I lived here during 2001-2003 and I still remember those days quite fondly. I don't understand why the trend for students is to move more towards single apartments rather than shared living. The opportunity to meet people outside of your social bubble is tremendous and I shared this Koivukylä apartment with a pakistanian doctor student whom we had amazing times with - the food he and his friend cooked for the ramadan evenings was amazing and his friend could recite all the relevant soundbytes from Predator by heart. I had absolutely no qualms living here - sure, the condition is ok'ish, but the rent was super cheap and the views especially from the higher floors were tremendous.
I had already been in the job market for many years and compared to a regular student, I was more well off money-wise and could've rented a single apartment, but experiencing a shared living accommodation was one of the best experienced I've ever done. Remember, at least when I was considering it, the people at HOAS got me in touch with the student who had moved out, who I called and he promised to hook me up with a current tenant. I called him and asked to see the place and meet the people I would be sharing with beforehand. There's no reason to not get to know your potential roommates before you sign the papers!