Tag: international students

Defining Academic Excellence: Six Different Exchange Perspectives

The University of Oulu has hundreds of exchange students, but have you ever stopped to think about how all of our education systems compare? Lindsay Jamerson got the idea for this story after playing a round of card games with a group of exchange student friends. "We were all talking about our exchange and the ways it was different than we expected. First it started with the weather, the brave ones wishing it was colder and the romantics hoping for snow, but slowly, our conversation shifted gears and we drifted to the land of academia", she describes. In this article, six students with different studies, backgrounds, and home countries answer a couple of questions about academics and how education in Finland stacks up against their own experiences and expectations.

Ihmiset In English Opiskelu

TEKSTI Lindsay Jamerson

KUVAT Anni Hyypiö

Juan Judel Palazón, 22, Spain
Home University: Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Major: History

What does academic excellence mean to you?

That probably means getting the highest grades in a career, but I think that’s without taking in account whether you enjoy your studies or not, so it’s a superficial view focused on competition only. A University student shouldn’t only focus on getting the best grades but also getting competences and enjoying what he/she is doing.

What are some of the differences between your home institution and the University of Oulu?

There are differences. Here I have less assignments compared to my home University. In Spain we have more hours of lectures and practically I almost have no exams. This means for me a huge contrast between my life as a student here in Oulu and in Madrid. Also, I have noticed this University is more focused in sciences which is good, but maybe there could be more humanities related events or seminars. Another very positive aspect of the University of Oulu is the easy access to those who want to practice some sports. The infrastructure of this University is really good (like buildings, libraries), and of course the restaurants of the University with its special prices for students.

What about the University of Oulu was the most appealing to you?

In this case I would say the place, also some of the international history related subjects were interesting for me as in my home University we really focus only in Europe. But in this case a great part of my interest was in the country and the environment themselves. I have always been curious about the northern countries and I wanted to see what living here is like.

 

 

Cedric Freisenhausen, 24, Germany
Home University: Ulm University
Major: Molecular Medicine Double Degree (Ulm/Oulu)

 

Why did you choose to study abroad at the University of Oulu?

I was offered two Double Degree programs in cooperation with Padua (a university in Italy) and Oulu Universities. I wanted to be among the first students going to Oulu University, as Northern Finland seemed more interesting to me. I was excited about a real winter, scandinavian forests and northern lights. Also the first students going to Padua a year before me weren’t too happy about the teaching there.

What are some of the differences between your home institution and the University of Oulu? Specifically the classroom environment.

I have chosen a six week and a three week course and practical work. The six week course was really different from the teaching from my home university, as the teacher was adjusting the course’s contents according to our previous knowledge. Both courses were quite interactive and students were encouraged to ask questions and to discuss the content.

In my home university, I cannot do practical work for credits. I am really glad that I can do it here.

Another difference is the approachability of teachers. Here, they wanted to be called by their first names and you could see them in their office when the door is open. In Germany, you call the teachers Prof. and by their second name and seeing them can be quite difficult.

If you could change one thing about your academic experience here, what would it be?

I wouldn’t change a lot in my experience here. There was a practical part of one course in which the instructions were rather bad, but apart from that, the experience here is wonderful.

 

 

Morgan Neering, 19, United States of America
Home University: University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Major: Elementary Education

 

Did Finland’s reputation in education influence your decision to study here? If not, has that changed after a quarter?

Yes, Finland’s reputation in education was the number one reason that I chose to study at the University of Oulu. As an education major in the U.S., I have constantly heard about the Finnish education system, and how they consistently score high in international tests, such as PISA. Many of my professors in America have talked about Finland as being a model of education, and have shown us documentaries about Finnish teachers and classrooms. Coming here has been an amazing opportunity to expand my knowledge as a future teacher, and learn from the Finnish school system.

How different is Linnanmaa campus from your home University?

The Linnanmaa campus is very different from my home University. For one, everything is connected, which is so great. I’m not really a fan of the cold, so I really appreciate the layout of the Linnanmaa campus. At my home University, all of the buildings are separated. This is ok, since North Carolina doesn’t really get that cold, and the farthest you would have to walk is 10 minutes if you live on campus, so that’s not too bad.

