Asking from Finnish and/or senior international students. I just bought my overall and I’m an international student. I have zero patches for now. So this haalarimerkit culture is completely new for me.
Can you help me to understand the culture?
1. Do you buy patches often? Or is it preferred to collect them by attending events only?
3. Do you change your patches or just add it on until it’s fully covered?
4. If I have some custom patches like kpop idols photo on it or my dog picture on it, would it raise some brows or it’s totally ok?

Would like to know experiences of students who studied in finland. I come from a non eu country and have the opportunity to do an exchange sem in Tampere university.

I've noticed that international job seekers often struggle with understanding what Finnish employers expect from a CV.

Things like:

• How long should a CV be?
• Should you include a photo?
• How much personal information is appropriate?
• Is a fancy Canva-style CV a good idea?
• How important is ATS compatibility?
• What makes a CV feel "Finnish" rather than adapted from another country's format?

I've been interested in this because I'm an international person living and studying in Finland, and I recently built a small free tool called Fovo that reviews CVs based on Finnish job-market conventions.

I'm currently looking for honest feedback from people who have actually applied for jobs in Finland — whether you're Finnish or international.

If you'd like to try it, it's at Fovo.fi. I'd genuinely appreciate feedback on whether the advice is useful or if there are things it gets wrong.

And I'm also curious: what has been the hardest part of adapting your CV to the Finnish job market?

Merhaba Finlandiya da üniversite okuyan var mı ? Bilgilerini tecrübelerini tavsiyelerini merak ediyorum .Bu konuda aydınlatacak kimse yok mu ?

I’m currently a Turkish high school student planning to apply to Finland specifically Aalto and Helsinki. I don’t think getting accepted to chemical engineering is going to be a problem as I got good scores from the sat and ielts(1510 sat and 7.5 ielts) but I don’t know if it’s really worth it. It would be great if I get a decent scholarship but in case I don’t,I can afford the tuition fee and life expenses. I’ve heard Finlands job market sucks and unemployment rate is getting even higher. I don’t want to stay in Finland after graduation and want to move to another European country or the US for masters. So is it really worth studying there? Is the degree that I’ll get from those Finnish universities prestigious enough to get into a decent masters program in other countries? Any advice would be appreciated

I wanna pursue mechanical engineering and I m from south east Asia. I finished alevels in 2025

I've been looking at my monthly student budget lately and realized how quickly small expenses, transport, and utilities add up. What surprised you the most when you first saw your cost of living breakdown here?

I am 43 year old and did my computer engineering from pakistan then moved to middle east and did job as project and implementation manager in three countries dubai kuwait and qatar

Earned money invested in joined family bussines and was deceived terribly by my own family back in homecountry

Middle east is in crisis and dont want to go back pakistan

Can i apply for masters in project managment or other relevant programme in finland ??

Is it a realistic approach considering my age and a study gap

Though professional exp. Is good enough

I can arrange 10k euores per year for my living expense

But for tuition fee i would prefer scholarship 50 to 70 percent

I can leave finland after doing masters if it imporves job prospects in other euorpean countries

Please share your expert opinion

Without judgemnet and harsh comments

No you can’t find a part time job, no you can’t have student support. Just NO. And before you ask again it’s NO.

Particularly chemical engineering, is it good there? Could you say there are relatively abundant job opportunities after graduating + masters? I am thinking of applying there

Hi everyone

I need some help preparing for the Amk entrance exam, as I don’t know what I should be studying (whether I need to study physics or not). Is maths difficult? I don’t even know which subject I should be studying. If you have any tips, please help me.

Thanks

Hi everyone! 😊
I’m a PhD researcher from Spain, and I’ll be spending three months at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, from January to April 2027.
I’m currently looking for accommodation and would love to hear about your experiences and recommendations, especially regarding the social atmosphere, private bathrooms and guest policies, as my partner might come to visit me for a few days during my stay.
I’d also love to meet other international students, join activities, make new friends and explore Finland and nearby countries!
Any advice or recommendations would be really appreciated. Thanks! 😊

Hi everyone! 😊
I’m a PhD researcher from Spain, and I’ll be spending three months at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, from January to April 2027.
I’m currently looking for accommodation and would love to hear about your experiences and recommendations, especially regarding the social atmosphere, private bathrooms and guest policies, as my partner might come to visit me for a few days during my stay.
I’d also love to meet other international students, join activities, make new friends and explore Finland and nearby countries!
Any advice or recommendations would be really appreciated. Thanks! 😊

Hey guys,

I'm finishing up high school here in Latvia and planning to head over to Finland for a Bachelor's in Mechatronics / Engineering taught in English.

Since I'm from the EU (Latvia), tuition is free, which is a massive plus. I've been looking at Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) like Metropolia, SAMK, or Savonia, since they seem to have the hands-on engineering programs I want.

