UU Report form - Erasmus

Transcription

1 UU Report form - Erasmus faculty/college Social Sciences level bachelor master PhD name degree programme Psychology destination city & country Malmö, Sweden name host institution and/or Malmö University company/organization purpose Erasmus grant courses research work placement departure date 08 / 01 / 2014 (dd/mm/yyyy) return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 08 / 06 / 2014 You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation exchange/placement application process The application proces went quite smooth for me. Keep in mind the deadlines and then i heard everything in time. I also asked some questions trough which was no problem at all, so I would advise you to do so if you have any doubts. In my case they were very helpful and replyed quickly. counselling/support at home university Good academic preparation I bought the books before I went because i heard they were expensive in Sweden. Didn t work out, because when i arrived it turned out that the didn t even use the books that much and you could get copies. Inform with the staff or order them over there ;) language preparation none finances it's expensive to live in Sweden. The housing was almost twice as much as I pay here (+- 450). Also you should watch what to eat.. some things are cheap (markets), but other stuff is more expensive. Not drinking alcohol will save you a lot of money :P study/placement abroad period page 1 of 25

2 study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) The courses werent as hard as at home. They are very flexible (in my courses) with attending classes (you're an exchange student so ofcourse you want to make trips is what my teacher told us the first lecture). Other students had to read more, so i guess it depends on your course as well. the organisation is very good, except for the part that they change classes easely, also when the course has already started. academic quality of education/placement activities They don t really make a difference between HBO and WO in Sweden, so one of my courses was very very practical. The other course was more theoretical but they still don't expect the same as at home. For instance the referencing you could choose just do what you're used to. The teachers do have a lot of knowledge, but because of the limited time they get for teaching (my course again) I didn t get that much personal feedback counselling/support at host institution/organisation They are very easy and open. Just walk in if you have a problem or question. They are also very friendly transfer of credits don t know yet how this will work out. student life welcome/orientation programme They have a long fun orientation programme. I would advise you to follow the language course they offer during the introduction period. EVerybody does it and otherwise you just have nothing to do in the mornings. It's fun, easy going and you meet a lot of other exchange students accommodation I stayed at Ronnen, and would defenately advise you to also try and stay there!! You don t have to go out into the cold swedish wheather if you want to, because you live and party with al the other students in the same building. I'm not that good at making appointments with people and then this is ideal because you're always at the right place already. leisure/culture Malmo is NOT the swedish city you might imagine thinking of Sweden. The nature is not like the Scandinavian pictures (red houses, lakes, rocks and forests), but actually quite flat and open. Top side is that you can cycle everywhere :) The city is very devided because of all the different nationalities that live there. It's also still quite industrial. The harbour though is amazing :) When it is sunny you can spend endless days at the beach/harbour. suggestions/tips not really, orientate enough on the city, courses and alternitives before you make your choice. conclusions page 2 of 25

3 would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain Yes if you don t want to live in/near the typical Swedish nature and you're not going for die hard knowledge courses. I had a great time and loved having enough time to meet others and see more of the country. do you have any additional advice or comments? no page 3 of 25

4 UU Report form - Erasmus faculty/college Social Studies level bachelor master PhD name degree programme Psychology destination city & country Malmo, Sweden name host institution and/or Malmo University company/organization purpose Erasmus grant courses research work placement departure date 13 / 08 / 2013 (dd/mm/yyyy) return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 19 / 01 / 2014 You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation exchange/placement application process I applied for Uppsala University but finally I got to go to Malmo University counselling/support at home university Not that much. academic preparation none language preparation none finances Erasmus grant, savings, DUO grant, public transport compensation, parents. Sweden is more expensive than The Netherlands, especially going out for dinner/drinks. Some supermarkets are not that much more expensive (Willies) study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) I did Sports psychology and Academic writing and rhetoric. Were easier than courses at UU but interesting though. page 4 of 25

