28.9.2021

Changing the University as a Fresher

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During his fresher year, Benjamin Lamberg, who started his studies in 2020, has served actively as the vice member of the steering group of the Bachelor’s programme of environmental and food economics and in the Student Union’s representative council. In this short interview he explains why you should be interested in influencing matters at the university and in the Student Union right at the beginning of your studies.

 

What made you become a student representative?
I’ve always been interested in influencing matters and working for the common good. I had previous experience of this and felt like serving as a student representative in a bachelor’s programme at the University would be a natural continuation of this.

What issues have you managed to influence?
In the steering group, I’ve influenced the marketing of the degree programme as well
as its course selection. In the Student Union, I’ve hadthe chance to participate diversely in making the University of Helsinki an even better place for students.

What kind of skills have you learned?
I’ve learned so much about cooperation and interaction between people. Understanding and listening to others is very important as a student representative. I also feel like I’ve learned a lot about self-management and the importance of scheduling.

Why should freshers take an interest in influencing matters at the university and in the Student Union?
Getting involved as a fresher helps you understand so much about the University and
the world of higher education. For most of us, the University is a very new kind of environment, but student representatives get to peek behind the curtain right away. I feel like this has really helped my studies, too.

What would you like to say to a fresher who is considering wheter to apply to become a student representative?
Just do it! In my experience, it’s really easy to adjust the workload according to your own interest and energy. This is a great opportunity to learn new things and get unique experience that might not be available anywhere else.


We are looking for studentrepresentatives to faculty councils and University collegium for the next two-year representative period 1 January 2022 – 31 December 2023. Read more and apply on Halloped applicaton system!