Swedes studying in Finland will tour the high schools of their home country this fall and next spring: the purpose is to market Finland and attract more compatriots to study in the neighboring country.
*What the hell would we do in Finland?*
Fransson also applied to acting school in Sweden. By chance, however, he was accepted into the Swedish-language acting program at Helsinki University of the Arts, and he is still on that path.
33-year-old Fransson has not regretted his choice. Four years of studies are behind us.
Jesper Fransson is by no means the only Swedish student in Finland. According to the Statistics Service of the Education Administration, there were approximately 850 Swedish students in education leading to a degree in the country in 2020.
By far the most students come to Finland from Russia and Estonia.
The number of Swedes has remained pretty much the same throughout the 2010s, but now efforts are being made to increase it.
In a recent project, Swedes studying in Finland tour high schools in their home country and talk about their experiences. The visits will take place this fall and next spring.
Fransson is one of about 20 students who have agreed to join the project as so-called *language ambassadors*. The purpose is to broaden the high school students’ image of Finland, highlight the neighboring country’s bilingualism and attract more Swedes to study in Finland.
The project has started with the support of the Finnish Svenska kulturfonden foundation.
When Fransson is asked what he plans to tell young people, he doesn’t have to think long.
– I don’t have any proof for this, but I believe that Finnish students are the richest in the world, he says and laughs.
Fransson lists a long list of student benefits that are available in Finland, but not nearly on the same scale in his home country.
Student-priced lunches, student health care and cheap student apartments are things he believes will arouse the interest of Swedes.
If possible, the language ambassadors visit the same area where they themselves studied or went to high school in Sweden.
He confirms that Swedes know Finland and its bilingualism poorly. It is a surprise to many that you can study in Swedish in the country.
And only a few people know that there are as many as eight higher education institutions in Finland that offer partial or full higher education in Swedish.
Like abroad, but still at home
Only while living here did he learn that in Finland you can also study in Swedish. The relationship ended, but Welvestam decided to continue his life in Helsinki.
The most common question from parents and friends was: why?
– They were all surprised, but now they are used to it, Welvestam says with amusement.
Now he reads political science at the University of Helsinki’s independent Swedish-language unit, Social-och Kommunalhögskolan. He also has nothing but good things to say, both about his education and his new hometown.
According to Emil Welvestam, public transport in particular is much better in Helsinki than, for example, in Stockholm.
– All means of transportation are cleaner and have more space, he praises.
Housing markets can’t even be compared to each other, Welvestam states.
– If I want to rent an apartment here, I can just browse the ads online and tomorrow I could already have the keys in my hand. In Sweden in general, especially in Stockholm, the situation is really not that easy.
Emil Welvestami was most surprised by how comprehensive student life is in Finland. All activities around the actual studies, such as organizations and departments, take you with you.
According to Annika Jokela, this is a common experience for the students involved in the project. They haven’t experienced loneliness, even though they haven’t known anyone before.
– Many have said that they feel that they are abroad and at home at the same time, Jokela says.
The project coordinator believes that Finland could be a suitable destination for many Swedes who want to go on exchange. It has been established that Swedish students are interested in studying abroad, but do not want to travel very far.
Finland would be a very safe option for many who are thinking about further studies, says Jokela.
The workplace of dreams
Before coming to Finland, Jesper Fransson only knew one word in Finnish: thank you.
He had learned that by watching the drama series *Varustamoa* (in Swedish *Rederiet*), which ran on Swedish television for ten years at the turn of the millennium.
The events of the series took place on a Swedish ship.
Only this fall has he taken Finnish language classes to learn a little *grammar.* Because it’s going *to hell*, he says with a laugh.
In Helsinki, Fransson earns a living by doing odd jobs alongside his studies. The main job is to stand on the stage of the National Theatre.
His dream? Get to perform on the stage of the National Theater sometime.
In Finnish.
And what happened to the friend who got Fransson to apply for a place at a theater school in Finland?
His application was late in the mail, and he never even joined the trip to Finland.
A year later, he too was accepted to an acting school. In Lulea.
*What thoughts did the story evoke? The discussion is open until Wednesday, September 28 at 11 pm.*