5 academic quality of education/placement activities Academic quality is a bit lower, most courses are easier but nevertheless very well-organized. counselling/support at host institution/organisation Everyone is very helpful and replies very quickly. I had several issues considering changed courses etc. but never experienced any problems with counselling/support. transfer of credits same, ECTS. student life welcome/orientation programme If you go the first semester there's a very good welcome programme, it lasts 2 weeks. I don't know if it's the same for the second semester. It's quite busy but you get to know most of the exchange students and make friends who are not on your floor for the rest of the semester. You have fun activities such as a beach bbq but also education-orientated activities such as a library tour. accommodation I stayed in Ronnen, the renovated part. In first instance I applied for Celsius Garden because according to other reports that place would be better, but I finally got a place in Ronnen. I would recommend everyone to stay in Ronnen (and I am not the only one) because most students are living there so that's where it all happens. In Celsius Garden there were a lot of older master students staying there for a longer period of time, and Sege park is far away and only 2 eramus students out of everyone were living there. Furthermore, I would choose the renovated part of Ronnen (floor 7,8,9) because, although its a bit more expensive, you have a nicer common area and it just looks much nicer in general. leisure/culture You have a lot of free time, in which you have the opportunity to go travelling (or you can just skip some lectures, most of the teachers understand that you are an erasmus student). I personally think Malmo is not that special (it's not a real student city) but you can have a lot of parties with the exchange students at Ronnen and go visit cities nearby. The beach area is very nice though and they have a lot of beautiful parques where you can go running, have a picknick or just spend some time there when the weather is nice. suggestions/tips Bring a router, there is no wifi in the student accommodations arranged by the university. Also bring a credit card, I didn't have one but a lot of things (like plane tickets, train tickets, hostels and stuff for trips you want to book) were only to purchase by creditcard. conclusions page 5 of 25

6 would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain Yes I would, but if you want to go to Sweden in general I would first try Uppsala, that's more a student city. Lund is also more a student city but there are litteraly parties everyday, so it depends a bit on what you want. do you have any additional advice or comments? I had a really great time in Malmo but try to get in Ronnen, that's where it was all happening in my semester! page 6 of 25

7 UU Report form ~ Erasmus faculty/college Utrecht University level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Psychology destination city & country Malmö, Sweden name host institution and/or Malmö University company/organization purpose Erasmus grant study/courses work placement departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 09 / 01 / 2013 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 25 / 06 / 2013 You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation exchange/placement application process Was really good. Malmö University arranges everything perfect and I got all the information I needed on time. This was the fact for both institutions, I got fast answers on my questions and they helped me when needed. counselling/support at home university The introductions were good and the international office was open for questions or a conversation about whether to go and where to go. I was satisfied with this service. academic preparation Good, not much academic preparation necessary for this exchange option. language preparation Also good and not much necessary. All the lectures are given in English and Swedes speak English very well. finances Ok. The erasmus grant is really good! But it is a lot of paperwork, I think this could be made easier. This is also the case with the OV-vergoeding. You can arrange the finances good on your own but you should think about much more costs than you normally have. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) The study is organised really good in Malmö. It's mostly clear where your classes are and what the topic will be. Although this depends on which courses you take. My second course was much better organised than the first. academic quality of education/placement activities Not that good. Compared to Utrecht I think the education in Malmö is much lower quality. counselling/support at host institution/organisation Really good. I felt welcome and in the introduction program it's made clear where you can go with which page 7 of 25

8 questions. transfer of credits No information about yet. student life welcome/orientation programme Good, a nice introduction program of almost 2 weeks in which you learn to know all the other exchange students, the university and a little bit of the swedish culture. accommodation Nice, but really expensive. The university arranges housing for almost all exchange students but the rents are incredibly high and only get higher during the semester. But it is really nice to live with so many other exchange people! leisure/culture There are a lot of trips offered to see more of sweden, scandinavia and other countrys. suggestions/tips Go on trips, they're really good. conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain Yes, everything is arranged really good and eventhough the academic quality is not high you learn a lot from the living abroad experience. I've had the best time here. Besides this is Sweden a beautifull country. do you have any additional advice or comments? page 8 of 25