Here in Oulu, there are a lot of cafes, and places for students to gather together on campus. This is something I really wish my home University had more of. I feel like it’s a great way to connect with people in your classes, as you can quickly grab a coffee or pastry with them after class. I also really enjoy the inexpensive coffee, that’s definitely a plus. At my home University we have a Starbucks on campus, where you’d pay anywhere from 2 to 5 euros for a coffee. So, the 30 cent coffee is great.

Another big difference between the two universities is the fact that there are no dorm buildings or student housing options on campus here in Oulu. There are also no athletic fields on campus.

Overall, many of the differences between the two campuses are purely aesthetic. Students in both countries spend a lot of time drinking coffee, studying in the library, and spending time in class. So, while there are differences, I’d say there are more similarities.

What modes of education from the University of Oulu would you like to see your university at home adopt?

One of my favorite things about the University of Oulu is the laid-back teaching style of the professors. You often call them by their first name, and have the chance to have meaningful conversations with them inside and outside of class. I have had amazing professors back home as well, but I think that the laissez-faire style of teaching is so great, and something I would like to take back home. I also wouldn’t mind if our classes started 15 minutes past the hour, that’s something I could get used to.

 

 

 

Clara Ducatillon, 21, France
Home University: Ecole de Commerce à Paris et Lille
Major: Business with a focus on Finance and Purchasing

 

What are some of the differences between your home institution and the University of Oulu? For example, are there any differences regarding the professors?

There is no particular differences regarding professors: they provide good feedback and are very available to support our personal learning. More based on personal and individual learning than face-to-face courses.

One thing that is different for me is that here, professors are really, really demanding regarding articles, reading and theoretical aspects of the learning. Here, there is no written exam, evaluation consists on learning diaries and group works only. The semester is split in two periods and we have different courses in which one. Courses planning is provided at the beginning if the year

How does your home curriculum differ from what you are studying in Oulu?

Well, I am interested in purchasing and finance. I chose my courses before coming so that it fit with my personal curriculum as well as the global goals I have. However, some courses here overlap with what I have already learned in my home university, which is fine, but it can be quite boring to review so much. Also, the University of Oulu’s business school doesn’t offer a lot of purchasing and negotiation courses and they are less abstract and more and analytical, mainly oriented on theory and highly demanding regarding theory. There are lots of articles to read.

What’s your opinion on the campus facilities?

There are a lot of positives about the Uni’s facilities. The campus is really nice and there are lots of restaurants with various cheap food options. ESN is one of the best aspects of campus life as they have affordable trips and events for exchange students. It has been really great to have a kummi student because she introduced me to all the hot spots on campus, the library facilities, and the city.

One thing that I haven’t enjoyed about campus is the sports center, I live in Tirolintie and if I want to do sports, I have to come to campus by walking or bike. Besides, I feel facilities offered there are not great and the courses of fitness are taught in and geared towards Finns, which is not really efficient for me, as an exchange student. I had to sign up at another gym.

 

 

Luiz “Dudu” Veriato da Silva Junior, 21, Brazil
Home University: Pontifical Catholic University from São Paulo
Major: International Relations

 

What does academic excellence mean to you?

For me, academic excellence means getting prepared enough to participate in the market. It doesn’t necessarily mean that I know a lot about my area but that I’m going to know enough to work well and to be a good professional. Additionally, the name of the institution that I choose will open some doors for me just for the fact that I studied at a prestigious university.

How has study abroad changed the way your interpret academic excellence, if at all?

It makes me realize that the university is not all about learning properly. It is more related to learning how to work. I was expecting that my study abroad courses would challenge me to think and that I would learn things and not just reproduce knowledge in tests, but I realize that all around the world, the exact meaning of academic excellence is about preparing us to participate in the market. They teach you the basics so you can just work and learn more when you are working.

What are some of the differences between your home institution and the University of Oulu? Specifically regarding the testing or finals.

There is few differences. For me, the learning methods (classes and texts) are the same. The length of the classes is different which is good. In Brazil we have 4 hours of class every day and tons of texts. Here is a little bit easier, which is really good to have more time to do other stuff.

The testing is more chill here and you write essays more than do tests, which is awesome. In Brazil we have tests as our finals in almost all the subjects. The structure of the university is great, which is the most impressing thing, and i loved the fact that the field trips are free. Besides that, everything is mostly the same.

