University of Turku
University of Turku is located in south western part of Finland. It is the second largest university in Finland, and a world renowned University. It has about 18,000 students and 3,000 faculty members. About 2,500 students go to University of Turku as exchange students. Its strong subjects points are Biosciences, Research in the interaction processes between culture and society, Mathematical research in learning and education, Astronomy and space research and such that are research and searches. It was chosen as Faculty of Medicine (2011-2012), Faculty of Law (2007-2009), Department of Psychology (2007-2009), School of Art Studies (2007-2009), and High quality adult university education (2007-2009) Centers of Excellence by Department of Education in Finland.
Application
Students who wish to go to University of Turku must submit required documents before deadline (for fall semester: May 31st, for spring semester: November 1st.). With application form, students need to submit Transcript of records, Language Certificate, nomination and Learning Agreement. Students can find application form here www.utu.fi/en/studying/apply/non-degree/index.html. Also, Students should enclose a language certificate of English, Finnish or Swedish (Language Assessment Sheet) with their application. Non-EU citizens need to get visa or residence permit before going to Finland. The cost of visa/residence permit varies depending on the home country; in Korea it is 400,000 won.
Tuition & Fee
The tuition is 2,000,000 won per semester for registering classes; however, they provide scholarships to students who attain good grades so good students can save their money. Membership of the Student Union is 91€ per academic year and 44,50€ per one semester. Student card (Lyyra) is 16,60€ after paying the student Union Membership fee. Books and material will usually be available in the libraries or if copies are handed out by professors, it might cost only a few Euros. An electronic key to access to the computer labs 24/7 is 15€ and students will get 10€ back after returning the key(This service is optional.)
Accommodations
There is no dormitory for exchange students, so exchange students should apply for a room in a student village. All the information about student village can be found on the website www.tys.fi . Student need to apply for the room in the student village at least six weeks before the lease starts. Rent in the student housing is about 280€ per month plus 60€ admission fee (paid only once). The deposit is 250€, which will be paid from the home country, and it will be returned to the student at the end of the exchange. Starting Package is 65€ including a 50€ deposit which will be refunded if all the items are returned clean and in good condition. This package includes some useful household items such as plates, cups, curtains, pillow, and blanket etc. (This service is optional and only for the members of the Student Union.) In student housing (TYS), it is possible to use a fixed Internet connection. The monthly fee is included in the rent.
Student Services
Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) is fir for students who have paid the Student Union membership fees. Some services are free of charge, for example consultation with a general practitioner and laboratory tests, for some there is a small fee for example specialists charge 6€. Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is organizing all kinds of free activities for exchange students. They also organize trips for example to Lapland, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and Stockholm. These are always very reasonable priced excursions, and optional. In addition, there are the costs of travel, insurance and possible visa costs.
Finnish Class
University of Turku provides Finnish classes for exchange students. They are called ‘Survivor Finnish’. Students can choose the class according to their language levels.
학생: 최화영(Choi Wha-young)심리학과 4학년
교환학생 기간: 2011-1부터 1학기
Q1. Why did you choose University of Turku?
I noticed that northern European countries have a good education system. Among them, Finland seemed very good in education and I found that University of Turku has many English classes in my department, which is psychology. From then, I decided to go to University of Turku as an exchange student.
Q2. Was there any problem adjusting to a new culture?
Actually, I didn’t have any problem adjusting to a new culture. I was the only one from Chung-Ang University, so the first few days I felt lonely rather than feeling awkward to the new culture. However, University of Turku has a ‘Buddy program’ for exchange students to help them adjust to new environment. My buddy introduced me to her friend and her sister, and we became friends. From then, I didn’t have any problem living there because I wasn’t lonely anymore. We hung out all the time going to party and playing hockey. Also, since there are many exchange students in student village, so it wasn’t hard to find friends. Overall, Finland was a great country with clean surroundings. Finnish people I knew were all fluent English speaker, and they were very nice and open.
Q3. On Education field, Finland is ranked first followed by Korea. Is there any difference in campus comparing University of Turku and Chung-ang University?
It was very different. Unlike Korean Universities, class schedules are not fixed. Each class has its own time table. For example, you only have class on February and March Wednesdays for one class, and another you only have class on February, March, and April Mondays and Wednesdays. Also, if you find a class interesting in the middle of the semester, you can always join the class. You can always change your schedule. If you have two classes at the same time, you can adjust with your professor and take both classes. My favorite part was testing system. Unlike Korea, there is no mid-term and final. One class has only one exam. If you happen to fail or get the score that is lower than you expected, you can take a make-up test. They allow you to take make up test up to three times.
Q4. Is there any extracurricular or club that you would recommend to Korean exchange student in University of Turku?
I took dance class in Finnish at sports center. It was the class that is provided by school as an extracurricular. Because it was a dance class which requires more looking and following the moves than listening and understanding, it wasn’t hard to follow the class. Even though my teacher wasn’t a fluent English speaker, my classmate translated for me and that was very helpful. I took swing dance, and power ballet. It The class met for an hour, once a week. Through this class, not only did I learn the dance moves, but also I met various people, and partied with them. It was a good hobby for me during the stay. Students who stay abroad can easily join, and mingle with lots of people, so I recommend this class. I did not participate in any club, so I don’t have anything to recommend for that.
Q5. Do you have a special memory you would like to share?
I hitchhiked in Finland to go to airport to catch the plane to Norway. My friend and I stood in the road holding the sign for five minutes and someone picked us up and dropped us off at the airport. I knew that Finland is the safest place to hitchhike, and I experienced it. Also, another friend of mine and I went to northern Finland near the Artic. I visited Santa village, and stayed at Finnish people’s house through couch surfing. The owner of the house thought his house wasn’t big enough for us, so he offered his friend’s house which was empty to stay, and he was very helpful with our trip. The most memorable moment of the trip is when we saw the aurora there.
Q6. Do you have any suggestions or tips for those who want to go abroad as an exchange student?
The most important to remember is to be active. I regret that I wasn’t aggressive enough because I was afraid of talking to a foreigner. However, we are all the same human being, so there’s no need to hesitate expressing your thoughts or be in a group. If you keep that in mind, there is not going to be trouble during your stay.