9 UU Report form ~ Erasmus faculty/college social sciences level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Cultural Anthropology destination city & country Malmö, Sweden name host institution and/or Malmö University company/organization purpose Erasmus grant study/courses work placement departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 09 / 01 / 2013 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 09 / 06 / 2013 You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation exchange/placement application process This was very easy. The people at the international office were very helpful in completing all the required forms. In Malmö they are very organized so it was very easy to find courses and to sign up for them. counselling/support at home university The international office at Utrecht University was very helpful and quick to reply to any questions I had regarding my stay here. I was very happy with their help. academic preparation No academic preparation was required (beyond the basic requirements for exchange students) language preparation I did a Swedish course in Amsterdam before I arrived here so that I could do the intermediate language course in Sweden. All courses in Malmö are in English, though. finances Sweden is a pretty expensive country and I planned to do some trips, so I saved some money before leaving and I borrowed some more from DUO study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) It was very easy to find and choose the courses from the Malmö website. Applications were taken through an online form without any issues. academic quality of education/placement activities I noticed that there are huge differences between the courses taught here in terms of academic quality. Some would go on a ski-trip for the physical education course and get credits for this, while others had to study fivehundred pages a week for the peace and conflict course. I did Human Rights and I found this course to be page 9 of 25

10 quite easy, especially compared to the courses in Utrecht. counselling/support at host institution/organisation The Swedes are very helpful in general and the people at the university were no exception. I had no trouble at all with organizational matters. transfer of credits I have yet to see my credits transferred. student life welcome/orientation programme There was a two-week introduction programme for all the exchange students. Although the activities (mostly organized by ESN Malmö) were kind of predictable and boring, I had the best time meeting people from all over the world. I can't imagine a better way to start off an erasmus experience. accommodation I lived in a building called Rönnen, with five floors and 25 students on each. Everyone had their own bathroom. I spent most of my time with the people from my floor in the common area, and not so much at all in my room. 25 roommates sounds like a lot, but I ended up loving it so much that I wouldn't want to trade this for anything. leisure/culture Besides the parties and spontaneous activities in and around our accomodation, we did many trips to the neighbouring countries. I also joined the local floorball team, training every mondaynight. suggestions/tips Save some extra money to do trips. Copenhagen is a very small trainride away and the rest of Sweden is too pretty to leave unvisited. No one can prepare you for Erasmus as much as the Erasmus itself. Finding your own way is part of the experience and surprisingly fun. conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain I had the best time in Malmö because of the people I met and lived with here. If this same kind of accomodation was available in any other place the experience would have been the same. Malmö University did not meet my expectations as I found the academic level of (most of the) courses way too low. It's a great destination to go to to do trips and such, but not for academic development. do you have any additional advice or comments? Go on Erasmus. Do it. No one I met here has even for a second regretted coming. page 10 of 25

11 UU Report form ~ Erasmus faculty/college Social Sciences level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Pedagogical Sciences destination city & country Malmo, Sweden name host institution and/or Malmo University company/organization purpose Erasmus grant study/courses work placement departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 11 / 08 / 2012 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 20 / 01 / 2013 You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation exchange/placement application process Everything was organized by the University of Utrecht. There was a lot of information on the site. I've done everything step by step, just as it was mentioned on the site. I started to orientate on different countries that I was interested in. It became Sweden. When I was orientating on the courses I could follow at the different Universities, it became Malmo University. I have chosen the courses 'Physical Education and Sports from a Swedish Perspective' and 'Sport psychology'. counselling/support at home university After this preparation there was a lot of confusion about the Erasmus grant and different kinds of deadlines and forms that had to be signed. I had to send a lot of s about these confusions to make everything more clear. The forms for the Erasmus grant were finaly available in July, while a friend of me, who is studying at another University in the Netherlands, had this form already in May. So I really didn't understand what the problem was. academic preparation I didn't prepare anything actually. For my first course I only had to prepare myself for a hike in Norway by buying the gear for it. language preparation The literature of my studies is already in English so I got a language profinciancy from Utrecht University finances I saved 2000 euro in two years for this period to do a lot of things in Sweden. I also got the grant of Erasmus and the grant for my OV. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) I chose 'Physical Education and Sports from a Swedish perspective' and 'Sport Psychology'. So I had to sign up for these courses, but that was well organized at Malmo University. And because I really liked the Swedish page 11 of 25