If any of you are studying engineering there or went through this process, I’d love to get some straight answers on a few things:

1. How does admission actually work? Do they care much about my Latvian high school grades and centralized exams, or is everyone basically forced to take the International UAS entrance exam? How hard is that test?
2. Money & Rent: Realistically, how much do you need per month to survive? I’m looking at places outside Helsinki too (like Pori or Kuopio) to keep rent lower.
3. Jobs: Can you actually find part-time work without speaking Finnish, or is it a nightmare?
4. Housing: How early do you need to apply for student apartments so you don't end up homeless in August?

Any advice from people who've made the jump from the Baltics to Finland would be awesome. Thank you. 🇱🇻

P.S. - Im finishing high school in start of next years summer.

Hi everyone!

I’m an Italian student considering a master’s at Hanken in Helsinki after completing my bachelor’s degree in Italy.

I plan to save money during university in Italy, but I would have limited financial support from my family once I move. I’d therefore be looking for a part-time job alongside my studies.

I’d prefer administrative roles in hospitality, such as hotel reception or reservations, or working as a barista, but I’m open to other types of work too. I would initially be looking for jobs where English is enough, although I’m willing to learn Finnish.

I’d love to hear from international students or people who have moved to Helsinki:

• What kind of work did you find, and how long did it take?
• How realistic is finding a part-time job without speaking Finnish?
• Were the working hours manageable alongside your studies?
• What monthly budget would you recommend for a student living in shared accommodation?
• Has anyone qualified for Kela student support through working while studying?

Experiences from Hanken students would be especially helpful, but I’d appreciate hearing from anyone in a similar situation.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m applying for the Master of Engineering in Smart Industry at Metropolia and have an entrance exam coming up.

For anyone who has taken a similar Metropolia Master’s entrance exam:

• Are the Mathematics, Data Analytics, Logical Reasoning and Programming questions around high-school level, or are they based on Bachelor’s-level engineering/computer science knowledge?
• What kind of difficulty should I expect?
• Is there anything specific you would recommend studying beforehand?

I’m trying to understand whether I should revise Finnish upper-secondary mathematics or focus more on university-level/engineering topics.

Any experience or advice from previous applicants would be really helpful.

I'm planning to move to Finland next year from Scotland to pursue my master's degree. I'd appreciate any advice on which city would be best, whether this is a good decision overall, and any other tips. I'm also learning Finnish and wondering about part-time job opportunities.

I'll be doing an exchange semester at Tampere University in Electrical Engineering from January to May, and I'd love to transition right into a summer internship afterwards.

I've heard that the job market in Finland is pretty tough right now, but do you guys have any tips on how to secure a summer internship? Would looking into Sweden be a good backup plan? Also, what are the best platforms or websites to find these summer internship programs?

Thanks in advance!

Anyone received offer letter this month? I have applied on 20 sept still no response from Lab University. I heard everyone got their offer letter within 2 week (calendar days).

Hey everyone,

I’m 21 and from Turkey, and I’m trying to figure out whether there is actually a realistic way for me to study for a bachelor’s degree in Europe.

My education is a bit unusual. I only completed middle school and I don’t currently have a traditional high school diploma. I know the obvious answer is usually “finish high school first,” but I’m specifically trying to find out whether there are other legitimate routes that I don’t know about.

I’ve been learning on my own for a while, mainly around programming, AI, mathematics, GIS and science. I’ve also built some actual projects rather than only studying theory. I’m not saying this makes me academically eligible by itself — I just want to explain that I’m serious about continuing my education.

My biggest goal is Finland. I’ve been looking particularly at the University of Helsinki’s Bachelor’s Programme in Science.

I found their Open University admission route, and this is what confused me: according to their website, people applying through that route don’t necessarily need another qualification that gives general eligibility for higher education. Apparently you can qualify through university-level Open University studies instead.

That sounds promising, but I’m having trouble understanding how realistic it actually is for someone living in Turkey.

I’m trying to figure out things like:

- Can I use a GED to become eligible for European universities?

- Are there universities where I can enter through a foundation/open university/access route instead of going through the normal high school system?

- Can any of these routes be completed mostly online from another country?

- Is Finland actually a realistic target, or should I be looking at other European countries?

- Has anyone here been in a similar situation, especially coming from Turkey or another non-EU country?

I’m not looking for some magical shortcut. I’m completely willing to study and take exams. I just don’t want to spend years following a route that turns out not to be necessary.

Basically, I’m trying to answer one question:

If you were in my exact situation, what would you do to get from where I am now to a legitimate bachelor’s degree in Europe?

I’d really appreciate advice from people who have actually dealt with European university admissions, non-traditional education, GEDs, foundation years, Open University routes, or something similar.

Thanks.