Exchange Student's Check List

This check list includes in a chronological order things related to studies and practical training period abroad. There are several lists according to the phase of your own plans:

When exact plans do not exist
When plans are ready
Upon departure
During first days/weeks in the destination
Before returning home

In addition to the check lists you can always turn to the International Co-ordinators in your exchange arrangements.

These lists are meant to support you in your exchange preparations. However, in some cases the things do not go according to the lists. Some times the exchange can be arranged with a very short notice. In such a case, please take care that at least all the "paper work" will be done before departure.

When exact plans do not exist

Do the personal study plan (HOPS) together with your study counsellor and/or Head of the Degree Programme. Think, what would be a suitable time for an exchange period. First-year students cannot go on an exchange, but the application period for exchanges taking place during the next academic takes place already in January - February. In other words, you can already apply for an exchange period during your first study year if you intend to go abroad already in the second year. You should consider which studies would work in favour of your exchange period (language and cultural studies, first professional studies etc.), and which courses would be suitable to be completed abroad. Your International Co-ordinator and Head of the Degree Programme can assist you in these issues.
Acquaint yourself with the available exchange destinations e.g. on the Student Exchange web pages. On those pages you can also find links to the homepages of partner institutions and to reports students of Oulu University of Applied Sciences have written about the study abroad experiences. They can be useful for you!
Take part in the information sessions dealing with studying abroad as well as OSAKO's Study Abroad -events. In them you can get first-hand knowledge about studying abroad.
Make a financial plan and a budget for your exchange period and find out what grants you may receive. How expensive is the travel to the destination? Is living in your destination country cheaper or more expensive than in Finland, estimate how much you would have to pay rent? How big are the scholarships that you can get? Do you have savings to cover the possible missing part? You will find further information on the Finnish study grant elsewhere on these pages.
Familiarise yourself with the language and culture of your future host country. Acquaint yourself also with the cultural adaptation and culture shock, because you may encounter it in a new environment. These are also subjects that you may include as free-choice studies.

When plans are ready

Keep yourself updated about the application periods and do not miss them. Different exchange programmes have their own application periods that will be released on the Current Topics columns of the website of the Oulu University of Applied Sciences.
Fill in an application form. Be prepared to enclose a cover letter, CV and Transcript of Records with your application. These should be in English. In the cover letter you should tell about yourself and why you wish to study abroad. The Transcript of Records you can get from the Student Affairs Office of your school free of charge. You may have to enclose a certificate of your language skills as well. You may ask your language teacher to write you a certificate e.g. on CIMO's forms. You can find instructions for making CV e.g. on the Europass website. Please return all documents to the International Co-ordinator in good time.
Draw up a Learning Agreement together with the Head of your Degree Programme and/or International Co-ordinator. Please make sure that you get a copy of an approved Learning Agreement!
When you have been accepted to the student exchange, you should fill in a Notice of Study or Practical Training Period Abroad and return it to your International Co-ordinator. Erasmus grants are usually paid ca one month before the exchange period. Please remember to notify your International Co-ordinator and the International Relations Office at the Rector's Office about changes (e.g. changes in the departure and return dates, cancellations etc.). Before departure 50 EUR will be deducted from your Erasmus grant that you will get after your exchange period once you have returned the Letter of Confirmation and your report.
Participate in the Orientation to Student Exchange coure (Y00021E). The course is compulsory for those who will go on exchange from autumn 2006 onwards. Implementation of the course varies in different schools. Contact persons for the course are the international co-ordinators from whom you can get further information on completing the course. The course will be implemented as virtual studies with Valtteri programme on the internet.
Arrange your accommodation in the exchange destination. Please notice that different higher education institutions and countries might have very strict application periods and/or requirements on minimum stay etc. Often it is most beneficial to spend full calendar months in the destination. Your future host institution can usually arrange your housing or at least assists you in finding an apartment once you have applied for housing.
If you are receiving Finnish Students' Financial Aid from Kela, fill in an OTm form to inform Kela about your studies abroad. Please return you Students' Financial Aid application always to the Student Affairs Office of your school where it is checked and delivered to the appropriate place, i.e. to Kela's Centre for Students' Financial Aid or to the Study Grant Board of the Oulu University of Applied Sciences. Retroactive payment of study grants is possible only from the beginning of the month of application.
Make a travel plan and acquire needed tickets. Internet is full of cheap travel options, but acquaint yourself with the terms! Can you change the flight ticket if your plans change? Cheaper price usually means strict rules. Flexible air tickets designed for students you can buy e.g. at Kilroy Travels and STA Travel.
Check the validity of your passport, because for some countries it has to be valid 3 - 6 months after returning home, and it must be valid at least to your return date. Check also whether you will need a visa or residence or study permit to enter the country or not, and acquire it from the nearest embassy of the country in question. EU citizens can travel to most EU member states with an identity card. However, it is always beneficial to have the passport with you. For instance, if you would like to travel to another country from your exchange destination, the identity card might not be valid for travelling.
If you are entitled to the Finnish social security (i.e. possess a Finnish Kela card), you should order the European Health Card from Kela. Please allow at least two weeks for delivery. With the card you will be entitled to needed health care in acute cases with the same conditions as the local citizens. The European Health Card is free of charge and it can be ordered in writing from the nearest Kela office.
Check your insurance coverage. The Oulu Region Joint Authority for Training has insured all its students also during the study or practical training abroad, but you should also check whether you will need additional insurances. As a proof of the Joint Authority's travel insurance you must ask the person in charge of students' insurance for a travel insurance certificate. Further information on students' insurances is available elsewhere on this website. In case you think you will need additional insurance, please ask your International Co-ordinator for Pohjola's Super-Euro leaflet that will entitle you to a 25% discount on the insurance premiums. If you are not entitled to Finnish social security, you can buy travel insurance e.g. from IngoNord in Helsinki or IHI International Health Insurance Danmark in Copenhagen.
Check whether the country of destination have any vaccination requirements and get yourself vaccinated if needed. Further information on needed vaccinations and health risks in different countries is available e.g. at WHO's website.
Be in contact with the staff of the institution where you are going to study or have your practical training. Find out who is your contact person, whether someone will be meeting you upon your arrival, and their contact information. Save all emails, letters and other documents that you receive from your host institution. It is extremely important to save (and to take with) all official acceptance and invitation letters.
Find out how you can use your bank account from abroad and acquire needed cards and usernames and passwords from your bank. Grants will usually be paid only to a Finnish bank account.
Prepare yourself for meeting a new culture. In different countries things are dealt with differently and people act in a different way. One culture is not worse than another, it is just different. With an open adventurous mind you can cope with possible problems. Be active, ask and search for information and imitate the local's way of doing things. You will find further information on cultural adaptation on the internet e.g. with search strings culture shock and cultural adaptation.