12 language I took a second Swedish language course. academic quality of education/placement activities The academic quality of my first course was not that good. I thought it was more for fun and I learned how to do gymnastics and how to survive on a hike, but it wasn't a really high level for me. The lecture weren't of really high quality either. counselling/support at host institution/organisation For me it was really clear what to do and the University provided us with two introduction weeks to explain everything around the city and the university itself. transfer of credits I haven't heard anything about it yet. student life welcome/orientation programme The introduction weeks were really useful! You learned everyting about the university and its facilities. really well organized and I've met all the other international students during this week. accommodation The student housing in Rönnen wasn't that good. The rooms were good, with your own shower and toilet, but the kitchen was a big mess, the pans and the stoves were old and not really working anymore. And the common room was closed the first months. so we only had the kitchen to relax, but that was way too small for 30 students! leisure/culture Sweden is a beautiful country so I've done a lot of hikes in national parks around Malmö. ESN ( a student union for erasmus students) was offering a lot of trips. I have been to Lapland, and it was so amazing! The nature is so beautiful suggestions/tips do a lot of things with internationals and don't stay with the students from your home country. In the beginning it will be a bit hard to talk only in English but after a couple of weeks you will be totally happy :) conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain Yes this university is perfect when you want a break but still gain ECTS for your cours. The people in Malmo speak really well English and they are hospitally and will help you when you have questions. Furthermore Sweden is an amazing country with a lot of things to do, especially in nature. do you have any additional advice or comments? save a lot of money so that you can do everything you want to, to have the best view of Sweden page 12 of 25

13 UU Report form ~ Erasmus faculty/college Social Sciences level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Pedagogische Wetenschappen destination city & country Sweden, Malmö name host institution and/or Malmö Unviersity company/organization purpose Erasmus grant study/courses work placement departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 14 / 08 / 2012 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 18 / 01 / 2013 You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation exchange/placement application process Don't wait too long with this! In many cases you need a signature from the office in Utrecht. I don't live very near to Utrecht, so for me it needed a lot of planning! I got a lot of help with writing my motivation letter, which was very kind. Choosing a university was a bit difficult. My only demands was English language at the course. counselling/support at home university Sometimes not so good. The communication could be quite chaotic, or close to the deadline before you heard something. academic preparation I didn't needed extra academix preparation. My courses were an extention (my minor), and just connected to my knowledge. language preparation My English wasn't that good, but good enough to go to Sweden without extra preparation. During my stay there my English developed quite fast and I had no trouble with listening to the teacher or making my assignment in English. finances You get a lot of grants (in the Netherlands: stufi, OV-vergoeding and Erasmus, in total about 500 euros). But keep in mind that you want to do some thing over there. With the grants you can pay the rent and buy food (especially in Sweden, groceries are very expensive!). But you want to see the country, cities and make nice trips. This will cost you the most money! Be prepared for this, it is not as nice if you need to say no to all the fun things because you don't have money besides the grant. You will need your savings. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) Make sure your courses are proven right by the 'Examencommissie'. Otherwise you will have a big problem when page 13 of 25

