New Exchange Students Kick off the Spring Semester
174 new exchange students have arrived at the University of Turku for the spring semester. Including those who started their exchange in the autumn, there are altogether 273 exchange students on campus this spring.
The new exchange students who arrived for the spring semester listened intently to the orientation lecture on Monday, 5 January.
International Officer Annukka Väre says that most incoming exchange students come from Germany, France, Spain, China and Russia.
– This spring, we are welcoming exchange students from 39 different countries. What is exceptional this time is that we are receiving four Australian students when there is normally only one.
Most exchange students come to study in Turku School of Economics. Also the Faculties of Social Sciences, Humanities, Law, and Mathematics and Natural Sciences receive many exchange students each year.
The Orientation Course Provides Practical Tools for Studying
According to Väre, the greatest challenge in the first few days for a foreign student is to find information in English about the study practices of the University. At the orientation course, which was organised in the Osuuskauppa lecture hall at Turku School of Economics on Monday, 5 January, the new exchange students learned about the Finnish society, study culture and practical matters related to studying.
– The orientation course and the online materials of the International Office offer a great deal of information that helps the new arrivals to figure out the complexities of studying at the University, says Väre.
The programme of the orientation course is now more concise and, during one day, the IT Services, Language Centre, University Library, the Student Village Foundation and other organisations give short presentations to the exchange students. The busy course schedule can easily cause an information overload when many new subjects are covered in a short span of time. However, the orientation does not end with the course.
– The tutors’ role in integrating the exchange students into the University community is essential. Also the Student Union, its sub-organisations and the Erasmus Student Network are an important part of familiarising the students with the Finnish student life.
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Translation: Mari Ratia