Erasmus exchange August December Mark Gertsen S Aalto University School of Business (Mikkeli, Finland)

Transcription

1 Erasmus exchange August December Mark Gertsen S Aalto University School of Business (Mikkeli, Finland)

2 Host institution Aalto university School of Business, Mikkeli Exact dates of semester abroad Orientation week: august (compulsory from the 26 th onwards) Semester: August 31 st 2015 till December 11 th 2015 Contact with home faculty, preparation and journey In order to prepare for your exchange period, it is wise to fill in all the forms as soon as you can and as fast as you can, for two reasons. First, there are quite some documents to fill in so do you need time for it. Second, contact with the host faculty may delay the process because the host exchange coordinator is not always available to respond to your s due to conferences abroad or holidays. Therefore, it is useful to send your documents as soon as possible and keep on top of them to be filled in and approved by the host university. Furthermore, make sure your healthcare insurance and your travel insurance fully cover what you are planning to do abroad, especially the amount of days you are covered. Usually, standard travel insurances only cover up to 45 days, so unless you fly back to The Netherlands every 45 days, you need an additional or longer travel insurance. Also keep in mind that you might go on winter sports or take other trips where you need extra insurance for. Russia up to Moscow I believe was included in the Europe coverage I believe so if you want to travel there, you don t need world coverage (which is more expensive). On top of that, a quick call to your health insurance company to check whether everything you need is covered, is useful. Additionally, don t forget to cancel your public transport card (OV student product) for the time you are abroad. You cannot use it anyway and it provides you with an extra euro s a month. The journey to Finland was easy. I booked a flight with SAS airlines (cheapest at the time of booking), which is a very decent airline. The host university provides you with bus times from the Helsinki (Helsinki-Vantaa) Airport to Mikkeli. Next to that, your personally appointed tutor and the exchange office from the local student organization will/can provide you with information regarding this. One of them also picks you up from the Mikkeli bus station and brings you to your hotel or arranged housing. Unfortunately, I could not get housing earlier than the 1 st of September so I had to stay in a hotel for a week. Most people had to do that because the housing organisation does not seem too flexible with dates. Despite me trying to arrange it for a week earlier, they rejected, even though the room I was appointed to was empty. I guess they just find it too much hassle. The hotels are all decent in Finland so just try to find the cheapest one. Like I stated earlier, most students stay in a hotel the first week so make sure you book early. Contact with the home faculty was not necessary and was limited to an once or twice, as everything went smoothly. The only thing I mailed the home faculty for was a promotion package so I could promote the university of Groningen on the study abroad fair.

3 Residence abroad Arrangements visa / residence permit etc. Since I was an EU citizen, you do not need to go through an extensive process of gaining a visa. However, I was staying in Finland for more than 3 months so you do need a permit which will also get you a Finnish ID. They will not check you on this so it is possible to avoid it but if something may happen, you may run into trouble for not having a permit. Arrival and departure dates 25 th of August st of December 2015 Accommodation In your application process for Aalto you can indicate whether you have preference for a single apartment and pay a bit more or are okay with a shared apartment and pay a bit less. I don t think there are many single apartments and a shared apartment was fine (as in you still have enough privacy if needed). There is a housing organisation (MOAS) that will provide you with an apartment somewhere during summer holidays. I shared an apartment with another international student which means you share the kitchen (a pretty big one), the bathroom and the hallway. My own room was pretty big, I estimate about 16 m2 excluding a walk-in closet. The apartment building was at a 15 minute walk to the university, or a 5 min bike ride, and was extremely close to most other exchange students. I found the costs relatively cheap as I expected it to be more expensive in Finland. The price I paid was 307,-, which included internet, laundry, sauna, electricity/gas/water. Reception and introduction Both were decently organised. Since the university is pretty small, it works closely together with the student organisation. This resulted in a well organised orientation week (O-week as they call it), including information sessions at the university, fun activities around the city and a few nice parties. There is also a sits organized on Saturday and I really recommend going there because it s a really fun experience. More sits parties will be organized through the year. One more note about the reception is that you are appointed a tutor whom you can ask everything you need to know. If for some reason he/she is not available when needed, there is also the student organization whom you can ask. Everyone is willing to help. Student life, culture and leisure Mikkeli ( citizens) is relatively small compared to Groningen and has about 3 bars/clubs where everyone usually goes to. However, the student organization has a bar in the basement of the university which is open every Wednesday. When it closes, everyone goes to the same bar together which is pretty nice. Furthermore, the student organization throws more parties during the semester and next to that, quite a few Sits are organized as well. These sits will be organized throughout Finland and I have even been to one in Tallinn, Estonia. With regards to sports. You can get a subscription to the 24/7 gym for about 25 if I remember right, but you can also play in a soccer team, hockey team or practise other sports. There is a student sport organization as well called Skibba Ry, and they organise all kinds of (sports) activities too. The main things they organise are weekly floorball sessions (indoor hockey, a big thing in Finland) and the yearly ski-trip to Lapland called Kaa(m)os. Furthermore, they organise activities like paintball, bowling and a few other sports. If you want to practise a specific sport, just ask around or ask Skibba. They can hook you up with a team or can tell you where you can practise it. The nature around Mikkeli is amazing and quite a lot of people did running sessions through the forest or just went there picknicking during the weekends. As Finland is the country of lakes, Mikkeli

