Kayleigh's Exchange to Uppsala University | Sweden
My name is Kayleigh and I studied abroad at Uppsala University in Sweden in Semester 2, 2019. At Murdoch University, I
am studying LLB/BA.
The key factors for myself choosing to study at Uppsala University were...
A little about Uppsala University...
I took Basic Swedish 1, International Politics, Comparative Welfare States and Global Challenges and Sustainable Futures (GCFS) while studying abroad.
The classes were largely comprised of exchange and international students, except for GCFS which was majority Swedish students.
The teaching was quite different!
Units were taught in 4 week blocks so I mostly only did 1 unit at a time. It’s
basically like doing units as intensives. While my schedule changed regularly I
quite liked the structure. I generally had a class everyday while the class was
on and they varied between 2-4 hours a day. Exams were mostly completed
electronically which was pretty cool. As far as the teaching, there is a rea very
peer-peer based learning approach focused on readings and sharing your
knowledge with your class mates. This meant that classes were very discussion
based which I found challenging to adjust to but interesting in how I retained
information.
A little about the city I lived in, Uppsala…
Uppsala is a small university
town, an hour train ride from Stockholm. It is a very beautiful, old,
university town. It is filled with mostly university students, and there are
always people out and about throughout the town.
There was a very convenient bus service that could get you around most places in Uppsala, but I mostly used the bicycle that I bought. The road infrastructure is extremely bike friendly, and it is a very popular mode of transport. I also was able to walk to most of the places I needed to get to in town from my apartment building.
My favourite places to visit were all the cafes where I could enjoy ‘Fika,’ a Swedish tradition of a sweet treat in the middle of the afternoon. There were also the most delicious burgers at Tuggs. The town has a beautiful old Cathedral that can been seen from most of town. It was always a highlight of my walk home. All the locals were extremely cool! Everyone was very friendly and helpful and they all dressed so well!
The best parts of my experience…
My favourite part of my exchange was the opportunities that arose to travel both in Sweden and beyond. I was able to travel to a few places in Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Estonia. I loved meeting people from all around the globe and learning and hearing about their experiences at home. I also just loved immersing myself in Sweden. I loved learning the language and learning about their way of life.
The town also has these places called ‘Nations,’ that are student organisations that each have their own restaurants, bars, cafes and even night clubs. They were great places to study, have meals, meet friends for drinks and held great events throughout the semester. The best events were the gasques which are formal dinners filled with singing traditional Swedish songs and drinking schnapps.
Some of the challenges about studying abroad…
The one thing I did have some trouble adjusting to was the shorter daylight hours. It was a bit of a shock and did take some getting used to. If I found myself struggling with the adjustment I tried to stay active or catch up with some friends. Distracting myself and also sharing the experience with others did make the adjustment easier. It also helped with the beautiful snow arrived!!
A little about my accommodation whilst studying abroad…
I lived in an apartment in an area called Flogsta. It is an area comprised of 16 student housing buildings. I had my own apartment room with my own bathroom. I shared a kitchen with a corridor of 12 others. I really liked my apartment, it was large enough to fit my bed, a desk and a couch so I felt like I had both some variety but also room for all my things. I organized my accommodation through the housing office at the university. If you are an exchange student, this is a very convenient way to organize as housing is guaranteed if you apply within the given dates. There are different options of housing at various spots throughout the town. I would say that although Flogsta is an option that is slightly further out of town, the community of international students and convenient public transport makes it worth it and a great option.
Funding my exchange experience…
Because I was receiving Youth Allowance from Centrelink at home and then was studying a full-time load in Sweden, I was able to continue receiving these payments. I also used personal savings to fund a lot of my program.
Whilst on exchange, I travelled to…
Before my exchange began, I spent a month in Italy travelling through Sicily, the Amalfi coast and the Cinque Terre. During my exchange I travelled to Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Västerås. I took an overnight ferry to Helsinki in Finland and travelled to Copenhagen in Denmark.
After my exchange ended I traveled
to Åre, northern Finland, Germany and Slovenia.
Advice I would give to someone considering studying abroad…
I would definitely say go for it!
The experience is unlike anything else and you will fall in love. It is such an
amazing way to see the world and a great way to learn another language, learn
more about other cultures and meet new people.
- Kayleigh studied abroad at Uppsala University in Sweden.
