I am Oleksiy from Ukraine and I am a proud representative of Jyväskylä School of Business and Economics. In my master studies I dive deeper into matters of International Business and Entrepreneurship, in particular my research touches on Creative Economy with a focus on Creative and Cultural Industries.
M. Sc in International business is my second degree, as my first degree was M.Sc. in Organisational and Labour Psychology. I like to combine psychology and business knowledge and apply it to studying marketing, branding and business strategies in general. If you are like me and you like to combine different fields in your studies, it is made easy here at JYU. As Business student you get a flexible curriculum with a wide selection of elective studies and opportunity to do a minor degree in Psychology or Education, for example.
Having a curious mind and being incapable to sit still and doing just one thing, I enjoyed a wide range of opportunities provided by the student community. I took active part in activities of Jyväskylä Entrepreneurship Society that is run by students, took part in pitching competitions, joined several student start-ups, actively visited SLUSH, largest tech start-up and entrepreneurship convention in Europe, and even ended up establishing my own non-profit organisation with a group of co-founders. I didn’t forget to study either, my first academic year was “closed" with 110 ECTS credits, so I can say that your student life is pretty much what you make of it.
At Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ academic hierarchy is less vivid. You can call your professor by the first name, which is something unheard of back home in Ukraine, and in general atmosphere is more relaxed and supportive. Finland is a safe country that has managed to develop great social policies, making sure that no citizen is left behind. Finnish people are hardworking as well as honest, punctual and resilient – I find these traits really attractive.
JYU is open and friendly environment that gives you space to navigate - it is up to you to decide how you spend your time. To sum everything up, there are quite a few things to remember from my years at Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥. Great courses at the Faculty, my side projects, competitions, start-up lessons, traveling to Helsinki on cold November nights going to Slush, applying theoretical knowledge on practice, working with real companies as a case study for my classes, putting up a great art exhibition...
As said, your student life is what you make of it. Choose your focus and stick to it. Learn, fail and repeat - these are so easy, when you are a student.
