For example, an addition was made to the instructions for preliminary assignments in architecture this spring, according to which the applicant can be rejected if help has been received from third parties.
He applied to the architecture line twice before the competitive place at the university opened in 2020.
In both rounds of application, the selection test included demanding preliminary tasks, on the basis of which a limited number of applicants were selected for further drawing and design tests.
Päivinen prepared for the entrance exam by following industry news, drawing a lot – and taking a paid coaching course.
He now reflects in retrospect that the training course was helpful for him, but does not consider it necessary for the applicants. The prices of training courses can vary from hundreds to thousands of euros, in which case they are not possible for everyone.
This year, for example, in the architecture selections, they want to focus more and more closely on how the applicants prepare for the exams. Preliminary assignments are an essential part of the entrance exam, and paid training courses have also offered instruction in them in recent years.
Architecture is a popular field of study, and in 2022, for example, there were 12.28 applicants per one place for the architecture program at Aalto University. In Finland, you can study to become an architect at the university level in Aalto and the universities of Tampere and Oulu, and these educational institutions have a joint choice of education program.
Aalto University has a positive attitude towards coaching courses
This year, Aalto University has specified the instructions for the Finnish-language bachelor’s programs in the fields of art and the preliminary assignments for architecture and landscape architecture in the DIA joint selection.
A new point has been added to the instructions for preliminary assignments for entrance exams, which prohibits applicants from accepting help for preliminary assignments from third parties, such as commercial coaching courses.
In previous years, for example, in preliminary assignments in architecture, it was only instructed that the applicant must do the assignments independently and without guidance.
This year, a point has been added to the guidelines:
\”*Your preliminary assignment can be rejected if it turns out that you have received help in completing the assignments you submitted from a third party, for example from a commercial training course.*\”
According to him, the ban is based on the equal treatment of applicants, which is also mentioned in the University Act.
– The training courses are expensive, and that puts the applicants in an unequal position with each other. For others, it is possible to get support if there is enough wealth.
Christensen says that in practice it is very difficult to control whether the applicants receive guidance in preliminary assignments. He does not want to give details about the supervision, as the application process is ongoing.
However, Christensen mentions that, for example, some of the evaluators of advance assignments have worked on the assignment for decades, so they recognize, for example, mannerisms that can possibly come from training courses.
He confirms that mere participation in the training course is not grounds for rejection for the applicant.
– We want to emphasize that the applicant has to find his own way and his talent, and not that someone tells him.
Christensen says that, overall, Aalto University has a negative attitude towards coaching courses, and the applicant is not expected to have actual skills related to the profession at the application stage.
– The applicant is funded in practice for something that he could perhaps learn himself. If the applicant does not have the qualities that are required in preliminary tasks and selection tests, it in a way indicates that the applicant does not necessarily have good enough skills for the field in question.
The change in the instructions affected the implementation of the training course
This spring, for example, Teho-opisto offers paid coaching for entrance exams in architecture. In addition, at the college level, you can take architectural studies for a fee, where you may focus on preparing for entrance exams.
Teho-opito’s teaching includes, for example, technical coaching and going through the basic skills of art.
The new specification of the instructions for preliminary assignments has affected the content of Teho-opisto’s courses. The coaching course, which focuses on preliminary assignments, was changed to be completely self-paced, and there is no longer interaction with the teacher.
– This was done as a precaution for the students’ legal protection, even though our courses have always been in accordance with the rules, Koivisto says.
Koivisto sees that with the courses, almost everyone can raise their skills to the level required in the entrance exams. He considers the discussion about the equality of applicants to be important, and for this reason the college also offers free course places every year, for example through raffles and drawing competitions.
Shadow coaching challenges commercial operators
Student Rakel Päivinen recalls that the coaching course gave her self-confidence for the entrance exams and the course confirmed her desire to enter the field.
Nowadays, however, he worries that expensive courses can create a so-called \”fee barrier\” for access to education: not everyone has the same opportunity to study.
Päivinen wanted to make a difference and ended up holding free coaching for those who want to study architecture through Varjovamennu. Varjovarmennu is a volunteer-run association that offers free coaching courses as an alternative to fields for which there are paid coaching courses.
In the course, for example, teaching related to the theory of art in general is reviewed and the participants do weekly assignments.
Päivinen sees that in the future there is a risk that expensive training courses will affect the kind of group of people who get to study.
– It is reflected in what kind of Architects are graduated. In the future, they will be the ones who plan and make our cities and all the built environment.
*You can discuss the topic until Thursday, March 9 at 11 p.m.*