True Life: I lived like the Swedes do Past Review
By Allyson C (Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication., Illinois State University) for
Uppsala University: Uppsala - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I gained more knowledge about myself! i learned how to truly live on my own.
Review Photos
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
In Sweden classes are taken one at a time. which is different from having class all week for hours at a time all semester long in the US. Also in Sweden it's a lot of independent work while at ISU the professors influence you and how much you learn more. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everyone was very good about emailing back on time and answering our questions but the problem was i had to ask a lot of questions. we weren't presented with a lot of information about our program in the beginning. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Flogsta is a living complex like none other. it's a large student based community and i had a great experience there. the bed desk shelfs and night stand are provided. you have your own room and bathroom and share a kitchen with 15 others. i had to buy many things to settle in: towel, pots, plates, cups, sheets, pillow, and most important a heater for the room. the rooms get really cold. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The Nations are where the students go out at night. Also Valbourg is a huge Swedish festival that celibates spring time and the end to a dark cold winter. Valbourg is a cultural experience like i've never seen |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Sweden is an extremely safe place. The whole time i was there i probable saw a police man 5 times. I felt safe biking at night or even walking home from being out. when i first got there the sun sets at 3pm so one must get use to doing everyday things while its dark out. as far as health i never went to a doctor but when i was sick i went to a pharmacy and they are super helpful and i was able to get medicine to help me get better. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | thats hard to say because every week is different and every person is different. I really tried to spend no money and save it all for food and such for the trips i took. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | even though you wanna be lazy and not make food. save the money and go grocery shopping. going out to eat is too expensive. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | One that enjoys a relaxed environment with a lot of free time. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Media Development |
| Course Department: | Media Department |
| Instructor: | Patrick |
| Instruction Language: | English. but is from Germany and now lives in Sweden |
| Comments: | this was the most rewarding class i took out of all the classes. it was a class based on presenting present day media programs. all the presentations were done in groups and being paired with students from other countries i was able to learn more about them and their culture. it was easy for me and my group members to get off track by just talking about the way there country presents media and there tv channels and radio. lastly every group every week chose a different country and i was interesting to hear about media projects from all over the world. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | no |
