Guidance Corner

"A virtual Guidance Corner" on HYY's Discord-platform

On HYY's Discord -platform on the guidance-corner channel you can find different activities for promoting well-being and studying. The sessions offered by the University's student services and other actors will continue in the fall term of 2020. More information about the dates and activities will be updated on the Discord channel. You can also ask questions on the channel outside the given times.

Join the Discord channel via this link. More information about Discord on HYY's website.

Guided study sessions

The Student Services organises remote study session based on the Pomodoro technique* via Zoom. Links to the sessions are will be added below (no separate sign-up). Instructions will be given in both Finnish and English when needed.

In the spring term Pomodoro sessions will be organised on Mondays at 10–12. Join the session by pressing the Join Zoom meeting link below:

• Join Zoom Meeting
• Meeting ID: 667 6958 2423
• Passcode: 245521  

NB! No session on 5.4. (Easter).

General instructions

If you are participating in a Pomodoro session for the first time, join the meeting five minutes before the start of the session. The leader of the session will quickly go through the idea behind the Pomodoro technique and give tips for making the most out of the Pomodoro session.

If you have questions related to remote studying or the Pomodoro sessions, you can contact us on HYY's Discord-platform on the #etäopiskelu-channel or send us an email to studentinfo@helsinki.fi.

*The Pomodoro technique is a great tool for honing in your concentration; the idea is that you work intensely for 25 minutes and then have a break for five minutes. Therefore, during one full sessions we will go through four “pomodoros”.

Think Corner's Tomato Thursdays

You can also join Think Corner's Tomato Thursdays physically at Basement and remotely on Think Corner's Instagram Stories every Thursday between 9am-3pm (starting up again on 4.2.2021). Read more on Think Corner's website. 

Starting from January 2021 it is possible to attend Sisu clinics on Zoom. The clinics are aimed to support students with technical matters concerning the use of Sisu with the focus on how to create your study plan in Sisu. If you need assistance concerning the contents of your degree or course equivalences, please contact student services of your own faculty. In spring the clinics are primarily concerned with drawing up of a study plan in Sisu.

The assistance in the clinics is provided by student advisers, Sisu-experts and starting from later spring onward also by Sisu-tutors.

Enroll to a clinic via this electronic form. You will receive a Zoom-link to the clinic before the session. The clinics are based on pop-up system so feel free to pop up anytime during the session.

For more information about the Sisu clinics, please email studentinfo@helsinki.fi

Study plan in Sisu 

May 6th from 12-16 pm
June 3rd from 12-16 pm

Our customer service at the Guidance Corner is closed temporarily. You can contact us via chat, phone or e-mail. You can find contact information for admission advising here

We are organizing free break exercise sessions via Zoom as follows

• on Mondays at 12.00
• on Wednesdays at 13.00
• on Fridays at 11.00

Carefree Shoulders is an energising 15-minute break workout focusing on the back and shoulder region and freeing up those stiff muscles. Carefree Shoulders is well-suited for beginners, and no gym clothes are needed.

You can participate in the Zoom event with Meeting ID 861 9709 5476. You will find the link on the Carefree Shoulders page and on the group exercise schedule.

You can also download the Break Pro exercise break programme to your computer.

Subsistence guidance

How much can I earn when receiving student aid? Will my credits from this year be enough for Kela? What do I do if I am worried about summer-time subsistence? In our subsistence guidance, HYY’s specialist will advise you in issues related to student benefits, help you find further information and, if needed, support you when you contact Kela or social services, for instance.

Book your time for a personal guidance meeting remotely via this e-form. Registration starts and the form opens two weeks before each event. You will get a Zoom link to your e-email once we confirm your registration.

In spring 2021, the subsistence guidances have the following schedule:

• 5.2 13.00-14.00
• 19.3 13.00-14.00
• 9.4 13.00-14.00
• 7.5 13.00-14.00

You can also contact HYY’s specialist by email or phone. Further information on this and on students’ subsistence is available on HYY’s website.

Problems in studies?

Are you wondering what rights you have at the University, or have you experienced flaws when completing courses? Have unreasonable obstacles emerged to hinder your study progress, or have you felt a grade you received was unfair?

HYY’s specialist gives guidance on students' rights in study situations. Book your time for a personal guidance meeting remotely via this e-form. Registration starts and the form opens two weeks before each event. You will get a Zoom link to your e-email once we confirm your registration.

In spring 2021, the guidances have the following schedule: 

• 9.4 14.00-15.00
• 7.5 14.00-15.00

We recommend that you check whether HYY’s new guide on legal protection has a quick answer to your question. The guide includes the most common problems that students of the University of Helsinki face in their studies as well as their solutions. 

You can also get guidance on legal protection by email or phone from HYY’s specialist in charge of advice on legal protection.

In matters not related to studies, HYY’s members are entitled to free legal aid provided by Pykälä’s Legal Aid Committee.

Legal aid in Swedish is provided by Codex.