 

Maithé Lievens, 20, Belgium
Home University: University of Ghent
Major: Linguistics & Literature: English-Swedish

 

What was the thing that shocked you most about the school system here?

The exams in the middle of the semester shocked me: it is so fundamentally different from what I am used to. We are used to having a designated time period in which we have nothing but exams, with a period of 2 weeks to a month between our courses and the exams. These big exams are also usually the only factor that makes up your final grade. This results in these exams being really hyped up and big, while in Finland, the opposite seems to be true. They are rather normal things that just happen in the middle of the week, on any time of the day. Most of them are only one small part of your final grade. It suffices to say that this really shocked me in the beginning: suddenly I had to focus more on tasks and assignments instead of the exams. It is such a completely different system that I really had to get used to.

What are some things you like or don’t like about your studies at Oulu?

I generally really like the school system here, since it divides up work/exam time very well. The tasks are great substitutes for exams, and I feel that they evaluate better than an actual exam. That said, I personally don’t like the how the semester fluctuates in how many courses you have and how every week’s schedule is so different. Maybe I just like a fixed schedule, but it makes for situations where one week you have nothing to do and another week you are drowning in work.

If you could change one thing about your academic experience here, what would it be?

I wish I had known something that many Finnish students have now told me about: the workload in the month of November (or just the middle of the semester in general). Since I am used to only having to study and meet deadlines at the very end of the semester, the amount of presentations and group works caught me off guard. I wish I had anticipated this, so I could balance it out better.

 

Read more: University in the USA vs University in Finland: An Honest Comparison, Student Culture, Four Seasons, Fantastic Finnish People, & Sauna: Life in Oulu as an International Student.

 

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Lindsay Jamerson

A 20-year-old exchange student studying Peace and Conflict Studies and History. She can be found blessing her friends with fun facts and random knowledge, and spreading the love with no-bake cookies. Live your best life, her common catch phrase and the panacea of all impossible questions, includes activities like baking, hugs, psychology, and Netflix.

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Lindsay Jamerson

Party in a bus and Club 16 – Is there Wappu for international students?

If Wappu would be an exam you’d get full points just for showing up. Then how come international students are a rare sight at Oulu’s Wappu parties?

In English

TEKSTI Marko Heikkinen

KUVAT Anni Hyypiö

International students might have noticed how the atmosphere at University starts to feel more relaxed at the end of April. Finnish academics wear their student overalls in the open and they might even crack a smile or engage in small talk. This unusual behaviour is nothing to be worried about though.

It’s just Wappu.

For Finns, Wappu is an integral part of student life. Traditionally Vappu is celebrated on May Day with a hint of politics, as people march on the streets and hold public speeches. Student Wappu is a whole different kind of creature with over two weeks of varying events and mischievous behaviour.

In Oulu the students can have a party in a bus, attend to a event where students of Humanities use a huge crane to put a hat on the statue of Frans Mikael Franzén or just be outside and enjoy the occasionally smiling Finnish spring sun and the company of their fellow Wappu-goers.

For any weird social conduct you might see during these weeks it’s good to remember that ten or so years back your professor might have been the one who tried to open a wine bottle with a toothbrush before bursting into an emotional song about bourgeoise.

Although it might seem like it’s from a different planet, not all international students find Finnish Wappu alien.

Mihaela Ivanova is a international Master’s student in Education and Globalization. Currently, she works at Erasmus Student Network that provides opportunities for cultural exchange for international students.

”This is going to be my second Wappu”, she says. ”I was queuing for Wesibussi overnight. Other than that, I want to attend day events like Teekkaritalo barbeque.”

 

Oulun ylioppilaslehti 2018.
Mihaela Ivanova is a big fan of Wappu. “I would encourage everyone to try Wappusitsit. Even if you don’t know Finnish the songs are easy to read and sing.”

 

Originally from Bulgaria, Ivanova has lived two years in Finland, and before that, she did an exchange two years ago.

The best part of Finland? How inclusive the country feels for international students.

”I haven’t had a situation that I didn’t feel welcome at Wappu celebration”, she says.

 

Is Wappu a closed event?

