Food and restaurants are not as cheap as the food available in Singapore hawker centres. Although Aalto University provides student meals at canteens for around 3 euros, cooking at home is still cheaper while providing a taste of home for those who are homesick.
Learning to cook is vital, and thank goodness I help my father prepare family dinners. With a supermarket nearby, groceries are easy to get. The only issues are a lack of common Asian produce as expected and the huge focus on sustainability and healthy food. Healthier food tends to be cheaper, with sugary or processed food being more expensive than its healthier counterparts. However, with a few recipe changes, cooking at home is doable and good for you and your wallet.
Attending lectures and studying in school would also be a daily routine for an exchange student. However, the way the professors interact with the class and the types of assignments are also very different from what you would find back in SUTD. The professors were all kind and passionate about their subjects. They were inclusive and ensured that every class had to be interactive and required student participation. The assignments given were mainly project-based or essays that allowed you to write just about anything that interests you in the module. These kinds of assignments allowed you to have a lot of freedom to do them whenever you wanted but make sure you are disciplined to do them by their deadlines. Well-being and mental health was also very important with professors and local Finnish students being extremely welcoming. A student even helped to compile useful websites that every Aalto student should know about.
Overall, the academic side of Aalto University is amazing. I enjoyed myself while extending the amount of practical projects I have done. Apart from academics, I would like to end off with photos of the school campus that showcase the campus’s design and vibe, as well as the national library.
