8. What subject area/s did you study during your exchange? economics. 11. How many years of study had you completed before going on exchange? 2.

Transcription

1 Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange Report Person 29 Basic Information 1. Name Jimmy 2. address: 3. Exchange university the University of Sydney 4. City Sydney 5. Country Australia 6. First semester of your exchange Swedish spring semester (VT) 7. Academic year 2013/ What subject area/s did you study during your exchange? economics 9. Level of studies at the exchange university Undergraduate 10. What are you studying at Uppsala University? economics 11. How many years of study had you completed before going on exchange? 2.5 Studies 12. Tell us about your studies on your exchange. If you are stuck for ideas you can for exemple write about: The differences between Uppsala University and the exchange. What were the teachers like? What courses would you recommend (or not) for future exchange students? The relationship between teachers and students. The academic level and quality of your courses. Access to computers. Examinations... For me, the biggest advantage from studying at university of Sydney is the wide range of units i had to choose from. Being a third year student and already having a solid foundation in my major subject i could choose to either deepen my knowledge in a particular branch or widen my education with another subject, making it perfect for exchange. However, this was probably also the biggest challenge initially. Without knowing differences in level, academic styles etc. choosing units from a catalogue of hundreds was a bit tricky. There is a trial period so if you realize during the first few lectures that a certain subject is not for you, there is an opportunity to change it. The system is a little bit different from the way I am used to in Uppsala. In Sydney I took four units simultaneously where as in Uppsala I usually study them one at the time. Moreover most subjects in Sydney have several small examinations and not just one exam. As a rule of thumb I think you can say that first year subjects have more assessments and examinations and third year electives has fewer. Better or worse is everyones own opinion I suppose. As for the level of difficulty I think they were similar to Uppsala. It differed slightly between the subjects. For me the more senior units were more giving, more interesting and I got higher grade in them. I took two (out of eight) first year units and they felt less inspiring and the grading felt a bit arbitrary. Orientation and reception 13. Tell us about how it was to arrive and settle in. Australia, and Sydney in particular, is great in the sense that it is very easy to settle in and get into the culture. Perhaps because of its multicultural demographics Im not sure but people are friendly and dont hesitate to talk to Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 88 av??

2 Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange report 2013/14 Person 147 Basic Information 1. Name Moa 2. address: 3. Exchange university Sydney Uni 4. City Sydney 5. Country Australia 6. First semester of your exchange Swedish spring semester (VT) 7. Academic year 2013/ What subject area/s did you study during your exchange? Human rights/ Indigenous studies/spanish 9. Level of studies at the exchange university Mixed undergrad/postgrad 10. What are you studying at Uppsala University? Human rights 11. How many years of study had you completed before going on exchange? 5 Studies 12. Tell us about your studies on your exchange. If you are stuck for ideas you can for exemple write about: The differences between Uppsala University and the exchange. What were the teachers like? What courses would you recommend (or not) for future exchange students? The relationship between teachers and students. The academic level and quality of your courses. Access to computers. Examinations... The studies had the same quality as at Uppsala uni. I studied units on level 200 up til 600 and that means that the classes were fairly small and I got to know the teachers. The atmosphere was relaxed, not stiff but at the same time high quality. In general I received more feedback than at the Swedish unis. I did not have any exams I had assignments, presentations and small tests and big essays. I liked the mix. I recommend the unit: Race, Racism and Indigenous Australia, KOCR 3602 (or other KOCR units). When living in Australia it is important to learn about the life and history of the aborginials! Today they face discrimination, and many people hold prejudice against them. As exchange students it is enriching and important to know about the history of the place were we arrive, to better understand the politics and structures of that society. Orientation and reception 13. Tell us about how it was to arrive and settle in. Easy! Aussies are used to people from different cultures. Get the student card as soon as possible to get the discount on buses and trains. They are super strict if you don t have the student card. Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 443 av??

