Exchange Report August December Linköpings Universitet

Transcription

1 Exchange Report August December 2012 Linköpings Universitet

2 Banking The main bank in Sweden was known as the Swed bank, the second most populous bank was the Danske bank. They operate just as any large bank in Canada with several ATM machines located around Linköpings and the surrounding areas for easy access. When I arrived in Sweden I had the equivalent of $1000 CAD in Swedish Kronor which was approximately 6700 SEK. This surprisingly did not last me long as the first few days/weeks you are overwhelmed with expenses in purchasing the necessities to achieve a comfortable standard of living. However, it was enough money to allow me to get settled in and figure out the banking system. I was always wary to use my debit or visa card to purchase goods or services due to the excessive international fees from my host bank TD, so as a result I would budget myself around 3000 SEK Swedish Kronor cash every two weeks. This would cover such expenses as food, drinks and travel. It is possible to open a bank account at either of these banks for international students however I would not personally recommend it; several students I met did open up a bank account however they were staying in Linköping for an entire year. Visas (Swedish Kronor Currency of Sweden) The study visa was a little more complicated, because I was an international student outside of the EU I was required to apply and register with the Swedish government in order to obtain a Swedish identification for the study period. You must initially apply online several months prior to your departure and receive approval based on several criteria. Once you have been approved it is recommended that within 2 weeks of arrival you visit a branch of the migration office and have your picture taken and documents processed. Fortunately for me the closest migration office was located in Nörkoping which was a short 40 minute bus ride from Linköpings University and because a secondary campus of the University is located in Nörkoping the bus ride was free with the presentation of my student card. Once I had my picture taken and the proper documentation delivered it took around a week for my identification to arrive in the mail. This ID was used as proof of age when entering a bar or purchasing alcohol.

3 International Services At Linköpings University there is a whole wing in the D building devoted to international students, one of the facilities is the international office where there is a friendly staff of I believe 3 members who assist arriving students with getting settled in and adjusting to culture shock. They were also available for any miscellaneous inquiries such as social events or sites to see in the city. The first 3 weeks they had a scheduled itinerary of planned events arranged for the international students including campus tours, crayfish dinner, BBQ s and other social gatherings designed to get the international students acquainted. The University did offer a buddy program where they would pair international students with a Swedish student known as a peer student I did not personally register, however I do know several other students who did register and they would meet once a week or so for coffee and biscuits and would generally assist the international student with adjusting to the new school and environment. (The international coordinators) (A welcome BBQ hosted the first week in Sweden) Orientation The orientation technically lasted around 3 weeks with scheduled events planned by the international office as mentioned earlier. This does not include separate orientation sessions for each faculty the faculty of Arts and Science which included business and the faculty of IT (engineering). Airport pickup was not arranged by the University as the largest international airports were located in Stockholm and Copenhagen which is approx. 3 and 5 hours from Linköpings respectively. Me personally I flew into Copenhagen international airport direct from Toronto then took a 5 hour train ride to Linköping central. From the central station in Linköping I took a taxi cab to the international office located at the University. Once I received the keys to my dorm located in Ryd and an orientation schedule there was a shuttle arranged to take students from University to Ryd (the student housing portion of Linköpings).

4 Campus Facilities The campus facilities were phenomenal and entirely adequate to meet the needs of the 30,000 student base. There were multiple library s situated throughout a campus that stretched over 1km in length. Accessing computers was not an issue as there were several computer labs located throughout campus, even printing was not an issue as you can print once you register with the Linköpings administration system. Having my own laptop during the course of study was essential and very highly recommended to bring. In my opinion there are no safety issues, Sweden has one of the lowest criminality rates in the world and on top of that the Linköpings campus is patrolled 24/7 by a security official. I remember at one point I was working late on a group project in the Key building where one of the computer labs is located and a campus security official approached us and asked for a valid student ID, if you were unable to present one they would ask you to leave the building. (University main campus in Linköping) Courses Due to my field of study at UOIT and the abundance of general/business electives you are required to complete I was free to choose any course that I was interested in and thus it was not an issue to make a suitable schedule. In regards to registration my advice would be contact Lisa Dobrosch she is the exchange student coordinator, she is very friendly and knowledgeable and will assist with any scheduling conflicts. The courses at Linköpings were considerably easier workloads with the exception of International Business. Most of the assignments and seminars were done in group work. The focus of Linköpings was largely Engineering/computer programming due to the technological aspect of the University, however, there were a large number of business students as well.

5 Teaching The teaching style is quite different from that at UOIT or any North American University for that matter. The classes are held around 3 times a week 2 lectures and 1 seminar for a total of 4 weeks and then at the end of the month you write an exam for the course. Another interesting aspect is you receive feedback within around 2 weeks of writing the exam with the possibility to retake a failed exam up to 3 times. Language Courses The only courses that weren t run in this manner were the part time courses which consisted of one, three hour lecture each week. The types of courses that were held in this manner included history classes as well as language courses. I personally was registered for Introduction to Swedish language part 1 every Tuesday evening from 5 8pm. The course began early September and ran until Early December approx. 3 months in length. The course was designed for complete beginners such as myself and run at a pace easy enough to follow. I had no prior knowledge of the Swedish language and managed just fine. Housing Facilities (Textbooks used for the Swedish language course) The host University does not organize accommodation; this was set up through a separate organization known as Studentbostäder. The housing in Ryd was more than adequate it was quite luxurious for student facilities. The housing consisted of a small apartment complex with several corridors in it. Each corridor would house 8 tenants; each tenant would have their own room of 20SqMeters as well as a coat room and private bathroom. Each corridor of 8 tenants would have a shared kitchen and common area also quite roomy. On top of that it was well priced I was paying approximately $425 - $450 each month due to exchange rate fluctuations; this includes a fully furnished room with heating and electricity. I couldn t have been more pleased with my living accommodations not to mention my corridor mates it was a great way to get a taste of different European cultures. I was quite fortunate in

