International opportunities at Metropolia from a student’s perspective
Hi! My name is Augusto Asis de Barros, and I’m a student of International Business and Logistics and worked as an International Relations intern at Metropolia. During my studies at Metropolia, I had the opportunity to participate in various international exchanges in Germany and the Netherlands, which I discovered while exploring Metropolia's internal announcements website. Applying for the exchanges was easy and required little effort, since the instructions for mobility are straightforward to understand and cover all the most important requirements. The first exchange I had the chance to go on was for a summer course in 2023, related to Industrial Heritage and Sustainability. It was a joint programme of the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH), the Berlin Centre of Industrial Culture (bzi), and the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (HTW). This exchange helped me network with people from different backgrounds and cooperate to develop a concept or project related to both industrial heritage and sustainability. It was an experience full of learning, teamwork, and also a nice way to explore a big city like Berlin while learning together and visiting different sites related to industrial heritage, sustainability, and culture. The exchange program helped me gain valuable knowledge and sparked my interest in industrial heritage. As a result, I co-founded a network for young professionals, which is now part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. I feel like going on exchange opened the doors not only to new opportunities but also to career development and gave me a push to step out of my comfort zone, which, in my opinion, was very positive. Now, back in Finland, I continue to manage this non-profit network alongside my colleagues from Germany, which demonstrates how international mobility can help you become part of something bigger. Another exchange opportunity I had was a summer course in 2023 about innovative and sustainable transportation in Germany, from FH Münster University of Applied Sciences. In this course, we were a group of many local and international students and traveled around different German cities like Bremen, Hamburg, and Berlin, where we visited many transportation industries. We learned how to use many different tools to become more creative and to learn about sustainability from different perspectives. I feel like going on exchange opened the doors not only to new opportunities but also to career development and gave me a push to step out of my comfort zone, which, in my opinion, was very positive. I have built many close friendships through international experience, which made me even more positive about the importance of traveling to other countries for study opportunities. Studying abroad made me more open to learning new things, socializing and it also contributed a lot to my cross-cultural and teamwork skills. The last but not least international course I had was the hybrid course called the U!REKA Change Agents Programme, which took place in 2024 and had both online sessions and a short exchange in the city of Amsterdam at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. U!REKA is an Urban Research and Education Alliance of European Universities of Applied Sciences, and they aim to cooperate to educate to contribute to a more inclusive, sustainable, intercultural and open-minded Europe. This programme was especially interesting because of its ambition to help us students develop sustainable development ideas related to the use of water in Europe. We had the chance to visit different sustainability-related facilities around Amsterdam, and these visits gave us a broader idea of sustainability and how Amsterdam approaches the use of water. We not only met people from many universities but also had the chance to become closer in our group of students from Finland. We also explored the city by bike, which was a new and valuable experience because Amsterdam has an amazing cycling infrastructure. The internationality of the city, how it is full of water channels and the many restaurants were things we enjoyed as a group. Also, having the chance to learn from professionals from other universities was different and helped us understand more aspects of water and sustainability, and the different importance it has in other countries. Overall, I highly encourage other students to explore international exchange opportunities offered by the university. These experiences can truly change the way you learn and understand the world. They are also a great way to expand your professional network, make new friends and learn about different cultures. Check more about the exchange possibilities in Metropolia's study guide!
Exchange semester at University of Hertfordshire
Hello, my name is Anna. I’m currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, with a strong emphasis on Human Resources. Having grown up immersed in both Finnish and English cultures, I’ve come to deeply appreciate the richness of multicultural environments. From an early age, I’ve been passionate about broadening my horizons and embracing new places as home. Living abroad has not only expanded my worldview but also offered valuable opportunities for self-reflection and growth, shaping both who I am and the dreams I pursue. I was excited to see the range of relevant courses offered at the University of Hertfordshire and decided to apply for an Erasmus exchange for the spring semester of 2025. Having previously studied abroad in both the United States and Germany, I was eager to continue gaining international experience—this time in the United Kingdom, a country where I already had personal connections and whose language I consider my second native tongue. It’s truly hard to put five months of living your dream life into words. My exchange semester was everything I had hoped for—and so much more. I was surprised by how significantly the academic experience shaped my future career goals. While I already had a fairly strong vision of what I wanted to pursue after graduation, studying my passion abroad took that clarity and motivation to a whole new level. "This was easily the best semester of my university journey, and it left me feeling deeply grateful and privileged to have had such a transformative experience. " What I particularly appreciated about the academic culture in the UK was how genuinely supportive and invested the teachers were in their students' success. At my home university, I had rarely felt as included or inspired, even by lecturers I saw on a weekly basis. Every module I took encouraged