Author: Kamil Marwat, Master student at Aalto University

I finished my bachelor studies in 2016 and thus my hunt for master’s degree begun. After going through several programs and universities, the master’s program at Aalto University had caught my attention the most. Finland’s excellent education reputation, her much celebrated boom in IT field and the job opportunities, Aalto University ranking — it’s one way to know, when you know nothing about a university, were all the right indicators to persuade me to choose Finland as my destination for not only next two years, but a place I would be able to call home.

I did not allow the cold, the dark and the loneliness that Finland is otherwise known for come in my way. It was an exciting idea to go to a completely new place which offers one such complete new experience.

It was year 2017 —  the unlucky year when Finland had just introduced the fee for the first time for all non-EU international students, when I began my master’s studies. The concept of paying tuition fee was not new to me, even though it was a huge responsibility and a risk to be taken in the hope of better future and thus I assumed it to be a step in the right direction of my professional career development.

It is important to note that the developing countries have purchasing power of almost 3 ratio 1, meaning one can buy as a much as 3 times in my home country with the same currency in that of Finland. So despite all the enthusiasm, it was a huge amount of money that I needed to arrange. I did not only have to arrange the tuition fee, but the amount needed for my student visa approval for one year.

As I was a recipient of 50% fee waiver scholarship — scholarship? I often wonder! No fees are now called scholarships to make us feel better, but truth be told, it does not. It does not help when you know no one pays tuition fee other than you, even those who came to Finland for master studies just a year ago from the very same country. I feel like it’s just a tool to force me into completing master’s degree in 2 years and still be thankful. I had to arrange 14 220 euros for just one year, excluding the amount it takes to pay the embassy for visa processing, buying private health insurance and other costs incurred during this process.

I as a student, who just graduated with bachelor’s degree, only had my parents to look up to and my relatives to borrow loan from. Not everyone is rich enough to have this huge amount at their disposal. My parents worked their lifetime to build a house that we, me and my siblings, would eventually inherit. It was my only and last resource to pay for my tuition fee. Real estate property requires time to be sold, and I was running out of time, so for now I turned to relatives to borrow loan form with a promise to return this amount soon as our house is sold.

As I began my studies, and met more and more people, I realized how expensive it is for me to study in Finland. I did not have as much freedom to choose a course outside my study plan. Failure was not an option. I couldn’t afford taking ECTs less than 60 in the first year, less than 30 ECTs in a semester and less than 15 ECTs in one period. I had to do it at all cost, and so did I. And thus it happened at the cost of my social, mental and physical well-being. From being happy and excited, socializing and attending events during the orientation week, to restricting myself to lecture hall, the study hub and my room only. It all happened during a span of few weeks only. Having paid so much tuition fee, I felt like betraying my parents for not giving full time — all of my time, to my studies only. It was a huge responsibility. Did my friends feel as much pressure? I do not think so. With each passing month, the feeling of regret for putting so much at stake started to grow inside me.

Finland was always in the news for having an ideal education model, where students are not pressurized and yet still outperform others. It was a role model the world was to follow and learn from. Where competition was discouraged, and collaboration was encouraged. But sadly enough, my experience has been on the contrary. I was put in a tough competition against time for my money. Learning lost a meaning for me, it was all about numbers. I needed to get the right numbers on the right time in the right order.

Unsatisfied with myself, not able to find summer job, I had to fly back to my home country during my first year. It wasn’t a choice that I made happily, but forced into. Who wouldn’t want to gain experience and earn during summer, and that too in Finland? With much of what I experienced, I wasn’t sure whether it is even worth to continue my studies and pay the tuition fee for the next year.

Having set the deadline for us i.e. July 2019, I am not even sure whether I am even wanted in this country. How can I find time, as well as the motivation, to learn the Finnish language in such conditions, which in turn reduces my chances to integrate, when I will have to leave in case I don’t find a job before I graduate? And graduate I must by July 2019.

Finland does no longer seem to be a choice one could strongly enough recommend to prospective students from non-EU. But we must work together, and there is still time to change that.

