Introducing Finland

Finland is a country that is situated in Northern Europe with a population of 5.6 million. Finland covers an area of 338,455 square kilometers (130,678 sq mi) and the country consists of 19 regions. The capital and largest city of Finland is Helsinki. Almost all of the people in Finland are ethnic Finns. Finnish and Swedish are the official languages of Finland but about 70% of people can speak English as a second language. The climate of Finland is warm in summer but freezing in winter*(winters are more frequent in Finland)*. They use Euros as currency in Finland. The president of Finland is Sauli Niinistö and the prime minister is Sanna Marin.

Facts

• Finland ranked #1 among the happiest countries in the world for the fifth time in a row.
• Finland believes that education and healthcare is one of the human rights. So, they give free education and healthcare to the Finns.
• You can see the incredibly beautiful snow in the day and northern lights at night in the Finland winter.
• About 75% of Finland is covered in forests.
• Finland is one of the most economically thriving countries in the world.
• In Finland, the government provides specialties to the parents after a child is born.
• The Finland government also lends their support to those who are unemployed or in-between jobs.
• Finland has been ranked above average among the world's countries in democracy, press freedom, and human development.

Culture and traditions

Overview

Finland has been influenced by the adjacent areas because of its history and location, not only their cultures have the ideas of various Finnic and Baltic peoples, but also are influenced by the former dominant powers of Sweden and Russia. Finnish culture is built upon by their history and their original traditional aspects.

There are some cultural differences among the regions of Finland like how there are also differences in various regions in our country. However, most of the regions still maintain their cultural identities within Finland. As Finland is surrounded with nature, Finns feel really connected to it and most of their traditional activities are also performed in nature (for eg. their traditional winter activities like skiing).

Holidays

Although there are lots of holidays within Finland, I will only mention some public holidays. The official holidays are divided into Christian and secular holidays. Christian holidays are Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, and All Saints' Day. Secular holidays are New Year's Day, May Day, Midsummer Day, and Independence Day.

Traditional food

Most of the traditional dishes are simple, fresh and healthy and they are mostly influenced by European, Fennoscandian and Western Russian elements. The table manners of the Finns are European.

Sauna

When we talk about cultures in Finland, a sauna is a must to include. The purpose of using the saunas is to generally bathe but because of its speciality, Finns often use saunas to recover and heal from physical pains. Not only that, saunas also tend to soothe the humans’ minds which is why it is also a great way to relieve stress! Sauna is really a tradition of the Finns, so you can commonly find saunas in Finland too. If you got to study in Finland, don’t forget to go to a sauna and have an amazing experience!!

If you want to know in details about Finland cultures and manners, click this link to check it out - https://www.commisceo-global.com/resources/country-guides/finland-guide

Some of the best places to live for international students

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital city of Finland, and there are more industrial places and more advanced transportation as the city has international Helsinki Airport with frequent service to major European cities. There are a lot of things to do and places to visit like museums, and galleries. As it is a capital city, you will also be able to access world-class education in a wide variety of universities and colleges to choose from. Not only can you access a good quality education, you can live in the city with an affordable range of accommodations and food while walking around the city being relieved, knowing that the city has low crime rates.

The cost of living in Helsinki - https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Helsinki

Universities in Helsinki - https://www.edarabia.com/universities/helsinki/

Lappeenranta

Lappeenranta is one of the beautiful cities in Finland that offers a great quality of life for international students. Lappeenranta University of Technology, which offers a wide range of degree programs in English, is also located in this city. The nature in this city is just stunning in every season which can give you a peace of mind after stressful school days. There are also shops, cafes and restaurants for you if you need anything and you can also visit nearby small cities and villages if you want to take a break from the busy city life. The cost of living in Lappeenranta is also relatively low, and there are many affordable housing options available and they also have a nice transportation system which are perfect for international students.

The cost of living in Lappeenranta - https://livingcost.org/cost/finland/lappeenranta

Universities in Lappeenranta - https://smapse.com/catalog/lappeenranta/university/

Lahti

Lahti is a wonderful city which is situated in southern Finland and it is located about 100 kilometers north from the capital city, Helsinki. Lahti is a popular city among international students because of their higher education institutions that offer English programs like University of Applied Sciences and the Lahti University of Technology. Not only is the city’s education international, there are also international companies located in the city, which makes this city a good place to study and work at the same time. The living cost is also a reasonable price for international students and there are also places to hang out in the city. So, why not choose it as your perfect place to study abroad?!

The cost of living in Lahti - https://livingcost.org/cost/finland/lahti

Universities in Lahti - https://www.unipage.net/en/universities/lahti

Tampere

Tampere is a city in Pirkanmaa, southern Finland. There are 2 universities which bring a lot of international students to Finland. They are the University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology. Tampere has many museums and theaters in the city and you can do many kinds of activities, so you don’t have to worry about not being able to go out and explore. There are also many kinds of restaurants waiting for you to choose, in this city!

The cost of living in Tampere - https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Tampere#:~:text=Summary%20about%20cost%20of%20living,(786.4%E2%82%AC)%20without%20 rent.

Universities in Tampere - https://www.tuni.fi/en , https://smapse.com/catalog/tampere/university/

Turku

Turku is a city located in the southwest of Finland and it is the country’s fifth largest city. This is a student city with a very interesting history and it was once the capital of Finland. Turku has two universities, the University of Turku and Turku University of Applied Sciences, and many more higher education institutions which can give you that time-worthy education. The university of Turku has a strong international focus and offers lots of English degree programs, which is why they are one of the top 100 universities in Europe. Turku University of Applied Sciences is also the second largest university in Turku and it offers a lot of programs where most of them can be learnt by international students.

The cost of living in Turku - https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Turku#:~:text=Family%20of%20our%20 estimated%20 monthly,(888.5%E2%82%AC)%20without%20 rent.

Universities in Turku - https://www.turku.fi/en/study-turku/studying-turku

Oulu

Oulu is also an international student friendly place, located in the Northern part of Finland. This city can provide your ideal environment to study while providing you with a wide variety of world-class universities and institutions. Moreover, the cost to live in the city is lower than most of the cities in Finland and there are also lots of activities for you to participate in. If you want that excitement and coziness at the same time, just study in Oulu!!

The cost of living in Oulu - https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Oulu#:~:text=Family%20of%20our%20 estimated%20 monthly,(832.2%E2%82%AC)%20without%20 rent.

Universities in Oulu - http://www.canadian-universities.net/World_Universities/Finland-Oulu.html

Can we get free education as international students?

I know why you are here…to know whether we can get free education or not in Finland right?? Finland is popular for their free education and healthcare systems for the Finns but what about international students? Can we get free education??

The answer is….drum roll please YES!!

You can surely study in Finland for free as an international student in 2 ways. The first way is to attend programs that are NOT in English which means that you will have to be proficient in Finnish or Swedish, so that you can attend your dream university for free in Finland by joining the Finnish or Swedish programs. The second way is to get fully funded scholarships, so you don’t have to pay any tuition fees in Finland.

If you want to attend bachelor or master degrees in English, you will need to pay tuition fees.

Click here to read more about studying for free in Finland - https://aljawaz.com/en/study-for-free-in-finland/

References - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland https://www.scandikitchen.co.uk/7-random-things-didnt-know-finland/ ,https://www.visitfinland.com, https://aljawaz.com/en/study-for-free-in-finland/ , https://careerpaths.com.bd/major-cities-in-finland-for-international-students/