For me, one of the main reasons to move to Finland was that I wanted to study in a place that is both metropolitan and yet close to nature. And so far the Helsinki/Otaniemi area proved to be exactly what I was hoping for.
This past month I was involved in a mandatory course as part of my major in Strategy & Venturing. The course was called Advanced Case Seminar in Strategy and if I had any doubts about the intensity the course would require, they were cleared during the first introductory session. The Assistant Professor Timo Vuori didn’t hold back while describing what was to come for us (the course participants) in the coming weeks, and mentioning it as a lot of PAIN.
The course was structured in a way that we had company cases each week, for one month, with a break of one week after the second or third week, depending upon which group you were in. The cases were related to real challenges and the students were divided into teams to work on solving the cases and presenting the solutions in front of the consulting companies as a group. Within these cases were some that had been going on for months but as part of the course, we were expected to come up with a well-thought analyzes and well-structured solution for the concerned company within a week. This made the course super intense but at the same time, it was quite exciting to work in teams to come up with solutions for the problems as well. Moreover, the course also had individual assignments related to the same cases where the structure was a little different then the group ones but essentially the idea was that all the students would contribute in the group cases if they had done the individual assignments beforehand.
NoVA students attending symposium in Konstfack University, Stockholm
Nordic Visual Studies and Art Education (NoVA) is a joint programme with 3 universities: Aalto University in Helsinki, Aalborg University in Copenhagen and Konstfack University in Stockholm. Each semester, all NoVA students from the 3 universities attend a symposium that lasts for a week in one partner university. We attended the symposium between 23/9/2019 and 27/9/2019 in Konstfack University in Stockholm.
Students have the chance to talk directly with potential employers. On 31st 2019, more than 130 employers are attending! Photographer: Rasmus Karppinen
Aalto has organized Career Fairs in different fields for years. This year, it will be different! Aalto Career Services is organizing Aalto Talent Expo for the first time on 31 Oct in Otahalli, Otaniemi from 11-17. The event is created for matchmaking between employers and talents at Aalto University. There will be employers of arts, business and technology, which corresponds to the three multidisciplinary fields in Aalto community. Aalto students will be benefited from a series of activities in Talent Expo, including speed mentoring, inspirational speeches, student exhibitions, encounters, tips for work applications, CV clinic, portfolio review, CV-photographing and more.
An interview with Kiuas CEO, Aaro Isosaari, who is studying master’s program of Industrial Engineering and Management at Aalto University. Kiuas is the top startup accelerator in Finland led by a student team.
We exist to support early-stage startups in their journey from idea to first revenue.”
– Kiuas
CEO Oskari Tempakka and Investment Manager Julia Jutila (Aalto master student studying Industrial Engineering and Management) introduce wave ventures and how it helps early-stage startups to reach their first peak. In the end of the interviews, both of them give advice to new Aalto students who are interested in entrepreneurship.
For an introvert, the first weeks at any place are always the worst. Forced social interactions, no routine or familiar faces and the feeling of non-belonging constantly lurking around. So I wasn’t really keen on what was announced as my first lecture. A 90 students and 9 professor strong compulsory beginner course for 1st year students of the Department of Media. UMAD – Understanding media art and design was the very first course in my very first week at Aalto University.
Master program of Creative Sustainability (CS) is an international joint program. Program Director Mikko Jalas introduces the program in two interview videos. In the first video, he explains why Creative Sustainability is an unique program, how the multidisciplinary teamwork prepares students for their future professional lives, what to expect the outcomes of studying CS program, and how CS and Aalto university support individual study plan.
A typical workday in Amerikka’s office jolts with laughter and collaborative project work over the whizzing of the specialty coffee maker. I found myself working among Amerikka’s team through the assistance of a common affiliate’s recommendation. As a foreigner in Finland, it can be quite trying to land a career-oriented job. Despite my previous field-specific work experience, most firms did not consider me. Though, I did not despair, as I thankfully, was aware of the acknowledged discourse about the insularity of Finnish firms. (I likewise encourage students/ entry-level job-seekers to actively search and apply for positions. As Helsinki steadily flourishes, a multitude of jobs for creative professionals ensue.) This is where Amerikka’s outlook is set apart.
Nordic Startup Summer Program is organized by Aalto Ventures Program from July 15-19 in 2019.
30 Chinese students from 5 top universities in China participated, including Xidian University, Fudan University, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shantou University and South China University of Technology. The main purpose of this program is to explore Aalto University’s innovation and student-led startup ecosystem, top Finnish innovation companies, Nordic culture, mindset of public speaking and design thinking.
The student from Fudan university shared his experience in the summer program.