4 surely doesn t lack them either. Especially when you just arrived it is nice to go for a swim in one of the lakes because it will get colder quickly. Language Most people in Mikkeli and in the rest of Finland speak English quite well, especially the younger generation. At the university, it is compulsory to speak English in class and most people speak it outside class as well (except if the Fins are amongst each other of course). The professors come from all over the world and are nearly always native speakers. Most Fins can speak Swedish as well and it is highly likely that street names or other names and texts you come across in the city and shopping malls are displayed both in Finnish and Swedish. Grant Amount Around 270 a month with a total of 1062,- for approximately 4 months. If all goes well and you filled in your paperwork in time, you received 70% before departure and 30% when your back in Groningen and done all your remaining paperwork. Information on adequacy of the grant Even though I could cover some of the bigger costs with this grant like the flight tickets, it is not enough to cover most costs. Then again, I m unaware of what exactly the EU wants to cover for students so I don t know if it covers what they intended. However, it is of course a nice amount you don t have to spend yourself. Expenses abroad (living, good, travelling, vaccinations etc) To begin with, Finland is an expensive country so don t go there if you re on a tight budget. You end up paying for extra things that you suddenly notice you re missing if you re abroad. Basic stuff like an internet router, some kitchen stuff, towels, bed sheets, a duvet, a pillow. Most things are too much or too big to take in your suitcase(s). Since everything is about 25-40% more expensive in Finland, take that into account. Food is also expensive but usually I went to the Lidl with a few others during weekends so you could buy food for the week. I recommend eating a hot meal during lunch break at the university. You have choice between 3 meals (meat, fish, veggie) and next to that there is a salad buffet, bread and you get can a glass of milk or juice. All of this for the price of 2,60 or 4,95, if you show your student card which you get from the university during the orientation week. A beer in the pub costs between 4 and 6 (0.4L) and a can of beer in the supermarket costs around 1,20, that is Finnish or Estonian beer. Dutch beer or any other imports are extremely expensive, usually between 2 and 3 per can/bottle. Most likely you want to travel around the country and perhaps to surrounding countries as well. You can only do this during weekends and you can usually count on per trip. After my last course, I also went to Lapland doing activities like dog-sledging, snowmobile driving, visiting Santa Village and a few other things. You can count on for this trip. Additionally, count on extra spending for activities/parties and events organised throughout the semester. It is not a lot but it s about every time. Of course, you want to get the most out of your exchange period so you will obviously take part in a lot of events. I can recommend this, but again, adding it all up costs quite a lot of money too. On top of that, I paid for earlier mentioned sports events too but if you re a member of Skibba, you can get discount on those. Still, I think I paid about 450 euros worth of sports training and activities, but that is including the ski-trip of about 350,-.

