Aalto University School of Business Donald Kam - Spring 2013
Monthly Activity Log January I arrived on the 8 th January afternoon. After being led by a tutor to the dormitory, I went to the IKEA immediately to shop for bedding furniture. The orientation day was on the 11 th January. The semester started right after the orientation day. The first lessons were compulsory for all courses. I took only two courses and I made time to travel to Copenhagen for four days at the end of January. February One remarkable event in February is the Lapland trip. It was organized by KY and lasted for 5 days. It took 14 hours to go to Lapland Levi by bus (and 14 hours return too). We stayed at a cottage house, which was equipped with private sauna. There was not any scheduled event but we were free to schedule activities on our own. In daytime, we went to ski, visit ice hotels and hang around souvenirs shop. At night, we went out to hunt for aurora. The weather was around - 25 degree Celsius at night so we could at most stand an hour of wait outside. On our return journey, the bus stopped at Santa Claus village where we could visit the Santa Claus and send special postcards. After the trip, I spent most of the time working on projects and assignments. March The first week of March was the exam period. I only had one exam so I travelled to Germany right after the exam for a week. The second semester started immediately after the exam week. I took 3 courses this semester. Late March was Easter holiday and I went to Germany, Switzerland and Italy. Bookings could be quite full in Easter so advanced booking is recommended. (Different places could have different period of holidays though.) April April and May were the months of assignments, projects and exams. But workload fluctuated much within the month. In late April to May, the snow in Helsinki finally started to melt and I travelled to the Western Europe. May Not until May did I realize the beauty of Helsinki. Leaves started to grow and the city became vibrant. We, a group of Hong Kong exchange students joined the Restaurant Day, which was an official day when anyone can open up a restaurant for a day. We sold some Hong Kong desserts in a park in Helsinki. Exams started on around 20 th May. I left Helsinki on the 21 st May.
General Exchange Information Visa Procedures As I am holding U.K. passport, no visa or residence permit is required beforehand. However, I had to register for extended residence in Police station in Helsinki, which cost around 50 euros. Orientation Activities The orientation day was held on the 11 th of January when we all arrived at school in the morning. It started off with taking attendance, when I received the welcoming package that includes some notes, documents and information that I needed. After that, the instructors will lead us to register for courses and apply for student card. It cost around 50 euro to join the student union therefore it was necessary to prepare for some cash. At the end, tutors took us to the railway station to purchase student travel card. At night, there was a KY(exchange student union) party, at which we bought the tickets to the Lapland trip in February. It was a night where some drinks and snacks were provided, and for us to know more friends. There was a city hunt the next day but we did not join it. International Services & Activities The KY- sub, a student union especially for exchange students organized gathering parties and outbound trips once in a while. If you are joining their activities, you will be likely stick with the other exchange students. Accommodations I lived in a 3- people apartment offered by HOAS. It was located in Pasila Station, which was a convenient place since every train must stop at this station. It was an ideal party place, if you like partying. But at the same time, it could be quite noisy too. Generally, rents at Pasila were not the cheapest, rooms were not the biggest but the convenient location compensated for these. Supermarkets can be reached within 3 minutes of walk. There were two K- markets and one Lidl. Course Registration Before arrival, we had to send study agreement, which stated the courses that we planned to take. It could be amended anytime by emailing to staff in Aalto University. On orientation day, they will print a final copy for you. After that, all courses were registered through Weboodi under the instruction of teachers. It is reminded that you must register for the exam as well as the course. They are to be registered separately. The school almost showed no mercy if you forgot to register for the exam. Teaching & Assessment Methods
