IKKUNA NEWS: Beginning of autumn and the end of summer not only marks the change in seasons but also the start of a new school year. It brings into Vaasa a lot of students from all over Finland and the world as about a fourth of the people living here are students.
It is no easy task relocating to a new city and trying to make it one’s home. It takes a lot of time and effort. It could be draining to some who miss their family, friends and other things from back where they come from and a little help could go a long way.
– This is the exactly the issue that we look to address. It is particularly challenging for the new international students to get acclimatized and feel comfortable, says Maija Rossi, the Secretary of International Relations at the University of Vaasa.
International tutors. It is more difficult for the new international students than the Finnish students to get a hang of things in the University and outside as the differences in culture might be big.
– We have 26 tutors this autumn semester to take care of the international students. They help the new students with their daily matters during the first few weeks and then assist them through their whole study period, says Rossi.
– Each tutor has under him or her between 8 and 13 students to help and assist. Our tutor groups are very international and come from different backgrounds.
– The idea is to make the new students feel as comfortable as possible. The tutor is in contact with the student from even before they arrive and is their first friend in Vaasa.
The process. The responsibility of being a tutor is quite huge and can be challenging at times. It is important that they are ready and deal with any issues that arise in a smooth and efficient manner.
– We invite anyone interested to be a tutor to apply and the whole process is open and simple. The interested candidates are interviewed before being selected.
– The selected candidates undergo training for two days. Here the tutors are equipped with skills needed to help new students in daily matters or in emergency and receive safety guidance.
Orientation. There are about 240 international students at the University of Vaasa this semester and the arrival days were on 19th and 20th of August.
There was a pick-up service to drive the students from the airport or train station to their apartments where they could get to meet their tutors.
The orientation week for the new students started on 24th August. If they had not met their tutors on arrival days, they will meet their tutors during this week. There are many get-togethers arranged with all the tutors and the new students through the whole semester.
– Events include city tours, hiking and picnics. Some events are organized by other associations like the Student Union, International Students Association of Vaasa and Erasmus Student Network and we collaborate with them to make it a pleasant experience for the new arrivals, says Rossi.
Rathan Kumar
