Finland: Studying in the happiest country in the world

Sledge dogs, frozen lakes and snowmobiles – that is how Finland is frequently pictured. But not only winter fans are drawn to the land of a thousand lakes. Thanks to practice-oriented teaching and many leisure activities, more and more Germans are spending their semesters abroad there – THWS students included.

Finland proves that plenty of sunshine is no essential ingredient for a happy and fulfilled life. For the fifth year in a row, the country in the High North has been at the top of the World Happiness Report. It is thus not surprising that more and more German students spend a semester abroad in Finland. According to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), in 2005 about 1,000 German ERASMUS students decided on Finland. By 2019, this number nearly doubled. During the corona pandemic, the number decreased significantly due to the restrictions.

One of the THWS students who were still able to fulfil their dream of a semester abroad in Finland is Jonas Sauer. From January till May 2021, he could collect credit points for his master's degree in Media Management and make unforgettable memories at the LAB University in Lappeenranta. "I was the only one from my degree programme who chose Finland. This decision was definitely worthwhile", he says with content about his choice.

Seven partner universities in Finland

THWS students like Jonas Sauer daring to go to Finland, is faced with the agony of choice. Depending on the degree programme, there are up to seven partner universities to choose from, from the capital of Helsinki to the region of Lapland. A semester abroad at the Finnish partner universities is, among others, possible for students of the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences, the Faculty of Design, the Faculty of Business and Economics (including Media Management) or the Faculty of Business and Engineering.

Jonas decided for LAB University of Applied Sciences in Lappeenranta, which was founded in 1992, because of the areas of specialisation in economics, design and innovation. This was just the right combination for his bachelor's degree programme in Media Management. "At LAB University, I took modules like Marketing or Social Media in Tourism, and was able to get 29 credit points accredited for the winter semester abroad", Jonas smiles. He did not have to learn Finnish as all THWS partner universities are offering courses in English.

For students of social work, for example, Diaconia University of Applied Sciences is a good choice because it is Finland's biggest university of applied sciences for social work. In addition to the semester abroad, this partner university also offers Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) for THWS students. These are international short-term programmes with one part taking place virtually and another part taking place on site. In the last BIP in August 2022, students in Würzburg and Helsinki were concerned with the sustainable establishment, development and maintenance of communities. Thanks to successful cooperation, more BIPs with Diaconia University of Applied Sciences are planned for the next semesters.

The Finnish higher education system: not identical but not completely different either

Studying in Finland is subject to some special characteristics. Instead of being structured in winter and summer semester, the Finnish academic year constitutes of spring and autumn semester. According to Thomas Schmitt, deputy head of the International Office (HSIN), most students decided for the Finnish autumn semester due to organisational reasons. The autumn semester ends just before Christmas and thus leaves students with a few months off before entering the summer semester. Another difference is the grading system. In Finnland, grades from one to five are used, with five being the best grade. Some universities use a grading scale ranging from one to three.

In addition to these marginal differences, there is one major similarity. "The Finnish higher education system is similar to the German one. In addition to traditional research universities, Finland also has practice-oriented higher education institutions", Thomas Schmitt explains. The fact that according to the DAAD Germany is the fourth most popular country among Finnish students could be due to this similarity. According to HSIN Finnish students are regularly spending their semesters abroad at THWS. In the winter semester 2022/23 about 20 Finnish students went to THWS.

Jonas emphasises that studying at a Finnish higher education institution was no big change for him. The programme structure was quite similar with lots of practice-oriented exercises during the semester, and written or oral exams. He did not have much difficulty with course contents either so that he could score the grade 1.0 for most of the courses.

Exploring Finland while studying

Despite the study load, there still is enough time on weekends or during short lecture-free periods to explore the land of a thousand lakes. But Finland has a lot more to offer than just beautiful lakes. Those interested in arts and culture, will be more than satisfied with Helsinki, Europe's culture capital, with its numerous museums, theatres, and concert halls. Adventurous outdoor fans can plan a trip to Lapland to explore the Finnish subarctic wilderness on a snowmobile or a husky sledge. As Lappeenranta is a bit far off, LAB University rents cars for such occasions. "Four of us shared a rental car and could go to Lapland that way. There, we took a husky sledge and looked at the Northern Lights – an unforgettable memory", Jonas Sauer says enthusiastically.

A stay abroad is always worth it

In addition to these beautiful memories and special moments, Jonas Sauer takes something particularly special back to Germany with him. By this, he does not mean an interesting resumé or his good grades but the many friendships he has made in Finland. "I have made friends for life, and that is what is most valuable to me. I did not think that it would be possible to find true friends because of the language barrier, but I was proven wrong", Jonas says. Thanks to the ERASMUS programme, he was able to get to know students from different countries in Finland.

Thomas Schmitt hears such positive reactions a lot from students returning from Finland. "There have never been complaints about semesters abroad in Finland", the deputy head of the International Office says. "The time abroad is generally worth it, in Finland or anywhere else."