Exchange studies at Haaga-Helia
“I wanted to discover new cultures and make new connections abroad”, says exchange student Matthias Buttgieg
As part of his tourism management studies at the University of Malta, Matthias Buttigieg was offered the opportunity to do an exchange period abroad.
– I decided to apply for an Erasmus+ student exchange as I wanted to discover new cultures, make new connections abroad, strengthen my English, learn more about tourism in a more applied way, experience an "experience of a lifetime" while also traveling and enjoying the beautiful Nordic climate in the free time.
Tourism in theory and in practice
At Haaga-Helia, Matthias selected four courses for his exchange semester: AI in Business, Business Operations in Tourism, Event Management, and Risk Management and Responsible Business.
– Studying at Haaga-Helia was an amazing experience. All four courses modules were taught in a very applied manner and a lot of teamwork and communication was required especially in the Event Management course.
In addition to studies, Matthias was able to enjoy Finnish nature and even volunteer at one of the world’s leading startup events in Helsinki.
– The most memorable experiences during my 5,5-months stay in Finland were the opportunity to go to Lapland and see the northern lights, snowmobile experience as well as husky sledding. And as I am quite an entrepreneurial guru, volunteering as a photographer at Slush 2021 was a splendid time.
Great destination from an educational point of view
– This experience has developed me both from a professional perspective as well as a person. An experience like this makes students more mature, more organized, better thinkers and more creative, and finally more independent.
Matthias encourages all students who have the opportunity to do an exchange abroad to apply to Haaga-Helia.
– Haaga-Helia was a great destination from an educational point of view within the Nordic countries and therefore I highly recommend students who are either outside of Europe or those who have never experienced the Nordic climate to go and make this an unforgettable experience.