Last Autumn 2019, Pooja from India arrived in Finland. She has started her 2nd year of studies at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, where she is studying a master’s degree in Business Informatics.
Finding out about Finland
After completing her other master’s degree in commerce in India, Pooja decided to see the world and apply to study another master’s degree in Finland. Initially, she was looking at universities from other places, such a Canada, Australia and the USA. However, one lucky day her husband attended a seminar held by Edunation. In that seminar, her husband got a lot of information regarding Finland and the higher education system here. When Pooja heard about Finland and the world-renowned education system here, she went ahead and chose to study in Finland instead.
I highly recommend Finland as a study destination for other students. – Pooja
Before that seminar by Edunation, Pooja and her husband had no knowledge of Finland. She described the experience really great, as otherwise she wouldn’t be doing her master’s now in Metropolia.
In the beginning of her process to apply to study in Finland, Pooja read about many universities in Finland. Eventually, she decided to choose Metropolia. This was because she wanted to do an MBA in business, and Metropolia has a few MBA programs that are extremely good. In the end, Pooja chose Business Informatics as her program and has been incredibly happy with her decision.
Best things about Metropolia
When asked about her favorite things about Metropolia, there were many things. For example, she mentions the environment of the school. In Metropolia, the environment is very good and makes studying there pleasant. However, the thing Pooja brought up the most was helpfulness. During her studies in Metropolia, Pooja said that she has experienced so much helpfulness from her colleagues, classmates and professors. Whenever she would feel confused or had problems with an assignment, there would always be someone that would offer help.
Even now that studies are organized online, whenever there is a need for help from university professors, they will set up online meetings to talk about things with students personally!
What makes Finland special
This said helpfulness is also something that extends outside of school, according to Pooja’s experiences in Finland. She says that one of the things that makes Finland special is the people. Thanks to many good experiences with Finnish people, Pooja can confidently say that they are extremely helpful. Whether it was getting help in a grocery store to find sugar, or getting personally taken to a destination when Google maps weren’t working, there has always been a Finnish person ready to help. This is a great example for other international students who wish to come to Finland. You won’t be left alone here and there will always be help nearby when needed!
Educational system in Finland
Pooja would recommend Finland as a study destination for other students as well. As an Indian citizen, she has noticed many differences between the education systems here in Finland and in India. In Finland, students get more practical knowledge when compared to India, for example. According to Pooja, this is a great thing and very valuable when the time comes to look for a job. She also praises the way courses are taught in Finland. Students get a very deep level of knowledge, because each course goes into detail in each topic.
Studying Finnish language
During her studies, Pooja has already taken Finnish language lessons. This has resulted in her getting a scholarship, as Metropolia grants them based on a student’s Finnish language skills. Due to this, Pooja credits the offered Finnish language lessons as one of the university’s best features. Learning Finnish is very important. If we think in a positive mindset, we can enjoy this language.
Against the common stereotype of Finnish language being extremely difficult to learn, Pooja doesn’t think so. She says that having a positive mindset about learning a new language makes a big difference. If you think positively, things will be easier.
Future plans
After graduating from Metropolia in 2021, Pooja plans to spend a year working and thinking of a topic for her PhD. Her goal is to do her PhD in Finland, and she will start that once she has settled on the perfect topic!
For future students
Lastly, Pooja would recommend other international students to apply through Edunation as well. Before coming to Finland, whenever she had questions about Finland or the education here, she would always get answers from Edunation. Edunation was able to give assistance whenever she faced confusion and got personalized help. Pooja believes this is something that all future students could benefit from.
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