Prodeko | Student paths to IEM

There isn’t just one right background or one right reason to apply to Industrial Engineering and Management. Some knew already in upper-secondary school that this was the field for them, while others found IEM only later.

Below you can read current students’ own stories of how they ended up at IEM, and what studying here has actually felt like.

Benjamin, second-year IEM student

In upper-secondary school I spent a long time thinking about which field was right for me. Technology and maths interested me, and my extended family included an engineer and even a statistician. On the other hand business school felt like a realistic, versatile option — I did well in my matriculation exams, but my grades weren’t enough to walk straight into medical school, and as it turned out, not into IEM either. I got interested in industrial engineering and management because it combined the things I was interested in, and how hard it was to get in gave the programme an almost magical hype. Back in upper-secondary I had no idea who Eero Eloranta was, what management consultants actually do, or how you’d found a startup — and you don’t need to know yet either. On my first attempt at the entrance exam I tied with the lowest accepted score. I thought getting in wouldn’t require any more studying from me, so I drifted for the next couple of years: first a year of military service, then a year of work. After several more attempts I did manage to raise my matriculation exam grades, and told myself that would be enough to get in straight through the certificate-based admission. Of course, it didn’t work out that way.

On my fourth attempt I finally got serious, took a prep course, and spent the whole spring studying for the entrance exam. The certificate-based admission came very close, but in the end my place only opened up in July, through the entrance exam. Even orientation week left a mark on me. I can honestly say I’ve never been part of a community as tight-knit, positive, open, inspiring, encouraging, hard-working and smart as Prodeko. My message to you is that hard work pays off, and even if your path to university isn’t the shortest or easiest one, what you learn along the way will benefit you in the future.

Iida, second-year IEM student

I’ve always been interested in many different things, but I was never quite sure what I wanted to work with in the future. After upper-secondary school I started studying medicine, because as someone interested in natural sciences it had long felt like the best option, even though I had thought about many other fields too.

During my first year, though, I noticed that business and broader societal themes had started to interest me more, and I also wanted more freedom and more international opportunities in my studies. Among other reasons, this is why I decided to apply to IEM, which I had already considered as an option back in upper-secondary school. I didn’t get in on my first try, though, so I studied another technical field for a year, and from there transferred into IEM through a programme switch. There are many different paths, so to any current upper-secondary student, or anyone else weighing up a field, I’d recommend following your own interests and applying boldly to whatever draws you in!

In IEM I’ve particularly enjoyed how varied the studies and courses are. Hands-on project work has brought welcome variety alongside the more theoretical studies, and I’ve also gotten to make use of my interest in mathematical subjects. Even though I was a little afraid of how much group work there’d be at first, I’ve actually learned to like it, because you get to solve problems together with motivated fellow students.

Mikael, third-year IEM student

In my final year of upper-secondary school I was pondering which field to apply to. Inspired by my family’s background in engineering and my own childhood spent building with Lego, I was already fairly sure that a technical field was my thing. As the joint application approached, I finally had to make some decisions. Without much deeper reasoning, I chose the school first and only then the field. Moving from the scenery of upper-secondary school in Pori to the bustle of a bigger city was appealing, and Aalto’s reputation made the first decision an easy one. Choosing the field was harder, since many things interest me. In the end I picked IEM as my first choice for the following reasons: first, IEM topics interested me, and second, if it turned out I’d chosen wrong, it would be easier to switch away from IEM than to switch into it from somewhere else.

Luckily I got in through the certificate-based admission, tied at the cutoff. I got to start my studies a year later, after military service. What I had imagined, in a romanticised way, IEM studies to be as an upper-secondary student turned out to be just one part of it, which I now know to call operations management. Among the gems of the IEM bachelor’s are the project courses in operations management and corporate strategy, where you get to solve real companies’ actual problems already in your second year of study. I’ve also shaped my own studies in a more technical direction, including plenty of coding and statistics.

