Valeria Poliakova - Russia

Studying International Business at ARCADA University of Applied Sciences

I originally came to Finland with my mother, and went to high school here and now I’m here at ARCADA studying. I like that you can choose things yourself here. I went to school in Russia for 11 years, and I can tell you that the academic here is much more varied and you really have the freedom choose what, when and how you study. In Russia there’s a much more formal attitude to your teacher – much more authority. But here the teachers are really nice and easy to get along with. I think people are often really afraid to make changes in their life, but I definitely recommend studying abroad. It’s good to broaden your horizons and to see that people are the same and also really different all over, whether you’re in Helsinki or St. Petersburg.