I don't know about America, England, Canada, Germany or other countries, but if you want to do a master's degree in Finland, you have to have a dream. Or I should say to study with a scholarship. I don't think they choose people who have the mentality of "Let me go and let them say on my resume that they have completed a master's degree in a foreign country". At least every student I met had a dream. Let me explain why and how...
Because Finland's educational ideology is "lifelong learning".
If a person does not have a goal to learn in parallel with this ideology, it means that s/he will not have the motivation to finish that school. Therefore, it is a little difficult for that person to stay in the country unless s/he stays in the country of the people and does not contribute to himself/herself and the country by eating, drinking and dusting.
So how do these people understand why we want to do a master's degree in that country?
The Department of Educational Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä offers a three-stage assessment for a student to qualify to study there. At the first stage, s/he has to write down his/her diploma stating that s/he has an educational background, a breakdown of his/her grades, a proficiency certificate to be taken from any internationally valid English proficiency test (IELTS, TOEFL, etc.), a motivation letter explaining why s/he wants to study that graduate department, and the subject you want to focus on when you go there. . If you pay attention, the university does not want a reference letter because it is thought that "a person's references best describe the person, his/her personality and what s/he can do, not that person". The second stage is an oral interview. Again, it is a stage where you can talk about yourself, your dreams and the reasons for getting a master's degree with a sweet conversation. In the third and last stage, the student is presented with one news and one article about the Finnish Education System (these materials are given in the references section). An online exam is held so that the student can read them and show that they have digested the information, both to evaluate the student and to get some information about the Finnish Education System before they come.
Until last year, it was free to study at universities in Finland, but as all European universities will be subject to the same system within the scope of the Bologna Project, people reluctantly made their universities paid. One academic year of our department was 10000 Euros, but Finland, which is burning with the love of education, especially Jyväskylä University, has wide scholarship opportunities. More than fifty percent of our department was entitled to receive scholarships. Considering that there are 23 people in the department, I think it's a pretty good ratio.
Now I will not advertise my school here, but I am putting the link below. Those who want to study there, who are curious about the opportunities and success rankings, can enter and have a look.
But I would like to point out that the educational approach of the school is very different from other European countries. We did not take an exam in any of our courses, and in some courses, we took a class once or twice, and they do not take any attendance. These people provide purely verbal or written feedback whether you have learned something or not. In other words, it leaves the student "free". Some people use this understanding as "Is that what I'm here for?!" Even though people like me want the school to never end.
Doing a master's degree abroad is incredibly beneficial for both your professional and personal development, yes, especially if you are in Jyväskylä, Finland, even if the weather conditions are difficult, it is worth definitely to try.
I strongly recommend.
*Please click on the phrases below to see the resources.