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"Tampere – the most charming and atmospheric place in Finland" – student ambassador story

Published on 2.11.2018
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updated on 4.2.2020
Tampere Universities
Yulia Podolskaya
Student Ambassador Yulia Podolskaya comes from Russia. She has been living in Tampere since 2015.

How long have you been in Tampere and what brought you here originally?

It's my third year in Tampere and fifth in Finland in general. I moved to Tampere from my last year of studies at HAMK in Valkeakoski, because it's a bigger city and opens up more opportunities.

What subject do you study and how did you choose it?

I study International Business and my story of this choice is really long. When I graduated from school I wanted to study tourism in Rovaniemi, but parents insisted on something more serious and in their opinion this "something" was engineering. But I turned out to be a bad engineer, so after graduation I decided to get back to my initial choice, but not already just tourism, but International Business, which covers wide variety of other specialisations and gives opportunity to try them all, what will help me to make right decision about my future career.

What do you most like about Tampere and Finland?

When I first time came to Finland, what was long long time ago and I've been here as a tourist I thought that; "Yes, this is the country I'd love to live in!" I liked everything here: calm people, good service not only in hotels and restaurants, but even in small shops, high level of safety and of course Finnish nature. I haven't been in all cities of Finland yet, but for now I believe that Tampere is the most charming and atmospheric place in Finland. Here you can see Finnish culture as it is, but at the same time you as a student will never feel abandoned and lonely, because Tampere is the most student friendly city in Finland.

What about your hobbies in Tampere or in Finland?

I'm a really sociable person and eager to learn something new about people from different cultures with different backgrounds and it's very possible to do it here in Tampere. As I said it's a student city, so students from different countries are coming here and universities offer various activities and projects, where we can get to know each other and to make new friends and connections. Moreover, I'm into sports and I was glad to know that our university has well equipped gyms just for students and staff.

What would you say to someone deciding whether Tampere is the right place to come to study and live?

I'd say that if you choose inside Finland, Tampere will be the best choice. It's big enough to feel the city life, but still keeps that Finnish charm.

 

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