My first impressions of Helsinki!

by Chloe Bolton, University of Helsinki, Finland

My first two weeks in Helsinki. What a whirlwind. 

As you’d probably expect with any destination you’re going to, the first two weeks will be somewhat chaotic, but in an amazing way. 

From meeting a whole bunch of people from all corners of Europe to figuring out how the student registration system works, moving into a new flat, getting to grips with the Finnish language and taking in the beauty of the city – you will love it. As things are slowly settling down and classes are starting, I thought I could talk you through what you might expect and experience when moving here. 

My first impressions upon arriving to Helsinki were ‘wow what a clean city’, which two weeks in, I can say is still very true. This is mostly due to all the bins, you’ve got no reason to throw anything on the floor (not that you should anyway). But also because most shops will buy your empty cans and bottles back. If you look closely, you’ll see a price on every drink container you come across. This is great if you’re a student wanting a little extra money back, but if you’re not into hoarding a load of bottles and cans (which is usually the case here), you can also give them to homeless people who will just ask you for it if they see you having a drink in the park or street. 

This was a big thing during intro week where students would be taken by their tutor groups for picnics and social gatherings, and people would walk up to you (always friendly) and ask you for your bottles. 10/10 for Helsinki already. 

Another lovely thing is the amount of parks, trees and greenery. I’m lucky enough to live in the district of Merihaka, which is quite literally by the sea. But even my walk into university is nothing but a great mix of seeing a bustling city life next to the tranquillity of the parks. 

If you’re somewhat of a runner, walker, hiker or just enjoy different scenery than Manchester has to offer, you’ll love Helsinki. 

The bridge I cross on my walk to uni 🙂

A less lovely aspect that takes some getting used to is the student registration system. Now don’t be alarmed the staff at UH and your tutors will absolutely walk you through it when you arrive, but do pay attention. 

All the courses in your Learning Agreement may not be open or available once you arrive here, so don’t be afraid if that’s the case there are plenty of new courses that will be going on instead, all that needs to be done is to update your Learning Agreement once you’ve found your courses. But I can go into the less fun admin side of things in a later post. 

Money-wise, don’t be alarmed, life is not as expensive as you’re told it is. Don’t get me wrong, you definitely should be expecting prices to be higher than in Manchester but affordable shops such as Lidl are not a rarity here and a must for your weekly shop. 

And as for social outings go, if you know the cheap places, I promise your nights out will cost as little as they do in Manchester 😉

For now I’ll leave you, I think I’ve got a little more exploring to do. 

All the best,

Chloé