THE STUDENT REPORT
Please write this report in English
The student report will be published on our website, www.bi.edu/outgoing
Please let us know if you do not want your report to be published.
Name of the University: Aalto University, School of Economics
Names of the students: Yulia Lisechko, Mohit Ghildiyal
Exchange semester: Fall, 2011
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
1. Describe the school and its surroundings – very short
Y: School of Economics consists of 3 campuses, 2 of them are new, the main one is old. All of
them are close to each other, in the city centre. The library is in the separate building, in 3
min. walking distance. School of Design and School of Technology are in other districts.
M: The Aalto University School of Economics known as Helsinki School of Economics(HSE)
until 2009, is the largest and leading business school in Finland and one of the most
renowned in Europe. Founded in 1911, it is the oldest business school in Finland and one of
the oldest business schools in the Nordic countries. The school became part of Aalto
University as of 1 January 2010.
Consisting of about 3,500 students and 500 researchers, the Aalto University School of
Economics is an innovative and lively community conducting high-quality research with close
relations with the business community.
The Aalto University School of Economics has two campuses. The main campus is located in
the center of Helsinki. At this campus, the school offers five Bachelor of Science Programs
(out of which two are offered entirely in English) and 15 Master of Science Programs,
including the European joint degree CEMS MIM and three joint programs organized between
Aalto schools. Nine out of the 15 Master of Science Programs are offered entirely in English.
New students start by studying towards the BSc in Economics and Business Administration
degree and on completion, are eligible to continue to study for the Master’s degree.
The Töölö campus in Helsinki is the main campus where most students are located. It is
located in the city center (pop. ~580,000) close to shops, restaurants and entertainment
facilities. Because of its location, students have access to the amenities of a large,
cosmopolitan city but with the ability to safely walk to any downtown destination you might
have.
The Aalto University School of Economics is located in the Helsinki Business Campus area in
Töölö, center of Helsinki. The campus area is a concentration of university-level business and
management education and knowledge composed of the Aalto University School of
Economics and the Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration. The Helsinki
Business Campus represents the best business and management education in Helsinki and
Finland. The Campus comprises many units, each with its own identity and culture, but all
united by their expertise.
2. Current faculty divisions and special areas.
Y: Marketing, Management, Finance, Accounting, Logistics, Intercultural communications.
M: The Aalto University School of Economics offers a comprehensive range of university
degrees in economics and business administration at the Bachelor, Master, Licentiate and
Doctoral levels, along with MBA programs targeted to business professionals. Although the
main teaching language of the university is Finnish, several of these degrees and programs
are offered entirely in English.
In its degree programs, the school has a two-step program structure with a three-year
Bachelors degree followed by a two-year Masters degree. A doctoral degree normally takes
four additional years.
3. Study structure
Y: Semester consists of 2 periods, ending with exams.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
 When did you receive the information package from the University?
Y: In the beginning of summer.
M: April 2011
 Any difficulties?
Y: No
M: None
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
 What problems, if any did you encounter?
Y: No.
M: None.
 Does the visa cost anything?
Y: Yes, and quite a lot, at least for Russian citizens.
M: 250Eur
 How did you order your ticket – any problems?
Y: No problems.
M: Online
Academic Calendar
 Arrival date – introductory week –
Y: Yes, plenty of materials, introduction lecture, collective registration for the courses through
web-system.
M: 2 Sept 2011
 First day of the semester?
5 September 2011
 Last day of classes?
9 December 2011
 Examination period? End of October and December-January
 Any special events?
Y: Yes, the speech of university authorities and introduction party for new-comers, then
Walrus Day for freshmen.
M: Career fair in November
Reception
 How was the reception at the school?
Y: Good, but working hours are short.
M: Very helpful.
 Was the administration and faculty well prepared for your arrival?
Y: Yes. A lot of tutors who were well organized.
M: Yes, Airport pick up was provided.
 Did the school’s students participate in the reception of the exchange students?
Y: Only tutors and student union administration, but big number of them.
M: Yes.
Housing
 Did you have housing at your disposal or did you have to find your own housing?
Y: School did everything for exchange students’ housing.
M: Aalto provided a list to choose from.
 What support did you receive from the school in locating housing?
Y: Yes. We could choose among appx. 8 locations of dormitories.
M: All questions were answered, and keys were provided at the time of arrival itself.
 Any special issues or good ideas for prospective students?
Y: Places are limited, but better to apply for those where other exchange students live, which
was Ida dormintories, Northern Haaga district. Kamppi apartments are more quite, but very
close to the school. Vuosaari dormintory is very quiet, only 9 students lived there. Pasila
dormintory is very active, but there are students from other universities mostly.
M: Apply early for the Runeberginkatu housing.
Costs
 Describe the most important expenses such as rent, books, food, etc.
Y: Compared to Norway, nothing is expensive
Rent varies, about 250-550 euro, food is about 30 euro per week, no books needed as library
has enough if you agree to wait a bit, printing is free(!), clubs usually have entrance fee and
wardrobe fee of appx. 8-12 euro on weekends. Alcohol is better to be bought in Tallin or on
the board to Tallin.))
Btw, lunch is 2,15-2,45 euro at the school canteen, so you will not be hungry there even if you
can’t cook.
M: All within 700Eur/ month
The International Office
 Is there an international office?
Y: Main building, A wing, -1 floor
M: Yes
 Who is responsible for incoming exchange students?
Y: Yes, for sure.
M: International Relations Office
 How does the international office function?
