara Haapanen, International Student Ambassador
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The First of May – like Christmas for Students!

Whether you’re a freshman on the verge of your first May Day celebration or a more experiensed celebrator, there’s not a better way to end your rough study year than the first of May. In Helsinki, the celebration of May Day, Vappu in Finnish, Vappen in Swedish, celebrations begin on 30 April.

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The capping of Manta in 2014, photograph by Mikko Virta

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Spring Flora Day Celebration on 13 May – Food, Drinks, Music, and Miniature Animals!

On Friday 13 May, the students and staff of the University of Helsinki will get together to once again in an annual celebration of spring and Flora Day. The celebration, lasting from 3 pm to 8 pm, spreads the spring spirit to Kumpula, as Physicum (at Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2A) fills up with music, festive events, food and refreshments and, of course, the joys of academia.

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Art for us! – Free Entrance to Ateneum!

Come enjoy art free of charge on April 20, 2016 at Art for us! at Ateneum.

Art for us! means free entrance for students to the Ateneum art museum, Finland’s national gallery. Grab your student card and join us on a vibrant journey that will take you from the history of Finnish art to Japanomania in Nordic art, as well as including Auguste Rodin’s dramatic sculptures.

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Students at an art workshop at one of the past Art for us! events.

On top of the exhibition, the museum offers lectures on the exhibitions and collections, introductions to the artists and movements, and a workshop. You can also slow down and participate in the mindfullness-inspired guided tour taking place at 16:30 and 18:00, or One Picture at a Time tours at 17:00 and 18:30 if you want to just focus on a few pieces of art at a time. The full programme of the day can be found on the museum website.

So come and look at something inspiring! Follow the event on Facebook and with the hastag #taidettameille or #artforus.

Art for us! is organised twice a year, this time for the 12th time. The event is in co-operation with Frank, HYY, KPMG Finland, HOK-Elanto, HS.fi and Helsingin Sanomat.

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The Guide to the Complete Finnish Student Experience – Student Associations, 1/3

No Finnish student life experience is complete without joining a student association or two (or ten…)! Student life at UH and within the student union (HYY) is very active, and the New Student House hosts a variety of events and parties every single day!

The student associations within HYY are open to all students, and you too are invited to join! There are so many different student associations, though, so we’ve made joining one a bit easier for you: representatives of different student associations have written about what they do, and why and how to join them. These stories will be shared in a series of blog posts in February.

So, without further ado, here’s Emilia and Östra Finlands Nation, one of the 15 student nations of UH:

Hi there!

Have you been wondering where you could meet new people, make a lot friends and get to know the REAL Finnish student life? Joining a student nation is the answer for you! There are many student nations in Helsinki that you can join. What makes the nations different from another is that people from a certain area in Finland gather in a certain nation, but as an international student you are welcome to join any nation. I am here to tell you about our lovely nation – Östra Finlands Nation (ÖFN)!

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Members of Östra Finlands Nation enjoying the students’ First of May picnic ©ÖFN

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Shrove Tuesday the Finnish Way

‘Laskiainen‘, Finnish for Shrove Tuesday, is a celebration traditionally held in February, and celebrated especially by students. This year Shrove Tuesday falls on Tuesday, February 9th. In previous times, laskiainen was the last celebration before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, but nowadays it mainly means a day of sleigh-riding. Laskiainen is not a public holiday, however, so you’ll still have lectures!

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Overall-wearing sledders at Ullanlinnanmäki on Shrove Tuesday, ‘laskiainen’.

During the day traditional Finnish Shrove Tuesday dishes, pea soup and Shrove Tuesday buns, are offered also at UniCafes. The Shrove Tuesday bun, or ‘laskiaispulla‘ in Finnish, is a special type of bun made just for this occasion by filling a traditional Finnish bun with whipped cream and either raspberry jam or almond paste. Both types of filling have their avid supporters, and the nation remains divided about which of them is the best. We recommend you to try both, and decide for yourself!

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