3 Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange report 2013/14 Accommodation 14. Describe your accommodation. What type of accommodation did you have, where you satisfied? Do you have any tips for future students? I stayed at Mandelbaum house, a college house connected to the Uni. It was the smallest one, with only 35 people staying in it. I liked it a lot, since we had many interesting lectures there and I got to know people from all around the world. Since I am a bit older (28), in the end I would have preferred to stay in a shared house, and that would have been cheaper as well. My last weeks I stayed in a shared house and that was loads of fun, in a different way to the college. Your finances 15. Describe the cost of living. Did you find CSN adequate? How was the rent in comparison to your rent in Uppsala? Did you undertake part-time work in addition to your studies? Rent is super high at least dollar / month. In the college I paid apprx 500/ month but that included food and some fun excursions. CSN and an extra scholarship were necessary. If I would have planned better I should have worked a bit on the side... But in the beginning I did not have time for that mostly due to parties and fun things going on. Free time 16. What did you do in your free time? Did the university arrange any special activities? Where there any activities specifically for exchange students? Were you happy with what was on offer? I had sooo much fun! Sydney is a multicultural city and there are lots of things to do! Nice restaurants and areas like: Newtown, Erskinville, Surry hills, Randwick, Bondi and Glebe. I joined a vegetarian club (Sydney Vegan club) and some other associations where I got to know most of my friends. The uni arranged activities, but I did not attend those, since the college (Mandelbaum) arranged some too. My favourite café is Shenkin in Erskinville. Eat their shashuka. Some places to visit: the Zoo, Museum of Contemporary art, the Bar 36 at 36th floor of Shangrila Hotel, the Swedish café FIKA in Manly and Sven s viking Pizza in Coogee. Your exchange on the whole 17. Please sum up your exchange experience. If you have any other tips for future exchange students, or any other comments feel free to include them here. A life changing experience! I have got friends for life and grown as a person. I gained confidence in academic writing and in speaking in English. The exchange is definitely one of the best things I ve done in my life, and I already would like to go back and study more, to further improve my skills and to spend time with all my Sydneysider friends. Approval 18. Your report will be available for future exchange students in printed form at the International Office and will be sent by to individual students requesting it. Do you also approve the publishing of your exchange report on Uppsala University s website? Yes 19. Do you have any photos you would like to upload and include in your exchange report? Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 444 av??

4 Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange report 2013/ Please tell us a little bit about the picture/s. Watsons bay, with the view over the city. I celebrated my birthday there at a cozy place by the water. Sydney is a city by the ocean. 21. Publishing of pictures I approve of my pictures being published and used in Uppsala University s marketing of international exchanges Thank you for submitting your exchange report! Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 445 av??

5 Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange Report foreigners. We had an initiation week with a bunch of activities set up on campus. I didnt really get much out of it, but to be fair I didnt go all in to do so either. I highly recommend to join some sort of club or activity to meet people and settle in faster. I joined a football team from which I made some of my closest friends during this year. Accommodation 14. Describe your accommodation. What type of accommodation did you have, where you satisfied? Do you have any tips for future students? Finding a place to stay is not hard compared to Uppsala or Stockholm, however finding a nice, affordable home is very hard. Rents in Sydney are sky high so be prepared to either share a room, live further out or pay more money. I manage to get a good deal I think in a share house close to school. I paid almost double the amount I did in Uppsala, but thats just the way it is. The area I lived in is great! Its called Newtown and is a trendy, artistic area in the inner west. A lot of exchange student prefer to live close to the beach, such as Bondi, which is great if you know you will get up an travel an hour and a half every morning. If not, Newtown is a great option, just up the road from the main campus of university of Sydney. I found my place through gumtree ( like Swedish blocket) which is the easiest way to go. My advice is to give yourself time to search before you start school and dont freak out first few days when everything you find is crap! Your finances 15. Describe the cost of living. Did you find CSN adequate? How was the rent in comparison to your rent in Uppsala? Did you undertake part-time work in addition to your studies? Living costs are high, but so are they in Sweden so the difference isnt too bad. Your student loan will probably be fine depending on how you intend to live your year abroad but make sure to budget and keep track of your finances because its not hard to spend money in Sydney. I paid 235AUD per week for accommodation plus bills. I had extra scholarships on top of my student loans so I managed to get around pretty well on that. If you do take a part time job they usually pay rather well so it could be a good way of extending that budget. Free time 16. What did you do in your free time? Did the university arrange any special activities? Where there any activities specifically for exchange students? Were you happy with what was on offer? Sydney offers a fantastic lifestyle and there is no shortage of things to do in your free time. During summer obviously beach life offers some great activities, not least surfing! I joined the university football team which I played with for the whole season during winter. The university does have social clubs and other activities, however I didnt utilize them so cant say much about them. Other then that Sydney has great nightlife with pubs, bars, clubs and everything you can think of. Your exchange on the whole 17. Please sum up your exchange experience. If you have any other tips for future exchange students, or any other comments feel free to include them here. On the whole I found my exchange in Sydney to be just as fantastic as I could ever had hoped for. Academically it was good. As a life experience and for just pure enjoyment it was extraordinary! Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 89 av??

6 Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange Report Approval 18. Your report will be available for future exchange students in printed form at the International Office and will be sent by to individual students requesting it. Do you also approve the publishing of your exchange report on Uppsala University s website? Yes 19. Do you have any photos you would like to upload and include in your exchange report? Please tell us a little bit about the picture/s Publishing of pictures - Thank you for submitting your exchange report! Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 90 av??