Arrival to HAAGA-HELIA

The following services are available only for HAAGA-HELIA exchange students.

Arrival form

All exchange students who are accepted to HAAGA-HELIA for the autumn semester 2010 should inform their arrival details to HAAGA-HELIA International Services with the arrival form by 1 August 2010. 

Pick-up service

Volunteer HAAGA-HELIA student tutors from ESN-HELGA pick up the incoming exchange students from the Helsinki-Vantaa airport or the central railway station in Helsinki, and take them to their apartment. The pick-up service is free of charge for the incoming exchange students. The pick-up service is available only on Monday 16 August at 9.00-23.00 and Tuesday 17 August at 9.00-23.00. Students who wish to use the pick-up service have to mention this in their arrival form (see above). If you have any questions regarding your pick-up, please contact ESN-HELGA at esn-pickup(at)helga.fi.

Orientation

The International Services will arrange an orientation for all the new incoming exchange students before the beginning of the courses. The orientation dates in the autumn semester 2010 are 18.-20.8.2010. Students should make travel arrangements accordingly. It is very important to participate in the orientation because it will give students essential information on various practical matters such as studies, housing and living in Finland. The orientation is also a great possibility to meet other exchange students and make new friends. ESN-HELGA will organize evening programme during the orientation. Students will receive a detailed orientation programme upon their arrival from their international contact person at HAAGA-HELIA or their tutor.

Student tutor

Each exchange student will have a student tutor. Tutors are volunteer degree students of HAAGA-HELIA who are interested in foreign languages and different cultures. Tutors support the exchange students particularly in the beginning of their exchange period. Tutor’s most important task is to be exchange student’s friend and help with all the practicalities related to moving to a new country. Tutors collect the exchange students from the airport, take the students to their appartment and tell about the life in Finland. Tutors also take the exchange students to the offices to go through the arrival formalities and show for example the best shops, cafes and other places to go. Tutors help the exchange students to find hobbies and build a normal life in Finland. 

ESN-HELGA coordinates the tutoring activities at HAAGA-HELIA. Your personal tutor should contact you by e-mail before your arrival. If you have not heard from your tutor by one month before the beginning of the semester, please contact ESN HELGA’s tutor coordinator at esn(at)helga.fi.  

ESN-HELGA activities

In addition to tutoring ESN-HELGA also organises various free time activities for the international students: “get to know”-weekends in the nature, winter swimming, trips to Lapland, St Petersburg and Stockholm, as well as bowling, watching ballet and ice-hockey, parties, Finnish cooking etc. For more information on the activities, please see ESN-HELGA's website.

ESN-HELGA's website provides also a lot of useful practical information about living in Helsinki and in Finland.