"Measure seven times, cut once. Prepare properly first, then do. But what if there's no time to prepare? And what if it's not possible to prepare completely? What if sometimes, the only way is to move on first, and figure things out later? Be patient, and your patience will be rewarded. Or will it? I've seen patient people. Talented, hardworking people who were doing everything right in their lives - and still were left behind, because this was not enough. I kept walking, one small step at a time. Problems, things to do - I'll think about all of them tomorrow. Today, I had someone to meet, and I was looking forward to it for the first time in a long while. Today, only for one evening, I allowed myself to forget about everything else."
One of the most amazing things about Finland for me is its education system. Finland provides its citizens and residents, as well as citizens of other EU countries, with free education of all levels. The higher education can be obtained from either university or university of applied science (ammattikorkeakoulu). Both provide bachelor's and master's degrees but serve different purposes: while university degree is focused on science, ammattikorkeakoulu takes a more practical approach.
One of the most student-friendly aspects of Finnish education is its flexibility. The country uses the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), which makes transferring credits between programmes and institutions an easy task. More details about the system can be found here. I've seen several fellow students switch programs early in their studies after discovering new interests, without losing their academic progress – a feature that reduces the stress of committing to a single path.
What struck me most about Finnish universities is their openness. The campus culture is very different from what I've ever seen before. Despite being a student of different school, I was able to visit Aalto with my friends who studied and worked there. We had lunch, and they also showed me around.
Higher education is very internationally oriented, and while bachelor's programmes are often either in Finnish or English, higher ones are very commonly in English only. On campus, there are always a lot of people from all over the world.
Such an accessible education system has been the reason why I was able to move to Finland to begin with, and I appreciate it a lot. Despite the fact that the tuition fee for non-EU students has already been in place, there was still an option to study for the first year with a full scholarship (which meant no payment for the first year of studies; otherwise, at that time, it was 10000 euro per year). I was fortunate to secure a full scholarship for my first year based on entrance exam results. This scholarship program demonstrates Finland's commitment to attracting talented students regardless of their financial background. It is an excellent opportunity for anyone who is serious about their studies and work, as well as living in Europe. Looking back, I'm deeply grateful for this system that has opened doors for so many international students like myself.
This post's music
- Merta - Tahto
- Merta - Katso mua silmiin