University of Tampere Reviews

Type of housing: On campus

Arranged by: Host university

If returning, I would choose: On campus

Why? I would choose campus again because I was always around other students and my friends and we formed a pleasant community. This is how we could communicate better and get to know each other closer.

Personal comments:
Although I had the cheapest accommodation available, it was suitable in all aspects. I was a bit cold during the winter (you know Finland) but it was due to a bad insulation. Apparently I was just unlucky because the others didn't complain. Other than that everything was perfect. If I needed help, I could just go downstairs to my classmates or we could have students' sessions in the evenings because we were living next to each other. So the close distance to people was the biggest advantage no matter the time of commuting to school (20 minutes by bus)

Describe host city: Student life dominates the city

Activities: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment

Nightlife, Travel: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment

Personal comments:
Ruma was for me the best nightclub, but it was because of the music (I really loved it). Th point of the city is that there are a lot of clubs and they are very differents, you can spend and enjoy one night in a techno disco and the following day in a salsa pub. You can't miss the Vappu, the party of the first of May in which students spend three days in the street having fun. You can even "be baptized" in the river of the town in a traditional act for the students of first year or exchange students. Visit Lapland, Russia and the Baltics and do the trip by boat to Stockholm with the SeaBattle.

Course recommendations:
Course are often run in as intensive two or three hour classes over two or three weeks culminating in a tesst of some kind. This was quite a change for me. However this system allowed me to plan travelling between blocks of class. You must sign up for classes, find a noticeboard relevant to your courses and watch it for announcement of courses.

Personal comments:
Some courses were quite relaxed and while this fostered debate and participation in the class room, there was often a lack of discipline. Lecturers were often VERY difficult to meet with outside class times. Office hours for meeting students were regularly flouted.

Language of instruction: English

Main source of funding:
An ERASMUS grant

Other sources of funding:
Government assistance

Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options

Personal spending habits:
Nightlife is VERY expensive, so people tended to invite people to their home to socialise. Tickets for events were also costly. Fresh vegetables are also expensive.Calling home cost alot, but good internet access offset this.

Nightlife, Telephone: was more expensive than at home.

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

Travel: was less expensive than at home.

I wish I had known...
I took only thick woolen sweaters for the winter season and no T-shirts but I should have because in schools and computer labs it was hot! I could have taken a sleeping bag for travelling as well so that I didn't have to buy one here.

In my opinion:
Most people loved it.