From Spain to Finland: what two years in Turku taught me about myself

When I was choosing a master’s programme, my biggest fear was this: what if I study something for two years and it turns out to be purely theoretical? What if I graduate and still don’t really know what I’m capable of? I moved from Spain to Turku two years ago with that question in my head. I didn’t expect Finland to answer it, but it did, and in ways I never anticipated.

The moment that said it all

There’s a specific moment I keep coming back to. I’m in the robotics lab, looking at a mobile robot I’ve been working on for months. On it: a Raspberry Pi, I configured myself, an IMU sensor I wired and calibrated, and a custom 3D-printed mount I designed from scratch. It sounds technical, because it is, but that’s not the point. The point is that two years ago, I would not have believed I was capable of doing any of it.

Before starting the Smart Systems master’s programme at the University of Turku, I had the theory. I had the enthusiasm. But I didn’t have the confidence that I could actually build things, real things, that work and solve a problem. That confidence didn’t come just from a lecture. It came from being trusted with a lab, a budget, a research question, and the freedom to figure it out.

A university that treats you like a professional

Coming from Spain, the shift in academic culture was noticeable from day one. Here, nobody follows up if you haven’t submitted something. No reminder emails, no hand-holding. At first that can feel a little alarming but very quickly you realize it’s one of the most valuable things about studying here. It teaches you to take ownership, to ask questions when you’re stuck (because nobody will know you’re stuck unless you say so), and to manage yourself like the professional you’re working to become.

My supervisor saw something in me early on and offered me a position as a research assistant alongside my thesis work. He proposed an initial idea but then gave me the space to reshape it into something that made more sense. When I needed a new part, I got it. When I wanted to learn a new technique, the equipment was there. When something didn’t work (and plenty of things didn’t), the attitude was always: that’s how you learn, keep going. That kind of trust changes you. Not just as a student, but as a person.
If you want to know more about the Smart Systems programme, you can find all the details on the UTU programme page.

Finland gave me back something I had lost

Here’s something I didn’t expect to write about in a university blog: sport.

I’ve always been active, horse riding, ballet, swimming, skiing. At some point before coming here, I let it all slide. Life got busy, motivation disappeared. But something about Finland made me pick it back up, and I don’t think it was an accident. You see it everywhere here. People running along the river in the middle of winter. People biking everywhere. Someone cross-country skiing on the frozen river. It’s not performance, it’s just part of how people live. And that’s contagious. Without really deciding to, I started going to the gym, swimming and walking for two hours in -15°C just because it felt good. In winter I went ice fishing and tried cross-country skiing for the first time.

CampusSport at UTU makes this genuinely easy, the facilities are good, the prices are student-friendly, and the variety is there whether you want yoga, strength training or something you’ve never tried before. But honestly, the bigger motivator is just the culture around you.

This one is harder to talk about, but I think it’s the most important.
Making friends in Finland takes effort, that’s just true, and anyone who tells you otherwise is probably not being fully honest. Finnish social culture is quieter, more reserved. It doesn’t mean people aren’t warm, it just means you have to be the one to make the first move and then be patient.

I put in that effort and found genuinely good people. But in the meantime, I also had to learn to be comfortable by myself, going to a café alone, visiting places on weekends alone, sitting with my own thoughts. And I discovered something: I actually enjoy it. There’s a version of solitude that isn’t loneliness, and Finland helped me find it.

I think this is something future international students should hear, because it’s not said enough: if you’re someone who needs constant social stimulation to feel okay, moving to Finland will be a challenge. But if you can, or can learn to, find peace in your own company, it becomes one of the most freeing experiences you’ll have.

If you’re weighing up whether to come to Finland for a master’s, especially in a technical field, here’s my honest answer: yes, but not just for the reasons you might expect.

Yes, the education is practical and will genuinely build your portfolio. Yes, the labs are well-equipped and the supervisors take you seriously. Yes, Turku is a manageable, liveable city that surprises you in small ways every day. But the thing nobody tells you is this: you will learn more about yourself than you expect. What you’re capable of, what you need, what kind of professional and person, you want to be.

That, more than any course or grade, is what I’m taking with me.