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CS Student Studying in Finland
A computer science degree will take you a long way. In Danny Haynes’ case, that far off place is Finland. Haynes is studying abroad in Finland at the University of Kuopio (UK). The university is located in the town of Kuopio in Eastern Finland. According to the University of Kuopio’s website, one of the latest fields of study is technology education. Haynes used the International Student Exchange Program, also known as ISEP, to find where in the world he wanted to study. He said when he was looking into international study, he wanted to find somewhere that had a good tech-influenced business program. That is when he stumbled upon Finland. According to the ISEP’s catalogue, Finland is “a world leader in technology.” “Finland uses a great deal of technology, especially in the areas of computing and, more importantly, cell phone technology,” said Haynes. Nokia, the cell phone powerhouse, is based in Finland. At UK, not only could he take classes that center around cell phone business, but he could take some computer science courses as well. According to Haynes, Americans mostly use cell phones for calling, texting, and occasionally logging onto the internet. In Finland, cell phones are used for all of that, and much more. People in Finland use cell phones as a way of doing business; they are even used to do their banking. Cell phones are also the main telephone for most people in Finland. Land lines are few and far between there. Most of Haynes’ classes are in English, which is fortunate for him since he doesn’t speak Finnish. He is taking a Finnish language class that is actually taught in both Finnish and English. It also helps that most of the population knows some English so it’s not as hard for him to communicate with local people as one might think. According to Haynes, classes taught in English are about the only thing that classes at Finnish universities have in common with classes at American universities. The time-table for classes is completely different than those here in America. At the University of Kuopio, classes do not have set days or times arranged. Students may meet a couple of times one week, at all different times of the day, and the next week the class might not meet at all. Classes can be scheduled for odd times of the semester, too. Some may begin at the beginning of the semester, some at the middle, and some later on in the semester. Another difference in the scholastic programs is that instructors in Finland expect the students to be motivated and excited about learning, both inside and outside the classroom. There is a major focus on the student’s desire to learn all they can. And not only are students expected to know the basics for the course they are taking, but they are also expected to have a thorough working knowledge of all of the material. Tardiness is something that is not taken lightly, especially on test days. If a student arrives late to class on the day of a test, the student must wait until 30 minutes past the starting time of the test. If a student arrives after that, they are not allowed to take the test at all, even if the student thinks they might have enough time to finish the test. As for the campus itself, Haynes said it is actually quite nice. The region of Finland he is studying in is very rich in forests and lakes. On the way to one of his classes, Haynes walks by a lake that is on campus. There are also a lot of students that depend on bicycles as their mode of transportation. It is not uncommon for there to be thirty bicycles outside of the buildings on campus. Something else that is different than Haynes is used to is the fact that most of the buildings on the campus have cafeterias and coffee shops in them. This has turned out to be very handy instead of walking all the way across campus for something to eat like students have to do at ETSU. One thing that American and Finnish students do have in common is what they choose to do in their free time. During the day, students like to spend their time participating in sports and shopping. Haynes said that fashion seems to be a “really big thing.” Another big thing in Finland is the television show Big Brother. As for the nights in Finland, going to clubs and karaoke are very popular. People are usually lined up outside the clubs waiting to get in, Haynes said. He frequently uses the, “I’m from America,” excuse as a way to start conversations when he goes out to popular places to meet people. According to Haynes, for anyone wishing to study abroad, some good advice is to start early. The paperwork for when he was applying for overseas study came in waves. Even after students have arrived to their new campus, there is still quite a bit of paperwork to be done. For more information about studying abroad, visit the Honors College for more information or contact Danny Haynes at haynesd@gmail.com – Article By Emily Elliott
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