Upon departure

Notify the host institution and the person who will be meeting you upon your arrival about your exact date, time and place of arrival (airport - remember to tell which one if there are several, bus/railway station etc.) You can also give them e.g. the flight number, so also they can find out whether the flight is delayed. It is advisable to plan the journey so that you will arrive in the destination preferably on a weekday and at a reasonable time, e.g. between 8:00 - 20:00. If no-one is going to meet you upon your arrival, find out in advance how you can get to your apartment or to the host institution, where to get the keys and where to sign the lease etc.
Enrol as a present student at Oulu University of Applied Sciences for the entire period you are going to stay abroad. Otherwise you cannot complete studies and will not be entitled to the student benefits!
Inform your International Co-ordinator and Student Affairs Office about your new address and do an official change of address to all the needed places, e.g. Post Office and Register Office.
Take an enrolment certificate (you can get it in English from the Student Affairs Office) and a proof of your exchange period (from the International Co-ordinator) and certificate of grants (from the body that awarded them) with you. You may need these documents e.g. for residence permits etc.
Take brochures about Finland and Oulu University of Applied Sciences with you. You can get them from your International Co-ordinator. Presentation slides of the Oulu University of Applied Sciences are available online at www.oamk.fi/kalvot. An excellent source for information on Finland, Finnish way of life and culture is the Virtual Finland website maintained by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Finland. Also CIMO's Discover Finland service has a lot of information on daily life and studies in Finland. Finnish Tourist Board has a lot of information on travelling to and in Finland.
Take a lot of open adventure spirit with you!

During first days/weeks in the destination

Sign the rental agreement / lease, unless you have already done it in Finland. Find out e.g. how you can get back the possible rent deposit, or is it meant to cover e.g. last month's rent.
If your flat or room has defects or faults, notify your landlord immediately, and if needed also the international office of your host institution. This way you can ensure that you do not have to pay for damages that were caused by someone else.
Enrol into the host institution according to the instructions you will receive from the international office your home institution.
Clarify your study plan and make the needed changes to your Learning Agreement. Remember to have the changes approved by your Head of Degree Programme at Oulu University of Applied Sciences, to ensure that also the new courses will be accredited. Enrol for the courses if it is needed. Instructions for course and/or exam enrolment you can get from the international or study affairs office of your host institution.
Notify your international co-ordinator in Oulu University of Applied Sciences that you have arrived safely. If you address has changed from the preliminary information, remember to give also your new address. Keep in contact with the co-ordinator also later during your exchange period. You are not alone! You can send e.g. monthly an email where you tell about your exchange and studies.
Make friends with local students and get acquaintances also outside the exchange student environment. It is easy to make friends with other exchange students as they are in a similar situation with you, but to learn to know the surrounding society and culture better, it is important to have also local friends. Many exchange students have told that they have a lot of friends all around the world, but not necessarily a single local friend. Be active as often the first contact must come from the exchange student, because the locals already have their social networks, so they do not necessarily have a need to get in contact with exchange students.
Staying abroad for a longer period is always an experience of life, which will carry you a long way. However, do not expect that everything would be ready made for you, or that the life abroad would be only sunshine. Challenges and vicissitudes belong to normal life also here in Finland as well as abroad. You may also encounter cultural differences and discrepancies. Accept them with an open mind and be an active problem-solver. Once you have overcome the challenges you have gained new experiences again!
If you in spite of all come across with real problems, identify the problem clearly and check your rights and obligations. Discuss the problem e.g. with the staff of the host institution's international office and keep also your international co-ordinator at Oulu University of Applied Sciences updated on how things are proceeding. Your duties include e.g. to respect the rules and regulations (e.g. related to examinations, assessment etc.) of the host institution.

Before returning home

Before returning home ask your host institution's international office for a Letter of Confirmation and a Transcript of Records.
After returning home, meet with the international co-ordinator to tell how everything went. This should be done as quickly after the exchange period as possible so that the possible problems could still be tackled.
Give a report on your exchange and return all the certificates to the right places.
Take care of accreditation so that your study attainments would be entered into your study record as soon as possible. A good rule of thumb is that after 1 - 2 months of the exchange period all matters should be dealt with and/or taken care of.
Reserve time for re-entry shock. Life and Finland might not feel the same as before. You can encounter the same rollercoaster of feelings as adapting to a new culture.
Motivate your fellow students to bravely go abroad.