Student culture vol. 1: BBA studies at the beaches of Saimaa

LapTOp ry is a local association founded in 2005, that aims to improve the student life of students completing a BBA degree in Lappeenranta. Over the years, several different traditions have emerged for the association, and the development of culture has been influenced by several factors.

LapTOp's event culture follows the same pattern from year to year for certain events. Annual freshmensitz with changing themes, barbecue evenings and legendary traffic light parties are good examples of these! In addition to these, the association organizes several different events and occasions for its membership and strives to improve existing and develop new events every year! As the event culture has grown, it has also been influenced by, among other things, academic engineer culture, as in Lappeenranta the university of applied sciences and the university are located on the same campus in Skinnarila, about seven kilometers from the city center. The campus area is also known as Skinnarila Free State (SVV).

Lappeenranta's student culture in BBA student’s eyes differs strongly from the culture of other Finnish cities. The biggest factor in this is the collaboration with other local student organizations in both the polytechnic and the university, also known as the Skinnarila Spirit. Joint sauna evenings, interdisciplinary parties and joint sitz are made for all students, regardless of what each student is studying. During Mayday, celebrating with campfires on campus also creates community among Lappeenranta students. Karelian pride also shines strongly in our student culture, for example, with sitz and anniversaries, we always sing the Karelian song as the last song.

The annual highlight of student culture is Mayday, which is usually celebrated in Lappeenranta for about a month from the beginning of April to the beginning of May. In this case, there are student events almost daily, almost all of which are open to every student and student-minded! In Skinnarila, Mayday is the best time for a student!