Category: Welcome to UH

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The Power of Thought

On the 27th of January, a bunch of us Student Ambassadors were lucky enough to get a guided tour of our university’s museum. We are definitely privileged as a university to have a museum dedicated to safeguarding the entirety of our institution’s history.

The University of Helsinki’s rich and long history can be divided into three main eras. It was established in 1640 as the Royal Academy of Turku. In the 1800s it was moved to Helsinki during the Russian Imperial era, hence becoming the Imperial Alexander University in Finland. It was during this period that the university became increasingly more scientific and research-based, kind of like we know it today. Finally, in the post-Independence era, it became the University of Helsinki. These periods are all easily colour-coded in the museum’s itinerary, a set of informative displays under some gorgeous and ever-changing ceiling lights.

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Info for Late Arrivals, spring 2017

On January 12th 2017 the University of Helsinki hosted the Welcome Fair for its new exchange students as a part of the Orientation Week. This is a brief guide about the whats and wheres should you have missed the Welcome Fair for whatever reason.

Welcome Fair 2016

Service Points there are 6 dedicated Student Service Points where you will be taken care of. Please check with this list for your faculty’s Service Point.

Instructions – Check list Below is an abbreviated 9 step check list which covers all the essentials. At the end of the list you will find a pdf file containing the same steps explained in much more detail.

  1. Certifcate of Student Status – how to receive yours.
  2. Student Union Membership – instructions on how to become a member if you wish to.
  3. Arrival Certificate – where to go to if you need your home university’s Arrival Certificate signed.
  4. Travel Card discount – how to get your HSL travel card.
  5. User account of the University of Helsinki – how to get your credentials for your computer user account.
  6. Student card – if you chose to join the Student Union you may apply for a student card which come with quite a few perks.
  7. Registration for courses – registration for courses is done electronically through weboodi, in order to register for courses you need to have your credentials. More about this in the pdf.
  8. Finnish personal identity code – how to get one or change your preliminary one.
  9. Updating your address – how to update your address and telephone number in weboodi.

+ other useful information.

– – – – – And here is the pdf file: spring 2017 late-arrival check-list – – – – – –

 

 

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Finland 101 – make the most out of your stay with Frank!

Who is Frank, and what does he have to say about student life in Finland?

Frank is the name of the Finnish student card, which provides discounts and benefits for all students in Finland. Here’s what Frank says about why and how to get a student card, or the student card app, for free for every student:

Dear international student, welcome to Finland!

As a member of HYY you are entitled to a Finnish student card, which literally is your key to an easier and more enjoyable student life. With a Finnish student card you can prove your student status basically anywhere, and get student discount from hundreds of services including public transport (up tp -50%!), public sports facilities, theaters, movies etc., and of course on food, coffee, clothes, cosmetics… you name it!

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Welcome to Your Student Union!

You’ve arrived, you’ve chosen your courses, and you’ll get all the paperwork done at the Welcome Fair. Now you’re all set for your student life, and 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, 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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Check out all benefits and services offerd by the student union!

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Meet the International Student Ambassadors of 2017!

Get to know our team of student volunteers who can’t wait to tell you more about their experiences at the University of Helsinki and living in Finland. The international student ambassadors are students from a wide range of fields and different campuses of UH. Read more about their interests and what they love about UH, Helsinki and Finland here.

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New Student – Make Sure You Come to the Welcome Fair!

Welcome FairIn no time at all it will be the 12th of January and we will be able to greet all our new exchange and visiting students here at the University of Helsinki!

Your exchange experience will begin with a visit to the Welcome Fair on next week’s Thursday, as well as your Faculty orientation. So you need to take part in both! Remember to bring your official ID (passport, ID card) with you – otherwise you won’t be able to get all of the official matters out of the way.

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 in January 2017 is the Language Centre of the University of Helsinki (address: Fabianinkatu 26). Please see our Welcome Fair and orientation week map for locations.

At the Welcome Fair you can among other things:

  • pick up your certificate of attendance and local transport discount certificate,
  • register at the Local Register Office in order to receive a Finnish personal identity code,
  • pick up your user ID for the University computer network,
  • get information on e.g. language courses and on how to register for them,
  • talk to people from the Student Union and student organisations such as the Erasmus Student Network (ESN),
  • and of course meet a lot of new friends!

Those exchange students who have not paid the Student Union fee in advance, should visit the Student Union Customer Service (Mannerheimintie 5 A), where you have the opportunity to pay the Student Union membership fee. You will more information on the website of the Student Union. However we recommend that you pay the fee before your arrival. For payment information please see here. Also remember to bring the receipt with you!

In order for your studies in Helsinki to begin as smoothly as possible, we encourage you to take some time and go through the materials on our New students website. You will find all necessary information on the practicalities there.

The Faculties at the University of Helsinki also arrange Faculty specific orientations. During these you get to know your Faculty and department and 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 New students website.

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: https://www.facebook.com/events/1817354218544050/.

See you all at the Welcome Fair!

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Students’ Independence Day Torchlight Procession

The Finnish Independence Day is celebrated on December 6. Independence was achieved in 1917, so 2016 marks the 99th year of an independent Finnish state.

Traditionally, Independence Day, a public holiday, is celebrated quietly by lighting two blue-and-white candles by the windows for everyone to see from the outside, and by watching the President’s Independence Day Reception and Ball from television. Finnish way of celebrating the independence can seem quite tranquil and not so rip-roaring. For students, though, the celebrations include instead an atmospheric torchlight procession within the Helsinki city centre.

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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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Student Elections – Do you use your voice?

The biggest elections of the year are here!

The representative council elections of the student union are here! What is the representative council, and why should you be interested? Read on to find out!

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Representative Council elections are coming!

Representative council elections are held every other year in the Student Union of the University of Helsinki (HYY). All students who are members of the student union and have registered as attending for the academic year are entitled to vote in the elections. This year the elections are held online for the first time, which adds a new twist to the elections: now you can vote from the comfort of your couch!

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Erasmus in Schools project

Dear student,

Welcome to Finland!

While you are here, would you like to have a possibility to interact easily with Finnish people outside your institution and studies? If so, one option is visiting a real Finnish school where you can experience a Finnish classroom by giving the students lectures as a visiting exchange student.

For exchange- and degree students abroad it is often easier to form contact with fellow exchange students rather than people outside the higher education institution. However, at the end of your exchange period one may notice not having possibilities to meet up with Finns, really experiencing the everyday life of the Finnish people. For this we have a suggestion for you: visiting a Finnish school and its staff & students through Erasmus in Schools –project!  Continue reading “Erasmus in Schools project”

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