It is no secret that the choice of university affects your future. Will you blend in the community? WIll finding work be easy after graduation? Will you earn enough? There are so many factors to consider when choosing a university!

Here are my reasons why you should choose Aalto.

1. LOCATED IN HELSINKI. Finnish countryside is picturesque and cute. But are there any job opportunities? I was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia. I am a big city girl. Several years ago I moved to Helsinki and even that felt like downshifting for me. IMHO, the Helsinki area is the only livable place in Finland.
2. PRESTIGE. Aalto is well known by all Finnish employers and its good reputation will definitely help you find a job after graduation.
3. RANKING. Aalto is not only famous in Finland but also worldwide. Aalto Business programs are in the top 20 in Europe. Aalto Art & Design programs are among the top 10 in the world.
4. WIDE RANGE OF COURSES. I study Chemical Engineering and there is a long list of courses that I must take in order to graduate. But there is also a long list of elective courses. For those, I could get credits for studying Chinese, Photoshop, environmental textiles… The larger the university, the longer is the list of courses that can be taken as electives.
5. AALTO IS RICH. Aalto has a lot more money compared to other Finnish Universities. Thus, the yearly budget of Helsinki University is 11000€ per employee/student. Aalto University spends 20000€ per employee/student each year. How does one benefit from studying at a rich university? By taking free trips abroad, working part-time for Aalto and enjoying high-tech laboratories.
6. Aalto University is technically only 9 years old. However, it was established in 2010 as a merger of three major Finnish Universities: the Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics, and the University of Art and Design Helsinki. All of these three schools were established more than 200 years ago. So years and years of experience and excellence in teaching!
7. I am not Finnish and I do not speak Finnish fluently. It was important to me that Aalto is very international. The majority of courses are taught in English and everybody on the campus speaks English too. I never felt like an outsider because of how many non-Finnish employees and students Aalto has.

These are the reasons why I chose to do a Master’s degree at Aalto. They are personal and might differ from yours. But I truly believe that Aalto has something to offer for everyone!

Ekaterina Sakarinen