Y: The practical issues can be asked in -1 floor kiosk, while educational issues on 1 floor, A
wing, main building. Social events are always posted in the Facebook group.
M: It acts as a link between exchange students and the administration.
 Do you receive all relevant information?
Y, M: Yes.
Exchange promotion
 What kind of activity did you take part in to promote exchange to Norway at your
exchange university?
Y, M: Discussion during social events which is the most efficient.
Social Activities
 How is your relationship with other students?
Y: Wonderful, all students are extremely helpful if you ask anything.
M: Friendly
 How is the relationship among the exchange students?
Y: Great, everyone is open for communication.
M: Very good.
 Is there a student organization, and if so, are the exchange students part of it?
Y: AYY and KY student union’s divisions. The membership provides discounts in student
canteens around the city, some shops and clubs.
M: Yes, and the exchange students are encouraged to be a part of it.
 Are there any special activities and gatherings for exchange students?
Y: Plenty of events, trips to Stockholm, Tallin, Lapland, St.Petersburg.
M: Many
 How do you like it at the school?
Y: I like it, very friendly atmosphere and close communication between professors and
students. I appreciate that Finnish people can laugh at themselves, at their unusual traditions,
and helpful to foreigners. Moreover, most of them speak Swedish.
M: Nice
Culture and Language
 Do you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
Y: Everyone speaks English at least.
M: No. English is spoken widely.
 How are the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
Y: It is good to attend public holidays in the city, and Finnish language course in which there
are city excursions 3-4 times on Sunday. Everything else can be asked from the tutors,
starting from lost room keys, ending with if Finns really eat bears and reindeers.
M: There are trips arranged for the exchange students.
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience

How do you think the exchange experience will affect you from a cultural and social point
of view?
Y: This experience helps to get on easier with people from different nationalities. You find out
the traditions, holidays, national meals of different countries. You learn some words from
foreign languages.
M: I have more friends now and I feel very comfortable in an international environment.
 How do you think the exchange experience influences your future career possibilities?
Y: You learn how to communicate with people from various backgrounds which will help you
in the international companies. For me it was the increase of willingness to do business with
Finns in future.
M: It has provided me with an insight into Finnish firms and helped me network with fellow
colleagues.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
 In which language are the courses taught? Any problems?
Y: The best courses are in English as Finns say. If any problems, you can write to the teacher
or assistant.
M: English.
 How would you evaluate the level of study in relationship to the level at BI?
Y: The professors are more precise about what they require from the assignments. In the
overall, judging by Financial Times rating, Aalto has higher ranking position.
M: Almost the same
 Is the teaching primarily practical or theoretical?
Y: Both. What was unusual is that all the case studies were done for real companies who
come to present them in the class.
M: Both, depends on the subject taken.
 Are the professors using cases, group work or lectures (or a mix)?
Y: Lectures, cases, articles reflections, group cases, etc.
M: Mix
 How is the workload compared to that at BI?
Y: As we are required to take only 24 credits during the exchange semester, of course it was
lower than 30 credits in the semester in BI.
M: Higher
 How is the relationship between faculty and students?
Y: You don’t need to communicate with faculty members. Professors are helpful.
M: Casual
 What is the relationship between the students in the classroom?
Y: Friendly relationships.
M: Friendly
Required Literature
 Is the literature in English?
Y: Yes.
M: Yes
 How do you estimate the level of the literature?
Y: The same databases of articles as everywhere. The study books in my courses were by
Harvard Business Press.
M: High
 Is the literature used for detailed knowledge or a broad overview?
Y: For extra knowledge, but needed for exams.
M: Both
 Is exam based on the literature or on the lectures?
Y: Both, plus articles.
M: Both
Exams
 What types of exams were you given?
Y: Written.
M: Written, assignments, group work.
 What knowledge level was required to pass the exams?
Y: Medium is enough just to pass.
M: Medium
Other
 Do students have easy access to the library and it’s resources?
Y: Yes, the library is very new.
M: Yes
 How is the access to the computers?
Y: In all the campuses there are computer places which tutors will show you.
M: Many computer labs.
 How is IT used in the teaching or as a distributor of information?
Y: There are 3 systems, 1 for registration for courses and 2 for educational purposes.
M: Integral part of the education system.
Description of Courses
Please list all the courses you are taking in the form below:
 Name and code of the course:
 Prerequisites, if any – broad bachelor degree studies are enough
 Exam form – written, in the auditorium inside university
 Comments: Relevance, Difficult/easy, Practical/theoretical, Enrolment problems
Try to enroll quickly as the courses become full very soon.
Y: Major in BI: Msc in Business and Economics, Finance
Brands in Strategic Marketing, none, written, elective
Strategic Marketing and Company Performance, none, written, elective
Accounting for Management Control, none, written, elective
Business-Society relationships in retailing, none, written, elective
M: 25E31000 Entrepreneurship and Managing Innovations None Written Innovation and
Entrepreneurship Elective
25E32000 Entrep. as a Field of Science None Continuous Evaluation Innovation and
Entrepreneurship Elective
26E00400 Internationalization of the Firm None Written Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Elective
26E01000 International Design Business Management None Written Innovation and
Entrepreneurship Elective
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Please fill in all the courses you have taken
Any other experiences:
Buy strong umbrella, dress warm, mind the room key))
Names and e-mails:
Yulia Lisechko, yulia-lisechko@yandex.ru
Mohit Ghildiyal mohitghildiyal@yahoo.com