Hur går det för Europeiska unionen så här åtta månader före EU-valet? Det är över ett halvt år kvar till världens största demokratihändelse, men det lönar sig att börjar prata om den redan nu, också vid Aalto.

I somras besökte AUS styrelse Bryssel för att framföra hälsningar från Aaltos studerande till EU:s beslutsfattare och för att diskutera EU-samarbetet och aktuella teman i unionen, såsom globalisering, cirkulär ekonomi och digitalisering. I vårt resesällskap ingick också en delegation från vår samarbetsstudentkår Tsinghua, och tillsammans träffade vi bland annat kommissionär Jyrki Katainen.

Mycket har hänt efter EU-parlamentsvalet 2014.

EU-områdets ekonomi växer igen, men både flyktingkrisen och den aldrig tidigare upplevda utträdesprocessen för en medlemsstat har satt unionens enighet på prov. Trots spänningarna har Brexitförhandlingarna påmint euopéerna om hur mycket EU påverkar vårt dagliga liv.

Det är unikt att vi i EU kan se den fria rörligheten för människor, tankar och saker som en självklarhet. EU:s centrala värden är en förutsättning för ett utbildnings- och forskningssamarbete i världsklass också i den internationella Aaltogemenskapen.

Taloustutkimus gjorde nyligen en undersökning som visar att 89 procent av de finländska unga identifierar sig som EU-medborgare och att 81 procent ser EU-medlemskapet som något positivt.

Av undersökningen framgår också EU:s roll som global problemlösare. Våra största samhälleliga utmaningar, såsom klimatförändringen och omvälvningen i arbetslivet, går inte att lösa på nationell nivå.

I det kommande EU-valet väljs ett nytt EU-parlament som stiftar EU:s lagar jämsides med ministerrådet som består av medlemsländernas regeringar. Finlands EU-linje bestäms därmed också i riksdagsvalet som ordnas samma vår.

Det parti som vinner valet leder inte bara Finland utan också Europa: de kommande ministrarna har ansvaret för att leda EU under Finlands ordförandeskap hösten 2019 och möjlighet att påverka EU:s riktning. Också Finlands framtida kommissionär torde bestämmas enligt resultatet i riksdagsvalet.

Det gäller alltså att se hela valvåren som en helhet – vi utformar vår gemensamma framtid på alla beslutsnivåer.

Nu är det dags för studentgenerationen att säga vilken framtid vi vill ha.

Under hösten och början av året kommer AUS att med tanke på valvåren lyfta upp studenternas viktiga framtidsteman till diskussion. Hur vill du att Europa ska utvecklas? De beslut som fattas nu har störst inverkan på just våra möjligheter.

Rosa Väisänen
Intressebevakningssakkunnig (internationella ärenden och nya studenter)

Den sittande och den föregående styrelsen för Aalto-universitetets studentkår besökte Kina och Sydkorea i början av maj för att bekanta sig med den lokala studentverksamheten. Här berättar styrelsemedlemmarna Mikael Liimatainen och Julius Luukkanen om behållningen av resan.

AUS delegation i Beijing

Den första veckan av Kinaresan tillbringades till största delen i Shanghai (vår studentcentrumsdelegation tillbringade den här veckan i Sydkorea, här kan du läsa mer) och den andra veckan tillbringades i Beijing som gäster hos studentkåren vid Tsinghua-universitetet.

Syftet med studieresan var att fördjupa deltagarnas och därigenom studentkårens insikter i universitets- och studentlivet utanför Finlands gränser. Kina erbjuder den perfekta miljön för det här eftersom landet är så annorlunda än Finland.

Till den viktigaste behållningen av resan hör att båda länderna trots sina olikheter tampas med samma typ av problem. Exempelvis integreringen av utländska studenter i den lokala studentgemenskapen och upprätthållandet av goda förbindelser med universitetet.

Kinesernas och finländarnas perspektiv och lösningar skiljer sig betydligt från varandra. “Sharing best practices” och “benchmarking” lyckades alltså bra. Att utvidga sitt tänk och bekanta sig med olika lösningar piggar upp och bidrar med nya synvinklar i AUS framtida verksamhet.

