Details

• Finland
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

The most important thing when preparing for your exchange is choosing your courses wisely. Take your time browsing the course catalogue and make sure to read the course evaluations once you have access to them. Some courses have reviews specifically mentioning that they are significantly harder for exchange students, so it is worth checking. I chose to do 5 courses in total — 4 in period 3 and 1 in period 4 — ending up with 26 credits, which was sufficient. The workload was very manageable overall. Also, make sure to connect with your fellow students in the IKK class before you leave — it helps a lot in the beginning. Additionally, if you get along well with someone from the IKK class, you can request to be placed in the same flat when filling out the housing application, which is definitely worth considering.

2. Accommodation

I chose the student housing option (HOAS), which is what most exchange students do. It is important to submit your application early, because even though there are many spots available, the more popular and central ones fill up quickly and some are located in the outskirts. I was lucky and was in the biggest location right next to Triplaa Mall (Biggest one in Finnland, 24/7 shopping). But this also has its down sides - the area in which this big hoas building is is not the most pretty. There are some sketchy people around but they never try to interact or anything. But the house being big meant a lot of new people and a lot of parties in the building so a pretty fun time. You can choose between a 1-person, 3-person, or 6-person apartment. I lived in a 6-person apartment, which I would think twice about doing again — sharing 2 toilets, 1 shower, and 1 kitchen between 6 people can be a lot, and keeping things clean and hygienic becomes a challenge. Pricewise, with the Erasmus grant, your living costs are essentially covered.

3. Academic life at host university

I really enjoyed studying at Hanken. It felt a bit more like school in a positive sense, everything is smaller and more intimate than what we are used to. Classes ( most of the time 15-25 people) consist largely of presentations and take-home assignments. The teachers are very approachable and helpful. A special mention goes to Towa Blomqvist, who is responsible for all exchange students at Hanken. She is incredibly friendly and goes out of her way to help everyone with anything they need — a real asset to the exchange programme.

5. Every day life in the host country

The winter months are very cold and dark, which can take some getting used to. However, it gets noticeably better once April comes around. Finnish people tend to be a bit introverted at first, but they open up once you get to know them. Public transport is handled by HSL and works very well throughout the city — it is reliable and easy to use. Helsinki and Finland in general are absolutely worth exploring, so make the most of your time there. Sauna culture is very cool with a lot of free Saunas with direct access to the sea. We went to a few Ice Hockey and Football matches which were also very cool. There are also a lot of different cool gyms to choose from.

6. Testimonial

This exchange was one of the coolest experiences I have had yet. The country itself is beautiful: a trip to Lapland was an absolute highlight, with endless snowy landscapes, frozen lakes, and a peaceful atmosphere that is hard to describe. Another unforgettable moment was celebrating Vappu, Finland's famous student festival, where the whole city comes alive with music, picnics, costumes, and thousands of students celebrating together in the streets. But what made the exchange truly special was the people, I made amazing friends from all over the world, and we are still in regular contact today. The study workload was very manageable, which gave me plenty of time to explore and enjoy everything Finland had to offer. I have not regretted it for a single second and would recommend it to anyone!