Living and studying in Evo is an experience completely unique to HAMK forestry students. At our isolated campus, we are always surrounded by natural beauty and a peaceful scenery but studying at this remote school brings its own complications, especially for foreign students. As our team of tutors has completed the first year of studies, we would like to share the important knowledge that we have obtained when it comes to living at our campus. We hope that this blog post can provide you with a further insight into life at Evo, so that you can prepare accordingly.
Arrival to the campus
When coming to Evo, many international students are going to be traveling straight from the Helsinki airport. Due to the remote location of our campus, there are no straight connections and you should plan your transportation with public transport beforehand. The easiest way get to Evo from the Helsinki airport starts with a train ride right from the airport to Tikkurila. At this small train station, you can board a long-distance train to the city of Hämeenlinna, which is located roughly 50 km from Evo. Tickets to all the trains can be purchased through www.vr.fi. If you prefer bus transportation, www.onnibus.com provides long distance and comfortable buses from Helsinki to Hämeenlinna.
Upon your arrival in Hämeenlinna, you will need to take a bus from the train station to the small town of Lammi. The bus 802 is the simplest route and will bring you to the Lammi bus station. You can check bus schedules and purchase tickets from the waltti.fi app.
From Lammi it is only a short way to our campus, and there is a bus 868 going straight to Evo. Tickets to this bus, as well as its timetable can be also viewed from the Waltti app. Link to a PC version: https://reittiopas.hameenlinna.fi/reitti
Transportation from the campus
When you have settled at the campus, you will also need transportation outside of Evo for grocery shopping, hobbies, bank visits, etc. There is a bus connection to and from the nearest town of Lammi but its schedule is limited to local school hours. However, due to our community being so small, many people with cars often organize trips to nearby cities for groceries, or other activities such as floorball or events at other campuses. Therefore, being social and getting to know the people at the campus can be helpful. The people at Evo are very helpful and often to get a ride to town, all you have to do is ask.
Accommodation
Our university provides many different housing choices at the campus. The most common one is a shared apartment with 1-3 other students. These apartments are furnished and all include basic kitchen equipment. Some specific kitchen utensils, such as oven mittens or coffee machines, may not be present in the apartments. The school can also provide temporary bed sheets upon arrival, as it is understood that new international students may not travel with these. However, all these items can be purchased from stores in the area.
Necessary Equipment for Studying
Studying Sustainable Forest Management in Evo is quite a unique experience compared to other degree programmes. We live, study, and love the forest that surrounds us. With that said, a significant portion of the studies are held outdoors. Especially during spring, summer, and autumn months, more than half of the studies are outside. Therefore, specialized and quality equipment is needed. The base of everything are hiking shoes, as they are the biggest support of ones stability in the uneven terrains of the forest. It is also recommended to wear suitable outdoor pants and jackets, as rain is not uncommon for a great portion of the year.
Specialized forestry equipment is often sold by the school, so there is no need to worry before starting your studies. A laptop is also mandatory as Moodle is being used as the main learning platform. The most important pieces of equipment, however, are a good spirit and willingness to learn, as those are the base of everyone’s success.
Finnish Social Services
Moving to Finland can seem quite complicated and extensive at first. Therefore, HAMK has created a step-by-step guide as what to do when first arriving to Finland. These steps are easy to follow and will help you get intergraded in the system and prepare for the necessary documentations which need to be presented. If needed, the university provides additional help with the residence applications as well as resident permits. Link to the guide: www.hamk.fi/en/student-pages/new-degree-students
We Are Excited to Meet You
Living at our small campus gives everyone an opportunity to get together, enjoy their time and let the passion for nature connect all students together. There are many activities held throughout the year and we are passionate about making the best possible experience for everyone. Everyone at our campus is very open and friendly. We love to help each other as well as spend a lot of our free time together. For every new student we would just like to say, that we are incredibly happy that you have chosen to study in Evo, and we hope that you will enjoy your studies to the fullest!
