Hi! My name is Ksenia, I am 19 years old, and I come from St. Petersburg, Russia. I am already in the second year of study in the Environmental Engineering program in Xamk, Mikkeli.
FALL FOR ecology, FALL FOR mikkeli…
St. Petersburg is very close to Finland and as a kid I often visited Finland with my parents for the weekend. I fell in love with this quiet and beautiful country. My grandmother suggested that I would come here to study right after school in Russia. She was the main initiator, for which I am immensely grateful to her.
The choice to choose this program was not random. I started to get interested in ecology from the age of 16, while working as a camp counselor. We held small lectures for children and I told them why it is important to take care of the nature. I started participating in various events, and later on, I received additional training and I became a speaker in the field of ecology. Therefore, I immediately chose a training program dedicated to ecology.
how was the application process?
In fact, admission to Xamk was difficult for me, as I was simultaneously preparing for two different exams: admission to Russian universities and to Finland. The entrance exam to Finland was held earlier than in Russia. I was waiting for the results for more than a month, but when I found out that I had been admitted, I immediately confirmed my application, without even waiting for answers from other universities. The exam itself was not as difficult as I imagined. The first year of studies were online and I stayed in St. Petersburg. Most of all, during the 1st year, I liked the opportunity to choose the subjects myself.
I was very surprised by the fact that I am the youngest in my group. Many people receive a second education while having a job and a family. It was unusual to me. I was also afraid of my English level. I was scared that I would make mistakes and not to be understood, but my classmates on the contrary asked me not to be shy and talk more about myself, so I overcame my fears thanks to new acquaintances.
THE FIRST IMPRESSION OF THE COZY CITY
When I finally saw my university in real life, I was pleasantly shocked by how modern it looked. And in the first lesson in the laboratory, I walked around with huge eyes, looking at all the tools and equipment for laboratory work.
I really hope that this year I will be able to find an internship in a company in my field. I hope I will be able to continue the development of my career there and stay in Finland, because after a month of living in Mikkeli, I have already fallen in love with this small but such a cozy city.
-Ksenia