5 Some extra tips: - Get a bicycle 1 asap. - Get a student travel card which gives you 50% discount on public transport. You profit from this on your first trip already. - Ask the Finnish students for advice. They know how and where to get discounts on anything. If they don t know, usually it s not there. No vaccinations are needed for Finland, nor for Sweden, Denmark, Estonia if you want to travel there. I m not sure about Russia but I don t think you need it there either. Study (general) Introduction, general advice, etc. During the orientation week, the university supplied is with all the information needed regarding the courses, exams, absence policy, computers and other details that you needed to know. It was very complete and everyone was well prepared for the start of the semester. Dates of beginning and end of lecture series and examination period In Mikkeli, you have 5 courses worth 6 ECTs each. Each course is a 3-week period in which you have a lecture every day. Either a morning class (09:00-12:00) or an afternoon class (13:00 16:00). The courses are intensive and on the first Monday of a course you get the complete planning of the upcoming three weeks. Your grade is determined by presentations, essays, portfolio s, assessments and exams. Usually there is a mix of at least 3 of these test forms, and sometimes you have multiple essays for example. Exams usually do not count for more than 35% as professors find the other components important as well. You have a lot to do but everything is spread pretty evenly. I really recommend to stay on top of your work, every day. If you do that, you have a good chance on really good grades. Remarks on the organisation of the study program Everything is explained in the orientation week and it s really clear what you are supposed to do. The only downside to the 3-week schedule is that no one, including the the staff, know up to the first Monday of a course what your 3-week program is going to look like. This makes it quite hard to plan trips in advance because sometimes you have to study during weekends because you have an exam or deadline on Monday. Furthermore, they have an absence policy which is as follows. Out of the 15 lectures you have per course, you are allowed two unexcused absences and two excused absences. This means that you are allowed two be absent for two lectures for any reason (you do not have to provide a reason), but the other two are usually only allowed when you have a doctor s note. This is pretty strict as compared to Groningen. Level of education language problems? The level of education is pretty high but different than in The Netherlands. You have to learn to cope with a lot of deadlines within 3 weeks, hence they re called intensive courses. Furthermore, the professors focus on a lot more other skills than just memorizing formulas and models which I personally really liked. 1 My advice is to buy a bicycle as soon as possible. Supply does not meet demand and it is very handy to have one. There are Facebook groups where people sell them second hand for about a price range of Ask around when you arrive so you can get your hands on one asap. It is relatively easy to sell it again in the end.

6 There are no language problems whatsoever since most if not all professors are native speakers and the university staff speaks English quite well too. Study facilities / International Office abroad The study facilities are really good and the university is accessible 24/7. You get a code for the door so you can enter whenever you want. The international office is really good as well and is willing to help you for whatever necessary. Summary of subjects taken Like previously explained. Each course lasted for 3 weeks and was worth 6 ECTs. Intercultural Management (31 st August 18 th September) Instructor: Jacek Mironski The course examines the complex challenges and opportunities that international managers face in the global business environment today. Among the topics covered are: theories of international management, culture s influence on conducting global business, managing the global workforce, building trust across cultures, cross-cultural negotiation, corporate social responsibility and ethics across borders. Learning outcomes for this course, upon successful completion, include the ability to: 1) understand why employees at all levels need to manage cultural differences, 2) communicate more effectively with a multicultural workforce, 3) understand the challenges associated with international assignments, 4) learn cross-cultural negotiation strategies, 5) understand theory and practice of conflict resolution across cultures, 7) develop strategies for collaboration across cultures, 8) manage the communication of multicultural teams. My opinion: I learned a lot in this course about managing (between) cultures and how to analyse teams, whether they are from a certain country, a certain region, a certain culture or completely diverse, and how all these factors influence the group and managing process. The professor that taught the course was really good and energetic and we did a lot of practical exercises in class as well. The course was quite demanding because we had a lot to do within the 3 week period. The Sustainability Nexus (21 st September 9 th October) Instructor: Lez Rayman-Bacchus Corporate Responsibility and Sustainable Development are overlapping concepts that have captured our imagination as organizing principles that might reconcile several big challenges facing the world: the tensions between respect for the natural environment, social justice, and economic development; the long view versus short-term imperatives; the competing priorities of north and south, east and west, between developed and developing economies; the private interests of businesses and consumers, and the public interests of communities and civil society. These concerns overlap and their resolution harbors significant challenges involving corporate practices, state development policy priorities, the concerns of non-governmental organizations, and the potential for innovative guiding principles and forms of organization to address these challenges. This course examines the conceptual frameworks, treaties and agreements, aimed at organizing how we might reconcile the economic, social, environmental, cultural and political imperatives

