- Does the UW offer opportunities for summer study of Finnish?

Opportunities for inexpensive study in Finland for the summer are available through the University of Washington and the University of Turku’s International Summer School in Finnish and Swedish (http://www.ipe.washington.edu/domestic/programs/byregion/Europe/41/10) and through a Finnish Ministry of Education summer program (http://www.cimo.fi).

- Can I study in Finland through an exchange program?

We currently have an arrangement with the University of Turku (http://www.utu.fi) that allows University of Washington Students to study in Turku. More than a dozen have done so.

- Who studies Finnish?

The usual make up of classes includes students with Finnish heritage, a current personal connection to Finland, and those interested in Finnish as a non Indo-European language. (link to student’s opinions)

- Is there a Finnish community in Seattle?

There are approximately 500 members of the Finlandia Foundation in Seattle (http://www.finnsnw.com/ffsc.html), a vital and active Finnish School (http://www.finnishschoolofseattle.org/), and an annual calendar of Finland-related events.

- I’m applying to the graduate program. What should I include in my statement of purpose?

Your statement of purpose should convey the questions you wish to answer in your training as a researcher. The questions come across most compellingly when you explain the reasons for your interest, your preparation for graduate study, and special skills or other relevant information related to your application.

- What kind of funding is available to support graduate students?

In the Department of Scandinavian Studies, one research assistantship is available to incoming students on a competitive basis. One teaching assistantship for first year Finnish is available for a graduate student who speaks Finnish. Follow the department guidelines (http://depts.washington.edu/scand/programs/graduate.shtml )
in applying for funding.
Other funding sources available on campus include Foreign Area and Language Study (FLAS) fellowships (http://jsis.artsci.washington.edu/advise/catalog/Flastxt8.html ) and some fellowships available through the University of Washington Graduate school (http://www.grad.washington.edu/fellow/fellow_area.htm .
Students in the Finnish Program have successfully applied for directed research support from the American Scandinavian Foundation (http://www.amscan.org), Fulbright (http://www.iie.org/Template.cfm?section=Fulbright1), and the Finnish Ministry of Education (http://www.cimo.fi ).