The spring semester, unlike HKUST, was divided into two periods (III & IV). There was a wide range of courses for you to select from, including undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Most of courses that I took involved reading a lot of academic paper. Usually, professors will required some reflection papers or summary after the reading. Attendance was not compulsory for some courses. Some did not have exams too. Projects were common too, but less demanding compared to HKUST ones. There are some courses that only require a book exam, in which you will not have to attend any lectures but only study on your own and attend the exam. It looks attractive but on the other hand, you have to spend time to go to the library and study a couple of thick textbooks without instruction and any tips about the examination. Therefore I would not recommend you take book exams unless you like visiting the library often. Courses were graded by a scale of 0 to 5. 1 was considered as passed. I took four marketing courses and one social science course as listed below: Course Code Course ECTS Credits Transferred Semester III 23C570 Business- to- Business Marketing 6 3 23E48000 Consumer Psychology 6 3 Semester IV 23C72000 Customer Relationship 6 4 Management 23E61000 Arts Marketing and Management 6 3 51A00210 Introduction to Business Ethics 3 2 Sports & Recreation Facilities The school provided sports facilities (Unisport) at discount price but I have not tried any. They were introduced on the Orientation day. I went swimming in Pasila instead, which cost a student price of 3.2 euro each time. Cost/Expenses The expenses will depend on how much a student travels during exchange. For the whole semester, I spent around 60-70K Hong Kong dollars, excluding tuition fees. Social Clubs/Networking Opportunities Social Clubs were not common in Aalto University. As an exchange student, you can mostly take part in the KY- sub s functions, in which you can get to know other exchange students. Health & Safety
There was a clinic at some distance from the school but I had never visited it. As a Nordic country, Finland is very safe even when you go out at night. However, at times there were drunk people who might talk to you then you just have to ignore them and get away from them as soon as possible. Thief and robbery were not common but they happened from time to time, according to our friends experience. So it is still a good idea to watch out for your own belongings at all times. If you prefer Asian or Chinese food, you can take Metro to Hakaniemi Station where you can find at least two Asian supermarkets. Transportation To get to school from Pasila, you can take trains first to Helsinki Station, and then switch to Metro to Kamppi Station or take Tram 3T. Tram 3T arrives directly in front of the school (Kauppakorkeakoulu stop). Proof- of- payment system is adopted in Helsinki that you do not have to show your tickets unless being requested by train staff. Ticket controlling is quite frequent. To access the Helsinki Vantaa airport, there are two options. Bus route 615 is a cheaper option but since the airport is out of Helsinki region, you have to pay even you are holding a Helsinki travel card. The other is Finnair bus which is more expensive, but faster and more comfortable to ride on. It stops near Pasila returning from the airport. Both bus 615 and Finnair bus depart from Helsinki station. There is an island within Helsinki called Suomenlinna. It can be accessed within 15 minutes of ferry from the harbour. It is a castle on island essentially. There are trains and ferries that depart from Helsinki to St. Petersburg, Russia. Besides, you may take cruise to Stockholm (Sweden) and Tallinn (Estonia) for travelling. Climate In winter, temperature can fall as low as - 20 degree Celsius in Helsinki. When you go out, you must put on thick jacket and shoes that can keep your legs warm. Boots are good idea but not the only option. Especially if you plan to go to Lapland (Northern Finland) for aurora, you need more warm clothing. Last year, the weather started to get warmer (above 0 degree Celsius) in April when snow started to melt. Communication School provides free wifi, but free wifi is not common in Europe. In Helsinki, you can always go to McDonald s for free wifi. In HOAS dormitory, you will have to use your own router or you can use the cable to connect it to your computer directly. There was a 6.8euro monthly unlimited data plan offered by Elisa. You could buy a SIM card and recharge cards at their retail outlets.
Other Notes Air Tickets It will be much cheaper to buy air tickets from Hong Kong to Helsinki as early as possible. Finnair and Cathay Pacific offer direct flights. IKEA in Helsinki Upon arrival, it will be an idea to go to IKEA to shop for necessary furniture as HOAS does not provide pillow, blanket and bedding sheets. The IKEA bus stop is located outside Kiasma, an art museum in city centre. There is no any sign erected as an indication so to avoid waiting in the cold for a long time, it will be a good idea to do research and check the bus schedule beforehand or ask some locals for direction if needed. International Student Card It might be a good idea to apply for an international student card in Hong Kong before departure. You can enjoy discounts in some countries and serves as a second student card, which is widely recognized. Language Finnish people of the younger generation are usually able to speak English, however, English is rarely seen on street. Items to Bring and Contacts Laptop Router Warm Clothes (Goose down jacket & Windbreaker) Passport Adaptors Swim suit Warm shoes (boots) Documents from HKUST ITEMS Medicine Cabin size luggage/bag Pocket heat bags Credit Card Enough Cash Mini Locks Travel books Chargers If you have any queries, I will be happy to give you advice. You can get my contact from SBM Exchange Team by emailing at bmugexch@ust.hk. Hope you find it useful!