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Travelling from the Airport

New students or people coming to Helsinki for the first time often find it tricky to understand the public transport available from the airport. The Helsinki-Vantaa international airport is located in Vantaa, which is a different municipality than Helsinki. But thanks to the amazing public transport system, the distance can be covered easily. However, some people prefer to take a taxi from the airport which is a bit of a more costly affair. But for students, who are usually on a regulated budget, taking the train from the underground station is an easy and affordable option. The available trains from the airport are the P and I trains travelling to Helsinki. They both go to the city centre but travel in opposite directions as the tracks form a loop. The travel time is almost the same on both trains, so you can choose whichever train. The last stop is called “Helsinki” and it is in the city centre next to the Railway Station Square (Rautatientori), where you can find connecting busses, metros or trains for further destinations.

Ticket vending machine

Tickets are no longer sold on the trains, so you should buy your ticket before stepping on-board. On the platform, there is a ticket vending machine. Contrary to people’s belief, this machine can be used in different languages including English. Continue reading “Travelling from the Airport”

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See you at the Welcome Fair!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In no time at all it will be August and we are looking forward to greet all our new international students here at the University of Helsinki.

Your student experience at the University of Helsinki will begin with a visit to the Welcome Fair on August 29th or 30th, 2017, as well as your Faculty orientation. Please note that you will need to take part in both! Remember to bring your official ID (passport, ID card or residence permit) with you to the Welcome Fair!

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). Please see our Welcome Fair and orientation week map for locations. Continue reading “See you at the Welcome Fair!”

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Health Insurance and Students

What is health insurance?

Health insurance is a type of insurance coverage that pays for medical and surgical expenses incurred by the insured. Health insurance can reimburse the insured for expenses incurred from illness or injury, or pay the care provider directly.

A student must have insurance

Health insurance is one of the obligatory requirements you will need for obtaining a residence permit for studies. If you are not insured by an insurance system from your home country, you should obtain insurance from a private insurance company. You are strongly advised to purchase good medical and accident insurance before your arrival at the University of Helsinki and Finland in general.

Your health insurance must be valid upon your entry to Finland and your residence permit will only be valid for as long as the health insurance that you buy.  Also when applying for an extension for your residence permit, you must have valid health insurance.

Continue reading “Health Insurance and Students”

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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.

  • Seurasaari Midsummer Bonfires will be organized by the Seurasaari Foundation on Friday 23.6.2017.
  • Juhannus in Pihlajasaari: Friday 23.6.2017, 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 Please note that the last ferry back from Pihlajasaari to the mainland leaves at 01.45 o’clock in the morning.
  • Midsummer in Finland 

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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Trip around Finland

Text and Photos: International Student Ambassador Shirajum Monira

Where have you heard about Finland? This question may appear often in a friendly conversation with Finns, or you might stumble upon a stranger trying to start a conversation while waiting for bus at the bus stop or in a university party. Many of us heard about Finland before as a country of midnight sun, Nokia, the real Santa Claus from Lapland, and some of us did more research before deciding Finland as our next home away from home. However, there are much more the land of Sisu has for its visitants to explore and admire.

Studying in Finland brings you an amazing opportunity to explore the hidden beauties Finland has to offer. Starting from the old capital of Finland till the home of indigenous Sami people, there are hundreds of attractive places you can plan trips with friends at reasonable prices and bring back pleasant memories to cherish.

As an international student studying Physics at the University of Helsinki, life has been quite stressful with assignments and exams, but weekends and summer breaks brought unwastable scope for me to visit places I have always dreamed of. In this blog I would like to share some of my trip experiences and information which might be handy for the future tourists.

The old capital of Finland: Turku

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Meet our alumna: “I work in one of the leading ad-tech companies in the world called Kiosked”.

I moved to Finland in August 2010 to study for my master’s degree in Media and Global Communication at the University of Helsinki. Previously, I had completed my bachelor’s degree in Media and Communication at the University of Passau. My bachelor’s degree was less scientific and I enjoyed having a more research based approach to media and communication studies in Helsinki. When our program started, I was positively surprised by our small group size and the extreme dedication with which both our programme coordinator and the thesis advisor took care of us. When I studied in Germany we were over 100 people in the programme and had to fight hard to get a place in interesting courses. Throughout my studies, the master’s programme provided us with a close knit community where everyone supported each other and a perfect learning environment. Not to mention the great facilities such as the library where researching and studying got that special feel.