14 you come back. academic quality of education/placement activities The academic quality was very low in Sweden, compared to the Netherlands. I was used to doing a lot, my own study is quite hard. But in Sweden, it was much more relaxed! A lot of time for your assignments, the pressure is not so high. But that was with my courses, other people at the university at other courses had it much more difficult. Really depends on the courses you choose. Also, my first course, Physical Education and Sports from a Swedish Perspective, was very practical. We needed to do a lot of sports ourselves, but not so much reading books and articles. But that didn't ment we learn't less. It was still very nice to be in a class with so much internationals! counselling/support at host institution/organisation The organisation and counselling was very good! The international office was really fast with answering on s with questions and problems. Never had problems with them! transfer of credits Until now no problems, but my credits are not transfered yet. student life welcome/orientation programme The orientation programme was really, really nice! The people of the international office were enthusiastic, nice, fun and outgoing. The programme was with a lot of activities. Also, it was Malmö Festival (a big event with music and dance, all around the city), so that was a really nice opportunity to meet everyone and get to know each other. They made the start and I had 2 wonderful weeks with a lot of fun people. accommodation We lived in Rönnen, a big building with 5 floors just for international students. Every floor had about 25 rooms, every room had it's own bathroom. Every floor had a common room and common kitchen. This was the nicest place to be. There was always someone there, always nice and cosy. Because all the internationals are together, it is so, so, so good to be there! There are parties on the floors in the weekend, and everyone will come. You bring your own booze, take the elevator and just join the party. After a month, you will know everyone! The people are so open, it's is really nice! Also having dinner is very nice. You will never eat alone. I made some friends and we would eat together every evening. Every evening we picked another floor (a floor where one of us lived) and had dinner there. so every evening we were in a kitchen with different people. There was also a tv in the common room, so a lot of movie nights with a lot of people. Just joined them and had a nice evening! And if you make good appointments in the beginning, the kitchen will be clean enough! leisure/culture There is a lot to do in Sweden! You are 30 minutes away from Copenhagen. Malmö is very nice in summer/spring, but is getting a bit boring during winter (raining) time. But a lot of trips can be made (especially because Copenhagen Airport is just 20 minutes by train). I went to Helsinki, Lapland, Norway, Denmark, Stockholm, Helsingborg and Goteborg. Just very, very beautiful! The culture is pretty relaxed in Sweden. A lot of peaceful rest in the nature. suggestions/tips Definitely go to Lapland! ESN Sweden organizes a lot of trips (to Russia, to Talinn and to Lapland). Here you will page 14 of 25

15 join a group of international students and just have a amazing trip. Everybody who goes abroad is social and friendly, you will never feel alone! Lapland was so beautiful! The culture is so special! Just enjoy the time here, because it will be over before you know it! Make sure you enjoy 100%! conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain For academic quality, Malmö is not the best place (though, depending on courses). But the city is great, living in Rönnen is wonderful and Sweden is really nice to live in! do you have any additional advice or comments? Be prepared for the prices of Sweden... page 15 of 25

16 UU Report form ~ Erasmus faculty/college FSW level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme ASW destination city & country Malmö, Sweden name host institution and/or Malmö University company/organization purpose Erasmus grant study/courses work placement departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 14 / 08 / 2012 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 20 / 01 / 2013 You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation exchange/placement application process The application process went overall very well. But it was unclear sometimes which person from the host institution I should when I had questions. To find accomodation was hard. counselling/support at home university The support at my home university was very good. This year there were some changes with the application process for the Erasmus grand, but the International Office handled that very well by my opinion and explained us a lot. The only thing which was not that convenient was when the IO was closed in the summer, just in the week before my departure. academic preparation I did not prepare myself academic. I chose Human Rights because I was very interested in it. The books and other study material I had to buy at my destination. language preparation In the first two weeks during my period abroad I had the EILC for the Swedish Language. However, I did not practise it any further because all the courses where in English (I was very glad with that). finances Looking back, I should have saved a lot more money before my departure. I didn't know Sweden was that expensive and also I did not expect that I would make that many trips (which was ofcourse great). Also, the books in Sweden are very expensive, I also didn't take that in account before my departure. Luckily, my parents where that nice to support me when really needed. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) I think my course (human rights I) was very interesting. The organisation was also very good. Only to get books and other study materials was unclear and hard to find. But overall the course was good. page 16 of 25

17 academic quality of education/placement activities The lectures where of a slightly lower level then I'm used to at my home university, but the books where of good quality. Also the fullday seminars where very interesting. counselling/support at host institution/organisation The host institution gave good support when needed to international students. Fortunately, I didn't need that much support. transfer of credits I gained 30 credits. I requested a transfer of records to the secretary of the departement there, but so far I am still waiting for it. student life welcome/orientation programme The orientation programma of 2,5 weeks was very good organised with a lot of usefull activities to make us know the university and the student life in Malmö, and especially to make new friends. I think they did a very good job on this part. accommodation There was student accommodation provided by the host institution for international students, but unfortunaltly there was not enough place. Even when I applied very soon for the student accomodation, I was not placed (it was picked randomly). I had to search myself on the internet for a room, which was very hard. A lot of people tried to trick you and just get money. In the end I found a room at the house of an older lady. It was okay, but I am glad I found friends at the student accommodation: I was there all the time. That is where people got to know eachother. Luckily it all worked out at the end, but in the beginning it was very stressfull to be alone at home, knowing that the other international students where together. leisure/culture Malmö was a very nice city to live, with a lot of things to do. When we arrived there was the Malmö Festival. Apart from the city we saw a lot of other parts of Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia. We made a lot of trips, which was great. suggestions/tips Before going to Sweden, students should save a lot of money. In the introduction weeks, just join EVERYTHING and just do a lot of trips, because you are only there that time. Be very open to everybody and everything. conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain Yes I would, because in general the things are organised very well (kind of like the way things go in The Netherlands), they speak a very high level of English, and you can make a lot of trips in Scandinavia. Apart from that, I think every destination will give you an amazing time, if you are with international students. :) do you have any additional advice or comments? Just make the best out of it! :) page 17 of 25

