As an international student, deciding which country you want to study in can be a difficult choice. The distance from home, the culture, the language, and work prospects are usually at the top of the list for many students moving abroad. However, it’s not just the country and the city that has to be the right fit, but also the school you’ll be attending.
For me, the decision to study in Finland and attend the Ģֱ was a decision that went hand-in-hand. After completing a bachelor’s and master’s in Canada, my home country, I was eager to study in an international environment.
I had given studying in Finland a lot of thought as I would be moving far away from Canada. However, after visiting JYU’s website and finding my current programme, International Business and Entrepreneurship (IBE), I knew Finland and JYU were perfect matches for me.
Module flexibility and programme experience in IBE and JYU
What made the Master’s Degree Programme in International Business and Entrepreneurship a good fit for me was its flexibility. In this programme, I’m able to study other modules alongside my mandatory programme modules, which gives me room to pursue my interests in other subjects such as Finnish and Sustainability.
I was also drawn to this programme because of its wide range of topics. The main topics - international business, strategy, and entrepreneurship - provide students with a generalist background which prepares us for any type of career after graduation. Knowing this, I was confident that this programme would provide me with both an exciting education experience, as well as many future job prospects. A win-win scenario!
Possibilities to get involved both on and off-campus
When a student is choosing a school, there are more factors at play than academics alone. The atmosphere and the way a school makes you feel is also important.
Community involvement has been something I value at each school I’ve attended. This means students on campus are involved in some sort of extracurricular, whether it be a club, association, or just organized sports at the gym. This is exactly what you will find at JYU, where many students are actively participating in student life both on and off-campus.
“Between JYU’s community feel, strong academics, and student involvement, I’m confident that JYU is the place to be.”
For me, I find the more involved I am on campus, the better I perform in my academics, because I feel more connected to my university. This has proven to be true here at JYU as well, as I have grown more connected to JYU through my work as an ambassador, as a tutor, and as an association member of my faculty, Jyväskylä School of Business and Economics.
JYU has a modern and compact campus
Something you will recognize instantly about JYU is its campus. On the outside, the lake, big trees and gardens, and paved paths make for a beautiful walk/bike to classes each day. On the inside, JYU’s buildings are modern, spacious, and bright, making it easy to spend the day on campus studying.
The four main areas – ԲԳä쾱, Ruusupuisto, Mattilanniemi, and Ylistönrinne – are all close to each other, making it easy to get from one area to another for lunch, studying, or extracurriculars. In fact, JYU’s campus is so compact that you’re likely to run into some of your friends throughout your day!
With the above factors and many others, it’s hard to choose only one reason why I chose JYU. Between JYU’s community feel, strong academics, and student involvement, I’m confident that JYU is the place to be. I’m confident you’ll find your place here, too. 😊
Paige Shannon
Master's degree student
International Business and Entrepreneurship
School of Business and Economics
Read more: Master's Degree Programme in International Business and Entrepreneurship
