“I did my exchange semester at Metropolia in autumn semester 2022. I studied mechanical engineering. Back in my home university Óbuda University in Hungary I study industrial product design. I had heard that Metropolia is very modern and new university and I thought it would be a great place for me.
Studying at Metropolia was a bit different to how it is in my home university. The classrooms were modern and it was noticeable that every technology that we could need was available. The teachers were also very flexible and supportive. I did altogether five courses out of which one was Advanced 3D-modeling and Optimization. That class was amazing, we had every software we could need for it. From one course we also did a trip for an exhibition in Tampere for Mechanical Engineering. However, the best thing about my studies was the course Innovation Project. We got a real-life project from a company and got to see how they work. We were talking with the CEOs about the budget and their needs and got to see how everything works in the industry. We had support from the teacher and the company and it felt like proper work for the first time in my life. We were treated like engineers.
Library on campus was very convenient and the student restaurant and food were amazing. I love that we could get milk for free and even freshly made hamburgers from there! In Finland card is used a lot for paying and it was only possible to pay for food with cash in the cafeteria. In Finland everybody knew English and it was wonderful. I did a Finnish course and learned some basics. Finnish people were very welcoming. Student union METKA organizes a lot of parties for students and participated to some events. This kind of student culture does not exist in Hungary. Overalls and badges are very nice and create a culture and tradition.
I had a bit trouble finding an apartment as HOAS did not work out for me. In the end I found something and Erasmus+ grant was helping with the costs. I did a lot of things within Helsinki and traveled also to cities of Tampere and Porvoo. I also did a trip to Estonia. As a Hungarian who has never seen the sea it was a huge experience to on the sea. I went also to bars to play billiards. A lot of Finnish people seem to love that and singing karaoke.
During the exchange I learned to live by myself and take care of myself. I got a lot of Finnish friends. Before this I didn’t have international friends so this really opened my eyes. Everybody has different opinions. Exchange also shaped my future plans. It was good for me to break out of my comfort zone and see all the possibilities. Altogether it was a life-changing experience.
Tips from Márton:
- Plan everything beforehand!
- Apply for a flat early enough
- Watch for your financials, price level in Finland is much higher
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