January is almost here, which means we are getting impatient to meet 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 January 10, 2018, 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!
Has November got you down? Don’t worry, we have the solution: free art!
For the 13th time Ateneum is opening its doors to students to give them an experience full of culture, lectures and workshops at the Art for Us! event on November 23. Come indulge yourself in the masterpieces of italian painter-sculptor Amedeo Modigliani.
This year, the Student Union of the University of Helsinki celebrates its 148th anniversary!
Our student union will celebrate its birthday at the Old Student House on 26 Nov. However, the celebration will start already one week earlier! The anniversary week offers a wide range of activities for HYY’s members. Pick your favourite events and join the celebration!
22 Nov Match Made in Museum – Student Edition
4pm–8pm University Museum
The singles night organised by the University Museum and HYY provides ice-breaking programme, interesting encounters and a little bit of history and culture at the same time. https://www.facebook.com/events/1765294973731980/
23 Nov Art for Us
10am–8pm Ateneum (Kaivokatu 2)
The anniversary week will start on Wednesday when students have free admission to Ateneum Art Museum featuring an exhibition by Amadeo Modigliani. https://www.facebook.com/events/1500879903262399/
23 Nov Seminar of HYYHY
3pm–7pm Main Building of the University of Helsinki (Fabianinkatu 33)
Friends of HYY’s History (HYYHY) association organises a seminar on the phases of the student union and students. After the seminar, you can get to know the University Museum on a guided tour. In Finnish. https://www.facebook.com/events/1282147295151929/
24 Nov The formal wear flea market!
4pm-8pm Alina Hall (Mannerheimintie 5 A, 3th floor)
The festive period is a joyful time but can also signal constantly recurring clothing crises for some. Thankfully, we have a solution for this: the formal wear flea market! https://www.facebook.com/events/1750332598560764/
26 Nov Birthday party at the Old Student House
11pm-3.30am Old Student House (Mannerheimintie 3)
HYY celebrates its birthday at the Old Student House. The evening will be filled with music, dance and – thanks to our anniversary partner – very, very student-priced sparkling wine. Tickets 6 euros when bought by Sunday 20 Nov, and include a free overall patch as well as the cloakroom service fee! https://www.facebook.com/events/1786402184932503/
27 Nov HYY148 SIllis Breakfast
12am-6pm Christina Regina ja Gustavus Rex (Leppäsuonkatu 11)
Do you want to continue the bombastic party feeling of HYY148 the next day? Come to the free sillis, available to those participating in the Birthday Party on the previous day! https://www.facebook.com/events/1836357629942414/
Last year’s Anniversary Ball with a giant ball pit!
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!
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!
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!
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.
The capping of Manta in 2014, photograph by Mikko Virta
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)!
‘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!
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!
Student life is not just about completing your degree. Student life is also about meeting new people, dialogue, sharing ideas, learning together, and forming lifelong friendships
One of the best things about studying at the University of Helsinki is the active community of students. Community spirit improves your well-being, and over 250 different student organisations within the Student Union of the University of Helsinki (HYY) open up a field of opportunities. Participating in the events and activities of these organisations is a great way to not only make friends and have fun, but to learn new skills and gain access to networks which can prove useful in your future working life.
The Finnish Independence Day is celebrated on December 6. Independence was achieved in 1917, so 2015 marks the 98th 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. As with many other odd Finnish traditions, this kind of celebration might be considered an acquired taste.
For students, though, the celebrations include instead an atmospheric torch-lit procession within the Helsinki city centre.
The torches – an important part of the Independence Day celebrations for students
The student unions of the capital region (HYY, AYY, TaiYo and SHS) organise the traditional Independence Day torch parade of university students. Students follow the flags of their student union, and student organisation or student nation, carrying torches and wearing their white Finnish student caps.