Although Ivanova finds Finnish Wappu inclusive, happy and special, it can be confusing to international students. The lack of information doesn’t exactly help the situation.

As the recent ISB survey reveals, students are dependent on the information their kummi tutors share. The problem is, the quality of kummi students vary a lot, and not all of them are active in the student life.

”When international students see the Wesibussi line at the campus, they are asking, why is it so serious?”

 

Oulun ylioppilaslehti 2018.
“Wesibussi has been the most memorable Wappu event for me”, Mihaela Ivanova says. Picture from Ivanova’s Wappu album.

 

Ivanova thinks it’s a big problem that the largest and the most important events of Wappu are not advertised.

Organizers think that because their events will be sold out anyway, the extra effort isn’t worth it. Word of mouth will do.

”Wappu is such a Finnish thing so very often all the information is in Finnish”, Ivanova says.

Finnish students might think everybody knows when tech student freshmen jump in the icy river and when it’s appropriate to make a toast in public while wearing overalls, but it’s not as easy to understand for international students who are not used to two weeks of Wappu.

When the knowledge of biggest events is taken for granted, the events become invisible.

”I haven’t seen any advertisements for Wesibussi. Maybe that’s why I and my flatmate were the only international students queuing overnight”, Ivanova says.

 

What’s this tippaleipä?

The lack of knowledge and the feeling of being left outside gives birth to a shadow Wappu. International students prefer their own unofficial parties where there’s no entrance fee, no cloakroom, and the students can bring their own alcohol. Cheap and cosy.

Some of those secret events have been hosted at legendary Club 16, the nickname for the student parties held in Yliopistokatu 16.

”Years ago Club 16 was really crazy but now I think the parties have shifted towards Tirolintie”, Ivanova says.

Although Ivanova has an active and positive attitude towards Finnish Wappu, she tells her fellow international students are not so impressed. They are left alone to solve this complicated puzzle of marching Wappu people and the sugary pastry that looks like dried up tentacles, tippaleipä.

The lack of interest shows it clearly: Finns are really good at Wappu but they don’t speak about it enough.

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Marko Heikkinen

Äärimmäisen vakava kirjallisuuden pääaineopiskelija, joka kutsuu itseään "muoti & lifestyle" -toimittajaksi.

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Marko Heikkinen

International students generally satisfied with University of Oulu – level of satisfaction varies between faculties

International students like the country and the facilities but can feel a bit lost at times, according to the newest ISB survey. International Student Barometer (ISB) is a benchmarking survey aimed at international students in which the students share their views of the university. The results will be compared to the other institutions across the […]

In English

TEKSTI Marko Heikkinen

KUVAT Marko Heikkinen

International students like the country and the facilities but can feel a bit lost at times, according to the newest ISB survey.

International Student Barometer (ISB) is a benchmarking survey aimed at international students in which the students share their views of the university. The results will be compared to the other institutions across the world.

The ISB survey collected in autumn 2017 reveals that most of the international students are content with the University of Oulu and would recommend it as a study destination. Compared to the previous barometer the satisfaction has risen by 8 percent.

The university’s brand and the brand of Finland as a country were equally important to international students when picking a place to study. The significant influencers were the university’s website, friends studying at the university, and alumni.

International students think Finland has a good public transportation system and fast internet connections although the internet is not as fast as the students believed it to be before traveling to Finland.

Students from the non-EU countries thought that promise of the earning potential and job opportunities were high priority for them for choosing the University of Oulu as a study destination.

Facilities received a good grade from the international students. Especially liked were the buildings’ colorfulness and library’s combination of the physical books, electronic databases and study places.

International students want more communication

An international student will wait for a long time for information about acceptance. From application to the answer the time is nearly 80 days.

The quality of kummi (tutor) students varies a lot. Kummi can be an active helper or almost invisible. International students feel that it’s hard to connect with the domestic students. When arriving to Finland some students didn’t have their accommodation ready.

Integration can be made easier by meeting the staff, having a working internet connection and explaining the studying process, which will raise the study sense. International students feel that their knowledge of daily studying life is taken for granted when in reality they would like to get more advice.

Despite of high overall satisfaction there are 20 to 30 percent differences in satisfaction between faculties.