18 UU Report form ~ Erasmus faculty/college level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Psychology destination city & country Malmö, Sweden name host institution and/or Malmö Högskola company/organization purpose Erasmus grant study/courses work placement departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 14 / 08 / 2012 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 30 / 01 / 2013 You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation exchange/placement application process It went all very smooth, except for the housing. I got a room 4 days before I was about to leave. No big problems counselling/support at home university Good support, but the times that the international office is open are not very handy, and it is not enough either academic preparation None language preparation None finances I saved 1500 euros before my exchange, but I spend a lot of money in Sweden. Every month I had problems with finances. But it was worth it. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) My courses were academic writing in english, and Sports psychology. The last one was the reason for me to go to Malmö. Next to these I had a short Swedish Language course in the beginning. No issues. Everything went fine. academic quality of education/placement activities The quality in of education in Malmö was very bad. There were almost no contact hours and the assignments I had to do were very superficial. counselling/support at host institution/organisation there was enough support of you needed, but i did not need anything. transfer of credits page 18 of 25

19 I don't know yet how that works. I hope to recieve my transcript of records soon. student life welcome/orientation programme Awesome. I had the greatest introduction ever. We had good support, and a lot of activities. I met my best friends during this time. accommodation Good, but very expensive. With 30 students in one floor, sharing a kitchen. I really enjoyed that. The only thing was that we had no internet, which is unacceptable in a student house. leisure/culture No big difference. Swedes are a little more closed and cold, and they drink a lot of coffee. I liked that last point a lot. We had a lot of "fika". suggestions/tips None conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain I had a great time in Malmö, but the city itself is not special, and the quality of the education is not good. But this made that I had a lot of free time so I could have the time of my life. do you have any additional advice or comments? None page 19 of 25

20 UU Report form ~ Erasmus faculty/college Sociale Wetenschappen (Social Sciences) level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Pedagogische Wetenschappen (Behavioural Sciences) destination city & country Malmo, Sweden name host institution and/or Malmo University (Malmo Hogskola) company/organization purpose Erasmus grant study/courses work placement departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 14 / 08 / 2012 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 20 / 01 / 2013 You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation exchange/placement application process The application process was very clear: all the important deadlines were known far before the deadline, as well as the regulations and restrictions for apllication. However, there were some problems with all the forms that I send to the international office. When something is not correct, be prepared for fixing the forms again, which will take extra time. counselling/support at home university Because of the large amount of papers we had to prepare as a student, sometimes the application became stressful. However, the international office was aware of this and tried to be understanding. academic preparation Because the studies in Utrecht and Malmo did not relate to each other, I did not prepare myself academically. language preparation Before I went to Sweden, I did not take any language courses. In Sweden, as in the other Scandinavian countries, you will be fine by speaking English. The studies are teached in English and during day to day life you can always use English: Scandivian people are willing to do it, and really like it. finances I was able to pay for this (expensive!) trip by three different sources: my savings, a little grant I received from the Dutch Government, and the Erasmus Grant. Sweden, as the other Scandinavian countries, are expensive to live. Groceries (especially alcohol) are around twice as expensive as in the Netherlands. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) The study programma was a bit different from Utrecht University: at MAH you always study one course at a time, but the course lasts only 5 weeks in stead of 10 weeks, so you will have four smaller courses in a semester. However, the shorts courses are worth 7,5 ECTS, which means that they are quite intensive. In my course, Peace page 20 of 25

