>In many countries, people start their university education at a younger age than Finland.
IIRC, Finns start university at 20 (or later if they take gap years). My sense is that many people who are strong academically could benefit from starting at 17 or 18. If that’s not possible in Finland, I’d suggest people consider applying elsewhere (EU is often free, US/UK is expensive but worth it for many people).
The most common age for Finns to finish upper secondary school is the year they turn 19, so the lower bound comes from having done the matriculation exam, not because the university would not allow younger students. (So if you’ve started your school a year earlier than most kids or skipped a grade or done your upper secondary school in 2 instead of 3 years, you could start university the year you turn 18; if you’ve done several of these things then even younger.)
But gap years are quite common because trying an entrance exam several times can make it possible for you get in the program of your choice, and also many people consider this a good time to try out something else than “being at school” to gain more self-sufficiency. Although there are people who do as you recommend and study abroad to avoid having to try an entrance exam several times. I considered going to Germany for this reason (I was actually accepted in a program in psychology but decided to go for math in Helsinki) and one of my best friends studied political science in Glasgow (psychology and political science are both popular programs, so hard to get in).
Out of curiosity, what do you think is the benefit of starting university at 17 or 18? I know some Finns who have done this but I don’t know if I can directly point at the upsides it has had in their lives/careers.
(For people serious about academics) In some fields (like AI), learning is faster and more efficient if if the teachers are active researchers. You can do research as an undergrad.
For people focused on work, you can start working earlier and so it’s easier to try more jobs/internships. (Many jobs require BA/MA and so you can’t do as much of this before starting uni).
right! I think many of the same benefits can be gotten from starting to attend university courses while in high school and/or studying at a faster speed than the official recommendation. But I realize now typing this that this is also not that commonly possible outside of Nordics. (And could be hard for an upper secondary school student who does not live in a university city. OTOH moving to a different city to live on your own can be harder for some people with 17 than 19, even if they are very bright.)
In the US, it’s (relatively) common to attend university courses while in high school, but not that common to attend courses from top universities while in high school (and in some cases this is almost literally impossible, e.g. because the best universities are physically too far away) .
>In many countries, people start their university education at a younger age than Finland.
IIRC, Finns start university at 20 (or later if they take gap years). My sense is that many people who are strong academically could benefit from starting at 17 or 18. If that’s not possible in Finland, I’d suggest people consider applying elsewhere (EU is often free, US/UK is expensive but worth it for many people).
The most common age for Finns to finish upper secondary school is the year they turn 19, so the lower bound comes from having done the matriculation exam, not because the university would not allow younger students. (So if you’ve started your school a year earlier than most kids or skipped a grade or done your upper secondary school in 2 instead of 3 years, you could start university the year you turn 18; if you’ve done several of these things then even younger.)
But gap years are quite common because trying an entrance exam several times can make it possible for you get in the program of your choice, and also many people consider this a good time to try out something else than “being at school” to gain more self-sufficiency. Although there are people who do as you recommend and study abroad to avoid having to try an entrance exam several times. I considered going to Germany for this reason (I was actually accepted in a program in psychology but decided to go for math in Helsinki) and one of my best friends studied political science in Glasgow (psychology and political science are both popular programs, so hard to get in).
Out of curiosity, what do you think is the benefit of starting university at 17 or 18? I know some Finns who have done this but I don’t know if I can directly point at the upsides it has had in their lives/careers.
Benefits:
Meeting more like-minded people sooner
(For people serious about academics) In some fields (like AI), learning is faster and more efficient if if the teachers are active researchers. You can do research as an undergrad.
For people focused on work, you can start working earlier and so it’s easier to try more jobs/internships. (Many jobs require BA/MA and so you can’t do as much of this before starting uni).
right! I think many of the same benefits can be gotten from starting to attend university courses while in high school and/or studying at a faster speed than the official recommendation. But I realize now typing this that this is also not that commonly possible outside of Nordics. (And could be hard for an upper secondary school student who does not live in a university city. OTOH moving to a different city to live on your own can be harder for some people with 17 than 19, even if they are very bright.)
In the US, it’s (relatively) common to attend university courses while in high school, but not that common to attend courses from top universities while in high school (and in some cases this is almost literally impossible, e.g. because the best universities are physically too far away) .