Samtidigt utvecklade delegationen sina globala färdigheter – eller rättare sagt lärde sig att ta hänsyn till kulturella skillnader och använda ett främmande språk i både sakliga och lättsamma samtal.

I dagens värld är internationella färdigheter ytterst viktiga. Det vi lärt oss hjälper oss att agera bättre också i vår egen studentkår som blir allt mer internationell, och på det sättet sprids lärdomarna till andra aktörer i Aaltogemenskapen.

Våra kinesiska värdar, personalen och beslutsfattarna vid Tsinghua-universitetet lärde vi känna på många olika tillställningar. Vi fick också bekanta oss med företag och kulturellt värdefulla resmål.

Ett särskilt intressant ekonomiskt centrum i Kina är Shanghai, där vi främst undersökte finländarens möjligheter i Kina och fick ett finländskt perspektiv på Kina och verksamhetsmiljön där.

Både vår resa till Kina och kinesernas motsvarande resa till Europa finansieras primärt med externt stöd, fondpengar och företagssamarbete. Resans mål anknyter också på många sätt till företagslivet.

För finländska och andra västerländska företag är Kina ett mycket intressant affärsmål, vilket innebär att studenterna vid Aalto-universitetet också kan hitta sina framtida arbetsplatser där. Därför är det viktigt att föra fram AUS, aaltoiterna och Aalto på ett positivt sätt vid Kinas bästa universitet.

Vi hoppas att samarbetet i framtiden ger oss just det lilla, nödvändiga försprång som ger oss alla bättre möjligheter att lyckas i en av världens största ekonomier.

Det allmänna västerländska intresset för Kina medför också nya möjligheter för studentkåren inom företagssamarbetet och möjliggör viktiga, lärorika möten med påverkare både i Finland, Europa och Kina. Träffarna genererar i sin tur nya möjligheter för studentkårens påverkansarbete.

Mössor vid Kinesiska muren

Till varje besök hör naturligtvis en svarsvisit. Vi ser fram emot att senare i sommar välkomna våra gäster från Kina som besöker oss för att bekanta sig med den europeiska högskoleutbildningen och AUS verksamhet!

Mikael Liimatainen
styrelsemedlem i AUS (internationella frågor)

Julius Luukkanen
styrelsemedlem i AUS (konstnärlig verksamhet, varumärke, kommunikation, arkivet och museet)

Where Finnish people pride themselves in high standard of education, so do the Chinese. Beijing, a bustling city of 20 million people is the third largest in the world, but in technological education their Tsinghua University is ranked number one, unrivaled even by the famous MIT. And just as in any educational facility, they have a student union to improve the lives of their nearly 40 thousand students.

The cooperation between Tsinghua University’s Student Union SUTU with Finnish students started by chance in 2004, when two students and active members of their respective student unions met at a European Conference and decided to bring their worlds closer together. Since then the original party to cooperate with SUTU, the Student Union of the Helsinki University of Technology (TKY) has ceased to exist and merged with other student unions into AYY, Aalto-university Student Union. Despite this, both parties have worked ceaselessly to strengthen the bonds between them. A SUTU delegate visits Finland every year, and in return two of AYY’s boards travel to China every other year.

This year the visit of Chinese students fell upon mid-August. Knowing the Finnish summer AYY’s board members had been worried about the activities they had organised all summer, scared they might be foiled by fickle storms. As Monday came and the guests arrived, they were greeted by the oh so familiar summer drizzle. But they weren’t unprepared, and soon the bleak grey skies were obscured by umbrellas, one more colourful than the other.

First day in rainy Espoo.

The Chinese students’ flight had been long, so Monday’s programme was kept brief: a short introduction of both student unions’ functions, as well as a few ice breakers. A tour around the campus ended in the newly renovated Dipoli, where students met up with newly appointed President of Aalto, Ilkka Niemelä. The night ended on a high note as the company gathered at AYY’s Rantasauna, the seaside sauna. The guests were greeted by an old AYY spokesperson of 2013, Piia Kuosmanen, who had taken her turn visiting SUTU and who now works closely with Chinese businesses in the field of technology. With her lead the two groups talked about the similarities and differences in Finnish and Chinese cultures. Naturally the guests also got a first-hand experience of the Finnish culture, as they got to warm up in the sauna as well as take a dip into the cold, cold sea.