7 involved in shaping a sustainable future. The course also explores how business, governments, and multilateral organizations use and manage the earth s limited resources. My opinion: The course was rather vague but touched upon a lot of different angles of sustainability and how this may or may not positively connect to business. Additionally, you learn why businesses do as they do with regards to sustainability policy and how they react to outside forces. I personally was not really fond of the professor and even though the course was interesting, he kind of created a dull atmosphere. Good chance there will be another professor teaching this next year though. The topic was quite interesting. Design Communication in International Business (12 th October 30 th October) Instructor: Edward Pope An exploration of design concepts and theories in international business. Focus of the course is on the use and meaning of design concepts in different cultural settings, with an emphasis on business communication. Topics include the assessment of design concepts and theories, role of the media in shaping design communications, interface between culture and design, profiles of award-winning designs and imagery, and applications in a variety of business settings. Learning outcomes for this course, upon successful completion, include the ability to: 1) understand design concepts and theories, 2) understand the role of design imagery and communications in diverse cultural settings, 3) understand the role and importance of design in culturally diverse business communications, 4) assess design concepts, theories, and their respective applications in communication, and 5) understand and use technology in the development of design communications. My opinion: In this course, you learn a lot about business communication through advertisements, imagery, logo s and other visual/textual expressions of companies. It is really interesting to get to know why companies use certain logo s, colours and expressions and this course helps you to find out what business ideas are behind those choices. The professor was really great because he was so passionate about his subject and helped everyone personally with questions and assignments. He is genuinely interested in what you are doing and works tirelessly with the students to reach a great final project. No wonder he has been teaching this course for the 7 th year in a row now at Mikkeli. The course was really amazing. Introduction to Business Law (2 nd November 20 th November) Intstructor: Ross Kamarul-Baharin The course objective is to deliver the basics of business law within the context of Finnish national law and its relationship to the European Union as well as implications for international business. The student will be able to understand the legal structure relevant to business and to develop competence in seeking and applying legal knowledge in business practice. Learning outcomes for this course, upon successful completion, include the ability to: 1) identify the origins, concepts and legal basis of Finnish and European Union law, 2) understand the principles and applications of contract law, 3) understand the principles and applications of the law of obligations, 4) understand the principles and applications of commercial law, 5) understand the principles and applications of competition law, 6) identify the fora and procedures

8 for commercial dispute settlement, damages and liability, 7) understand the principles and applications of the law on employment, provision of service and intellectual property, 8) understand the general principles of national and international taxation. My opinion: It s a law course. Usually this could be pretty boring because you re constantly working with a law book but this professor made it really interesting. We had to do some presentations and apply certain parts of the law to a case where we would defend a certain individual and of course, most cases where connected to business cases. It was a pretty nice course and the professor was quite nice too. Intercultural Negotiations (23 rd November 11 th December) Instructor: Stephen Weiss An exploration of communication and management approaches to intercultural negotiation in international business. Focus is on the assessment, development and application of communications in intercultural negotiations with diverse contexts. Tools and methods for assessing the needs and application of negotiation styles and formats are examined. Basic to intercultural negotiation is an understanding of cultural, political and economic norms as well as the modes of presentation and communication. Learning outcomes for this course, upon successful completion, include the ability to: 1) understand fundamental concepts of management and communication in an intercultural context, 2) understand and assess intercultural settings for the purpose of negotiating, 3) to understand and appreciate the diversity of cultural settings for communication and negotiations, 4) to identify and apply diverse formats and approaches in intercultural communications, and 5) to identify and understand different organizational contexts of conducting intercultural negations. My opinion: The course was really practical and it was great to learn through practise for a change (as compared to Groningen). The professor really knew what he was talking about and the organisation of the course was really good too. It was a pretty high demand course but really interesting at the same time. The professor was also willing to move certain assignments because we had some trips already planned. In short, another great course. Other relevant info you want to share with our future exchange students There is basically only one main thing I would really like to stress. Please take part in as many activities as you can. It is not just an experience to be in a different country but also push yourself into getting to know the culture and its habits. The best thing to do this is to also take part in Finnish traditions, Finnish sports or whatever they do (this also goes for other countries of course). Perhaps some things sound crazy to you or moves you out of your comfort zone but that however is exactly the way you can experience your exchange period to the fullest. I did take part in almost everything they had to offer and I could see that I had a stronger bond with the Finnish than they had with others. Finnish people are by nature relatively introvert and have closed personalities, but if you open up first and show interest in their customs, you will get a lot in return.