Samriti from India

International Business Student Samriti, India

Come and take advantage of the opportunity to study in Finland

"You don´t need to carry any books, since almost everything is handled digitally. The idea is to bring your own device with you to the classes. Nevertheless, there is an excellent library where you may read or borrow books, when needed. There are many differences between Finland and India, e.g. we call our teachers Sir/Madam, but here at JAMK you call your teachers by their names."

Samriti Kapoor from India has been in Finland for one month. This is the first time that she has ever been abroad. Despite feeling a bit homesick, Samriti seems very excited about her new studies at JAMK University of Applied Sciences and her new home at Jyväskylä.

"Some classes last until 8 p.m. and I am rather tired as I go home. But I know mom won´t get sleep if we don´t have our daily Skype session," Samriti says smiling.

For her mum it´s already midnight when they say hello on Skype.

"We don’t say it loud that we miss each other, if we did that it would break the ice and we would both start to cry," Samriti admits.

Samriti is brave enough to utilise her homesickness as an experience which she will have to face, but which will make her even stronger for the future.

In India, young people are not supposed to stay out late, so Samriti´s mother has been worried about her daughter getting back from school since it lasts so late.

"First she asked me to send a message every time I leave school and also when I arrive at home," Samriti laughs.

Normally, it is Indian sons, rather than daughters, who are encouraged by their parents to have an international career. However, Samriti´s parents, especially her mother, have been very supportive.

"My parents expect a lot of me, that´s why they´ve supported me to have a Finnish degree."

Usually parents send their child to study abroad if they already have friends, relatives or some other connection to that country. Samriti’s parents didn´t have any connections to Finland; in fact, they knew nothing about Finland until a local Education Centre introduced the idea to them.

"No one can challenge European and Finnish Education," Samriti underlines. "The innovation and creativity combined with practical teaching methods are excellent."

No noisy horns in the streets of Jyväskylä

Samriti comes from Amritsar, a city with a population of 1.1 million. Jyväskylä has 133,000 inhabitants and is sparsely populated compared to India. Nevertheless, the quietness has not bothered Samriti, quite the opposite:

"I don´t like the noisy horns that are typical in India. Crossing a road here is totally different than in Amritsar. Here people stick to rules, in India it is more complicated and chaotic," Samriti says knowingly.

Public transportation is something that Samriti values in Jyväskylä.

"In India people don´t trust public transportation, here it´s a lifeline to move around."

This won´t make you sleepy

The education methods at JAMK seem to suit Samriti.

"You don´t need to carry any books or papers, since almost everything is handled digitally. The idea is to bring your own device with you to the classes. Nevertheless, there is an excellent library where you may read or borrow books, when needed."

"Here studies are very practical and we really have to use our brains, not just listen to lecturers. Sitting in classes could make me feel sleepy, but this surely isn´t. For example, last week our group attended a big Nordic Business Forum and we had a chance to be among the professionals. I enjoyed it a lot!"

Student life at JAMK is colourful and active. JAMK offers lots of events and get-togethers, so it is easy to have company when one wants to socialise.

Samriti loves to dance, and in her childhood she even took part in dance competitions in classical dancing.

"Now I listen to YouTube with full volume and dance in my apartment. I also enjoy reading books."

Company representatives, please note: Samriti would be interested in having a part-time job in Finland!

Text and photo: Paula Pasanen

Interested in studying International Business? Read more

Differences between Finland and India

There surely are many differences between India and Finland, and Samriti lists some of them:

We call our teachers Sir/Madam, but here at JAMK you call your teachers by their names.
Indian food is spicy, and compared to that Finnish food is, so to say, tasteless.
In India people respect elderly people and parents differently than in Finland. In India you are not supposed to go against or interrupt elderly people, but patient discussion is valued.
Your gesture of handshaking differs from our Namaste gesture. We do not typically smile to strangers as Finns do when saying hello.
Indians open up very easily - two strangers may tell their whole life stories during a bus journey. Probably that is not very typical for Finns.
In Finland equality is an important issue, in India boys and girls are treated differently.
Infrastructure in Jyväskylä is high quality. For example, if we had the kind of weather you have here in winter, we would need to close our schools and people would not be able to go to work.

Samriti encourages parents and prospective students

First year student Samriti encourages parents and young people to study in Finland.

"I would really recommend this to you, from my experiences and my research.
This is the country I was looking for for my professional career development. Finland can give you creativity, ideas and innovations no one can give you better."

University, education system, weather, friends - don´t hesitate these. Everything goes fine. JAMK offers you better opportunities and better professions for the future."