Studying abroad makes you more independent and meet some amazing people

Hey there! My name is Magdalena, I am 20 years old and was born and raised in Germany. Unlike many of my international classmates, I actually did not initially come to Finland to study! Instead I spent one year as an Au Pair (someone who lives with a host family and takes care of their child(ren), a bit like a nanny) in Espoo, which is close to Helsinki – the capital of Finland.

After that I actually thought I’d return to Germany, or even study “film” in Scotland, which was one of my considerations, but after some self-reflection I realised that travelling and working with international people is what I am truly passionate about and tourism would be the ideal field for me. Therefore, following the good reputation of Lapland UAS and the unique location on the Arctic Circle, I decided to stay in Finland for my studies (didn’t regret this decision, really! I love this country) and started studying tourism in autumn 2020.

Despite a lot of online studies and dark seasons, I would say that I am very happy here and with my choice of studies generally. In addition to the days of below -20 degrees Celsius, the international atmosphere, especially now in winter 2021 as we finally have tourists again, is really refreshing! And living and studying here gives perfect opportunities for seasonal work as well as a variety of trainings, which are also strongly promoted by our school!

This brings me to the next point: Lapland UAS is focused on combining theory and praxis by implementing the “learning by doing” approach. Personally, I very much prefer this over studying from text books only as I believe, especially in tourism, the most valuable things you learn are learnt in practical life when doing the actual work. So, that is what I really appreciate about my studies here in Finnish Lapland and can only recommend this degree programme to anyone interested in tourism, especially now that the pandemic seems to not restrict everything anymore and solutions for problems can be found more easily. Studying abroad will make you more independent for sure and you have the opportunity to meet some amazing people from all over the world, who will enjoy student life here with you! (A shoutout to my friends and whole class here!).

I am looking forward to the rest of my studies and, who knows, maybe I will see you around in the city one day! I really do love meeting new people

All the best,
Magdalena, tourism student  (or as basically everyone here calls me, because apparently my name is too difficult: Malla)