Âbo Akademi, Finland 2025: "If I could, I would stay a few more months"

Preparation:

I realised early on that I wanted to study abroad at some point. Finland wasn't my first choice at first - to be honest, I didn't even have the country on my radar. It was only through a good friend that my interest was awakened. I then started to find out whether there were any partner universities in Finland on the website of the International Office. After reading a few experience reports, I quickly realised that I wanted to go to Turku!

The information I received from the International Office helped me a lot with my planning. It was clear at a glance which documents I needed. The application for a place went smoothly and I was quickly accepted. I then had to apply to Åbo Akademi - but don't worry, it's almost just a formality. The Finnish university's website is very clearly organised and it's easy to find your way around. There is a lot of helpful information, so it is worth investing some time and reading through it carefully.

On a separate page, you can take a look at the courses on offer. In addition to the course content, the requirements are also clearly presented. This made it very easy for me to draw up my learning agreement. Once I had received the official acceptance letter, my adventure in Finland could begin. The next step was to plan my journey to Turku.

As I had to be in Turku on 2 January 2025 and had already spent Christmas with my family, I flew from Frankfurt am Main to Helsinki and then travelled on to Turku by bus. I flew with Finnair and can only recommend the airline - there is a direct bus connection from the airline to Turku, so you don't have to worry about missing connections.

I've heard from other German students that they travelled to Stockholm by night train and then took the ferry to Turku. Turku is generally very easy to get to. The journey from Helsinki to Turku takes about two hours by bus or train. Turku also has its own harbour, so in theory you can also travel directly by ferry. The advantage of travelling by plane is the speed, while you can take significantly more luggage with you on the ferry - but the journey also takes longer. My tip: find out about the various travel options early on and book in good time - it saves money and nerves!

2 January 2025 was the official day of arrival. On this day, (almost) all international students arrive. You immediately notice that there's a lot going on - whether it's picking up the keys to the student flat or registering at the university.

In the application form, I was able to indicate whether I wanted a study buddy - I opted for this. Unfortunately, my study buddy was ill during Orientation week, so I had to do a lot of things on my own. Nevertheless, he was available via WhatsApp and was quick to help me with any questions. I also heard nothing but positive things from other students about their study buddies.

On the first day, I first went to Gripen (a student service on site), registered and had my "Letter of Arrival" signed. I then received a personalised key for the university and the libraries. You can use this to gain access to the facilities at any time - which I found really practical.

Later, I collected my "Starting Package" and the key for my student flat - more on this later.

The Orientation week was very informative and interesting. There was a lot of useful information about the university - for example, how to register for courses or how the library works. There were also presentations about the city and extracurricular activities. My personal highlight was the free city tour by bus. There were also many events organised by the ESN (Erasmus Student Network), which made it easy to make connections.

Overall, the organisation at Åbo Akademi was excellent. If you had any questions, you could easily reach your contact person by email and usually received a response within a few hours.

 

Accommodation

I opted for a flat from TYS (Turku Student Village Foundation). It seemed to me to be the cheapest and most straightforward option. TYS offers three main options:

1. a shared flat in Iltakajo for around 330-350 € per month. This option was out of the question for me, as Iltakajo is a bit out of town and you can only get to the university by bus. However, I haven't heard anything negative from students who have lived there.

2. a shared flat in Student Village East for around €350. Here you share the flat with a total of three people. Unfortunately, I can't say anything about this from my own experience as I didn't know anyone who lived there.

3. a flat in Student Village West - I opted for this option. My flat cost around €389 per month.

My room was about 18 m² in size and equipped with a bed, a desk, a wardrobe and my own fridge. I shared the kitchen with the entire corridor. Kitchen parties or international cookery evenings were held there regularly. You always met someone to chat to and if you wanted some peace and quiet, you could simply retreat to your room. It was a bit like a big shared flat.