21 and Conflict Studies I, I had lectures weekly in big lectures halls, no weekly interaction groups. During seminars, there was some interaction, but it differed from Utrecht University. The study programme was quite intensive: we had to read hundreds of pages every week, had to attend seminars and lectures, which resulted in a 40/50 hours study week. The literature was recent, extensive and relevant. The examination was difficult, but covered all the literature. The lectures were complementing the literature, but also recent developments within the field were described. academic quality of education/placement activities My course was of a high academic quality: the literature existed of research articles. Also, MAH organized special seminars about academic writing. However, I have to say that the content and academic level of the courses me and my friends in Malmo attended, were very different from each other. Where I had to study 50 hours a week and write essays of 16 pages, friends of mine had to read some chapters and give their opinion in a 2 page paper, for which they had 6 weeks time. counselling/support at host institution/organisation I do not know about this, since I did not use any facilities of this sort. transfer of credits The credits I earned in Sweden are not transferred to my Osiris yet, but since the system in Sweden is the same (ECTS) as in the Netherlands, I do not expect any problems with it. student life welcome/orientation programme The university had organized two introduction weeks full of fun: you make friends, feel much more comfortable in this new city and learn a lot about the facilities that the univeristy offers. Where is the library, how can I print and where can I find my faculty? Besides useful information, the university offered fun activities, by which you also gt to know the city: a pub crawl, sports day and several parties. It was a great way to feel secure this beginning weeks. accommodation Unfortunately, I was not selected for university housing. Luckely I found a beautiful flat that was offered via the notice board of the university (you can find the notice board on the website of Malmo University: It was an old (but beautiful old) shared flat with 1 kitchen and 1 bathroom and 4 large rooms. Compared with the flats that the university offered, my flat was more clean and quiet. I was very happy about it, so I could focus on my studies, that were quite difficult. leisure/culture In Sweden, people call it 'Frihedsliv': the urge to sport, exercise, move, especially in nature. There are several national parcs in only two hours by bus/train from Malmo, where you can make hike trips. I was affected by this feeling as well: I began to start running in the beautiful parcs of Malmo. Also, Swedes may have the image of being a bit cold, down to earth, not very passionate. But when you get to know them better, they are very sweet and hospitable. And the Swedish kitchen is amazing: all the sweet cakes they eat with lots of coffee, very cozy during the dark winter days! suggestions/tips I took too much summer clothers and too less warm winter clothes. Summer in Malmo has pretty much the same page 21 of 25

22 temperatures as the Dutch summers, but be aware of the fact that it will only last for a few weeks after arriving. During the beginning of November, you already have to wear a winter jacket and warm pull overs. Also, snow boots are a must during the snowy weeks I experienced in December and January. conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain Yes I would. The country is amazing, but I traveled a lot to the North of Sweden, Norway and Finland (Finnish Lapland), because the environment of South Sweden is not very different from my home country, the Netherlands. If you want to get to know the rough landscapes, I would recommend you to go to a different destination more Northern. But, an advantage of the Southern parts of Sweden was the temperature: it was a more mild winter, in the North it is very dark and cold. Result is that you are less able to enjoy the nature. The university was really nice, a beautiful library near the sea and well organized courses. Furthermore, the city of Malmo has lots of upportunities to have a good time: bars, restaurants, shops, cinemas, but also museums, old buildings and of course a white sand beach. do you have any additional advice or comments? Bring enough money, especially when you want to make trips to the North or Russia (which is great to visit!) page 22 of 25

