Nastia Diatlova - Russia

Studying Sociology at the University of Helsinki

I lived here with my parents when I was really young – around 9 years old. And when it came time to pick a university, I was originally planning to go to England, but my parents suggested the University of Helsinki because its closer and I thought it seemed interesting, so I decided to give it a try. I started out studying theology and then switched to sociology, and it’s brilliant! I love the subject itself, and I really like the teachers and staff.

We have a mandatory work orientation course for all first year students where they basically give us tips about how to write our CVs and how to act in an interview, and career-wise, we always get mailings about different companies looking for people from different fields. And it is definitely possible to get an internship if you want one.

There are multiple opportunities for Russian-speaking people in Helsinki these days, but surprisingly – or perhaps not so surprisingly – there are lots of Russian-speaking people in Helsinki, so there’s also quite a bit of competition.

If I had to tell other Russian students why to come to study here in Helsinki, I’d say one big reason is the flexible educational system. In Russia, the university system is basically as structured and rigid as high school. And here, you can pick your own courses really freely and you get such a lot of leeway with the courses you take and when and how you want to take them. I feel like it really promotes learning and it prepares us much better for work life - employers want independent people who know how to manage and organize their time, so in that sense, I really feel like the University of Helsinki has taught me to be very independent and encouraged me to think for my self.