me to grow, believe in myself, and chase my goals with even more determination. Thanks to this incredible experience, I’m proud to share that I achieved First Class Honours and even received personal recommendation letters from lecturers who truly believed in me. Even though the university culture was already a highlight of the semester, the people I met were an even greater blessing. I lived in university accommodation with ten other students in the same flat. Having lived on my own for the past four years, I was initially a bit skeptical about sharing a space with people I didn’t know. Yet to my surprise, this ended up being the best part of my entire exchange. I formed genuine friendships with my flatmates, and we quickly became incredibly close. We spent time together almost every day—cooking dinners, sharing our cultures, going on weekend trips and, of course, enjoying the UK’s iconic pub culture. I felt truly seen and understood by people who shared similar perspectives and values. The memories we created will forever hold a special place in my heart, and we’re already planning visits to keep this special friendship alive. Living in another country also gave me the space to reflect and grow as a person. I picked up new hobbies and made the most of the incredible services and opportunities offered by the university. I also had the chance to travel extensively within the UK—exploring Scotland, Wales, and several cities across England. After my classes ended, I even spent two weeks traveling to Shanghai and Vietnam, which felt especially surreal after forming deep friendships with people from all over the world. Although living abroad was certainly more expensive than continuing my studies in Helsinki – I felt the most alive since my teenage years and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. If you’re even considering going abroad for a semester, I wholeheartedly encourage you to take the leap. Yes, there will be challenging days, and stepping outside of your comfort zone can feel overwhelming at first. But the growth, memories, and perspective you gain are far greater than anything you might expect. This was easily the best semester of my university journey, and it left me feeling deeply grateful and privileged to have had such a transformative experience.
Erasmus+ Inclusion Support enabled me to join the Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) in Portugal!
The story about student exchange was almost unrealistic for me. I am single mom of three kids. However, my oldest child is already 18 and my two small boys are living with me. Me and Robin started studying in the same year. I started with bachelor program in International Business and Logistics (IBL) at Metropolia, and he went to first grade at school. My youngest one was five years old in those days. The idea about being an exchange student was a personal long-lasting dream, but somehow I felt it is not applicable for me. For me it was way too complicated to change a country, especially when having a lot of responsibilities at home already. Time went fast... Kids become more confident and I tried to apply for 6 months study exchange in Spain. The reason for choosing this country – I speak Spanish a little and would like to improve knowledge and get another European perspective to my study field. However, I was already doing my final study year and long-term exchange did not anymore fit into my degree study plan. So, the exchange was not a possibility at that time and would have postponed my graduation. Then the idea sort of faded away, until on one day I got an email about FinBank challenge in Portugal, Blended Intensive Programme about Banking and Finance study with Setúbal Polytechnic Institute! The program promised to be intensive and during one week in Portugal should be presented innovation for banking sector related to design thinking and creativity. Additionally, we were able to meet with students from all over Europe online. I applied and got selected! I have been so lucky when Erasmus+ programme and International Relations Adviser in Metropolia nominated me as exchange student for this programme. That really meant a lot for me! Without funding from Erasmus+ Blended Mobility I couldn’t have been able to cover the expenses of travelling and living on top of my family's other expenses. Our intensive finance course in Setúbal was held in May 2024. A great value is that Erasmus+ programme supports students with families with additional inclusion support. This made me feel that Metropolia cares about young parents a lot. My total financial support was almost 1200 euros as I was entitled for the inclusion support, travel grant and the program day support! This is really good form of support, if you know how to take care of the arrangements correctly! This BIP about Finance was well organized by Portuguese colleagues. Professor Ana Rolo from Setúbal Polytechnic Institute provided each student team very good guidance. So, even though my major, Logistics sector is not that much finance and banking-oriented, but it was not difficult to get in to idea and join the team work and start learning! Getting ready for an adventure! From Metropolia we traveled to Portugal together in a group of five Metropolia Business School students. In the actual group work project, there were students from Norway, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania and Belgium. Luckily, we quickly divided the tasks and got really motivated about the topic. Actually, our project was successfully completed one day before deadline. All in all, I was able to gather many lovely experiences from Portugal as the Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal created an amazing program for the students. For example, we visited Palácio da Bacalhôa located in São Simão, Azeitão, Setúbal, wine and cultural tour, went to some nice beaches by the ocean and even a natural park. Our lunch was in a most beautiful restaurant of the city - Casa da Baía. The communication with professors was smooth as we were able to ask questions, but also the work in the group of students was highly enriching and brought some new perspectives! All in all, a brilliant experience from Erasmus+ programme. I’m so thankful for International Relations Adviser and exchange possibilities at Metropolia. Because of them - I could see the ocean. Last but not least; Many greetings to my teammates who make amazing effort on presentation day! Tips based on my experience: Learn all the possible languages Touch an ocean wave and make a wish Choose the most interesting exchange programme for you. Make it happen! Julia S.
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