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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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Meet our students! Sometimes running is more than just running

Matthew Mitchell in the New York City Marathon

I arrived in Finland this past August to complete my Master’s in Media and Global Communication here at the University of Helsinki. I am from Vancouver, Canada and while it has been a drastic change from North America, I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Helsinki, the University, my peers and the faculty in the MGC program, and now, the snow! And even though I’m a world away from what I know, I remain deeply connected to many aspects of my life back in Canada. One of them is running. Continue reading “Meet our students! Sometimes running is more than just running”

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Let’s talk about snow

Everybody’s talking about the weather. And that’s because it’s winter-wonderland in Finland. The capital gets its fair share of snow and we have to love it; beautiful trees, Christmas feeling and children are happy to play in the snow. Or is it just a big chaos?

Antti Kivimäki wrote an interesting article to HUB (The international magazine of the University) about snow and urban planning. The world should turn their eyes on the north and learn from our rough-weather tested work methods and service design.

Check out the article from HUB!

And enjoy the snow!

By the way, HUB is now available for free on the iTunes App Store.

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Hello, new exchange students!

It is the end of November, and at the University of Helsinki we are expecting the arrival of snow, Santa Claus and, finally in January, all you new exchange students! On January 8 and 9, we will meet and greet you at the Welcome Fair – an event not to be missed.

You should by now have already received your Confirmation of Acceptance from the appropriate UH Faculty. If not, please contact them for more details. If you are accepted as an exchange student, the International Exchange Services will register your data automatically to the UH student register Oodi.

A warm place to live in is crucial in the Finnish winter. If you have applied for accommodation via the Helsinki Region Student Housing Foundation (HOAS), you should hear back from them very soon. When you do, please reply quickly as student housing in Helsinki is always in great demand!

Attached to your emailed Confirmation of Acceptance you should also have found information from the Student Union of the University of Helsinki (HYY). Among various activities, the HYY services also include Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS, YTHS) which means free or highly affordable general, mental and oral health care. Please note, however,  that the FSHS fee is not an insurance policy neither does it cover hospitalization costs!

For more information about the Student Union, please visit HYY’s webpage.

To become a member of HYY for the academic year 2012–2013, you need to pay the Student Union (HYY) membership fee.  You find further instructions here. We highly recommend paying the membership fee before arriving to Finland. Unfortunately paying the fee at the Welcome Fair is not possible, but if you have made the payment in advance, you can present the original receipt at the Welcome Fair to verify you previous payment.

If for some reason you still have to cancel your exchange, please remember to inform the coordinator at the Faculty and the International Exchange Services and also HOAS, if necessary, in due course.

Joyous preparations and have a happy December! See you next year!

International Exchange Services

Photo by Veikko Somerpuro

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Meet our students! Why is the University of Helsinki so special?

Our Russian student Veronika Kiseleva shares her insights and experiences on studies, career and life in Helsinki. Veronika studies in the International Master’s Degree Programme in Forest Sciences and Business (MScFB). Read more about why you should also choose one of our International Master‘s Degree Programmes, all taught in English. Continue reading “Meet our students! Why is the University of Helsinki so special?”

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Meet our students at work! The Finnish Food Safety Authority utilizes international skills in its research projects

Professor Kimmo Peltonen (left) and Alexis Nathanail (right)

University of Helsinki has a world-class learning environment – the best labs and stimulating learning spaces in worldwide. Because our teaching staff is involved in research, you will get access to the most innovating and frontline research findings in our master’s programmes.  Also, many of our students want to continue with PhD after graduation. One of them is Alexis Nathanail, who studied in The MScFood programme. Now he is doing his PhD for the Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira. We met Alexis and his supervisor professor Kimmo Peltonen at Evira. Continue reading “Meet our students at work! The Finnish Food Safety Authority utilizes international skills in its research projects”

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HYY’s Anniversary Week – celebrations all week long!

Monday the 26th of November, is the Student Union’s (HYY’s) 144th anniversary. HYY’s birthday is traditionally celebrated in the form of an anniversary week. These ten days are packed with diverse cultural and other events, all of which are free of charge or very inexpensive for members of the Student Union. Join us in celebrating the 144-year-old Student Union!

You can find the whole program of the week on HYY’s webpage, but here are a few highlights for you.

The anniversary week ends on Wednesday, 28 Nov, with the Art for Us! event in Ateneum art museum. There is free admission to Ateneum with the student card throughout the day. The most interesting program is related to the international 52 Souls exhibition opened just two weeks earlier, featuring poetic, mystical and sensory interpretations of nature. There will also be non-stop workshops and performances by a pop-up quartet.

If art isn’t your thing, maybe you would like to visit Debate Night organized by the University of Helsinki Debate Society? If you are hungry for theatre, check out the English speaking theatre festival FELT IF, which is co-organised by Thespians Anonymous Theatrical Society. There are short performances every night 20-25 Nov at Kaapelitehdas.

Still not your thing? Check out the full program of the anniversary week and find your own way of celebrating HYY’s birthday. Between all the soap making, table hockey tournaments and Mayan calendar predictions we hope you will find something to your taste and have a great time!

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Best International Teacher 2012

Best International Teacher is an award annually presented by the Student Union to one of the teachers at the University of Helsinki.  The criteria for the nominations include student-friendliness, expertise and ability to highlight essential issues, willingness to develop, and the ability to give and receive constructive criticism.

The award winner of 2012 is Bart Gaens, Docent of Japanese Studies, who teaches at the Department of World Cultures. Gaens, originally from Belgium, first came to the University of Helsinki in 2001. Today Gaens’s teaching focuses on contemporary Japanese culture and society. In the nominations Gaens was praised for his diverse teaching methods and ability to inspire and involve students.

In his own speech Gaens quoted a Chinese proverb:
“Tell me, and I’ll forget.
Show me, and I’ll remember.
Involve me, and I’ll understand.”

An ability to connect with students and actively involve them, bringing forward one’s own expertise and the will to improve as a teacher are skills every teacher should aspire to. We are very happy that we have these kinds of teachers at our university and it is definitely something worth acknowledging every once in a while.

Congratulations Bart Gaens, Best International Teacher 2012!

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Winners of the photo competition for outgoing exchange students

…will have their photos displayed in today’s International Evening hosted by the rector & all the participants will be contacted via e-mail during this week.

The winning photo (above) was taken by Saara M. Laitinen in Cardiff, Wales.

A big thank you to all the 25 participants who are UH’s exchange students around the world.
More info about the winners of the photo competition for incoming exchange students will be available soon.

 

 

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