Metropolia Exchange

“I studied at Metropolia Business School for the full academic year. At first I came to Finland to do an exchange for one semester but after three days of being in Finland I decided to extend my exchange for the whole academic year as I felt at home from the beginning on. I studied one year in my home university Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi in Romania and could basically choose my exchange destination from all the countries. My dream had been to live in a Nordic country and Finland was my first choice. I wanted to see if I could live here and move permanently. I was interested in the Nordic way of living. Before arriving, I did research on the country and the systems. I chose Metropolia because it is a University of Applied Sciences and I wanted to experience a more practical training as my home university is quite theoretical. Studying at Metropolia has been different but very effective. It feels like I have learned in Metropolia more in one year than in 12 years in Greece and Romania. The difference that Metropolia has made for me professionally and personally is huge. When I look at my CV now and then, it’s a massive step. Teachers are very friendly and they really understand your point of view. They don’t tell you to do more and more but you have certain assignments and you can do them at your own pace before the deadline. You can ask the teacher and they will happily respond. A communication course I took probably made the biggest difference to me. The teacher of the course, Louise Stansfield, is an exceptional teacher with a lot of experience. She has upgraded my CV and my professionalism to a new level. The courses related to HR were also very relevant for me, especially a hotel simulation game was super awesome. The only exams I had were for the language courses I took. I also want to mention that it’s great how Finnish education system cares about its students and their mental health, this is overlooked in Balkan. Myyrmäki campus is also really amazing, it’s technologically advanced and my favorite thing was to be able to reserve rooms to be able to study in a stimulating environment. Best thing about coming here was definitely the people that I have met. Finland is the perfect place for traditional party people and also for more introverted people. I really liked traveling around Finland and also went to Tallinn and Stockholm. There is a lot of traditional student things and a lot of events. You will meet a lot of new people that are mostly like you and like to do the same things. I applied for HOAS apartment very early and was lucky to get an apartment that was 10 minutes from campus. Public transportation is also phenomenal. Having communities and clubs, such as METES (Metropolia Entrepreneur Society) and the student union METKA was completely new for me. It was a great experience and there were a lot of networking events. Tutoring programme was great and the tutors were friendly and nice people. I was surprised how open they were. Metropolia has given me a huge push to my professional portfolio and has boosted my chance to get a job. The exchange year has helped me to understand how the world really is by being in contact with people form all over the world. It has helped me to open my horizons and develop personally. Tips from Tudor Apply as early as possible for HOAS apartment. Talk to new people, get to know others. Don’t overpack. Be ready to learn a lot of new things. Be active in the academic stuff but also outside world. Focus on the studies and give it 110%, you won’t find the experiences you get at Metropolia anywhere else. Don’t be afraid of the cold and dark, it really is not so bad.