Help I am in Love with Sweden Now Past Review
By A student (The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 08/24/2015 to 06/07/2016 with
Uppsala University: Uppsala - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Absolutely worthwhile. Now have the courage to move to a new place alone and know I can make it. Learned to love learning languages.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Loved all my classes. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Nothing is ever open at the University Administration buildings (really strange hours) which made contacting them difficult. However were helpful once I figured out how to track them down. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Very nice |
| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Student nations made it easy to socialize, however challenging to make Swedish friends. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Very easily accessible, I broke my hand, got mono, got strep throat....all was taken care of with ease. |
| * Safety: |
Much safer than Austin, I always feel very insecure in West Campus, but not in Uppsala. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Absolutely, I wish I could stay. |
Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Sweden is insanely expensive. Cost a lot of money to spend a year here. Especially because of the lack of winter gear owned before I moved here. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 150-200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Buy winter clothes in America, if you know what you are doing |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Swedes love to show off their english skills, making practicing difficult. I found the Swedish course very slow paced. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | In Swedish, none. |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Force Swedish on the Swedes you interact with. They will not offer. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | How expensive it would be, and that nearly all my classes would be masters level. Additionally, the grading system miscommunication was incredibly frustrating. I have received VG for most of my classes, the highest possible grade on the Swedish system which means that I excelled beyond expectations in my course, but this is still only transferred to a Bplus due to UT's taking of the ECTS score and then using a linear grade conversion. While I received many generous scholarships, it was still a significant financial burden on my family for me to study abroad. I do not believe a student less fortunate than myself could realistically study abroad in Sweden without more financial help. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