On Tuesdays, Guidance Corner focuses on student well-being. Various organisers advancing student health and well-being will be holding information sessions and giving advice on how you can improve your well-being and get support in your studies. During spring 2021 all the Well-being Tuesday events will be held online. If you want to join the sessions in Finnish, see the Finnish version on this page for more information.

• What can I trust? 9.2. at 15:00-16:30 (in Finnish)

• Mindful breathing moment 16.2. at 15:00-16:30  (in Finnish) 

• I’m mostly embarrassed by everything-chat 9.3. at 15:00-16:00 (in Finnish)

• Tense shoulders and neck? Tips for relaxation 16.3. at 15:00-16:00 (in Finnish) 

• Climate anxiety workshop on 23.3. at 15:00-16.30 (in ENGLISH)

  Climate change and ecological disruption impact mental health and increase our emotional distress causing experiences of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness. Workshop offers you tools to experience and handle your emotions, and possibilities to discuss and share your experiences together with other participants. This workshop is for you if you notice emotional reactions on climate change and ecological disruption and would like to share your thoughts with others and do some exercises. During the workshop we will not go over the scientific issues on climate change or the actions people should take on to solve the problems. We wish everyone welcome and hope that all participants can respect that people are in different phase in their own processes.  
  If you are under extreme anxiety at the moment or have recently experiences traumatic crisis this workshop might not be suitable for you at the moment. If you want, you can contact the organizer beforehand and we can talk about it. The workshop is organized by: psychologist Elina Marttinen, Nyyti ry elina.marttinen@nyyti.fi. Please register in advance by this e-form. The link to the Zoom-session will be sent to the registered participants the day before the event. 

• Nutrition and mental well-being 13.4. at 15:00-16:00 (in Finnish)

• How do you get started when you just don’t feel like it? 20.4. at 15:00-16:30  (in Finnish)

• What can we talk about and how? 4.5. at 15:00-16.30  (in Finnish)

Do you feel that your studies are not progressing as quickly as you would like? Do you need help in finding your strengths and recognising your skills? Have you lost sight of the goal of your studies? Do you need peer support? 

If you answered any of the above questions in the affirmative, Guidance Corner’s Boost to studies and career groups may be just the thing for you!

At the moment, there are no groups in English. Check the Finnish version of this page for more groups!

*****

Please note that the groups do not provide degree programme or faculty-specific study guidance. If you need help, for example, in determining what studies are missing from your degree, you can find the contact information for your faculty’s Student Services here.

Please note that all events of spring 2021 are organised online (links will be added to event descriptions latest the day before the event).

Student life 2.0 is a series of events organised for international and exchange students every academic year. The purpose of the series is to promote a balanced student life by introducing students to the Finnish culture, the University of Helsinki and its academic practises, and by helping them feel more at home in Finland. The series consists of Q&A sessions, panel discussions, interactive workshops and presentations prepared by the University’s staff.

The events start 14 o'clock sharp (no academic quarter).

Spring 2021 topics:

January

Mingling event - 29.1. 14:00-15:00 
Are you wondering how to get to know other students, whether you have just arrived in Finland or you have been here for a longer time? If yes, you're more than welcome to join our informal online get-together where you will have the possibility to talk to your fellow students and get to know new people! We will also briefly brainstorm some ideas on how to make friends (even online) and a representative from the Student Union (HYY) will tell more about the activities offered by HYY and e.g. how to find student organisations. In addition, you'll have a chance to ask the University staff any questions you might have related to getting settled and starting your studies. 

• PowerPoint slides of the Mingling event (pdf file). 

February 

Events you shouldn't miss! 8.2. 14:00-15:00 
Do you want to know more about traditional Finnish students events and other national celebrations that take place in the spring term? Then you are in luck, as in the first thematic Student Life 2.0 session we will go through some fun events Finland has to offer before the summer. Come hear more about Laskiainen (Shrove Tuesday), Vappu (May day) and other interesting going-ons of Helsinki.    

• PowerPoint slides of the Events you shouldn't miss! event (pdf file). 

March  

How to structure your day – the division between work and play - 1.3. 14:00-15:30 
Do you feel like some days it is hard to set a schedule for the day and you keep putting things off and then have to cram a lot of studying in a few hours? Or maybe you are finding it hard to separate your work and free time, especially now that you might be working from home? Whatever your problem might be, you are welcome to join this interactive SL 2.0 session, where you get to share and hear tips from other students. The University staff will also offer some practical tools and suggestions for devising a schedule that you will be able to stick to. 

• PowerPoint slides of the How to structure your day event (pdf file).
• PowerPoint slides from the 'How to beat procrastination and get stuff done!' event, held in November 2020 (pdf file).

Stress management and mindfulness - 29.3. 14:00-15:00 
Stress is an unavoidable part of life. Stress can even be good for our performance, but continuously high levels of stress are detrimental to our health. That is why it is very important to find ways to relax and "re-boot" the brain every now and then. In this workshop we will be discussing the stressors students encounter and how to deal with them. We will also try a few different mindfulness practices. Come share your experiences and take a deserved break from studying! 

• PowerPoint slides of the Stress management and mindfulness event (pdf file).

