Rizky's Exchange to Uppsala University | Sweden
I am Rizky, I went to Uppsala in January for my unforgettable spring term in 2015. I chose Uppsala as my place to study abroad because I have heard before that Uppsala University is one of the leading universities that offer very good Peace and Conflict Studies, which was my main set of units during my semester. Spending my semester abroad in Uppsala was the best decision I have made so far in my bachelor study, because it was Legen…wait for it…
Let me start off with the studying environment in Uppsala. Things are not very different with what I used to have in Perth. However, the highlight of studying in Uppsala is that they have continuous, one-after-the-other system of studying each subjects per month instead of studying all subjects in parallel for the course of the semester. This made studying more focused and encouraged because the schedule for the whole month is somewhat more packed, but at the same time relaxing because I did not have to think about other units, yet.
Next, the student life (yay!), which in my opinion was way absolutely amazing. Uppsala have frat-house-alike student union which we call the Nations. There were thirteen nations spread across Uppsala, and as a student we can choose to join one (or more) of them. These nations offer daily pubs and restaurants, from breakfast to dinner, and once a week club-night (unless there are other events). So in a week, there could be at least 5 to 7 clubs held by different Nations. These entertainments and venues are places for student to meet up and hang around with friends (and possibly new friends). Apart from this amazing stuff, student Nations are also place for students to get busy outside their academic activity to join certain groups and/or clubs such as, choir, drama, music performances, etc.
Now, the city and its surroundings. Uppsala, in my opinion was very cold and small, but lovely and beautiful. January and February, when I was there, were covered by snow; cold, windy and depressing at the same time, with only few hours of sunlight, made every day seem harder to go through. But when it comes to March and April, things were slightly better, with rains started to pour down and daylights were longer, though it was still cold. May and June, supposed to be the mark of summer, but in Uppsala, a full-day of sun and all-beautiful weather was very rare. If the forecast says it will be sunny all day, you’d better get out and enjoy while you can. The students housing are spread across and surround the city centre. Since the city itself is small, everywhere is reachable by bicycle in 10-30 minutes of riding and the public transportation network is very reliable if you would like to take the bus, though the monthly ticket is far more expensive than buying a bicycle.
Last part, the amazing opportunity of travelling! Studying abroad in Uppsala opens up the opportunity to travel around Europe. With very affordable (super cheap) airfares, travelling to one point to another in Europe is very easy. Among other places, I went to London, Vienna, Berlin, Venice, and Malta. Exploring the European countries were far more easy and affordable compared to travel domestically in Australia.
All in all, my experience studying abroad in Uppsala was unforgettable, eventful, and fantastic. The city, new friends, student life, and travelling across the continent was very pleasant experience I had this last semester. And if I were to conclude my semester in Uppsala, it was… Dary… LEGENDARY!
- Rizky studied abroad at Uppsala University in Sweden
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