Welcome back to another week of TUASpire!

How are you all doing?

My name is Ana and I have just turned 23 years old. I got to say that I am very lucky to spend the whole year here in Turku as an Erasmus student.

Originally, I was born and raised in Spain, in Logroño, La Rioja to be exact. The city probably does not sound familiar to you, however, those of you who like wine will definitely recognize it. We are known for having the best wine cellars and wine in the whole world. Since I was 18 years old, I have lived away from home. I moved to Madrid to start my university studies in one of the best Marketing schools in the country. I study a double degree called “Digital Business + Marketing” and this is my penultimate year of career.

During my career, I did a gap year to go to Bristol. Thus, strengthen my level of English and losing the fear of speaking in front of people in a language other than my own. It was a very rewarding experience; I think it opened my mind as I was meeting a lot of people with different nationalities and cultures.

When choosing my Erasmus destination, I must admit that my first choice was Shanghai. This city was always very intriguing. However, due to the corona virus, the Erasmus got canceled and I had to take my Plan B. Here wo go, Finland! To this day I can say that I am delighted with the destination. I feel very fortunate to be here this year. It is a culture a little different from mine, but even so I feel very comfortable both in the university and in the residence with the rest of the people.

Finland boasts of having one of the best education systems. That was one of the main reasons why I chose this destination. Here all the classes are more practical – although they also include some theory but not as much as in Spain.

At my home university I have to do a lot of work and write exams almost every week. Especially at times like this when a lot of exams are coming up, it might seem a bit (or a bit more) overwhelming.  Here it is not like that you only have 4-5 subjects at most. I know because of the double degree I must take about 8 subjects per semester and for each of them we have to do 3 group assignments and a few individual assignments.

One of the things that has surprised me most about Finland is the education. The university is totally free of charge. Moreover, there are many facilities that help university students to get around without spending too much money, such as super cheap food in restaurants, reduced price gym, etc.

In Spain it depends on which university degree you decide to study. Generally, it is better to go to a private university that ensures a prosperous professional future and offer many possibilities of doing internships in good companies. In summary, you have to pay a LOT of money, both in the private and the public sector. (It is still a bit cheaper for the public universities though.) Compared to Finland, however, it seems still very expensive, especially for those who do not have so many economic resources.

Anyway, that’s basically everything you need to know about me and my thoughts.

Have a wonderful week! Let´s keep in touch!

-Ana

TUASpire

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