As Tuesday rolled around, so did the sun, finally gracing Helsinki with its warmth. The Chinese guests were given an extensive tour of our beautiful capital, its nature and architecture – most notably Kamppi’s Chapel of Silence, The Parliament House and its surroundings, as well as more industrial areas such as that around Nosturi.

The first company visit planned lead the delegation to Naisasialiito Unioni, the feminist non-governmental organization. Its Secretary General, Milla Pyykkönen, lead a conversation that interested both the Chinese and Finnish representatives. The parties got to hear about the development of gender equality in Finland, as well as Naisliitto Unioni’s project to increase gender sensitivity in early childhood education.

Board member Onni guiding the tour around the campus.

As the weather continued to surprise and delight, the visit continued with a trip to the national park of Nuuksio and its picturesque lakeside. As could be expected, the programme constisted of grilling, sauna and general wandering around the forest. As citizens of an industrial metropolis, the guests were most fascinated by blueberries, right there for their picking.

To balance out the relaxing day surrounded by nature, the next day was filled with excursions to Helsinki area’s businesses, starting with Metso Automation in Vantaa. The company’s Director of Technology, Jukka Borgman, walked the party through the workings of the organization, as well as the physical facilities. Highly automated valve and flow control device producing plant gave our guests interesting view of Finland’s advanced manufacturing industry. The tour ended in lunch in Metso’s own cafeteria.

Board member Pyry explaining the blueprints of Dipoli.

Obviously one excursion a day is not enough, so in the afternoon the delegation headed to Finnair’s headquarters, located at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport. A general introduction was lead by Finnair’s VP Group Treasurer, Christine Rovelli, followed by a workshop on the development of Finnair’s services on the Chinese market, facilitated by the Project Lead in Corporate Development, Henrik Balkin. Afterwards Finnair kindly invited the students for snacks and a great view over the whole airport. And as if that wasn’t enough excitement for one day, the night ended with a headfirst dive into the culture of Finnish academic table parties, sitsit.

The Chinese guests’ last full day in Finland began together with the chair of board of Espoo City Council, Markku Markkula, who also serves as a chair of board in EU Committee of Regions. He walked the students through the development of the city. The afternoon was spent at Eteläranta which houses the headquarters of Elinkeinoelämän keskusliitto, Confederation of Finnish Industries. EK’s leading economist, Penna Urrila, told the delegation about how the Finnish economy is constructed and how it is going to develop in the future.

In the evening the guests had some time to pack up before meeting up for a dinner party that also served as Aalto’s former President Tuula Teeri’s farewell party. The party continued long into the night, but by 5 in the morning the Chinese part of the company had to leave for the airport, accompanied by a few sleepy-eyed members of AYY’s board.

The Finnish boards’ reciprocal visit to Beijing will have to wait until next year. But we are sure that the bonds we built will last and that our visit will be as much of a success as SUTU’s trip here – full of smiles, excitement and mutual appreciation. 再见 (zài jiàn) – it doesn’t mean goodbye, it means see you later!

Text: Noora Vänttinen/Katarina Vesikko

Photos: Petteri Heliste

Students from outside of the EU/EEA need to have a residency permit to start their studies in Finland, and having a private health insurance is one of the requirements for getting a residency permit. Degree students of all nationalities are entitled to a home municipality in Finland and can use public healthcare services. Students from EU member countries can use public health care services with a European Health Insurance Card. All university students who are members of any student union can also use the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS/YTHS). However, international students do not have access to KELA benefits (unless they work in Finland for a certain time period).

Aalto University Student Union (AYY) in cooperation with the Student Union of the University of Helsinki (HYY) has conducted a survey on the use of these healthcare services and health insurances among international students in Finland. The survey was produced by the research foundation Otus. The anonymous survey collected 475 answers from students in Aalto and Helsinki universities, 246 of which were degree or exchange students from Aalto University.

