After a hiatus following a slip and injuring my wrist, I am back with something that I hope would be interesting to readers. It is about the Finnish educational system, which I admire very much.

So, today I write about an aspect of the process for foreign students seeking admission to Finnish universities.  

The Finnish educational system is regarded one of the best in the world. It has often attracted admiration even from other highly advanced and well-known rich countries.

And, there is the Study in Finland portal that gives some information or guidelines on the processes about how to seek admission to Finnish universities (see www.studyinfinland.fi/admissions).

Check admission information

According to the Study in Finland portal, once you’ve chosen your programme, the Admissions Services of the university you are planning to apply to can advise you on things like the eligibility criteria, application process and deadlines.

The applicant also needs to attach to his/her application any required documents as part of the application. Such documents may include your certificates, resume or curriculum vitae (CV), and a letter of motivation.

The applicant may later need to take an entrance exam, or some other kind of aptitude test. You must have a sufficient level of English, according to the Study in Finland portal.  

Assessing applicants

Generally, the mode of assessing applicants is by checking the applicant’s eligibility based on the filled application form that he or she filled and the accompanying documents.

The applicant needs to apply before the deadline for applications.

From my experience as a student at a Finnish university and that of other Ghanaian or other African migrants in similar educational institutions, one can say that applications are strictly assessed by the university authorities based on the applicant’s quality of the application and accompanying documents.

Moreover, the applicant has to be very serious with everything connected to his/her application, such as giving correct information and writing in clear language.

There is need to go straight to the point; there is no room to dwell on unnecessary or unclear information. This is especially true with the letter of motivation (if the university you are applying to so requires one).

Usually, the universities here consider the letter of motivation one of the key points for a successful application. As I have mentioned already, the letter of motivation needs to go straight to the point.

Letter of motivation

It is a fact that every year, there are countless numbers of applications to Finnish universities, therefore, is always a high competition for admission.

A strong letter of motivation is likely to do the magic and result in a successful application. 

Here, I offer a few points that I deem as something an applicant can consider in their letter of motivation.

First, the applicant would need to give his/her motivation to pursue studies in the programme being applied for (sometimes, even why the applicant is choosing the particular university counts). All such points need to be put in sound arguments or be very persuasive.

Again, the applicant may think about how the programme would impact on his/her (future) career.

One may also think about what the applicant’s strengths (abilities or competences) are that can help or enable him/her to pursue the programme.

As I wrote some time ago, a central objective of the Finnish education policy is to offer all citizens (and foreign students alike) equal opportunities to receive education and help build their future careers. The structure of the education system reflects these principles.

Finally, for foreign students I think the goal of gaining an education that would eventually help them in their career especially back in their home countries should be a huge motivation also for the particular university. Thank you.

By Perpetual Crentsil