UQ Program: Bachelor of Arts/Science
I studied 3rd year biology courses at Uppsala, but also study maths and psychology at UQ in a Bsc/BA. The courses I took at Uppsala were Neurobiology and Toxicology. I enjoyed both, particularly due to the interesting lecturers, the small class size (10-20) and large amount of feedback and discussion. Plus the content was generally pretty interesting, neuro being a lot more content heavy. And with English as your first language, they pretty much fall in love with your lab reports :D. It was easy enough to find the courses, this just requires some patience. Matt Greig, UQ´s contact at Uppsala, is great with giving help, just ask him.
The student life in Uppsala is awesome! Club nights at student-only clubs most days of the week, as well as pubs. When spring hits there was an overdose of BBQs as the weather is so nice and everything is so green. In winter there are plenty of 'fika's (coffee and chatting). I think everyone makes some pretty close friends while in Uppsala. I stayed in a large corridor (Dobelnsgatan 2AB) with only international students, and this was great. I made some great friends from lots of countries (mostly Europeans).
Outside of Uppsala, I ventured up to Lapland (the north) in March, when there was plenty of really deep snow (so fun! But I'm a bit of a child in this respect!). There´s great scenery up there – mountains, frozen lakes etc. Also I did a bike trip around the south of Sweden. There´s some beautiful countryside and lake scenery there.
In terms of living expenses, it is not so different from Brisbane. I´d say only slightly more expensive. Go to the big supermarket, Willys, and buy an ex-student bike instead of bussing, and its not so pricey to live.
One great thing about exhange is that it allows you to be completly removed from your regular Australian life, which can help you think for yourself as well as see how people of other cultures think.
Two tips I'd like to give are: 1) Maximise experiences – get in the snow, work at a student club, travel (The rest of Europe is close and very accessible) etc. 2) Socialise and open up to some potentially really great friendships. Get into it in the first week – it seems most friendships are made then. And international students really want to make friends just as you will when you first arrive. My most fond memories are seeing spectacular scenery, doing crazy things like jumping in the river or the snow, and having laughs with friends. Life is finite!!