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!”

Something for Everyone – Join the HYY Anniversary Celebration!

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!

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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/

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Last year’s Anniversary Ball with a giant ball pit!

Continue reading “Something for Everyone – Join the HYY Anniversary Celebration!”

Welcome to the Student Union!

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!

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Continue reading “Welcome to the Student Union!”

The Guide to the Complete Finnish Student Experience – Student Associations, 1/3

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)!

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Members of Östra Finlands Nation enjoying the students’ First of May picnic ©ÖFN

Continue reading “The Guide to the Complete Finnish Student Experience – Student Associations, 1/3”

Shrove Tuesday the Finnish Way

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!

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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!

Continue reading “Shrove Tuesday the Finnish Way”

Friends and Benefits: Welcome to your Student Union!

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.

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The First of May eve, the biggest student event of the spring term, and definately something to look forward to! Photograph © Mikko Virta

Continue reading “Friends and Benefits: Welcome to your Student Union!”

University Students’ Torch Parade on the Finnish Independence Day, December 6

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.

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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.

Continue reading “University Students’ Torch Parade on the Finnish Independence Day, December 6”

The Anniversary Celebration of the Student Union – You’re Invited!

The Student Union of the University of Helsinki celebrates its 147th anniversary November 18-26, and all members are invited!

The anniversary week is full of events ranging from free films and free entrance to Ateneum, to a singles’ night in the National Museum! The grande finale of the anniversary celebrations is HYY’s birthday party at the Old Student House.  All students of the University of Helsinki are welcome to the epic, most cross-disciplinary student party of the autumn term! Music and dancing are a given, but the celebration also features an student-sized ball pit, karaoke, and sparkling wine at very student-friendly prices. This is a night you don’t want to miss!

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Welcome to the birthday party!

Continue reading “The Anniversary Celebration of the Student Union – You’re Invited!”

Join the community!

Sitsit is one way of enjoying Finnish student life!
Sitsit, an academic dinner-party, is one way of enjoying Finnish student life!

Starting your studies at a new university, whether as a degree student or on exchange, brings new people and new opportunities into your life. One of the best things about studying at the University of Helsinki is its active community of students. Community spirit influences  your well-being positively, and communities are an important way of making the most of your student life.
Student culture is exceptionally rich and diverse in Helsinki. Over 250 different 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.

Continue reading “Join the community!”