Semester abroad at Oulun Ylioposto (University of Oulu) in Finland in the 5th semester (2017).

That I wanted to spend a semester abroad was actually decided for me quite early. Nevertheless, I waited until the last moment with the application, maybe not the best plan, because then it can be a bit stressful, but I'm glad to have done it anyway. The decision to go to Finland was mainly due to this planning shortage. Actually, I always wanted to go to South America, but since that is not so relaxed with Erasmus and my Spanish skills are zero, I would have had to take care of it much earlier. Finland seemed to me nevertheless as a good alternative, since I have never been there and knew little about the country (in contrast to the otherwise very popular destinations such as Spain or Portugal).
My stay abroad, however, did not run through the chem. geoscientific faculty, but through the biological pharmaceutical one. Except for the one or other extra way to the Beutenberg campus, this was no problem at all. The communication, both with the responsible persons in Jena, as well as in Oulu (over the Faculty of technology, since my most lectures belonged to the course of studies "environmental engineering") was always very uncomplicated and I could come with all questions always to Allen. The University of Oulu is also very well organized and as soon as you get your username and password (via SMS) you can easily register for the courses. It is only really highly recommended to look for more courses than 30 ECTS in advance, because there can always be some overlaps or some courses then somehow do not exist (if there are problems regarding this, however, you can always write an email to the professors, I always got a nice, fast and direct answer).

Since I was also too late to apply for the dormitory (PSOAS) (if you want to be in the center of the parties, you should apply early), I had to look for an apartment elsewhere. Conveniently, the University of Oulu sends you a link to a Facebook housing market group right away. In addition, couchsurfers gave me helpful tips on where to find accommodation. In the end, I found a nice little apartment for the time with an Italian woman through the groups. Not far from the university so perfect.

The university itself is worth mentioning. There are possibilities to sit down and work all over the university. My definite favorite place: "Tellus innovation area", here you can find a café (coffee from 20ct!) with couches, a study room (with lots of whiteboards and group tables), some aquariums (so small soundproof glass rooms in the room) and the buisness kitchen (a room with couches, tables, and a stage for events), as well as other rooms you can rent, the nest. The nest is a separate area where you have to take off your shoes and no talking is allowed - but it's full of big beanbags and you can take a little nap there whenever you need to. With the 24/7 card (you have to order it at the beginning of the semester) you can get into the university day and night.
Also the teaching methods in Oulu are a bit different, the semester is divided into 2 periods, i.e. you have less different subjects at once but a complete change of schedule and a 2nd exam period in the middle of the semester. There is also (of course it always depends on the module) significantly more group work and during the semester there is usually (at least in my opinion) more to do than in Jena. For me, however, it was very interesting because I didn't really know anything about the "engineering" part and thus gained a much deeper insight.

I can highly recommend to use the arrival as well as departure to explore the area a bit. By train/bus/ferry everything takes a little longer but it is definitely worth it. A train ticket to Stockholm you get already from 60€ and the ferry from Stockholm to Turku also costs only 25€. However, a stopover on the Aland Islands is also highly recommended and from there you can get back to the mainland very cheaply (the ferries between the islands are free for pedestrians!) in Finland then drive from all reasonably large cities trains to Oulu. The cheapest way to get around Finland is probably by bus (OnniBus!). Another (also very affordable) possibility is the route via the Baltic States (Finland -> Estonia -> Latvia -> Lithuania -> Poland -> Czechs -> Germany). Thank god there is a return trip, so I could use both options. If you don't have the time or just want to reach your destination quickly, Oulu also has an airport (but there are no direct flights from Germany, a stopover in Helsinki is always necessary).

Oulu is not a big party city and the people are not exactly overly open, but still everyone helps you everywhere if you just ask and of course there are also some bars and clubs. In addition, the ESN (exchange student network) organizes some parties, as well as smaller and larger trips. Since traveling in large groups is always a bit too exhausting for me personally, I only participated in the Mökki (=typical Finnish hut) weekend and some smaller activities. It is also very convenient to rent a car and go with a few people to one of the many national parks. There are actually always free wilderness huts, so that even you always have a free warm place to sleep. Overall, the most important part of free time is of course the people and one thing I can say for sure: the people I met during this time became real friends and definitely made my time special. In our clique there is only one Finnish person, but because all exchange people are new and have no one else, you get in contact with them faster. In addition, Finns are definitely not an unfriendly people, but small talk is not part of the culture and it also takes a bit until they warm up (no wonder with such a cold country...). Nevertheless, you will experience the Finnish culture (especially sauna, strong coffee, ice hole swimming and the damn early meal times).

My time in Oulu was unforgettable and I am firmly convinced that programs like this strengthen the cohesion between different cultures extremely. Therefore, my conclusion: Semester abroad - definitely always happy to return. If you don't need a pure party experience and can handle a bit of cold (but you get used to it pretty quickly), then Oulu is also a really recommendable destination and the excitement of a small strip of blue sky in December is definitely something I wouldn't want to miss.