In the survey we wanted to find out how well international students know the health service providers, how do the health insurances work and what kind of channels are used to get information on these issues. In the next sections we will first go over receiving care, then health insurances and issues with these.

Receiving treatment

In this section we will present results on how well international students received treatment. One of the questions was how well international students received required health care services while staying in Finland. These results are covered in table 1.

Table 1. Have you received the required care or health services in Finland? (n= 303)

There is a clear difference between students who have come from EU/EAA countries and students from outside EU/EEA in attainment of health care services. Only 64% of non-EU/EEA students said they felt they got the required treatment always or on most occasions, whereas 81% of EU/EEA students report the same.

Out of the students from both EU/ETA and other countries those who did not always receive the care they needed brought up different reasons. These results are represented in table 2.

Table 2. If you have not always received required healthcare, how often did you receive care despite these reasons? (n= 475) (NB. there was an option to choose several reasons)

The main reason for not getting treatment among participants was not knowing what their insurance covered. 64% of the respondents felt that unawareness of these issues lead to them receiving required treatment sometimes, seldom, or never at all. The other major reasons were not being aware of available services and being deemed not eligible for aid by health care services.

Health insurances used by international students

In this section we will go over different health insurances used by international students and their experiences with applying for compensation and dealing with insurance companies. These questions were asked only from students from outside EU/ETA for whom the insurance is required.

There are several health insurance providers international students use. The insurance recommended by Finnish authorities and universities is SIP Insurances, according to a tendering process done in the early 2010s by a consortium of universities. SIP Insurances have a market share of 26% among the respondents. As seen in table 3, other popular insurances are Swisscare (27%) and International Student Insurance (13%).

Table 3. Health insurance provider (n=323) 

The respondents were also asked about the process of acquiring an insurance. Only 38% of the respondents felt they had received enough information regarding the contents of the insurance and the terms of compensation, as seen in table 4. Buying an insurance does not seem to be a difficult process for the respondents, but it seems that students just get the insurance for the sake of getting the residency permit – without really knowing how the insurance functions or what its coverage is.

Table 4. Opinions on getting the insurance among students with insurance (n= 323)

As seen in table 5, the biggest problem of getting insurance was not knowing what kind of insurance one should buy, which 35% of respondents found to be an issue. 30% felt it was difficult to find information on the different available options. According to the official report the most popular source of information were university pages (32%), Migri web pages (22%), friends (21%) and Study in Finland web pages (19%).

Some students (4%) found that their general health, such as pre-existing conditions made it hard to get an insurance. This is extremely worrisome and against the principle of equality.

Table 5. Issues when getting the insurance (n=323)

Table 6. shows the issues stated above as complied into different insurance providers. Note that in some of these the amount of answers was very low.

‘Table 6. Insurances as complied by different providers.

Conclusion

International students are required to have a private health insurance in order to commence their studies in Finland, but they are left alone with the problems they face with insurances. There is not enough information provided by the authorities, Study in Finland page or the universities, and when compared to similar pages in other European countries, the level of detail on Finnish pages is rather low.

Finnish authorities and universities only thinking about providing international students with degrees is unsustainable. A more holistic approach to internationalisation of universities is needed in Finland. Putting efforts into developing degrees and teaching is important, but if basic services like health care, banking or immigration services have grave problems, Finland is hardly a dream destination. What needs to be taken into account is the whole experience of integrating international students into the Finnish society, and problems with basic needs such as healthcare reflect negatively on the image of Finnish education.

International students have the right to a well-functioning, affordable and accessible insurance, as well as proper information on healthcare and health insurances. Issues with health care and adequate compensation for health care costs need to be taken very seriously. If Finland truly wants to welcome its international students, all parties involved need to step up their game. A new tendering process is needed, as the health insurance now recommended by the universities and authorities has the gravest problems and lowest customer satisfaction among students. Immigration authorities, universities and the National Agency for Education need to sit down together and start developing solutions.

Milla Ovaska, Specialist, International Affairs

Aalto University Student Union

contact: international(at)ayy.fi