Kelly Benton: Uppsala University

Name: Kelly Benton

Degree: Bachelor of Science / Bachelor of Commerce

University: Uppsala University

Country: Sweden

Overall Experience:

I had so many highlights I don’t know where to begin. The best thing is the feeling when you return home, that you went on exchange, and only you know what it was like, you cannot begin to compare or explain to anyone else- because they will never fully understand!

Uppsala is a great place for students. The whole town is the University, that may sound strange but when your there you will see. There are 13 student nations which you can choose from to join. In these nations you can participate in all sorts of activities, from choir to soccer, to work and partying. Only students are allowed to enter, which makes it even better, because you all have something in common. They are always open for lunch, brunch, dinner, party, study, Fika (meaning coffee time) or just if you want a place to go with friends.

The greatest challenge about life in Sweden was the language. It was fun learning, and while most people spoke English, there are a lot of older people who struggle, so you need to be careful when booking tickets, accommodation, transport etc because that’s where problems arise.

Don’t be offended either if they don’t seem friendly, they really are, you just have to approach them first. Be patient, and make the most of every day, because before you know it- you will be home!

Travel Experiences:

Uppsala is a very, very old town and so there are a lot of things and a lot of history. The cathedral (Domkyrkan), Gamla Uppsala (the old Uppsala), the castle (Slottet) and the University main building (Universitetshuset). As I said before, you can also get the train/bus to Stockholm because it is only 40 minutes away and there is lots to see there also.

Kiruna, Sweden

One thing I highly recommend is to travel to the north of Sweden to Kiruna, 200km above the Arctic Circle! Here you can cross country ski, see the ice hotel, go dog sledding and most importantly, see the Northern Lights! If you do choose to visit, stay at the Yellow House Hostel, it is cheap, close to town and lots of students stay here.

Some general tips, I packed WAAAAYYY too much. If you are arriving in Sweden in summer, then purchase all of your warm clothes over there, its cheaper, and you will see all the nice coats there and wish you could buy them, if only you had room. If you are travelling around Europe, have a look at the Eurail pass, it will also save you money on trains.

Academic Experiences

I am studying a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) and Bachelor of Science (Nutrition). The subjects I studies on my exchange to Uppsala were Market Strategy and International Marketing.

My experiences studying both subjects were interesting and diverse, and contributed greatly to my overall exchange experience.

My first class, Market Strategy, was filled with about 70% Swedish students, 30% foreign, which was great. My friend and I were the “two Australian girls”, although most of them thought we were English or American. We were put into assignment groups of 3 Swedes to 1 exchange student. Most people will tell you that Swedish people are shy at first, but I found the majority of them at university had themselves studied abroad and so were more likely to approach you and help you out.

My second subject was International Marketing. This class was a lot smaller than my first, and was filled entirely with exchange students. This experience was totally different to my first class, as it was a lot more laid back.

I found a lot of small differences to UOW in Uppsala. There is a lot of group work (this can be good and bad), deadlines are not so strict, you must be punctual (classes start exactly 15 mins after the hour because Swedes are very punctual), you can take food into exams (at first I was shocked by this, as the first thing I saw was a girl fill her table with a shopping basket full of food), and classes run for about 2 hours a day, 3-4 days a week (but you end up spending your whole day there doing group assignments). I also found it a lot easier being able to focus on one subject at a time, rather than how we do it in Australia.

Housing

Our housing arrangements were made before leaving Australia. I stayed in Lilla Sunnersta with my friend in a 2 bedroom apartment. Although this was a brand new place, it was about a 10minute bus ride from town, and 20 minutes at nights and weekends.

I recommend future exchange students stay in Flogsta. This is where most the students stay. It is basically 10, 7 floor buildings filled with 2 corridors on each level that hold 12 students in each. You have your own bathroom, but share a kitchen, lounge room and the laundry facilities are not the best. Aside from all this, it is a really fun place to live if you want to meet a lot of people, and its about half the distance from town than Lilla Sunnersta. There is also a direct bus that runs late (no. 2).

Groceries cost around $60-80 per week, and I was budgeting. You can get by and I would say it is not too much more than Australia (I was expecting worse). I do warn you though that there is a LOT of lollies and chocolates so you may be tempted. This is probably where all of my money went too.