Erasmus Experience in Helsinki, Leppavaara, Finland by Kiefah

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Why did you choose to go to Helsinki, Finland?

I attended a Summer School in the city of Leppavaara for a month.

How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

The scholarship was a fixed amount of £1000; it didn't matter where you were going. You used it for whatever you needed to buy whilst you were away.

What is the student lifestyle like in Helsinki?

Study, party, eat, sleep and repeat. Outside of that, there are a lot of great places to go to for sightseeing within the country or outside of the country if you want to visit nearby countries.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Helsinki to other students?

The city is a great place to visit. However, I didn't attend the University of Helsinki. I attended Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (UAS) and I would recommend to anyone who wants to study in Finland.

How much does it cost to live in Helsinki?

It cost me around £600 to live in Vantaa, Finland for 4 weeks. The price may vary if you are able to live in university accommodation.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

You don't necessarily have to learn Finnish if you want to study in Finland. They speak 3 main languages there. Finnish, Swedish and English but most people in Finland are fluent in English. However, if you want to challenge yourself you can learn the language if you want. Native speakers usually appreciate you trying to at least speak the language.

The language is quite difficult to learn if you're just there for a short time like I was, but if you're there for your entire academic study you should be able to learn and maybe become fluent in the language.

Lastly, I was at Metropolia UAS for a short time so I don't know if there is support in learning Finnish but they do have a culture course so you might be able to learn through that.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Helsinki from your city?

I traveled from England so the airplane is how I got to Finland. Then I used the train to get from Vantaa to Metropolia and vice versa.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

Suomenlinna was my favourite place to travel to, on a warm day, it's really nice to relax out there for the day.

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Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Helsinki in the future?

Experience as much as you can whilst in Finland or the neighboring countries.