Accessible
teachers, effective daily life and helpful admissions team; These are just some
of the things that international students studying in the happiest countries in
the world say about their lives.
Published in March, the World Happiness
Report 2022 looks at the
quality of life, public policies of countries and now confidence in countries
in the context of the Covid pandemic.
In 2021, Finland is officially
known as "the happiest country in the world", judging by the
country's GDP per capita, generosity, awareness of corruption, social support
and more.
"One of the things that
makes Finns happy is the fact that everything in Finland usually works,"
Riikka Pellinen, director of international affairs at the University of Eastern Finland, told Pie News.
"You can be confident that
you will get a doctor's appointment in a relatively short time, you can trust
the officials, the online service works really well – life in general goes
smoothly," she continued.
It's not just the views of those
at the universities – the students seem to agree, too, given the "great
experiences" they've had in Finland.
"The neighborhood where I
live is a great blend of dynamic city life and peaceful nature. The freedom,
safety and kindness that we experience here also constitute a fairytale
life," Shuangyi Chen, a student from China who is studying at Finland's Aalto University Business School , told The PIE.
"Students are encouraged to
work together to solve problems and work on a range of real-world projects in a
real-world business environment. We not only learn knowledge from textbooks but
also participate in the process of applying theory to practice. "There are
a lot of different projects or programs for business students that have our own
interests," she explains.
Both Pellinen and Chen also agree
on the systems at the university - and the equality in them. "The
education system is not hierachy," as Chen calls it, means that students
can "easily reach teachers," and the fact that everyone speaks
English is a great reward for both international students and faculty.
"I had the opportunity to
interact with multinational companies in the classroom and the workplace."
With Finland topping the
happiness rankings, countries such as Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands and
Sweden, all in northern Europe, came second, third, fifth and seventh,
respectively.
Despite dropping to sixth place
in terms of life balance, Denmark's second place overall continues to give
people confidence when moving there – especially for international students
like Fernando Fiatt, who left Costa Rica to study an MBA in business at Copenhagen Business School.
"Every day you find
something different to do – of course, when you're a student, you have to look
at your budget, and Copenhagen isn't a cheap city but obviously that comes with
all the benefits that it offers," Fiatt says.
Fernando
Fiatt
Costa Rica itself came in at
number 22 in the report, showing that while his quality of life in Costa Rica
has never been bad, Denmark has certainly impressed with his student life.
"I believe this is partly
due to the qualitative aspect of our rankings and 'pura vida' culture – simple
life," he explains.
"Thanks to free public
health care, a high sense of security and, of course, 'hygge', Denmark's happy
position must be reduced to a high quality of life," he added.
The difference is also noticeable
for students from closer to home - Sibel Ismail, a rotterdam school of management
student from Bulgaria told The PIE about
her time in the Netherlands.
"One of the main differences
between my country and the Netherlands is the international environment – I
have had the opportunity to interact with multinational companies in the
classroom and the workplace – and it has made me witness the added value of
studying and working in an international field,
where many creative ideas and perspectives are being shared," she
explains.
Sibel
Ismail
Ismail also praised the teaching
strategy in the Netherlands, saying there were more "interactions"
and that she had "the opportunity to be involved in solving real business
cases, adding great value to my learning experience."
It's a common denominator, it
seems, among these "happiest countries" – Chen also agrees that
encouraging "joint problem solving and working on a range of real-world
projects in a real-world environment" is much more feasible for student
learning.
"We are not only learning
knowledge from textbooks but also involved in the process of applying theory to
practice – there are a lot of different projects or programs for business
students for our own benefit," Chen added.
"Teaching technology and new
pedagogical tools are also used."
"Teaching technology and new
pedagogical tools are also used," Pellinen added.
Finland's monopoly at the top of
the rankings is also marked by the general attitude of the people – they come
first in terms of the balance of life, fourth in peace with life and experience
calmness.
Even things like eating,
Pellinen, explains, are "easy" in Finland. Diets are met, there are
plenty of options for gluten-free and vegan students, and special diets are always
clearly marked on the menu – something she always tells her students when they
arrive, Because it makes them
comfortable.
The only downside of Finland may
be the attitude of the people – Finns are notorious for "surviving
without small talk",
and often avoid expressing public
emotions.
Pellinen stressed that it should
not delay students when there are so many benefits to living there.
"I often tell our new
students that Finns can be slow to make friends, but once they do, you'll have
a lifelong friend in them," she said.
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