37 reviews
4.22 / 5 based on 37 reviews
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Corinne W
Housing
Type of housing: placement employer
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: as above,
Why?
It suited me fine, I could ask staff to help me with my Finnish any time and it was all I needed and the cost was absorbed by my employer
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Corinne W
Student life
Describe host city:
Students equally interact with the local and student community
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Nightlife: Takes place mostly within the university/student environment
Travel, Activities: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
Sokos Hotel has the best nightlife, other pubs etc will probably have changed hands by now - Punainen Luhtu (spelling?) had a Guiness if you were feeling home sick
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Corinne W
Academic
Course recommendations
I did not take courses as such, I was on an industrial placement and the Kokkola Uni was my host uni
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
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Corinne W
Overall
I wish I had known...
I wish I had known more Finnish and more about their slightly reserved manner - cultural awareness. Finns are the most wonderful friends you can have but they need to take a while to get to know you first, don't take it personally
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In my opinion:
Most people loved it.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
Fantastic - I could have spent 4 years there instead of one
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
The Finnish language was very difficult to learn but it made my experience so much more valuable and I got my first job at Reuters because of it. I made the absolute most of my time there, with language training, proofreading annual reports, writing for the media and ofcourse the industrial placement and all of my potential employers thought that talking about my experience of Finland was fascinating, and that is what makes a difference at interview. Kokkola Uni has made a huge difference to my career
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Corinne W
Expenses
Main source of funding:
An ERASMUS grant
Other sources of funding:
none
Work opportunities:
I worked during my study abroad experience
Personal spending habits
The value of living is very high in Finland and hence the currency rate made a big difference
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Travel, Overall, Telephone, Nightlife, Food:
was more expensive than at home.
Housing:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
There is an excellent 10 day unlimited rail travel offer, which is a great way of exploring on a budget. As a native English speaker you can get work as a freelance language trainer or translator without any problem. I thought the grant would be loads of money but the reality hit home fast, you will have to budget well.
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Corinne W
Languages
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 the local language
How much did you improve your the local language?
My level before: Did not speak it
My level after: At ease in most situations
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
I made a lot of progress in Finnish due to my eagerness to learn on my own and some great friends that helped a great deal, I was proud to be able to speak Finnish and the Finns were impressed that I made such an effort. Americans rarely made any effort and their reception was affected by this - rightly so too.
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