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Shape your future at Aalto University Summer School

Published: 2.4.2025

Spending your summer in a Nordic country could be one of your best decisions yet. The alumni of our past summer courses at Aalto University Summer School share how participating in a summer course at Aalto helped them prepare for their future and develop both professionally and personally.

Three people having a picnic on a wooden dock by a lake. — Photo: Harri Tarvainen/North Karelia

Tommaso Astaldi at the farewell Coffee for Summer School students at Aalto University. — Tommaso Astaldi at a Summer School Farewell event in summer 2024.

Tommaso Astaldi is studying Product, Interior, Communication and Eco-Social Design at the University of Florence and attended the Nordic Product Design course by Aalto University Summer School in July 2024. With only one year left of his Bachelor’s studies, Tommaso wanted to enrich his academic experiences and curriculum by participating in a summer course in Northern Europe to experience new ways of learning.

‘I would warmly recommend taking any course at Summer School as a convenient and fun way to change your surroundings and experience something new. There is no need to be nervous for not being a very experienced traveller – the summer school staff has been great in their support before and during the course.’

Happi Dayawa in the lab creating natural materials during the Aalto University Summer School course Nordic Biomaterials. — Happi Dayawa experimenting with cellulose at one of Aalto University's laboratories.

Happi Dayawa from Paris, France, attended the Nordic Biomaterials with CHEMARTS course in the summer of 2024 after being introduced to the CHEMARTS cookbook with recipes for material experimenting during her studies at Ecole Nationale supérieurs des Arts Décoratifs.

‘The kindness and professionalism of the teachers and the staff, and the quality of the facilities were flawless – you can really tell that the campus is designed to increase students' efficiency and creativity.’

A man in a teal shirt sits in a grey chair indoors with plants and a modern painting in the background. — Hector Merino from Spain utilized learnings from the Game Design summer course in his own teaching.

Hector Merino, a telecommunications engineer and sound and image professor from Spain, joined the Game Design summer course for inspiration on using games as tools to enhance student engagement.

‘One of the first things I noticed about Aalto is the way that people interact with each other within the university. I could see that people have a lot of freedom, and respect each other's individual ways of doing things. This seems to be present all over Finnish society, and students are given the freedom to explore the tools they need to learn in ways that work best for them.’

A person standing outside the Aalto School of Business, wearing a white t-shirt with colourful cans and 'Yum.' printed on it. — Axel Rives aspires to pursue a career in cybersecurity after graduation.

Axel Rives is studying Information Systems at Loyola University in Chicago, and was one of the 14 students attending the Global Perspectives on Business program provided by Aalto University Summer School. He hopes to pursue a career in cybersecurity after his studies and feels that the program at Aalto gave him a lot of new insights and inspiration for the future.

‘The focus on topics significant to Aalto, such as innovation, sustainability, and cutting-edge technology, combined with lecturers and industry experts from very diverse backgrounds, gave us a comprehensive overview of the topic.’

Four people are gathered around a table, engaged in conversation. One person is holding a phone. — The Radical Crearivity summer course inspired Susan van Esch to think about a future collaborative summer school.

Susan van Esch was one of the students of the Radical Creativity summer course in 2024. As Head of the master's program Crossover Creativity at Utrecht School of Arts in the Netherlands, she found inspiration and new learning practices across her own discipline and the summer course at Aalto.

‘I was so inspired that I started to dream about a future collaborative summer school with Utrecht and Aalto, where we could meet online to exchange ideas and experiences about radical creativity.’

Did you get inspired to make the most out of your summer at Aalto University this year? The application period for the summer courses at Aalto University Summer School is open until 31 May, 2025.

Person lying on grass wearing a yellow shirt with white text and a black-and-white checkered jacket.

Everything you need to know about Summer School! Make this summer unforgettable and experience the best of Aalto University and Finland under the Nordic summer sun.

Aalto University Summer School