Neo, a final-year student at Mattlidens gymnasium: “I’m fascinated by how things work, so I chose the sciences”

Neo Nyman is a final-year student at Mattlidens gymnasium general upper secondary school. During his upper secondary studies, he has been particularly drawn to the sciences. What he appreciates most about Mattliden is the school’s strong sense of community.

Neo Nyman is a final-year student at Mattlidens gymnasium general upper secondary school. Applying to Mattliden was a given for him: his home is just a kilometre away, and he originally started out at the same school centre at the age of four. “Deciding on upper secondary school didn’t take nearly as much thought as it might have otherwise. I’ve had the same group of friends throughout my school journey,” Neo says. “I’ve always had this strong feeling that I belong here,” he adds.

For Neo, the best thing about Mattlidens gymnasium general upper secondary school is the community and the fellow students. “It’s a big school with a lot of diversity: everyone can find like-minded people here,” he explains. Neo’s fondest memory from upper secondary is the second-year students’ dance. He particularly remembers how the whole school pulled together. “The ball came together so well as a whole: all the practices, the celebrations and the actual dancing.”

At upper secondary school, Neo has been particularly interested the natural sciences. He says he has been strong in a variety of subjects. The natural sciences were an obvious choice – they provide a broad general education and are highly regarded when applying for further studies. On top of that, Neo has been curious about how things work ever since he was a child, which is exactly what science is all about. “Since these subjects are a strength of mine, why wouldn't I take as many of them as I can?” Learning was made easier by having old friends on every course who were there to help whenever something was difficult.

In the autumn matriculation examinations, Neo took chemistry, English and Finnish. He prepared for the chemistry exam over the summer by taking a preparatory course for upper secondary school students run by Thorax, a medical students’ association. Neo wasn’t particularly nervous about the autumn exam session, as he had already taken the biology exam in the spring of his second year. “I started revising for the biology matriculation exam early in the year. I’m sure I revised less than a lot of other people, but I’m a quick learner and things just stick,” Neo says. In the spring of his final year, he will also be taking the exams in Finnish, advanced mathematics, social studies – and possibly physics. Neo sees sitting the social studies exam as a bit of a bonus: he will only take it if there is no need to resit chemistry to improve his autumn grade.

The natural sciences are also closely linked to Neo’s plans for the future. Throughout upper secondary school, he has been leaning towards applying to medical school in particular. He had previously considered engineering programmes at Aalto University, but the idea of studying medicine has grown stronger.

The final year of upper secondary is something special. Neo is looking forward to the end of his school days and penkkarit (the school-leavers’ celebration), the graduation cruise and other festivities – all put together in collaboration with his fellow final-year students.

While Neo is already on the home stretch of his time at upper secondary, ninth-graders are only just weighing up their options. Neo encourages them to explore different schools and apply based on their own interests, rather than just following friends. “If you have a particular interest, find out where the best opportunities to study it are, and apply there,” Neo advises.