The survey was answered by nearly 111 000 international students from 129 institutions and 17 countries. From the University of Oulu 52 percent of the international students took part in the barometer. The results were presented by Nannette Ripmeester.

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Marko Heikkinen

Äärimmäisen vakava kirjallisuuden pääaineopiskelija, joka kutsuu itseään "muoti & lifestyle" -toimittajaksi.

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Marko Heikkinen

Internationalisation Error 404: Academic Capitalism in a Socialist Country

One interesting piece of news has made it recently to the Finland’s national public-broadcasting company YLE's website. The story tells that a startup aims to attract 100 000 foreign students to Finland. "Well that sounds promising", I said to myself and clicked to read the full story. To my disappointment it turned out to be just another dubious attempt to market Finnish higher education in China. Facepalm.

In English

TEKSTI Margarita Khartanovich

KUVAT Alisa Tciriulnikova

After living in Finland for seven years and hearing the same talks about internationalisation I have gotten an impression that Finland simply doesn’t know how to be international, how to measure it and how to benefit from it.

“We need to boldly tell people what a great place Finland is and make Finland the best place to study in the world”, Yle quoted Peter Vesterbacka, a former Angry Birds marketer and strong proponent of Finnish education.

He also noted that the potential money that huge numbers of foreign students could pay in study fees and living expenses would surpass the costs of running Finland’s institutes of higher education every year.

Wait. Does he mean that Finland’s institutes should be financed by foreign students? Is money the only benefit that internationalisation can bring?

Another question is whether current measures taken are enough to make Finland “the best place to study”. Let’s look at the numbers.

International students in Finland and the rest of the world

First, let’s look at the number of international student enrollment.

According to Centre for International Mobility (CIMO), there were 30,827 foreigners enrolled in Finnish higher education institutions in 2015. In 2007 the number was 19,718, so Finland has gained around 10,000 more students in the period of eight years. However, the number of international applicants has reduced by almost a third in 2015 compared to the year before.

Here are the top 10 countries with highest international student enrollment in 2015. 

Oulun ylioppilaslehti 2017.

Source: The Centre for International Mobility (CIMO)

Just a few observations: In total, 76 percent  of international students in Finnish universities came from outside of the EU/EEA countries in 2015. If they had to pay the tuition fees of 10 000 euros in average, that would make approximately 234 million euros a year. The total university state budget for 2016 is 585,5 million euros. So, basically in order to cover it Finland needs around 60 000 students outside of the EU. If the numbers continue to grow with the same speed probably in  30 years time it could be reachable. However, will these students be able or willing to pay the tuition fees?

It is also important to note that African countries and Sweden have disappeared from the top 10. The number of Swedish students have never exceeded 700 in general and is declining even though there are degrees available in Swedish. The number of Estonian students has been steadily at 800 students enrolled a year. It’s only Russia among all other neighbouring countries that keeps the numbers growing. Back in 2012 it overcame China and since then the number of students have been constantly increasing.

So, wouldn’t you bet on Russia instead of China in your marketing activities? However, there are more numbers to look at.  

“Finland is among the minority of OECD countries suffering from a brain drain”, stated Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland in Strategy for the Internationalisation of Higher Education Institutions in Finland 2009-2015. This famous report recognized that the “low level of internationalisation is still one of the key weaknesses of the Finnish higher education and research system when compared with Finland’s competitors”. It is pretty well-reflected in the universities core funding structure, where international programmes and research hardly receive more than 3 percent at the maximum including Finnish students and researchers mobility.

I will conclude my numeric part of the article with the final portion of statistics provided by the World University Rankings – what are the World’s most international universities 2017? Finland has not made it into top 150 in which Russia is at 104. place.

“A striking feature of the upper reaches of the 150-institution table is the prominence of universities from relatively small, export-reliant countries, where English is an official language or is widely spoken”, Ellie Bothwell reports. “The ranking is led by two Swiss universities: ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich; and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.”

Next in the ranking are the University of Hong Kong and the National University of Singapore. Doesn’t it look funny now that not the most international universities in Finland are trying to attract the world’s most international countries’ students to come and invest their money in not so high-ranking higher education?

