Saba Orfi thrives in the University's supportive and flexible study environment
One of the Finland Scholarship 2022 recipients, Iranian Saba Orfi wanted to bolster her expertise with a second Master's degree in business and in marketing after graduating in 2021 with a degree in management information systems.
She is interested in the integration of information technology and marketing, analyzing data to find hidden patterns in customer behaviour and so forth, which is why she wanted to dig deeper.
In 2022, she found herself enrolled in the Marketing Master's programme at the University of Oulu and in a new country far from home.
”I was applying mostly to universities in the United Kingdom, but then I had some recommendations from friends who had been studying in Finland and I thought that I should look at study opportunities in Finland to continue my education”, Orfi says.
Orfi came across the University of Oulu's programme and says that she was interested not only in the programme content but also immersing herself in a someplace completely new to her.
”I just had this general big picture of Finland in my head and I got attracted to figuring out what the country is and this city in particular. When I arrived in late August, it was a great experience. The nature was amazing, everything was colourful and the days were long with the sunshine”, Orfi recalls her initial reactions.
Feeling happy about Oulu
Orfi says she has felt welcome and that people have really helped her, even strangers on the street.
”There were many experiences like this, but I remember trying to find some place in the city centre that wasn't showing up on Google Maps for some reason. I asked a Finnish person to help me, and then she couldn't find it online either. So, she went looking for the building with me and actually came inside to see that I was finding the right thing. After I came out of the building she was still waiting outside to check with me that everything was okay!”
Orfi took on a lot of credits for her first semester and she has been very interested in the projects she's been a part of in her studies. She says that the study environment is really supportive, approachable and flexible.
She feels happy with her decision to come to Finland. While the Finland Scholarship was helpful in making her decision to come here, it was still only one of the reasons she came here.
Text and photos by Janne-Pekka Manninen
Finland Scholarship nurtures talents
Finland Scholarships are awarded to the best applicants from non-EU/EEA countries who apply for international master’s programmes at the University of Oulu. The scholarships cover the first-year tuition fee and contain a relocation grant of 5 000 € .
Next application period for international programmes will take place on 3-17 January 2024 for studies starting in autumn 2024.
Applications are made online at studyinfo.fi . Please indicate your willingness to apply for the Finland Scholarship when you fill in the online application form.