Semester abroad at LAUREA University of Applied Sciences in Finland

Benedikt Veider, a student of the Bachelor's program Business & Management, reports about his semester abroad in Finland

MCI Innsbruck offers a good connection between business school and the business world. In addition, MCI has always stood for internationality, high academic quality and practical orientation. Through my studies in Business & Management I hoped to learn a wide range of skills and theory in this field. Furthermore, this study program gives you the flexibility to switch between different industries, as the knowledge you learn there is not only focused on one particular direction. Also, due to the internationality, one is given the chance to work in an international company and also get to know different cultures during the semester abroad.

My decision to go to Finland was rather spontaneous and more random than planned. However, it turned out that it was not a bad decision.

Not only the new culture, but also the nature in Finland is very impressive and makes your stay much easier. Another advantage of Finland was that it gave me the chance to see more of the Scandinavian culture, which I always found very interesting.

In contrast to MCI, LAUREA University focuses more on independent learning. Under the motto, "Learning by developing", the university tries to achieve a more independent approach to the different topics. Students are encouraged to develop themselves through development, research and reflection. Accordingly, there are not always traditional lectures as you know them from the MCI.

Of course, this also has advantages. Especially in my case, it was mostly not necessary to attend lectures, but to learn the course material at your own pace and to complete the required tasks. Thus, one could arrange one's free time by oneself. I could go to the gym, which is also provided by the university, during the day and then attend the training of the local American football team, the Helsinki Roosters, in the evening. If one of the games took place at the same time as a lecture, you were usually excused by the professors and could then catch up on the material afterwards.

Due to the close proximity to nature and various countries and cities, you can also do a lot on the weekends. The student union, which is obligatory for every university in Finland, also organizes various activities every month. To name only one experience as the best would not be fair. Iceland, Lapland, various Baltic States, parties and hikes in the national park are definitely worth a mention. If I get the chance to see the Northern Lights by the end of the year, this will definitely be my favorite.

For anyone who also gets the chance to do a semester abroad at some point, I would definitely recommend taking that chance. Not only the experience of living in a new culture, but also the opportunity to meet new people are two reasons enough. Even though it is sometimes not equally easy for everyone to be so far away from friends and family, there are still enough new experiences worth exploring. Especially in Finland, it will be a very special experience now in winter, as there are sometimes only 5-6 hours of daylight so far up.