Studying in a folk high school in Finland

Right now is the time when most Finnish universities, universities of applied sciences and vocational schools are sending letters of acceptance to their new students. In case you didn't get accepted to where you wanted to go, you can still apply for a student position in an adult education college or a folk high school, which is kansanopisto in Finnish.

There are folk high schools almost all over the country, but most of them are in small towns. You can often live on the campus, which means that you can practice Finnish and get to know the people you study with! You can use this search page to find out what and where you could study.

The teaching is either in Finnish or in Swedish, but your Finnish doesn't have to be perfect for you to apply. Some schools even offer Finnish courses for immigrants.

Folk high schools in Finland. http://www.kansanopistot.fi/

Erään opiskelijan kokemuksia kansanopistosta: Experiences of a folk high school student:
Olen kasvanut Amerikassa, muutin aikuisena Suomeen ja kävin kansanopistoa lukuvuoden 2016 - 2017 (pääaineena musiikki). Kansanopisto oli minulle ikimuistoinen kokemus - musiikkitaitoni kehittyivät, kielitaitoni kehittyi ja tutustuin kivoihin tyyppeihin.	I grew up in the US and moved to Finland as an adult, and I went to kansanopisto last year (2016 - 2017) to study music. It was an unforgettable experience - my music skills and language skills both developed and I met some really great people.
Silloin kun hain opistoon, erityisesti puhumistaitoni olivat heikot - sain kuitenkin opiskelupaikan, eli ei ole pakollista puhua täydellisesti, mutta menestyäkseen opinnoissa kannattaa ainakin ymmärtää puhetta ja osata antaa lyhyitä vastauksia sekä henkilökohtaisiin että omaa osaamisalaa koskeviin kysymyksiin.	When I applied to the opisto, my speaking skills particularly were weak - I managed to get into the school anyway, since it’s not necessary to speak perfectly, but if you want to succeed there you should understand speech well and be able to give at least brief answers to personal or study-related questions.
Se oli hyvin intensiivistä - koulutus sinänsä oli intensiivinen ja uusi kieli lisäsi vielä enemmän haasteita. Tuntui joskus siltä, että kävin kahta kurssia samanaikaisesti. Mutta se oli hyödyllinen valmistautumisvaihe seuraavaan koulutusasteeseen, ja suosittelen sitä niille, jotka aikovat hakea suomenkielisiin yliopistoihin, AMK:hin tai konservatorioihin, mutta eivät puhu vielä “yliopistotasolla”.	It was quite intensive - the course itself was intensive and doing it in a new language added even more challenge. It was a bit like doing two courses simultaneously. But it was a tremendously useful preparation stage for the next stage in my education, and I’d recommend it to anyone who intends to apply to a Finnish-language course at university, UAS or conservatory, but doesn’t quite speak at a university level.
Opiston opettajat voivat selittää mm. Suomen koulutusjärjestelmän omalaatuisuuksia ja auttaa sinua löytämään omalle tasollesi sopivan yliopiston/konservatorion, valmistella seuraavan vuoden hakemuksia, jne.	The teachers there can also explain the education system’s quirks and help you find the right course for you, prepare for the next year’s applications, etc.

Oletko sinä opiskellut kansanopistossa Suomessa? Kerro kokemuksistasi kommenteissa!

Have you studied in a folk high school in Finland? Please share your experience in the comments!

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