Welcome to start a new academic year at Metropolia!

Warm congratulations to all our new students! You have made an excellent choice in joining Metropolia, the largest university of applied sciences in Finland. Nearly 20,000 students study with us each year, and we offer the most comprehensive range of university of applied sciences education in Finland. I would also like to extend a warm welcome to all continuing students: it is wonderful to have you back on our campuses and in our shared learning environments.

I hope the summer has been good and relaxing for everyone and that it has given you new energy for studies. A new academic year marks a new beginning for many people: new friends, new teachers, new ways of learning and perhaps even a different kind of everyday life. It is completely natural to feel both excitement and uncertainty, and to have questions. However, you are not alone. Metropolia is a community where we learn together and where help and support are available from many different sources.

As your studies begin, it is a good moment to pause and consider how you will take care of your own study well-being as a student. Learning is a marathon, not a sprint – which is why it is important to look after both your energy levels and your study routines. At Metropolia, there is a wide range of support available for this, for example:

• Study Skills Corners (Opiskelutaitoja tukevat Nurkat), which help you strengthen your study techniques, time management and academic skills.
• individual and group study counselling, where you can reflect on your study path, career plans and any challenges you may face in your studies.
• student well-being support, such as student welfare services, peer support and various low-threshold services that you are encouraged to make use of at an early stage.

I encourage you to make use of these services and to create space in your daily life for both goal-oriented studying and for recovery and leisure time. Learning is at its best when it happens in collaboration with fellow students, teachers, counsellors and other members of the Metropolia community.

I wish you all an excellent start to the new academic year at Metropolia!

Heidi Rontu
Vice President, Education
Metropolia University of Applied Sciences