Elite athlete student's Metropolia blog

Joanna Yli-Suvanto, a 21-year-old elite athlete and first-year radiography student at Metropolia: a player in the Finnish Handball League and a member of the women's national team. Alongside her studies, Joanna's daily life consists of training and games, work, and spending time with friends. Sport: Handball Handball has always been a part of Joanna's life: her mother played it, and Joanna started at the age of five. The best aspects of the sport for Joanna are continuous development, physicality, and the team. Joanna started and still plays for ÅIFK. The most delightful, educational, and memorable experiences in the sport include youth tournaments, games with the women's national team, and the closest friends gained through the sport. Studies at Metropolia Joanna had heard a lot of good things about Metropolia and studying there. Among the study path options, the field of radiography sparked her interest, and after researching it further, Joanna chose it as one of her options. Radiography studies began in August 2024, and Joanna is pleased with how everything has gone. A Typical Week Joanna's weeks are full of activities: 1-3 team training sessions and 1-2 individual training sessions, almost weekly games, and weekend games. Studies vary: remote and in-person, classes and labs, which provide flexibility and the opportunity to complete course assignments and review materials. Daytime studies and an evening-focused sports schedule allow Joanna to also work 1-3 times a week as an entrepreneur. Challenges Changes in class schedules or extra training sessions have sometimes required quick rescheduling, and occasionally school assignments have been left to the last minute. Having personal time has sometimes been challenging, but Joanna feels that tutor teachers have been a great help in discussions: they have helped her figure out the next steps when the schedule has felt heavy or thoughts of extending study time have been on her mind. Recovery Spending time with friends during free time gives a lot of strength and endurance, as it takes her mind off everything else. Also, moments when she can be alone at home and watch tv-series help recharge her batteries after the toughest days. Sometimes Joanna visits her home in Turku, where she can fully recharge. Metropolia's Support for Athletes Metropolia takes student-athletes into account well, whether it's absences due to sports or needing to leave classes early for training, for example. Joanna has heard good feedback and gratitude from others about the understanding shown towards athletes. Message to Prospective Metropolia Students Combining sports and studying at a university is not impossible, as long as you work towards it and discuss things with teachers and your coach. In the end, everyone wants to help and make daily life run as smoothly as possible.