Upon arrival at Hanken

Arrival

Exchange students are strongly adviced to arrive during the set arrival dates, when the pickup is organised. The tutors are prepared to pick you up at any hour, day or night. This means also after midnight between the 23rd and 24th August 2010 and the 17th-18th January 2011. Arrival dates are during two days before the three-day Orientation course, giving students a week to settle down before the teaching period begins.

For the Hanken tutors to be able to arrange efficiently for the pickup service students are requested to return the Arrival form in good time for arrangements to take place, at least a month ahead. On the form you shall mark that you want a tutor to pick you up upon arrival. This guarantees that the tutor will meet you, will have the key to your apartment and will take you there. There is a group of tutors acting as support group for exchange students at both campuses. Their first important task is to pick you up at the airport /harbour/railway or bus station. They are taking part in the Orientation programme and they are arranging social programme for the exchange students during the semester. This task is part of the Student union activities, but students act as volunteers, assisting the International Office and the exchange students in the integration process by being support persons. There is a chair of the Exchange committe and the group is sharing the tasks. The tutors are the first persons exchange students meet at arrival and therefore they are of importance for your first impressions of Finland.

Arriving in Helsinki
If you have asked for a tutor pickup service, you just have to get to Helsinki!

The tutors will be there and assist you with the key and the luggage. According to usual routines the tutor who finally will be picking you up, will be in touch with you over e-mail. Please, do trust the system, the tutors will set up up an efficient and working pickup plan. It may, though, not be clear until the very last days before arrival who is meeting whom. So keep calm and wait for an e-mail or a mobile call from a tutor. Be sure to give us correct contact details on the Arrival form. Remember also to inform us about any changes in your travel plan!

Here follows some advice if you are on your own.

If you arrive by air at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, approximately 25 km from Helsinki city centre, you can take the Finnair bus that leaves about every 20 minutes and takes you to the City Terminal next to the Railway Station, in about 30 minutes. A regular taxi from the airport to the city centre costs about EUR 50, the Airport Taxi (you share a taxi with other passengers) costs about 20. Then take a taxi or tram 3T if you are coming to Hanken or HOAS, which both are located at about ten minutes' walking distance from the City terminal.

If you arrive in Finland by ferry boat from Sweden to the city of Turku, you may take the train to Helsinki (about 2 hours) and will arrive at the Railway Station in the heart of the city. Or you may take a bus to the Bus Station also situated in the centre of Helsinki (less than 10 minutes' walk from Hanken). Both the train and the bus should leave from the Turku harbour.

If you take a ferry boat from Sweden directly to Helsinki, you will arrive at the Olympia Terminal (Silja Line) or the Kanava Terminal, on Katajanokka (Viking Line).

If you come from Tallinn, arrival will be at the Katajanokka Terminal, the Olympia Terminal or "Länsisatama".

To come to Hanken, take tram 3T (Olympia Harbour) or tram 4 from Katajanokka and change to 3T at the Senate square The tram 3T takes you to Hanken. Get off at the corner of Arkadiankatu (Arkadiagatan) and Runeberginkatu (Runebergsgatan).

If you arrive by car, you either take a boat to Helsinki, or to Turku, some 150 km south-west from Helsinki. When approaching Helsinki from Turku you just follow the signs Keskusta /Centrum and the Mannerheimintie (Mannerheimvägen) until you pass the Parliament House, then turn to the right, drive along Arkadiankatu, cross Runeberginkatu and immediately turn to the left to Lapuankatu then you will be at the rear of Hanken.

Arriving in Vaasa
Arriving in Vaasa is possible by plane, train, ferry boat or bus. You can fly to Vaasa via Helsinki or Stockholm. A flight from Helsinki to Vaasa takes about one hour. Travelling from Vaasa airport to the city centre takes about 15 minutes by taxi. You can also travel by ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki or Turku, or from Germany, Poland or Tallinn to Helsinki and take the train or bus to Vaasa, that will take you about 5 hours. Or you may take the ferry from Umeå in Sweden to Vaasa. The travel options and timetables are available on the web at http://finland.com

The tutors will be there and assist you with the key and the luggage. According to usual routines the tutor who finally will be picking you up, will be in touch with you over e-mail. Please hold and do trust the system of setting up a working pickup plan. It may not be clear until the very last days before arrival who is meeting whom. So keep calm and wait for an e-mail or a mobile call from a tutor. Be sure to give us correct contact details on the Arrival form. Remember to inform us about any changes in your travel plan!

Arriving outside the pickup days
In case you have some serious obstacle in arriving during the assigned days, i.e. you have exams at your home university or an internship abroad, we accept late arrival. In that case we cannot promise pickup. You will have to contact our International office in any case letting us know your arrangement and also be in touch with HOAS / VOAS to arrange for the receipt of the key during office hours. You may arrive earlier than the pickup days and the same arrangments hold; let us know your whereabouts and please arrange for the key yourself. There are inexpensive hostels where you can book a room in case of unconvenient arrival hours.

You can find your address in Helsinki by use of the journey planner http://www.reittiopas.fi/ . For addresses and location of the student accommodation in Vaasa, please se a map of Vaasa.

Orientation Course

Update on 12 January (minor):

Find here the Spring semester 2010 Programme for the Orientation Course on 13-15 January [doc] 48k[doc] 48k at the Helsinki campus

The Orientation course is arranged over three days by the International Office staff at Hanken in Helsinki and in cooperation with the Administrative office in Vaasa. The aim of the Orientation course is to facilitate the start for the exchange students and help their swift integration and learning of the new study environment. The Course combines practicalities with information on Hanken and studies at Hanken and information on Finland and the Swedish speaking Finns as well.

The main content is:
Welcome and Introduction to Hanken and the exchange students, tutors and International Office staff

Practicalities: Enrollment and user IDs, housing office, city residence and local travel, information on residence permit etc.

Studying at Hanken

Information Literacy & IT support;

Library and Computer labs, Student ServicePoint

Course councelling, course sign up

About Finland, social and political system

Cross-cultural issues and culture shock

Why Swedish in Finland?

Facilities and tour of the School

Rector's / Prorector's welcoming

Tutors presentation of the Student Union services and facilities and get-together dinner / Welcoming programme in Vaasa

Sightseeing tour in Helsinki / Welcoming excursion in Vaasa

A Cottage Weekend (Helsinki campus) will follow some week after arrival and there will be excursions in Vaasa neighbourhoods.

Travels in Finland and to neighbouring countries
Throghout the semester the tutors are assisting in arranging travels in Finland and to neighbouring countries.