UQ Program: Bachelor of Science
 Academic experiences: Teachers and study advisors within the biology department at LU were always really helpful and approachable. Enrolment and changing courses was really easy. I tried out several courses at once and also joined in on field excursions for those courses I was interested in but could not fit into my schedule (River Restoration (BIOR42) and Water Management (BIOR33)).Conservation Biology (BIOR37) was a bit slow paced, but it was also thought-provoking and valuable. Hearing about conservation biology from people from all around the world (the perspectives of teachers and students in discussions) was fantastic. Mountain Plant Ecology (BIOR62): I spent two weeks as part of a small group (14 students, 2 teachers) staying in the Swedish mountains, hiking each day to different locations and learning to identify the plants found there. I loved this experience, being outdoors in a beautiful place so utterly different from Australia, with a great bunch of people. The course was held in Swedish, and although I understood a lot of what was said, both teachers and the other students helped me in English when I needed it. There is something special about a field trip experience in bringing people together – a great sense of comradeship and sharing both the fun and challenges. The Swedish language classes (SUSA, SVEE01 and SVEE02) were fun and useful but would perhaps be too much when taken at the same time as another course.
Personal experiences: So what did I actually do here in the land of Swedes? Meet unforgettable people from across the world, learn to speak Swedish, eat salty licorice, party, dance the nights away, go to festivals and concerts, try to stay warm in sub-zero temperatures, have snowfights, build snowmen, slide down snowy slopes, hike, camp, bird-watch, travel through Europe and generally have a glorious time!
Some of the things I got out of it: greater independence, fun, freedom, adventure, friendships, songs and stories, an appreciation of what it is like to live in a different part of the developed world, learning another language (really valuable, I now know what it feels like to have trouble understanding and expressing yourself, being afraid of speaking, but also the fun and satisfaction of getting past this and speaking anyway). Going on exchange to Sweden allowed me to escape for a while, to be free of work, routine, expectations and away from everyone/everything I knew. The sense of freedom I experienced on exchange was exhilarating – allowing me to dare to do things I might never do back home. I remember often thinking “why not? I am leaving the country anyway” and not worrying about what other people think - it is ok to be different because everyone (all the exchange students) is different, and there is no need to fit in when you are just a temporary foreigner.
Sweden and Lund University has been a great choice as an exchange destination, and I highly recommend it. However, I suspect I would also have had an amazing experience anywhere.
TOP TIPS:
- Join a Student Nation. I joined Sydskånska, but also liked going to Smålands and Wermlands Nations. I’m glad I joined, but overall didn’t really like the emphasis there is on belonging to an exclusive group. You can choose to be involved as little or as much as you want: just going to the occasional event or volunteering your time working in exchange for food/drinks and parties. I volunteered cooking and serving at a lunch which was great.
- Bring with you (although you can buy this stuff in Sweden, everything is more expensive): warm, wind and waterproof clothes (long underwear, good rain jacket and waterproof pants, waterproof shoes, gloves, beanie), if you plan on camping/hiking: a warm sleeping bag, waterproof hiking boots and a mosquito net and hat.
- Stay a whole year or for extra time after the study semester, especially summer, learn some Swedish. Lund is a university town which changes dramatically in summer when all the students ebb away, and my travels after having
 been here for 6 months were easier and more rewarding because I was a bit familiar with Sweden, spoke some Swedish and had friends to help me.
- Arrange accommodation before you come, there is no guarantee you will find something and it is not easy to do so, the accommodation shortage is real. If you want to stay the first night/s in the train hostel when you arrive – make a booking!
- Saving money (Sweden is expensive): use the student nations, buy clothes and household stuff from the many second hand shops in Lund and Malmo, at loppis (summer flea-markets, e.g. along Södra Esplanaden on Saturday mornings) and using www.blocket.se (second hand goods website, in Swedish but try using google translator and an online dictionary www.tyda.se ), borrow from and share things with friends to avoid buying stuff. Consider dumpster diving, it’s quite popular with students in north-western Europe as a way of saving money and avoiding waste… although it might actually be illegal in some places.
- Get a bicycle and you can cycle almost everywhere! I recommend Göran Andersson Cykel (near the red church) for a good second hand deal (they will have made sure the bike is functional and safe and will buy it back when you leave for around 50% of what you paid).
- You do not have to get drunk to have fun in Lund. There is an emphasis on drinking/partying in student life here, as fun as that is, most of us want other things too. Some other options: quiet cosy cafes (e.g. Café Ariman between Stortorget and the Domkyrkan), great museums, exploring nearby cities (Malmo and Copenhagen are more cosmopolitan and less student-dominated than Lund), free live music and films (e.g. Debaser in Malmo free if you enter before 9pm, and Sydskanska Nation film café on Sundays), brunches at the nations, picnics in the botanic
 gardens (glasshouses in winter, outdoors in summer), cycling around the countryside (e.g. to Lomma beach), pot-luck dinners/parties.
- Enjoy nature! Camping and hiking is so easy in Sweden. In contrast to Australia, there are few things here that will hurt you (no lethal snakes etc). The right of public access (“Allamansrätten”) means you can camp almost anywhere for one night, for free and there are great facilities (often sleeping shelters, well-maintained walking tracks, even firewood and toilets provided in nature reserves). Some of my favourite places include: Kullaberg National Park, Stenshuvud National Park, Falsterbo, Häckeberga and also just many of the lush green parks in Lund and its surrounds. A great book and map of Lund and the surrounding area is available from the tourist office (it’s called “Natur för alla”).
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