Welcome Fair – the starting point of your experience at UH!

WF_KUVAIn no time at all it will be January and we are looking forward 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 January 14th, 2016, 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.

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Come Celebrate the New Academic Year!

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Listen to a Commissioner, jump around in a bouncy castle and check out the pop-up shows at the opening festivities for academic year 2015-2016!

The 2015–2016 academic year is launching in style on Monday 31st August. The opening ceremony in the Great Hall of the University’s Main Building at 12.15 will feature Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Carlos Moedas, the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation. After the event, the guests will form a procession and move to an ecumenical service at Helsinki Cathedral. At the same time, a nondenominational event will be held in the Language Centre festival hall.

Following the official ceremonies, at 14.00 the streets and alleyways of the City Centre Campus will become the setting for the opening carnival. The programme will feature a bouncy castle, a science sauna on wheels, pop-up shows put on by students and cheap ice cream in seasonal flavours.

Continue reading “Come Celebrate the New Academic Year!”

Welcome Fair – Thank you for visiting and info for exchange students arriving late

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The University of Helsinki Welcome Fair for new international students is once again over for this autumn term.

A big thank you from all of us at the Student Services and International Exchange Services to you who visited and worked at the fair! Once again, an awesome fair!

All in all over 900 new international exchange, visiting and degree students paid the Welcome Fair a visit. Some photos from the fair can be found on the New Students Facebook page.

Continue reading “Welcome Fair – Thank you for visiting and info for exchange students arriving late”

Find out more about your University!

Yleiskuva1_pienennetty_yliopistomuseo_Timo_HuvilinnaWelcome to the University of Helsinki! It’s not only an excellent university, but also a university with a long (375 years and counting) and fascinating history. An integral part of that history have always been students from near and far.

University of Helsinki and its’ students are remarkably visible in the cityscape. The university has always been a great builder and you can see university buildings on all four campuses. Also, the Student Union and many student nations have built beautiful buildings. When the university moved to Helsinki from Turku in 1828, the new Main Building was given a prime site in the then city centre directly opposite the new Senate building. A few decades later the students wanted to build a Student House (nowadays called the Old Student House) for their meetings and parties. The house was built at the edge of the city centre, where it was thought the rowdy students would not disturb other townspeople. Ironically, over time the city centre moved and nowadays the Student House is smack in the middle of downtown Helsinki! Continue reading “Find out more about your University!”

Be active, active and more active!

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MA Qian is one of our International Student Ambassadors

Dear New students,

I can never forget the excitement that kept me up all night when I received the admission letter from University of Helsinki on 1st May, 2012. How I pictured what my student life would be, what my classmates and teachers would look like, how I could survive the Finnish winter, where I would be living… Now two and a half years have passed within a blink; I graduated from my master’s programme last December, and then moved away from Finland this January to start my new career in the UK. Being away from Finland makes me reflect on my time there. Constantly I am considering what were the most meaningful experiences I had at the University of Helsinki, and how differently I would perform if given a second chance to live my student life. I have summarized my thoughts below, hopefully it will give you some insights into planning your own student life, especially at this beginning moment when you are equally excited and lost. Continue reading “Be active, active and more active!”

MEETING THE FINNS!

Giulia-Pernisi-ambassador_verkkoAre you ready to pack your stuff and move to this amazing country? New experiences, places and friends are waiting for you here! You’ll get to know this great university, you’ll become familiar with Helsinki, and you’ll surely meet other international students. But what about the locals?! This is actually a question that I’ve been asked pretty often during the last two years. How do you meet the locals?
I had the same question when I moved to Finland. In the end the answer came from another international girl – who then became my best friend – during a random Saturday night, and can be summed up in five words: go there and say “moi”! (Lesson number 1: “moi” means “hello”) Does it sound too easy? I thought exactly the same. However in the end I tried to put it in practice – and being the greatest introvert that I know, that was definitely hard for me! But you know what? It works! Continue reading “MEETING THE FINNS!”

Welcome Fair – Thank you for visiting and info for those exchange students arriving late

WF_01_2015The University of Helsinki Welcome Fair for new international students is once again over for the spring term. Totally about 300 new international students paid the Welcome Fair a visit.

A big thank you from all of us at the International Exchange Services and Student Services to you who visited and worked at the Fair! Once again, an awesome Fair!

Continue reading “Welcome Fair – Thank you for visiting and info for those exchange students arriving late”

Happy holidays!

SeasonsGreetings2014_smallChristmas is just a week away and the activities at the University of Helsinki are quieting down.

Most of the staff is taking a few days off during Christmas and the New Year, so we ask you to be patient if you do not get an answer to your email straight away. Please note that the Faculties are also closed during Christmas and the New Year. Continue reading “Happy holidays!”