The Student Village consists of numerous student residences. My house also had one of the few saunas - you can take a sauna four times a month for free. The village is, as the name suggests, a small village for students. There are:

• - a supermarket (a little expensive - less recommendable for weekly shopping),
• - chill areas and common rooms,
• - a student restaurant
• - as well as a gym that is specially designed for students
.

The washing machines can be booked online. A wash cycle costs around €2. After booking, you receive an access code that is only valid 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after the booked start time - you should definitely pay attention to this! It was about a 10-15 minute walk from my flat to the university and around 30 minutes to the city centre. However, there are also numerous buses that take you to the city centre in 10-15 minutes.

I can really recommend everyone to apply for a flat at TYS - preferably on the first day of the application phase. I heard of one person who didn't get a place at TYS and then had to look for something privately. It's not impossible to find accommodation on the private housing market, but it is much more expensive and time-consuming. I also recommend the so-called Starting Package, which is not offered by TYS but by the Student Union. It costs €20 + €50 deposit, which you get back when you return the package at the end. Included are:

• - 1 plate
• - cutlery
• - 1 pot
• - 1 pillow
• - 1 blanket
• - 1 curtain
• - 1 mug
• - 1 glass

So basically everything you need to get started. You can find more information on the Student Union website.

Another personal tip: take a Wi-Fi router with you from home. You can also buy one in Turku, but this will save you searching for a suitable shop - and money.

 

Study

The Åbo Akademi offers numerous courses in the field of law. It is important to note that the semester in Finland is divided into two periods. In my case, the first period ran from January to the end of February or the beginning of March, while the second began in mid-March and ended at the end of May. Depending on the course, the examination takes place at the end of the respective period, either in the form of an exam, an essay or another written assignment.

When choosing a course, I encountered the obstacle that I did not have extensive prior knowledge of international law. However, many courses at Åbo Akademi require that you have already successfully completed international law, for example. In retrospect, it would probably have made more sense to complete the semester abroad after passing the European law module. Nevertheless, I was able to attend some exciting courses in international law. I attended the following courses, among others: International Environmental Law, Comparative Law in a Changing World, Human Rights in Europe, Refugee Law, Sustainable Business and Introduction to Folklore Studies. I also took the Animal Law course at the University of Turku. Language courses in Swedish and Finnish were also offered, but I did not attend any language courses and therefore cannot give a personal assessment. In principle, however, it is possible to take courses from other Faculties as long as no specific requirements are specified.

I have particularly positive memories of the courses Refugee Law, Sustainable Business and Human Rights in Europe. In Refugee Law, three practical exercises were offered in addition to the lectures. Among other things, we learned how to analyse cases in refugee law, how to prepare for writing a final text and how to conduct an interview with a client correctly. The proof of achievement consisted of active participation in the exercises, writing a learning diary - a format widely used in Finland to reflect on one's own learning process - and a final text in free form, for example as an essay or short story.

The Sustainable Business course focussed on sustainable business models. The numerous guest lectures, which provided exciting insights into practice, were particularly interesting. Here, too, a lot of work was done in groups and two individual essays had to be written. In general, the proportion of group work in my courses was relatively high, which I personally found very enriching.

Human Rights in Europe is also highly recommended. The course offered an intensive examination of case analyses, with many parallels in terms of content to the German Fundamental Rights module (GK Public Law II). The final examination consisted of a written exam, which was easy to pass.

In contrast, I found the Comparative Law in a Changing World course less recommendable. This is a purely self-study course in which you are provided with literature via the Moodle learning platform, which you have to work through independently. There is no contact with lecturers or fellow students, which makes learning somewhat isolated and requires a high degree of self-organisation.

Further information on the courses, examination forms and content can be found in the respective course catalogues of Åbo Akademi or the University of Turku. The links are:

https://studiehandboken.abo.fi/sv/program/34323?period=2024-2027

 

Everyday life and leisure

There is a lot to experience in Turku and Finland. In my first month, I explored the city and its surroundings intensively. I visited numerous museums, including Turku Castle. It is one of the oldest castles in Finland and definitely worth a visit. I also went on a few excursions, for example to Naantali, where the Moomin World is located. Before my Erasmus semester, I didn't even know who or what the Moomins were. But you meet them everywhere in Finland - we even took a test in one course to find out which Moomin character we were most like.

