Exchange semester at University of Hertfordshire

27.6.2025

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.

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International opportunities at Metropolia from a student’s perspective

7.8.2025 Metropolia Exchange

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!

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My Remote Studies in Procurement MBA

7.12.2022 Masterminds - Maisteriainesta

Only a few of us envisage a career path that we eventually end up following or foresee the choices that we will make along the way. But each professional and academic choice shapes us and broadens our perspectives, growing our network and leading to new opportunities. The Master´s degree programme in Procurement at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences was a choice that I was often asked about. Why study in Finland at Metropolia when I live and work in the United Kingdom? In times of turbulence, uncertainty, and change, it proved to be a choice that benefited me personally and professionally as a procurement leader. I was able to learn from senior people in the industry and apply examples of digital procurement technology and sustainability where Finland leads the way. However, studying whilst working full time can be a daunting experience, especially remotely or as a foreign student. So, I want to share my tips for getting the most out of your master´s studies and review my Finnish student experience. Start by choosing what you want to study I found the Procurement MBA programme through StudyPortals.com. I’ve studied in Sweden and England previously, so I was not intimidated by the prospect of studying in Finland. The degree was in English and fully remote, and covered those aspects of procurement that I was particularly interested in, including digital procurement technology, strategy, innovation management and circular economy. So, my advice is to choose a subject that you find interesting and valuable to your career and use the studies to develop yourself further in that field. Commit to your studies and organise yourself ahead by sharing your commitment with your line manager, with your family and friends. They are likely to be very supportive of your drive towards improving your knowledge and building upon your skills, and they may help by giving you the time and space needed for you to complete studies. Stay in control Studying for a master’s degree means that you are responsible for managing your time, allocating resource, and sticking to deadlines. My Metropolia study coordinator helped me with planning, so that I was able to build my own academic calendar and use the spectrum of online tools available such as OMA, Moodle, Tuudo, and other apps to ensure I was always up to date. My advice would be to start with listing all the deadlines for your assignments and other obligations, subscribing to learning resources that are available, being proactive in contacting lecturers and fellow students, and asking questions. If you miss something, think before putting the blame to others. Apply yourself We often hear the phrase ‘apply yourself’, but what does it mean for students? It means committing to the task and managing it like you would manage a project at work. In other words, prepare in advance, gather books, articles, and notes, and organize yourself into group roles with your fellow students. Pick a leader and make sure they do a good job at allocating resources and splitting tasks along a critical path. Maintain a healthy work-study-life balance My most important advice is to maintain a healthy body and a healthy mind. Don’t stretch yourself too thin so that you are not your best self. Ensure that you get plenty of sleep, eat well and take a day off so you can rest from your studies and work. Then you will get the desired results. Also, take part in extracurricular activities such as trips and evenings out that allow you to build your long term professional and social networks. Ask for support You will find that studying abroad or remotely can be difficult. You will have a whole new culture to adapt to, a different setting and a new academic system that you may be unfamiliar with. However, help is always available to those that ask for it. Reach out to Metropolia´s Student services and your Study coordinator for support. If you find yourself falling behind during your studies, be proactive in voicing your concerns to your lecturers. For me, studying procurement at the master’s level at Metropolia was an energising experience. I was able to relate to my previous work experiences and apply my corporate procurement knowledge in the academic setting, and thus got the most out of my studies. About the author [caption id="attachment_4027" align="alignleft" width="228"] Mindaugas Jocbalis[/caption] Mindaugas Jočbalis is an MBA graduate from the Master´s degree programme in procurement at Metropolia UAS and a Category Leader for Packaging Procurement at Associated British Foods plc., looking after Europe, Middle East and Africa since 2018. In his career, Mindaugas has often worked in procurement, but never studied it. He started his career as a retail store manager, and later managed social corporate projects at Marks and Spencer. Following this, he then moved into a graduate procurement role at AkzoNobel in the decorative paints industry in 2013. As part of his professional development, Mindaugas has completed a single year master’s degree remotely at Malmo University, Sweden, studying Communication for Development in 2016. Having completed this graduate programme, he was offered a role at GlaxoSmithKline and looked after consumer healthcare packaging for two and a half years.