What I couldn’t fully appreciate when applying is the Prodeko community. This group, which brings together all of Aalto’s IEM students, is an absolutely incredible source of inspiration, a resource and a safety net. I never would have believed I’d become the kind of person who dives head first into guild volunteering, but that’s exactly what happened. Neither the guild nor the studies have ever made me regret applying to IEM, not once. I can honestly say that applying to and getting into IEM was one of the best decisions and biggest achievements of my life.

Jenna, third-year IEM student

After graduating from upper-secondary school, I had no idea what I wanted to do when I grew up. I only knew which fields didn’t interest me, and very early on it was clear to me that I’d have to move elsewhere to study. I wanted to study something mathematical, and the University of Lapland didn’t offer that option. The only fields that sparked my interest were maths and business, but out of fear of losing my “first-time applicant” status, I didn’t dare accept any place. During my gap years I worked, moved to Helsinki, and waited for an interest in some specific field to surface.

During 2020, the Covid lockdowns made the job market unstable, and I started thinking more seriously about studying. An old friend of mine had mentioned, after that year’s joint application, that I should apply to study industrial engineering and management. Technical studies had never been presented to me as a serious option, and I had never even heard of IEM. I remember looking into the study paths available, and for the first time ever I felt that studies in a technical field could actually suit me.

I had already built my life in the Helsinki area for a few years and didn’t want to move away, so I ended up applying only to Aalto. I was intimidated by previous years’ cut-off scores, and writing a whole row of top grades in the matriculation exam felt like an impossible task. Very few people I knew had even written a single top grade, let alone a whole row of them. Before the joint application reform, only a few got in on their certificate, so back in upper-secondary I had decided not to focus on the exams and to concentrate solely on the entrance exam instead.

Despite my own doubts, though, after a spring of studying I was offered a place at IEM through the entrance exam. I wouldn’t have ended up here if I hadn’t wanted, quite strongly, to find my own field. I want to encourage others to take gap years too, if that’s how it feels right. Good luck with the joint application, and remember: nothing is impossible if you put in enough work for it!

Otso, third-year IEM student

Already in upper-secondary school it started to become clear to me that IEM would be my top choice. I’ve been interested in mathematics and physics throughout my entire school career, and in upper-secondary school the business side started to interest me more and more, so IEM was the perfect combination for me. The degree also offered an excellent route toward leadership roles at some point in my career.

The doors to IEM didn’t open right after I graduated from upper-secondary school; instead, I got a place in my second choice, engineering physics and mathematics. As soon as I’d accepted that study place, though, I already knew I would likely apply to IEM again in the following spring’s joint application. During my first year I managed to complete the courses shared by everyone quite well, and my logical thinking developed, which surely helped me get a place at IEM on my second attempt — and I haven’t regretted my choice for a single day since. So I’d absolutely recommend applying to IEM, even if you don’t get in on your first try!

Jaakko, second-year IEM student

At the start of upper-secondary school I didn’t think much about where my path would lead, but gradually I realised I liked things related to the economy and society. So I set myself the goal of getting into business school. As the university application approached in my final year, a second option also became clear to me: Aalto’s IEM programme. My family has a strong background in engineering, especially in IEM, so this felt like a natural fit as a field of study.

Compared to business school, it also had several strengths. Chief among them was that I felt my mathematical skills would be put to better use at IEM. On top of that, thanks to the smaller intake, students have a stronger sense of community, and IEM graduates’ career opportunities are nearly limitless. Getting in still felt far off to me, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, so IEM became my first choice. After a gruelling final-year spring of matriculation exams and entrance-exam studying, I found out I had missed the cutoff by one point and was third on the waiting list, so I accepted my place at business school instead.

Over the summer I started a year of military service, so school matters were put on hold for a while. As spring approached, I decided to apply to IEM again, but this time with much less studying — my entrance exam score came out to exactly the number of points needed to get in! The moral of the story, then, is that the only sure way to lose is not to believe in yourself.