23 UU Report form ~ Erasmus faculty/college Social sciences level bachelor master PhD other name degree programme Psychology destination city & country Malmö, Sweden name host institution and/or Malmö University company/organization purpose Erasmus grant study/courses work placement departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) 12 / 08 / 2012 return date (dd/mm/yyyy) 31 / 01 / 2013 You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing! preparation exchange/placement application process Since I have been travelling for four months a few years ago I knew that I wanted to travel again, as soon as I would have the opportunity. So when I heard at the UU that studying abroad was possible in my third year, it was a done deal. In the beginning a lot of people told me that it would be quite some (paper) work to get the application done, this scared me a little. The hardest dessicion for me was deciding where to go, you really have to figure everything out yourself, what courses are taught where and what is possible where, this dissapointed me a little. After I decided on the location, Malmö, the paperwork started. It was quite some work to get all the right forms and signs but if you really want it and you are very active, it will all work out. You have to be pro-active. Once I heard that I was placed at Malmö University some new paperwork started. It was all ok but the Erasmus grant papers are really annoying and not clear at all. At the end it all worked out but I had to send a lot of s to get information. counselling/support at home university The support at the UU is ok, I was very dissapointed that they did not know which courses are at which universities. The only course that I wanted to do abroad was sport psychology so I had to check a lot of universities before I found Malmö university. It is impossible to take a look at all the websites of all the universities so I think the UU should have a list of available courses at each university. Apart from this, the support was good, I have had a lot of contact through . Only the erasmus grant procedure was very weird. All the other Dutch people I met here told me they arranged their erasmus grant in the spring allready without any problems. The UU told us that there were problems and at the end we had to do the paperwork in the middle of the holidays, verry annoying. academic preparation The people of the international office in Utrecht told us that Malmö University is of a lower level than Utrecht University so I did not prepare anything academic. I prepared mentally that it was going to be half a year of relaxed academics. language preparation I did not prepare any Swedish before I came here, because of the EILC we were going to do here. The EICL was very good and nice and made us come to Malmö pretty early. The course was good, I learned a lot and liked it. page 23 of 25

24 Although I do not feel like I can speak Swedish now. finances I had a lot of savings especially for Malmö, I knew that I wanted to do everything that was possible here, travelling. Sweden is really more expensive than Holland, this surprised me sometimes a little, it is really expensive to live here. The erasmus grant and the money of DUO is very usefull and saved me here. Especially the "OVvergoeding" makes the little difference that you need here. I am not going home with any savings anymore because of all the trips I made and the fun things I did bit for me it was totally worth it. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) In the beginning I had a big problem with my first course, "Physical education and sports from a Swedish perspective". This course is not academic at all and I did not learn that much. The only thing we did was gymnastics 3 times a week. We also had a hike in Norway and a canoe camp. These things were really nice but especially the hike has cost me a lot of money. I did not have any hike equipment and it was not clear when I subscribed for the course that I needed all this. The organisation of the course was really bad as well, the schedule changed a lot and nothing was clear. I would recommend this course for people who like to sport, hike and do outdoor stuff. But some things really have to be made clear on the forehand. About the costs and the not academic level. My second course is sportpsychology, this course is academic and a lot better, but still there are not many lectures and assigments. academic quality of education/placement activities See my former point. counselling/support at host institution/organisation The international office at Malmö Unversity was not very active during my stay in Sweden. I did not need them and when I did they could help me. So no problems but also no extras. transfer of credits The international office in Malmö told me that they would send my grades to the UU and that I did not have to do anything about it. I am really curious how my grades will be transferd because Sweden uses a system of A-F. So we will see. student life welcome/orientation programme The welcome programme in Malmö was really bad. The organisation that took care of it was ESN Malmö. The programma looked good but the organisation was not clear, rude and not nice. The activities were nice with the international students but certainly not because of ESN. accommodation The accomodation I live in is Rönnen, it is really expensive but ok. The room is big and furnished. The only bad thing is that we have to share a kitchen with 28 people, which is impossible I think. Because almost all the international students live in Rönnen the atmosphere is really nice. leisure/culture page 24 of 25

25 It is nice to see that there are not that many differences between Sweden and Holland. The people are quite similar, the languages are quite similar and the culture is quite similar but still if really feels like living abroad. I did a lot of travelling with ESN Sweden and on my own, I had all the time to do this because of the big gaps in my school schedule. The travelling really made my time here wonderfull, as well as all the international people. suggestions/tips Save a lot of money before going on exchange. Enjoy your time abroad to the fullest. Do not have to many people over from back home, this way you can not do enough nice stuff with your new friends abroad. Take a really good look at the courses you subscribe for, try to get in contact with people who allready did the courses, that makes a big difference. conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain I would recommend it but with a lot of extra information like I said before. The city is very nice and everybody has a good time here. do you have any additional advice or comments? page 25 of 25