UQ Program: Bachelor of Science
Hi, I’m Annika Nichols, a 3rd year BSc student and I went on exchange to the beautiful Uppsala University in Sweden for semester 1 in 2010. When I first arrived in Sweden it was covered with a thick blanket of snow! I spent my first White Christmas in the heart of Stockholm with my aunt and uncle drinking and eating warm spiced red wine, gingerbread, and saffron buns.
When I arrived at Uppsala University I was taken care of by my university-organised, buddy. During the first week there were many activities arranged by the Nations which are student-run, student-orientated organisations representing geographical regions of Sweden. Uppsala was easy to settle into and within the first week I was having a ball! There were always so many things happening, at the Nations, activities organised by a huge range of groups, clubs and people, and with my new friends from my corridor and courses. It’s great being able to meet all of these international students with different languages, ideas and food. You also learn so much about yourself and your own culture. Also there’s the possibility of visiting them, my lab partner and I got shown the full (well maybe quarter) tour of Finland when we stayed at our fellow lab partner’s place over a long weekend. Sweden is easy to travel from being a privileged member of the EU and because of the cheap Ryanair tickets. One of my challenges was trying to work out the very different course system in Uppsala while applying there, however there is help as long as you ask.
A few tips:
• Get involved at your Nation; it’s a great way to meet people!
• Definitely go to Gasques (traditional dinner feasts with awesome Swedish drinking songs)!
• Also keep an eye out for cheap boat cruise tickets with Tallink or Viking Line, a great way to pop over to one of the Baltic countries for the weekend with a couple of friends.
• Bring some vegemite, some things you just can’t explain.