6 obtaining my housing as I applied a considerable time in advance I believe around March for housing in August. I know several students who weren t as fortunate and had to locate their own apartment, most ended up just North of Ryd in a place called Skäggetorp. Laundry and cooking facilities are provided, the laundry facilities were quite nice and the machines even provided the laundry powder all of which is included in the rent. Cooking was done in the kitchen corridor where you are more than equipped with the resources to cook. From Ryd to the University it was approximately a 15 minute walk or a 5 minute bike ride that was one aspect of Europe that I enjoyed, the bicycle is the primary mode of transportation and as a result the roads are all bicycle friendly. The housing was available at the beginning of August and available until the end of December, with the possibility of extending the term of the contract. I did not stay in the housing over the holidays I left Sweden on December the 20 th however there is the possibility to remain there over the holidays as you can do what you like with the residency until the end of your contract. There is no meal plan on residence at first I was a little concerned as my cooking skills were quite weak but over the course of the semester they grew quite substantially due to many group dinners with other international students and through trial and error. Although there was no meal plan on residence there was a small cafeteria on the University campus as well as several coffee shops as fika (coffee and biscuits) is a common practice. The grocery shop in Ryd was very convenient, known as the hemköp it was located in the centre of Ryd about a 2 minute walk from door to door. I would visit the hemköp almost every other day. (Housing in RYD)

7 Costs/Expenses In regards to expenses as a general rule of thumb everything was more expensive than in Canada; this goes for all of Scandinavia. As I mentioned earlier the accommodation was very reasonably priced I believe it was around 3000 SEK each month which equates to about $450. Textbooks obviously vary depending on the subject my cheapest course book was I believe 250 SEK and my most expensive was 700 SEK or about $35 to $100. Local transport was again quite reasonable with the exception of the taxi cab which was grossly inflated. To take the bus anywhere cost you about $1.25 each direction. The train which will take you to just about any major city in Sweden varied depending if it was a high-speed train or an all stops train. It also varied on how early you booked your ticket if you booked your ticket weeks in advance it would be cheaper and gradually more expensive closer to the date of departure. That being said you could take a train from Linköpings to Stockholm approx. 3 hours for about $14. The taxi cab is another story for a short 5 minute cab ride from downtown Linköpings to Ryd you will be paying about $35, for a similar ride in Canada this may cost you $20. I made sure to take taxis as infrequently as possible. Food and groceries weren t unreasonable certain products were quite cheap comparatively for example milk in Sweden you could purchase 1.5L of milk for about $1.25. Entertainment was a bit pricey there was almost always a cover fee at bars and once inside the drinks were not cheap. One pint of beer at a bar ranged from $5.50 to $11. Another popular means of entertainment was the cinema it cost 100 SEK to see a film or around $ Student Health Services (Standard Swedish train, going from Linkoping to Stockholm) There is a health care unit on campus with several nurses for minor issues, they are readily available to answer any questions or concerns, and this service is free. For any larger concerns in which a doctor is required they will direct you to the medical facility in Ryd. I had to visit this facility once in regards to a wrist injury it cost me 1900 SEK just to have a doctor s appraisal or around $300. Fortunately this was covered by my insurance.

8 Social Events There are several group sports offered at the campus valla or `gym` you can purchase a ball sports membership which allows you to play unlimited amounts of these organized sports offered through the University. By simply registering you are granted 2 trial events I played Ìnnesbandy` which is like floor hockey, this was quite a lot of fun. On the weekend it is very popular to go downtown Linköping and spend the night in one of many night clubs or bars. It was quite easy to meet new people and expand your social network, as mentioned above the first month or so ESN hosts several `get togethers` and social events to get the internationals to mingle. So after the first few weeks most people have formed their groups of friends and cliques. For the most part the internationals associate themselves with other internationals but if you live in Ryd the majority of your roommates will be Swedish which I quite enjoyed as it s a great way to experience the Swedish culture and way of living first hand. But there is also much opportunity to meet other Swedish students apart from your dorm mates through such programs as the peer student also mentioned above or at any of the local bars or nightclubs. (Innesbandy) (Me and a group of internationals in Abisko, Northern Sweden) Study Tours & Field Trips There are several excursions offered through Scanbalt a student directed tour group. They are not mandatory but I would highly recommend at least one of them. Each trip was around a week long and cost about 350 Euros around $400. I personally signed up for a trip to Lappland in the north of Sweden and Norway. It was an unforgettable experience where I had the chance to see the northern lights.

9 What to Bring Passport, Camera If you forget something you can always pick it up in town so nothing was really urgent to bring. General Impressions As a whole I feel the time I spent abroad was invaluable, I picked up numerable life skills and feel I have grown as a person. My cooking has improved drastically and I feel I am an overall more confident person. I met some incredible people and hope to remain in contact with them for quite some time! I would highly recommend an exchange term to any University student during their undergraduate degree.