Continue reading “Meet our alumna: “I work in one of the leading ad-tech companies in the world called Kiosked”.”

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Meet our alumna: “It’s rewarding to be working with such a big environmental challenges”.

Hanna-Liisa Kangas was supposed to become an environmental chemist until a doctor forbade her from setting foot in a laboratory. After many twists and turns, Kangas did wind up in an influential position, working with the issues dear to her heart.

“I started studying chemistry at the University of Helsinki because I thought I could use it to save the world. Then I became allergic to the reagents used at the lab, and my doctor told me never to set foot in a laboratory again. He said it would be too dangerous for me,” says Hanna-Liisa Kangas.

Kangas still wanted to study an environmental field, and started to look for interesting disciplines which did not require laboratory work. This meant ecology, forestry sciences and biology had to be dismissed outright.

“Then I discovered environmental economics. And so, through a series of strange coincidences, I wound up studying environmental economics at the Department of Economics and Management,” Kangas explains. Continue reading “Meet our alumna: “It’s rewarding to be working with such a big environmental challenges”.”

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Why studying Chinese law is vital in the age of globalisation?

Why studying Chinese law is vital in the age of globalization?

Understanding how the legal system functions in the Chinese society is vital for students who are interested in international affairs and the global economy. China’s increasing economic and political power and its evolving role in global governance have drawn international attention to its legal system.

The Chinese legal system is shaped by the country’s political arrangement and national heritage. China’s long history has produced rich cultural traditions that continue to influence the development of the Chinese legal system. While maintaining some features of the traditional legal culture, the contemporary legal system in China has also developed under the influence of the common law and civil law traditions.

Continue reading “Why studying Chinese law is vital in the age of globalisation?”

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Beyond Helsinki (vol. 1)

There is a joke or even misconception among Helsinki-dwellers that there is not much to see or do beyond Kehä III, the ring road furthest from the city centre. But there is indeed a lot more to Finland than just Helsinki! Here we have listed three urban centres worth paying a visit to. Finnish nature deserves a whole other blog entry, so let’s just focus on some cities this time! In this instance, they are all around one to two hours away from Helsinki, which is ideal for a day trip if you want to also save some money and not have to pay for accommodation.

  • Tampere

Tampere is sometimes given the nickname “Manchester of Finland” due to its industrial heritage. Have a walk around the so-called Finlayson area, where most of the old, red brick factory buildings are located. If you have a bit of time, go into the Finnish Labour Museum Werstas – admission is free! A museum I have found particularly interesting is the Spy Museum, which is as cool as it sounds: there are lots of gadgets and interesting stories to learn about. And while we’re still on the topic of museums, on May 9th 2017, a Moomin Museum will open in Tampere Hall. It will be the only museum of Moomin art in the world, so it will definitely be worth a visit!

Continue reading “Beyond Helsinki (vol. 1)”

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Rocking Helsinki: Summer School Style!

So, it was about this time two years ago I got an email accepting me to my course at the University of Helsinki! I remember shaking with shock, excitement and disbelief! There were excited phone calls made and I remember checking out the campus on google street view with a friend.

Shortly after, there came an interesting offer of joining the summer school, there was a Finnish course specifically for new master’s students. I decided it was a good time to find my feet, hopefully make a few friends and learn some language skills, even better was that the credits counted towards my final degree so that was a head start. As a side note, you don’t need Finnish to survive here, English is widely used but it’s nice to have a little understanding and you’ll look like a genius going home and speaking Finnish, even if you only order a coffee.

In short, I had an amazing time! I made lots of friends who are here doing their degree but also I keep in touch with other people I met during the summer school parties and events. Summer school appeals to so many people and has such a wide variety of courses that the social events are not to be missed. The people involved are the most eclectic and interesting bunch to get to know. The first day I attended the grand opening, we were warmly welcomed with fun entertainment, a group photo and a social gathering afterwards. We were given name badges with our course on and it was a good talking point, especially finding someone on the same course.

(Photo: Linda Tammisto)

Continue reading “Rocking Helsinki: Summer School Style!”

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