Type of housing: A room exchange

Arranged by: Host university

If returning, I would choose: A room exchange

Why? Because to improve a language it's not only on the office but along the day, share a flat with an other exchange student is really wealthy !

Personal comments:
There was 3 buildings reserved for finnish and foreign students, we were next to the school near the capital center only one station on train. It was not really expensive and comfortable. So it was really good conditions for leaving in Helsinki (exactly I lived in Passila - opastinsilta street)

Describe host city: Student life dominates the city

Activities, Nightlife, Travel: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment

Personal comments:
Generally we begun night on buildings in juna or in opas, after we were going in Helsinki center : in Molly Mallone's, Fever, The Club. The first party for the integration was the Fresher party, it was really fun ! Also in Helia Polytechnic School, we had had a really good association for foreigners, so with really cheap proce, we have gone to stockholm in cruise, or in Talinn, in Lapland to see the Santa Claus, in Saint Petersburg, it was really really genius to discover all of these region. I remerbered also the last nights with all exchange students : the farewell party, really !

Course recommendations:
It was really really different to french courses, I learned a lot we were always mixed with finnish,swedish, and foreigners. Tearchers love to know the point of vieew of all people in their classroom, the aim everybody has to speak ! We had also a blackboard on line to do our homework or to recover our courses, we don't have this in France and I have appreciated this a lot !

Personal comments:
Exchange students are really integrated on the courses in Helia, In my remerbers, we were more than 150 exchanges students !!!

Language of instruction: English

Main source of funding:
An ERASMUS grant

Other sources of funding:
Family

Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options

Personal spending habits:
Food is really expensive, we have little store like Kmarket to do our shopping food, in France we have big supermarket so it s less expensive. I take also a sonera phone card to call my friends in Finland and I have also my french line, so it was normal that it has been more expensive. For travels, I think thanks to the student exchange association, I could travel a lot, discover plenty of things in really cheap way !!!

Food, Telephone: was more expensive than at home.

Nightlife, Overall, Housing: was the same price as at home.

Travel: was less expensive than at home.

I wish I had known...
It was a really good experience, I didn't know before how we live in Nordic countries, and I have really appreciate the warmth, the culture (sauna of course), the rigor, and that's why I really want to come back here !!!

In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!