Reviews of University of Oulu | Finland

Useful | 0

jkivits

Universiteit Maastricht, Maastricht, Netherlands
Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Graduate, Erasmus

Overall

I wish I had known...

no, not really. Anyway, if there were any problems it's always fun to solve them yourself

In my opinion:

Everybody loved it, you will too!

Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important

Academic reasons

2

Culture

4

Costs

2

Activities

3

Campus life

3

Party / people

3

Weather / location

3

Personal recommendation

The people are all very friendly and more than willing to help you out when you have a problem. Many things are arranged for the foreign students, and in a very good way even.

During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot

Became familiar with another culture

3

Traveled

4

Improved language skills

3

Met people from other countries

4

Became more independent

4

Partied a lot

3

Experienced a change in life

4

Advanced my studies & career

1

Final comments

This was the best period of my life. I'm still homesick for good old Oulu and all the wonderful people that I got acquainted to. No way I would have wanted to miss this experience. I will always remember it and have become even more certain that there's nothing in the world more satisfying than travelling around and to get to know other cultures and the people who represent those different cultures!

Useful | 0

Autumn

University of South Carolina, Columbia, United States
Scandinavian Studies, Northern Cultures and Societies, Undergraduate, University Agreement

Overall

I wish I had known...

No... The best thing is to have no expectations. Then you will not be disappointed.

In my opinion:

Most people loved it.

Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important

Academic reasons

3

Culture

2

Costs

2

Activities

2

Campus life

2

Party / people

2

Weather / location

2

Personal recommendation

VERY strongly, especially to those who like a non-typical place to study.

During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot

Became familiar with another culture

4

Traveled

4

Improved language skills

2

Met people from other countries

4

Became more independent

4

Partied a lot

3

Experienced a change in life

4

Advanced my studies & career

3

Final comments

**Leave your inhibitions at customs! Finns are not modest about their bodies, a thing to remember in the saunas. **And try sauna! It's such a wonderful experience. **Get a host family. Opportunities are available at the beginning of the study period. **Take advantage of travel opportunities while you can (and be sure to stop by Tallinn, Estonia, for a few days). **Finns are quiet by nature, so they may be hard to get to know. Don't think that they are cold and rude if they don't say much. **Get ready for snow and cold weather! **Keep an open mind--about everything. **Fazer chocolate is amazing. **Be sure to see the Aurora Borealis (as if you could special-order it...). **HAVE FUN!! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so make the most of it!

Useful | 0

Joanna L

University of North Carolina, Greensboro, Greensboro, United States
Scandinavian Studies Program, Undergraduate, University Agreement

Expenses

Main source of funding:

Personal savings

Other sources of funding:

A private grant<br> Other

Work opportunities:

I didn't explore any work options

Personal spending habits

I did not spend money on the phone because I did not have one. Generally, it is quite expensive. Travel is very affordable for students, which is why I took advantage of it. Buses, trains, and even airplanes all offer specially priced student tickets.

Travel:

was more expensive than at home.

Food, Housing, Overall, Nightlife:

was the same price as at home.

Telephone:

was less expensive than at home.

Accessibility of student needs

Second-hand text books

Second-hand household items

Second-hand bedding

Administrative

Money from home

Personal comments

No need to buy textbooks, as the library is very good. Count on buying sheets, but maybe you can get a blanket from the interntional office. If you want a phone, be prepared to pay a huge deposit and not small monthly bills.

Useful | 0

Marina N

Murmansk State Technical University, Murmansk, Russia
European Studies, Undergraduate, University Agreement

Expenses

Main source of funding:

Government assistance

Other sources of funding:

Family

Work opportunities:

It was not legal for me to work

Personal spending habits

All the prices in Finland are much higher then in Russia. Sometimes the grant was not enough to cover all the expences, so I didn't call that much myself in order to save some money. As for travelling, I don't have much opportunity to travel from home as there are always many problems with visa. My course in Oulu included the trips to Estonia, Sweden, Norway and all over Finland for free, but we still payed the food and transportation in the cities.

Housing, Travel:

was more expensive than at home.

Overall, Food:

was the same price as at home.

Telephone, Nightlife:

was less expensive than at home.

Accessibility of student needs

Second-hand text books

Second-hand household items

Computers / Internet

Administrative

Money from home

Personal comments

Not really.

Useful | 1

Joanna L

University of North Carolina, Greensboro, Greensboro, United States
Scandinavian Studies Program, Undergraduate, University Agreement

Housing

Type of housing: On campus

Arranged by: Home university

If returning, I would choose: On campus

Why?

Living on campus was a great way to get to know other students, especially those from the international program. Our location made it easy to access the university for class and other resources like e-mail and the library.

Personal assessment

Cost

Facilities

Location

Cleanliness

Space

Personal comments

The buildings are old, so sometimes things fon't wrk like they should, and they are really ugly, but it's no big deal. The part we will remember fondly is the people, not the building.

Useful | 0

jpck

Universiteit Maastricht, Maastricht, Netherlands
Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Graduate, Erasmus

Languages

Language of instruction: Finnish

Local language was: Different than language of instruction

Was learning Finnish a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my Finnish

Was learning the local language a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my the local language

How much did you improve your Finnish?

My level before: At ease in most situations
My level after: At ease in most situations

How much did you improve your the local language?

My level before: Did not speak it
My level after: Basic phrases

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

I took survival Finnish courses, but the courses were very unstructured and didn't motivate you to learn the language. Even though the language of instruction for my courses on the university was Finnish, there was a special English-speaking group for international students, so I couldn't attend to the lectures (they were in Finnish), but that was not a problem because I had my own English-speaking group

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