May

Summer Special – Finnish events and traditions - 3.5. 14:00-15:00 
Are you waiting for summer with its (hopefully) warmer days and white nights? Do you already have some plans or are you still wondering what summer in Helsinki/Finland is all about? Come join our thematic SL 2.0 summer special session, where we'll tell more about Finnish summer traditions (such as Juhannus aka Midsummer) and give you some ideas for events and activities to do in summery Finland. 

Get the best tips from our Career Counselors on job search, fixing your CV and LinkedIn! You’ll find more information, dates and a registration form on Career Services’ event calendar. 

• Job search workshops
  How to begin job searching? How do I write a good application and CV and stand out from other candidates? What kind of possibilities does social media offer for job search? How do I find jobs from the hidden job market? In the workshop, you will get the opportunity to read and comment on the other participants’ CVs in an encouraging environment.
• LinkedIn workshops
  Update your LinkedIn-profile to a whole new level! In this workshop we will look at your LinkedIn-profile especially from the point of view of job search and networking. What do the recruiters pay attention to in your LinkedIn-profile? How do you stand out from the other candidates? You will receive help in writing your profile text, get the opportunity to comment on other students LinkedIn-profiles and receive constructive feedback on your own profile.

Due to the exceptional circumstances our walk in job search support is conducted online on Zoom on Tuesdays at 12-14pm (join our Zoom meeting at latest at 13.40pm). We will publish a link to the job search support on Career Services' page every Tuesday. After clicking the link you will arrive at a lobby room in which we will assign you to one of our experts. Bear in mind that you might have to wait for a while.

Are you concerned about job-seeking or issues related to traineeship? Do you need practical advice on polishing your CV?

The University’s career services provides walk-in job search guidance to support your job hunt. You can come for guidance without an appointment, if you require support in the following matters:

• Feedback on a CV and job application
• Support in practical matters related to job searching
• Questions related to traineeship and its funding

The duration of the meeting is a maximum of 20 minutes.

Welcome!

Do you need ideas on sources for your seminar thesis? Are you familiar enough with the databases in your field? Are you concerned about submitting your master’s thesis via the E-thesis service?    

Guidance Corner organizes regular guidance sessions on information retrieval for theses, the submission process for master’s theses, and the use of electronic publications.

Get to know information resources

Discover information resources in Zoom events in the Spring: ​​

• Thursday 25th of March at 11 am – 12 noon: Pharmacy and  Veterinary Medicine (in Finnish but you may ask questions in English as well)  
• Thursday 8th of April at 1 PM – 2 PM: Finnish language, Finno-Ugric and Nordic languages (the event is held in Finnish/Swedish, but you may ask questions in English as well)  
• Thursday 15th of April at 1 pm – 2 pm: Biological, Environmental, Agricultural and Food Sciences (in Finnish but you may ask questions in English)  

The Information Resources events are in Zoom (link to Zoom).
Meeting ID: 696 0308 8571
Passcode: 839317

E-thesis: how to submit your thesis 

• Monday 29th of March at 10 - 11:30 am. (link to Zoom, passcode 677747)
• Thursday 29th of April, 2 - 3:30 pm. (link to Zoom, passcode  666900) 

You may ask questions in Finnish, Swedish, or English. 

See also the Library’s remote guidance on information seeking.

In all Guidance Corner events, the participants commit to following the principles for a safer safe. When attending a Guidance Corner event, meet all participants with an open mind, respect their diversity and let everyone define their own experiences.

Furthermore, please respect the time of the event organisers: If you have signed up for an event, do attend. This way the event organisers can plan their events based on the real turnout. If for some reason you cannot attend an event that has a limited amount of space, let the event organisers know.

In order to create a comfortable atmosphere and open interaction, we would ask you to adhere to the following principles:

• We hope that you will keep your video on in events that have interactive elements (e.g. workshops), if technical or other reasons will not prevent you from doing so. This way both the event organiser and the other participant will get a more realistic experience of being together. We especially encourage you to use your camera during small group assignments (in break-out-rooms). Ultimately, the choice to use or not to use a camera is always yours though!
• The participants will usually get more out of the event if there is discussion between people. So please feel free to open up your mike or write your comments on the chat (or any other platform that is being used). However, you can usually participate in events also as a listener.
• In some events and workshops, the organiser will use the break-out-room function to divide the participants into smaller groups. Often these small group sessions can be the most fruitful part of the event, as during these the threshold for sharing your ideas is lower. Please help create a safer space and a more participatory conversation in small groups: respect different kinds of opinions, express your ideas in a friendly manner and give and take space in the conversation equally with others.

You can also use the following settings, if you want to change your background or your name on Zoom:

• You can blur your background so that your working environment cannot be seen on the video. This can be set up by pressing the arrow located next to the camera icon and by selecting "Choose a virtual background". From the menu that opens select "blur". You can also upload a background picture from the same place.
• You can change your name by pressing the "Participant"-title. This will open the list of participants. After that take your cursor on top of your own name and select first "More" and then press "Rename".    

Panel discussion: Why do we need Guidance? (in Finnish, 29 minutes)