The first thing to note is that the campus is 24/7 open. When you have a student ID card you can access every public place inside the buildings!
The library
For example, the library is open 24/7 and it is fully automated. Do you want to borrow a book at 3 am? No problem. Just get the book from the shelf, scan the barcode reader and you are done! The library has its own web portal, so soft copies are also possible to find there if a particular book has one. Inside the library, there are four meeting rooms equipped with meeting tables, big-screen TVs, projectors, etc. Those can be booked anytime from the calendar application and they can be accessed anytime.
For people who love silence, there is a silent corner. Along with many other things, the big and spacious library of this campus is facilitated with regular printers, 3D printers, kitchen corner, vending machines, computer lab etc. There are two silent spaces which people use when talking to the phone.
Restaurants
There are four restaurants inside the campus. Among them, one restaurant named Reaktori offers dinner till 6 pm. Because of student discounts, the price of the buffet meal is 2.60 € which is astonishingly cheap! Along with restaurants, there are four cafes too with a wide range of snacks. In the main building, there is a big open kitchen. Many people often use that one, especially those who bring their own lunch.
Reaching the campus
Because the buildings of the campus are interconnected, you don’t need to go out of the building in winter. In front of the campus, there are bus stops in both directions. All the buses stop in front of the campus. So, catching a bus doesn’t require a long walk!
Student facilities
All the student guilds (=clubs) have their own office rooms. Besides the guild rooms, there is a prayer room open for everybody. An underground bomb shelter was made inside the university which is now being used for indoor games, parties etc. The campus offers a van and a trailer for students at a cheap price. It helps a lot when you have to move!
Fablab
I must also mention Fablab! You can find some cutting-edge machines there like 3D printer, 3D scanner, laser cutter, CNC router, vinyl cutter etc. Especially before going home, many students use this lab to make souvenirs for their friends and beloved ones. You can make a tiny cute rabbit, or you can print your own design on a T-shirt; you can make nearly anything you want with those machines.
IT services
Many of our courses use video recordings which is a very helpful resource. The university provides students with all kinds of IT facilities like e-mail, course registration, degree planning, booking, organizing class calendar, etc. A dedicated IT service desk is ready to fix any kind of IT issues. License for the software like Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus, MATLAB, PyCharm, etc. are free for the students.
There are four electronic exam rooms which are fully automated. Many of the courses allow electronic exams. One can book an exam time anytime and also change it if necessary. This facility helps to make adequate preparations.
These are some of the facilities I find useful on Hervanta campus. But certainly, there are more which I haven’t explored yet. You are welcome to this campus to find the rest!
– Emad
You can find detailed information of all our campuses on our website!
Photos: Tampere University
