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Studies > Finland > Helsinki > University of Helsinki > Review by Alexis
 
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University of Helsinki

Helsingin Yliopisto, Yliopistonkatu 4 - P.O. Box 33, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
4.05 / 5 based on 198 reviews.
Description:
The University of Helsinki (Helsingin yliopisto) is the oldest and largest university in Finland. It was founded in 1640 as the "Academy of Turku"; Turku being the former capital of Finland, which was then part of the Swedish realm. After Finland was annexed to the Russian Empire in 1809, the capital was moved to Helsinki. In 1827 the University was transferred to Helsinki, where it opened the following year under the name of the Imperial Alexander University, after the Russian Czar Alexander the Second. It was the only university in Finland until 1919.



Reviews
International Partners
Programmes
Accreditations
88% of students recommend
198 reviews
Housing
4.1/5
 All experiences (198)
Student life
4.5/5
 5 stars (84)
Academic
4.2/5
 4 stars (72)
Languages
4.2/5
 3 stars (36)
Expenses
3.1/5
 2 stars (6)
Overall
4.5/5
 1 star (0)
“Perosnal insurance a must with as much cover possible. There are losts of trips organised both by uni and companies advertsied all over the campuses to the surround countries. Organise a trip with friends somewhere, you'll learn a lot about yourself and them.” Read Review
remoulded, United Kingdom

University of Helsinki review by Alexis

Review by Alexis, Bath Spa University College, Bath, United Kingdom
Agriculture, Erasmus
HOUSING    
Personal assessment
Cost
KEY:
Couldn't have asked for more.
Pretty good.
Could've been better, but didn't lessen the overall experience.
Disappointing.
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Type of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why? The housing provided was out the suburbs but the main student in city was not as good quality.
Personal comments:
The mixture of students in the housing was great however as the housing was shared with the old person housing building the univeristy was slowly buying conflicts arose occasional.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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STUDENT LIFE    
Personal social experience
Activities
KEY:
Amazing! Hardly had time to study.
Plenty to do when I had the time.
So-so.
Did not get involved.
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Describe host city: Students equally interact with the local and student community
Activities, Nightlife, Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal comments:
The ice-bar under ground inside another nightclub with minus 5 degrees temperature. Far too cool!
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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ACADEMIC       5.0 / 5
My academic experiences
Quality of courses
KEY:
Fantastic.
Pretty good.
Could've been a bit better.
Disappointing.
Variety of courses
Availability/access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with other international students
Interaction with local students
Course recommendations:
More courses in english in the departments erasmus has available for exchange.



My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
KEY:
Liked it.
It was alright.
A bit annoying.
Didn't like it.
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course.
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Personal comments:
None, they have it really well sorted out there. Its a shame that teh practises are not used in the UK.

This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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Language difficulties
Social
KEY:
No problems.
I coped pretty well.
Sometimes it was difficult.
It was a constant struggle.
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Language of instruction: English
Local language was: Different than language of instruction.
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
Was learning the local language a key decision factor?
Yes, I wanted to improve my knowledge
How much did you improve your local language?
My level before: Did not speak it
My level after: Basic phrases
Personal comments:
The dominate langauge used is english as finnish is far harder for non-finns to learn. Most if not all people know some basic english so communication is not a problem.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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EXPENSES    
The accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
KEY:
Very easy.
Minimal effort.
Accessible but required effort.
Almost impossible.
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Main source of funding:
An ERASMUS grant
Other sources of funding:
Family
Personal savings
Work opportunities:
It was not legal for me to work
Personal spending habits:
The cost of life is pretty similiar but it depends on what you buy and where you shop. The big stores are cheaper but there are some real bargin stores around. S-mart is cheaper than K-mart
Telephone: was more expensive than at home.
Food: was the same price as at home.
Travel, Nightlife, Overall, Housing: was less expensive than at home.
Personal comments:
Bank transfers are very expensive as is using your home phone to make calls.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
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OVERALL    
Important to choosing this university...
Academic reasons
KEY:
Very Important.
Important.
Not really important.
Unimportant.
Culture
Costs
Activities
Campus life
Party / people
Weather / Location
I wish I had known...
That I should have gone for a full year as opposed to 6 months, stay as long as you can.
In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!



During my experience abroad, I ...
Became familiar with another culture
KEY:
Happened all the time.
Happened quite a lot.
Happened a bit.
Didn't happen.
Traveled
Improved language skills
Met people from other countries
Became more independent
Partied a lot
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies/career
Personal recommendation:
Take as many varied courses and don't worry. Finnish Architecture is the best course ever!



FINAL COMMENTS

Perosnal insurance a must with as much cover possible. There are losts of trips organised both by uni and companies advertsied all over the campuses to the surround countries. Organise a trip with friends somewhere, you'll learn a lot about yourself and them.
This review is the opinion of an iAgora member, and not of iAgora itself
Was this review useful?   Yes · No


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