Merikarvia High School
Overview
Modern facilities and well-equipped learning environments, well-arranged services, individual support, small to medium-sized study groups, international studies, entrepreneurship, and a safe and peaceful community, located by the sea on the west coast of Finland.
Typical coastal weather in Finland. In four different seasons (each ca. 3 months), the temperature can vary between -25° to + 30°C. The warm summertime in Finland is from June to August, and the coldest wintertime is from December to February.
50 km to Pori (ca.84 000 citizens), 150 km to Tampere (ca. 245 000 citizens), 190km to Turku (ca. 195 000 citizens), and 300 km to Helsinki (The capital of Finland)
Merikarvia is a small and peaceful municipality of ca. 3000 citizens on the west coast of Finland. Our school is located at the very center of Merikarvia. In the vicinity, we have grocery stores (two supermarkets), a public library, a pharmacy, a health care center, several sports facilities, and apartments that the students can rent, and they are all located within a short walking distance from the school. Students can dine at the school restaurant (free meals during the school days). Public transportation is usually not needed, because distances are very short and many of the services are located nearby. If you want to travel farther or visit other cities it is possible to use a bus or travel by bus to the nearest bigger city (Pori), and continue by train. Check the timetables: https://www.matkahuolto.fi/ and for trains: https://www.vr.fi/.
Study line: General study line
Standard Finnish high school curriculum. Added to that, we have interesting optional courses such as international studies, entrepreneurship, and high school diplomas (arts, music, sports and domestic science). We have also two lines of study, which are: Science & technology, and Medical sciences & healthcare. By choosing them, the students can strengthen their skills for further studies in these fields.
All our students follow the standard Finnish high school curriculum. But added to that, they can also choose more optional courses, participate in projects and enroll in our lines of study, where they can deepen their understanding of these fields, and pursue subjects that they are especially interested in.
Requirement
GPA (GPA equivalent from Good to Excellent. As in the Finnish system, grades 7-10 on a grade scale of 4-10)
Entrance Interview
Motivation Letter
Students are required to have a motivation letter and participate in an entrance interview. In addition, they can voluntarily make a motivational video, in which they can demonstrate their Finnish language skills which are important to be at a certain level to be accepted.
Expenses
We offer free tuition, free lunch at the school restaurant during school days, a personal laptop computer for studies + other learning materials for free, student healthcare, and counseling for studies and everyday matters. The students can also use some sports facilities, for instance, the gym for free.
For accommodation, the costs would be for example:
Single room apartments with kitchen corner and bathroom, rent 350€/month, including water, but not electricity (about 30€/month), or internet connection (about 20€/month).
Two-room apartments with kitchen and bathroom. The rent is 450€/month + water according to consumption (about 20€/month) + electricity about 30€/kk. These apartments can also be shared among 2-3 students, so the costs would then be 167€/month for each if there are three persons.
Accommodation
At this moment, we have available for example:
Single room apartments with kitchen corner and bathroom, rent 350€/month, including water, but not electricity (about 30€/month), or internet connection (about 20€/month).
Two-room apartments with kitchen and bathroom. The rent is 450€/month + water according to consumption (about 20€/month) + electricity about 30€/kk. These apartments can also be shared among 2-3 students, so the costs would then be 167€/month for each if there are three persons.These apartments are located at the center of Merikarvia, and there is a short walking distance to all local services.
Of course, students can also rent apartments from private markets/owners. The rent is usually at the same level as described above.
You can contact the school, and we can help to arrange the accommodation. However, the school does not own the apartments or sign the contracts. The apartments are owned by the municipality of Merikarvia, or by private owners and we can help you negotiate and sign the lease agreements with them.
The students can, for example, share a single or two-room apartment with another student if they want to. We have also planned a welcome program and guided support for living at the beginning. Continued support is provided as needed (friendly instructor/tutor who is in charge of guiding the students in everyday matters).
Other
We offer free tuition, free lunch at the school restaurant during school days, a personal laptop computer for studies + other learning materials for free, student healthcare and counseling for studies, and everyday matters. The students can also use some sports facilities, for instance, the gym for free.
We have cooperated with many high schools and universities in other European countries, and done common projects with them. We plan to continue our international co-operation and decide on a yearly basis which new project will be started. These projects are voluntary for the students. If the project demands traveling, in some projects there might be some costs for the participating student (for example flights or accommodation).
After graduating from high school, students typically apply and continue to Finnish universities like the University of Tampere, the University of Turku, Satakunta University for Applied Sciences (SAMK), Aalto University, etc.
We do our best to ensure that all our students have the necessary support and counseling regarding their studies. If the student wants to succeed and is willing to focus on his/her studies and work towards his/her goals, we will work together with the student, and provide as much support as we can.
Our school is quite small, and the students will get familiar with each other quickly. Teachers and counselors are also easy to approach and will arrange chances to get along with Finnish students. We can also have an orientation day, or arrange, for instance, more events and plan them together with the students.
Welcome to apply to Merikarvia high school. Feel free to ask for more information and contact the student counselor Susanna Kyösti ( susanna.kyosti@edumerikarvia.fi ), or you can also send the questions to the school office and principal by email: kanslia@edumerikarvia.fi.