I can also highly recommend the archipelago and the island of Ruissalo - you can be there in just 20-30 minutes by bus.

I came to Finland to get to know the Finnish culture better. And I quickly learnt that you can't leave Finland without having been to the sauna.

I also went to a lot of ice hockey matches. The atmosphere was simply electrifying! My tip: make sure you go to a TPS game - and don't forget the student discount.

The ESN (Erasmus Student Network) is also very active in Turku. There are lots of events: parties, excursions and so-called "Sitz" - a traditional Finnish celebration with lots of eating, singing and drinking (either alcohol or soft drinks). This allows you to get to know other exchange students very quickly. Particularly practical: there are two ESN groups - one from the University of Turku and one from Åbo Akademi.

ESN also organises many trips in cooperation with TimeTravels. For example, I travelled with them to Lapland and the Baltic States (Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius). I can only recommend travelling to Lapland once in your life - the landscape is breathtaking and there are numerous activities such as visiting huskies, ice fishing or meeting Father Christmas.

Another tip: Join the Student Union. The semester contribution is 34.50 euros and offers many benefits - such as lunch in the student restaurants for only 2.95 euros or a digital student card that offers numerous discounts, e.g. for travel, museums or local transport.

As I lived close to the university and the city centre, I didn't buy a monthly bus pass. The bus company in Turku is called Föli. A monthly pass costs 40 euros and allows unlimited journeys. Instead, I opted for a rechargeable credit card. It is personalised, and as a student you pay between 1.70 euros (in the morning) and 2.90 euros (at night) for a single journey (valid for 2 hours). You can top up your card either at ticket machines or - like me - conveniently via the app.

An important tip: If you are standing at a bus stop and want the bus to stop, you have to hold out your hand! Otherwise it will just drive past - luckily this has only happened to me once.

Cost of living:
Finland is more expensive than Germany, especially when it comes to food. The deposit is also higher - while in Germany it is usually 0.25 euros, in Finland it is between 0.20 and 0.40 euros.

Turku has five large supermarket chains:

1. K-Supermarket - the most expensive, comparable to Edeka

2. Lidl - very popular with students, cheap and centrally located

3. Prisma - my favourite: cheap, with a large selection of Finnish products

4. S-Market - belongs to the same group as Prisma, but slightly more expensive and smaller

5. Sale - I have only visited once, comparable to K-Supermarket

My personal tip: Use Onnibus if you want to travel around Finland - similar to Flixbus, with cheap tickets. The Frank app also offers many discounts, e.g. for travelling, eating out or shopping

Another money-saving tip: go to the canteen! Lunch costs just 2.95 euros and includes: a hot dish, drink (water, juice or milk), salad and bread. And the best thing is that you can help yourself - so you can eat as much as you like. There are around 15-20 student restaurants with different menus every day - so you have plenty of choice!

Conclusion

I look back on my time in Finland with nostalgia. If I could, I would stay a few more months. I had lots of new experiences, made great friends and got to know a whole new culture. I was a bit scared at first - mainly because of the cold and the darkness. But the friendliness and helpfulness of the Finns quickly allayed my fears. From the very first day, Turku felt like a second home. The weather was warmer than expected and the dark season passed more quickly than anticipated. Finnish culture is much calmer and less stressful than ours. I will miss this calmness - you sit in a full bus and yet there is silence and peace. I will miss all the parties and travelling, the people I got to know and now consider friends - and last but not least the breathtaking nature.
If you want to meet Santa Claus, make international friends, experience a new and completely different culture and discover cities in the north and the Baltic states - then Finland, and Turku in particular, is the right choice for you.

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