On Wednesday 5 Sept, the semester was kickstarted with the Aalto Party, at which 106 associations operating within Aalto University Student Union showcased their operations to new students. In this story, active association members give pointers on things that can be done in the Aalto community.

Altogether, there are more than 200 associations operating within AYY. Some of them are closely related to specific study fields, but there is also a vast number of leisure-time organisations operating in Otaniemi that are open to all Aalto people.

One of the newest Aalto associations is the Aalto Formula Team, founded in early 2018. Its goal is to build an electric racing car fit for the Formula Student competition in collaboration with the whole university.

“There’s much more to this than a car driving around the race track. Student marketing, business collaboration, electrical work, materials choices, design… If you have the skills, you will get to use them,” promises Kalle Kekäläinen, secretary of the Aalto Formula Team.

Some of the Aalto associations have more history behind them. The association for electronic media, OUBS, continues the traditions of the cable channel that went by the name Otaniemi Underground Broadcasting System and now focuses on the live streaming of student events, for example.

“With us, you’ll get to learn a lot about videography. You don’t need to know anything beforehand. At all gigs, you’ll get full instruction, you’ll get to film on your first go and to edit on your second,” promises Ville Tuominen, president of OUBS.

Not all associations focus solely on one hobby; there are also other themes that can unite Aalto people from various study fields. GAYY brings together Aalto’s LGBT-spirited students and aims to bring acceptance and good vibes onto campus. The association has organised, for example, a rainbow-sitsit and a get-together to watch the Eurovision Song Contest.

“Some of the guilds in Otaniemi can feel male-dominated and a bit macho. Students might feel that they won’t find other LGBT people or that they cannot come out in the big guilds. For them, GAYY is an easy place to come to,” says Jarna Verho, president of GAYY.

AYY’s association register is alive and growing all the time.

During 2018, in addition to the Aalto Formula Team, the ranks have been joined by, for example, the heat-enjoying Polyteknikkojen Saunaseura (the Polytechnicians’ Sauna Club), the Aalto Artificial Intelligence Society who focus on AI, and the Chinese Student & Scholars Association at Aalto University uniting students with a Chinese background.

Active association members are hoping that lots of new students would fearlessly investigate the activities. The threshold for joining has been made as low as possible. Doing an online search of the association’s name already gets you to a good start.

Many association websites offer the chance to become a member for free, and it is possible to keep track of your association’s events by following Telegram groups and newsletters, for example. Introductory evenings will also be organised for new members during the autumn.

But what will make busy students spend their sparse leisure time on association activities? Active association members mention that you can gain experiences through the activities which cannot be gained in lessons or even in the dos of your own special status association.

“Thanks to various video projects, I have attended events that I would otherwise not have gone to. I have been able to see all the cool things that can be accomplished by a large group of people,” says Tuominen.

“You see things actually moving forward here. We got the formula idea from nowhere around the end of November. Now, we have facilities, teams, sponsors and cooperation with the University. And the car design is progressing, too!” adds Kekäläinen happily.

“The best thing is networking and getting to know people from different schools through the association. My perspective on Otaniemi has broadened and I have noticed that I had no reason to worry. People really are very open here,” says Verho.

There are more than 200 subject organisations, guilds, sports clubs and hobby clubs operating in the Aalto community. Get to know the whole selection and find yourself a new hobby or a suitable club on the List of Associations page.