Greetings, and wonderful that you have ended up to the Guild of Physics! The new international students will receive info mails which can also be found here. The new international students will also be contacted personally by one of our international tutors. Feel free to already download Telegram and join the group for the new master’s and exchange students here. If you have any questions, you can always contact the International Captain by Telegram, email or calling!
The international Guide
Here is the International Guide of the Guild of Physics, made just for you! Lots of useful and fun information can be found here, so read carefully! The 2023 version has been updated there.
The Guild of Physics and international students
The Guild of Physics is one of Aalto University’s student Union’s (AYY) special sub-associations. The Guild organises a range of free time activities for its members as well as advocates for their student rights within the university, takes care of maintaining connections with other students of the same field all over Finland, and aims to take care of its students’ wellbeing. All of the guild’s activities are based on the voluntary work of its members, founded from the good will of teekkari traditions and a spirit of achieving things together.
In the Guild of Physics, international students are either exchange students or master’s students. Exchange students stay in Finland for only a part of their studies, usually a half or a whole year, and they complete their degree in their home university. Master’s students complete their master’s degree in Aalto. Exchange students are taken care of by the International Captain, together with international BIGs. On the AYY level, exchange students are taken care of by the Internationality Committee, KvTMK, which is made up of all of Otaniemi’s International Captains.
International Captain
The International Captain is there for international students and master’s students, and is responsible for all things in the Guild that have something to do with them. The International Captain is there to welcome all of the new international students on their first day in Aalto, and accompanies them closely throughout the year. If you have any questions, you can always contact the International Captain by Telegram, email or by a phone call.
International BIGs and Groups
The international students are divided into groups in the beginning of the school year, although these groups mostly matter during the orientation week held in the first week of the school year. The groups also include international BIGs, who are typically third year, or older, students in the Guild of Physics. They are tutors and are there to help exchange students get used to Finnish (teekkari) culture, guide the exchange students through their first days and show them around Otaniemi, as well as teach how things work in Aalto and on campus. Just as in the case of the International Captain, the international BIGs are always ready to help and can be contacted if any questions come to mind. The international BIGs organise a number of get togethers and other fun activities throughout the year, which are very good opportunities to hang out and get to know each other.
As the International Captain is also responsible for new Finnish master’s students, they and the international students are grouped together a lot, especially during orientation week. This is a nice opportunity to make both new Finnish and international friends.
Teekkari Points Card
At the beginning of the Autumn term, international students are given a Teekkari Points Card, which will be used to collect points from different activities during the first year of studies.. International students who have collected enough points on their card are entitled to receive their Teekkari cap on the potentially organised Wappu. Points are collected from several categories, which include getting to know the Teekkari Culture, studying related events, and a range of voluntary activities within the guild or outside, just to mention a few. Filling out the Points Card is a great way to familiarise oneself with everything that Aalto University, AYY, the guilds and Otaniemi have to offer to their students.
The Teekkari Points Cards are handed out during the orientation week on the first day at Kiljava by the International Captain. If an exchange student is unable to make it to Kiljava, they can receive their Points Card from the International Captain later by request. The points are verified by the International Captain, and you can always ask the International Captain about the points. There is no need to worry too much about getting the points – by joining in and finding something that interests you, you will be sure to have points coming at you from every direction!