NEWCASTLE –FINLAND ERASMUS EXCHANGE

I spent the last three months in Tampere Finland on ERASMUS, where I undertook my three month project/dissertation . I was an MSc Computer Science student. I’ve tried to be as general as possible but remember this was my experience and people are different, prices and things change.

Why Finland?

If I was asked one question again and again it was "Why Finland?". When you read the list of possible ERASMUS locations I admit it seems a little strange. My personal reasons were that it was an opportunity to work in Scandinavia and to go somewhere that I would be unlikely to go to in the future. Most people know very little about Finland except maybe the Monty Python song, Nokia and Mika Hakkinen, so……

What’s Finland Like?

Unfortunately I was unable to do as much travelling as I wanted. The intentions of going up north to Lapland to see Santa (I wanted to ask about xmas 1978 and the missing bike) vanished in a pile of work and pressing deadlines. I did visit Helsinki a couple of times which is a pretty city. Finland is sparsely inhabited, which means acres of trees and lakes. The after work swim in the lake was often the highlight of the day. Despite the popular misconceptions Finland isn’t always cold and my friends in Gran Canaria often couldn’t match Finland for temperature. My friends who started in the beginning of June did say that it was cold, but by the time I arrived, mid-june, it was tshirts and shorts weather. One difficulty was the day light. It got dim about 2am but it was never really dark until the end of August. I took a while to adapt, but it’s great once you’re settled.

Tampere is described as the Manchester of Finland, which I think is supposed to be positive. The town was a major industrial center but now relies on mainly hi-tech companies for employment. Nokia dominates the University and the town. The joke goes that the Nokia slogan "connecting people" should be changed to "collecting people" (sorry it loses something in translation). Many TUT graduates work for the company and most foreigners you meet, who are not at the Uni, will work for Nokia. Tampere has a small town center with the essential shops and a few McDonalds (if you need some English food hahaha). Most of the time you can shop in Hervanta which is where most of the accommodation and the Uni is placed, about a 15 minute bus ride out of town. It has two large supermarkets, a library and some fast food outlets. You tend to only go in to town (Tampere Center) for a night out.

Tampere Technical University (TUT)

TUT is based in Hervanta. Hervanta is a small suburb about 15 minutes from Tampere center. The university has a good reputation for computers and particularly for its telecommunications (it works closely with Nokia). The software engineering department specialises in formal methods.

The facilities are excellent they have a fast network and some very nice work stations. You can get a 24 hour access card easily, allowing you to work your own hours. The University has a gym and other sports facilities. Check out the international football game on Sunday (bring your boots).

The only criticism is the library’s selection of computer books. Try to bring what you need from Newcastle.

Social Life

Life is what you make it…. A cliché maybe, but very true. The nite-life in town is not amazing. The clubs are not very good and the bars are expensive. That is not to say I didn’t have a good time. Like many ERASMUS students my friends tended to be other ERASMUS students. Rather than having a list of friends from Finland, my address book contains Madrid, Piza, Gran Canaria, Dublin. One of the problems with working over the summer is that most of the Finnish students are away, so it can be a little quiet around the university but you will find the same thing in Newcastle.

Accommodation

TAOS is the "accommodation office" of Tampere Technical University. Between TAOS and the international office you are treated extremely well. The accommodation is organised quickly and is relatively cheap (£100 per month). I emailed them a few weeks before I went and when I arrived everything was ready for me. My accommodation consisted of a large bedroom and a shared kitchen and shower/toilet. I shared with two other people. There are free washing and drying facilities. It even has a TV room and a sauna on the ground floor.
 
 

Finances

Finland is an expensive country. I think food and entertainment was the most biggest expense. Shopping can be expensive even in the big supermarkets. Beer is about £2.50 for two thirds of a pint. Why they only fill a pint glass 2/3 full I never found out. Money can be saved on transport with a Finnish student card (a return from Helsinki to Tampere is only £10). Most of the time I lived relatively cheaply eating in the student union and working on my dissertation instead of going out (sob sob).

Doing a dissertation in Finland

If you want to do your project in Finland be prepared to work under your own steam for most of the summer. There are very few people to go to if you have difficulties and the supervision is, shall we say, minimal. If you are relatively confident programmer this will not be a problem, but expect to work problems out by yourself most of the time.  This seems to go for most ERASMUS positions.

TUT claim to still be unsure what the one year conversion course is about, for this reason my supervisor felt that he couldn’t give me a final grade. This meant having to return to Newcastle early to ensure that someone would mark the final dissertation. I gave my supervisor a list of dissertation titles provided by Newcastle and he selected one from there. They do not have a ready list of possible titles. I do not want to discourage people from going to TUT, because I had a great time, just be prepared to work on your own.

To Erasmus or not to Erasmus

I really enjoyed my time in Finland and appreciated the opportunity to study abroad. I would recommend anyone to go somewhere. I would just make a few points

• Remember if you don’t have a job by the time you go, applying from abroad creates problems. It is not a big hassle just expect a period of job hunting when you return.

• Try to get the title of your dissertation before you go. It helps with background reading and stops you sitting around in the beginning waiting for a title.

• Work out who’s going to mark it, before you go. Will Newcastle University mark the dissertation or will the host supervisor set the mark using the European scale?

• Sort out Accommodation before you go. Try to find the accommodation office from your supervisor.

• Finally have a nice time.