Finnish universities are international and wish to encourage international experts to join the universities as students and as staff members. However, often many things come as a surprise or seem really interesting or strange from the point of view of people who have moved to Finland as adults.
We asked two questions from five doctoral researchers, who are born outside Finland. All are doing doctoral studies in Finland in three different universities, either in linguistics or in the educational field, and some came to Finland already for their Master’s degree. Here are some thoughts from them.
Kuva: Pixabay (StartupStockPhotos)
Suhao Peng, University of Eastern Finland:
1. What do you find surprising/interesting or strange about Finnish universities?
Almost everything seems ok here in Finland because I had been studying and living in Sweden before. One thing that surprised me was the working habits in the university office rooms because nobody is speaking at all when working together. I feel a bit odd and confused because it was quite normal to have some small talk with colleagues sometimes when I was working elsewhere. Oh yes, one more thing is that many Finnish university teachers/supervisors are adopting self-assessment for students, which is quite new for me.
2. What has been surprising/interesting or strange in Finland in general?
It is very interesting to see how the Moomins are perceived as national icons by Finns. You can easily find Moomin products almost everywhere in Finland.
Karim, Center of Applied Language Studies, University of Jyväskylä:
1. What do you find surprising/interesting or strange about Finnish universities?
Thinking about the first question, one of the most interesting things that I have experienced is the supervisors’ interaction with the supervisees. It is not in a hierarchical format, rather it’s conducted through an interaction.
2. What has been surprising/interesting or strange in Finland in general?
Concerning the second question, I would like to remark on flexible working hours (for graduate students at least). As a doctoral researcher, you can select your working hours or days as they are convenient for you.
Ivana, Linguistics, University of Oulu:
1. What do you find surprising/interesting or strange about Finnish universities?
Reflecting on both my Master’s and PhD studies in Finland, the most interesting/surprising thing for me is the relationship dynamics among teachers (supervisors) and students. In my opinion students here have a lot of freedom and flexibility to choose how they’ll conduct their studies, and they are also offered a lot of guidance from the teaching staff. This, in my opinion, relieves the pressure on students, however, everyone needs to find their own way to stay motivated in their studies.
2. What has been surprising/interesting or strange in Finland in general?
One of the things that pleasantly surprised me after moving to Finland was that almost all administration related stuff – such as applying for benefits or getting insurance – can be done entirely electronically or through phone. In my country of origin, one usually needs to queue for paper versions of the documents and deal with not-always-so-pleasant personnel.
Mai, University of Jyväskylä:
1. What has been surprising/interesting or strange in Finnish universities?
Students are expected to take greater control in navigating their studies, of course, with the help of their teachers and peers. Although each program has its basic structure (e.g. the minimum number of credits for completion, compulsory courses), there is flexibility for students to craft their studies according to their interests, future plans, family situation, etc. At first, it was a bit surprising to hear that there are many students who change their majors or spend a few extra years to complete their studies. One minor (funny) issue for me would be lunchtime sometimes. It can be pretty early (10:00 a.m.) or pretty late (2:00 p.m.) due to a course or event schedule.
2. What has been surprising/interesting or strange in Finland in general?
Having a sauna and grilling sausages over a bonfire are very important social activities we cannot miss in Finland, and we should plan our summer seriously because summer is (super) short here.
Polina, University of Jyväskylä:
1. What has been surprising/interesting or strange in Finnish universities?
I came to Finland as a Master’s student, and I found it fascinating how much freedom the students had in planning their studies. It was practically impossible in my home country to choose what courses to attend, and I enjoyed the freedom here. On top of that, I was amazed by how many study spaces there were for students and how well they were planned. And, of course, I had to get used to very informal communication between students and teachers.
2. What has been surprising/interesting or strange in Finland in general?
There are two things that I found borderline surprising/strange: sauna and salmiakki. I was very surprised to find out that there is a sauna either in the apartment or in the building, including student accommodation. And I should say that it’s a really nice perk! Another thing that I found strange was that you can find almost any type of dessert with salmiakki in the store: ice cream, sweets, candies, and jellies. While the latter ones are fine, I’m not quite sure about the ice-cream…
The land of freedom of the students and national icons
So, in conclusion, considering academia, it seems that the independence and freedom in your studies is something that is not so common everywhere. And, it may have also its cons as freedom also brings with it responsibility. Another interesting or strange thing seems to be the communication culture, and I think that’s no surprise for many. It’s interesting that it affects many situations though: the supervision practices, the teaching and assessment practices, the everyday work at the office, and how you build relationships at work. But then there are small issues which affect the relationship building too, like peculiar lunch times.
And as Finland is known for the Moomins, sauna, and salmiakki, it seems that most of international experts will face those cultural icons too at some point. They also have to face the location of Finland: long winters are balanced out by luminous and short summers.
Thank you all for the answers!
Kielingua-team’s Tanja Seppälä