“Below the top four is a glut of institutions from the UK, Australia and Canada: prominent destinations for international students and scholars because of their prestigious universities and their use of English, the global lingua franca”, notes Bothwell.

What is wrong with Finnish internationalisation of higher education?

The first thing to consider is national policies for internationalisation, whether they work.

Robin Matross Helms and Laura E. Rumbley of “Inside Higher Ed” criticize the Finnish government’s strategy that mentioned above that had an enrollment goal of 20 000 non-Finnish degree students by 2015. Why do they need so many foreign students? What are they going to do with them? Is this number the only assessment of successful internationalisation?

“When it comes to the more nebulous, longer-term outcomes and impact of such policies, specific data and clear answers about impact are fairly scarce”, Helms and Rumbley argue. “This may be due to the sheer newness of many of the internationalisation policies now in place around the world. In many other cases, evaluation of impact appears not be built in to policy implementation structures.”

They suggest the following measures to ensure the significant impact of internationalisation:

1. Don’t underestimate the importance of government funding,

2. Engage the right players,

3. Avoid undermining one policy with another,

4. Seek synergies between national and institution-level internationalisation policies.

Easier said than done. According to Helms and Rumbley, it requires broad awareness of policies in place and dialogue among national and institutional policymakers. “Ensuring that higher education around the world benefits from the best of what comprehensive, sustained, values-driven internationalisation has to offer will take a great deal of creativity, substantial resources, and sheer hard work. Hard, yes—but, most certainly worthwhile”, they conclude.

In other words, what Finland needs is not numbers-driven internationalisation but values-driven one!

The Era of Academic Capitalism

Another interesting point is made by Hans de Wit of the same publication “Inside Higher Ed”. He says that internationalisation should be much more than student recruitment to generate revenue and calls it academic capitalism. Wit argues that it is “turning universities away from their public purpose, including the public good of internationalisation aimed at enhancing the collective quality of life for communities locally, nationally and globally”.

For Finland it is also turning away from its social values, equal rights for education.

“While the UK and Australia have for more than 40 years had a policy to see international students as a source of revenue, other countries treated them the same as their own students”, he writes. “Only over the past decade can we see other countries moving in the direction of the UK, US and Australia. Canada, The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and recently Finland have started to introduce full cost fees for international students. Germany and Norway are two of the few exceptions among the developed countries.”

In a statement in Pienews, Vicenzo Raimo, Pro-Vice-chancellor of Global Engagement at the University of Reading states that “it’s clear that too often internationalisation within our universities is too narrowly defined as the inward mobility of international students, and then generally only for the economic benefit they bring.”

So, what should be the focus then? I suppose the main idea of internationalisation is to attract the best students and scholars from around the world, launch partnerships with overseas institutions and businesses, incentivise cross-border research collaborations and educate local students to become global citizens.

“The main focus is almost always on the recruitment of international students and (related to this policy) to develop programs in English and increase their position in the international rankings”, notes Hans de Wit. “What contribution they make to the public good by doing so and how it helps their local students to become global citizens remains in doubt.”

It is very unlikely that the economic benefit of internationalisation lies in tuition fees. Karl Dittrich, president of Vereniging van Universiteiten suggests that recent figures show that about 35 per cent of international Master’s and PhD students in the Netherlands remain in the country after graduating, adding €1.6 billion to the Dutch economy each year in tax revenue. “But the most important thing is we have a real international network of alumni; and if these alumni feel they have been trained and educated well, they are all ambassadors for what is going on in the Netherlands,” he says.

The question is whether this focus on revenue generation from elite, rich international students is sustainable. Finland seems to insist on making money on students from outside the EU. How about higher education capacity in the developing world? How about the political and economic instability? How about the limited capacity of families that can afford international education? All these factors make the long-term predictability of this type of revenue generation pretty uncertain.

Finally, coming back to China and marketing Finnish education there: Do you know that recent data from China show already a slowing of the growth in students going abroad?

I think it is high time Finland stopped playing around with internationalisation and started a serious investigation into what, why and how.

 

Correction 6.3. 2017 14.06: Minor grammatical corrections.

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Margarita Khartanovich

UUNI Editor, Master’s degree in Journalism (University of Tampere). Interested in politics, history, music, social issues and education. Twitter: @marthatcher

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Margarita Khartanovich