University

The fall term is already over in Finland because we started in September. I attended really interesting courses:

• Introduction to Quantum Field Theory: basics for particle physics. The lecture was extremely good because Anca explained every detail.
• Theoretical Particle Physics: this lecture does not exist in Göttingen so I am really happy that I could hear it in Helsinki. Masud did not show every step but gave a lot of motivation for the principles.
• FYMM 3: advanced mathematical methods in physics. Very useful course where the applications of mathematical concepts were more important than their proofs, thus optimized for physics students.
• Cosmology 1: I listened just for fun, but didn't follow this lecture seriously.
• Suomi Jatkokurssi 2: Finnish continuation course where we didn't only study grammar like conditional passive and sentence equivalent participle and infinitive constructions, but also practiced speaking and learned a lot about Finland.

All courses included weekly homework as in Germany, but here the homework points contribute to 20-25% to the final grade. Some courses had midterm exams. The correction of the homework was not as strict as in Germany and another difference is that always the teaching assistant/ "Hiwi" (PhD student) presents the solution.

Most of the time the courses had a remarkably good didactical structure. I had been wondering if it becomes apparent also at university that Finland won the PISA test, but it seems indeed to be a country of education. Only in the beginning of the semester the courses started a bit slowly.

After 7 weeks there was a so called "period break", but I had 2 lectures and an exam and afterwards some free days. The second period also lasted 7 weeks. I appreciated this period break because in Göttingen I usually felt quite exhausted in the middle of the semester. While in Göttingen the exams were after Christmas, now all of them before.

• disadvantage: 4 big exams within 9 days don't leave enough time to study everything thoroughly and prevent a bit the pre-Christmas atmosphere.
• advantage: now 4 fully free weeks around Christmas are a very welcome time to relax and to travel :-)

Although a "Sie" exists in the Finnish language, it is hardly ever used (only very respectfully for elderly people). So it was rather strange in the beginning to address also profs by their first name and "du". A typical beginning of an email is then just "Hei," without any name.