Person 82 Basic Information 1. Name Nadja 2. E-mail address: nadjadrott@gmail.com 3. Exchange university University of Michigan 4. City Ann Arbor 5. Country USA 6. First semester of your exchange Swedish spring semester (VT) 7. Academic year 2013/2014 8. What subject area/s did you study during your exchange? Political Science 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? 1,5 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... My experience at the University of Michigan was definitely one-of-a-kind. The academic level is much higher than I expected and the students I encountered were all extremely ambitious. At first, I doubted how I ever got in to this University but along the way I found where I belonged. I studied political science but I also had a class in American history and English Writing. Since I studied at three different departments, I can confidently say that they varied a lot! The workload depended much on which teacher you had, what your major was and how much effort you yourself decided to put in. I spent about the same amount of study hours for my International Relations class as I did for the remaining three in which I was enrolled in. The teachers were all great. We had one teacher for our lectures and then a grad student as an instructor for our discussion hours. Discussion hours mostly consisted of time to simulate what we had read for class and what was mentioned in lecture. It was a very different experience than that from Uppsala, where I mostly had lectures and very few discussions. The GSIs (Grad Student Instructors) at Michigan were also much more relaxed than perhaps the teachers I had been used to encounter in seminars at Uppsala. Examinations, I must say, was easier to study for than the ones at home but the content was perhaps much more difficult. When we had midterms and assignments all throughout the semester, my calendar was always full but the study hours before an exam was much less. I guess you can say that the teachers helped you study to the exams throughout the semester. For anyone wishing to study at UMICH I would recommend enrolling to the classes you want early. The advice from the academic advisors at the university was not very helpful. However, they were friendly. Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 240 av??
Orientation and reception 13. Tell us about how it was to arrive and settle in. For international students, arriving in Ann Arbor can be difficult. I came on a Sunday in the middle of winter break and there was next to no one at central campus. All the information I needed prior to arrival was sent to me by email but managing to meet all deadlines and put all the information together was slightly frustrating. I was not the only international student that managed to do something wrong. Thankfully, people working on campus and students and others in the city are all helpful and kind. As long as one asks for help, one is given it here. I also had two buddies (senior students that were assigned to me in order to make sure that I was doing alright). I think that much of how welcomed one feels when arriving to Ann Arbor, can depend much on which buddy one had. I was one of the very few that received two buddies instead of one and they were very different in the style in which they wanted me to feel welcomed. I received a responsible big sister and a fun friend. Accommodation 14. Describe your accommodation. What type of accommodation did you have, where you satisfied? Do you have any tips for future students? I lived in a residence hall north of campus. I commuted every morning to classes but it took only about ten minutes to get to central campus. During my stay, I was very lucky and received a dorm for two but had a roommate that moved out before I got there. By living in a dorm I had easy access to new apple pcs, printing, food and all kinds of entertainment. The dorms organized many fun activities and in need of company or a study buddy, someone was always awake. Even if I lived alone in a residence hall for two, my residence hall was very costly and I dont think it was worth it. Meal-plans offered with accommodation were not as lovely as it sounded. I would have preferred to spend more money eating out and trying new restaurants than eating what they served in the dorms. There were other options than the residence hall and I would recommend those for any one traveling to Ann Arbor. 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? I combined a bit of money saved and CSN approved loans. Of course, traveling costs a lot and I spend all of it. However, the CSN money should cover for a person traveling to Ann Arbor, especially if they avoid paying for a residence hall. The fact that food is cheap, clothes are cheap, busses are free and being able to pay only a dollar or two to stay in a coffee-shop for hours was some of my favorite things with Ann Arbor. I would recommend saving a lot of money for travelling. There were many opportunities to travel to other cities in the country as long as ones wallet allowed it. 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? The University has all kinds of organizations, fraternities, sororities, parties, gatherings, charities and so forth. I tried out several kinds of student organizations on campus but I was not as involved in them as I would have hoped. Much of my free time was spent with other international students, my buddies and people in my dorm. Studying in Ann Arbor Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 241 av??
during winter term was slightly unfortunate since Michigan has a very talented football-team. Winter-term students miss football season, but there are both hockey games and basketball games that one can attend. As an international student, I was also sometimes invited to different activities that the University hosted. For example: We once traveled together to Detroit. The University rented a bus, paid for our food and our museums fees. 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. I spent four intense, rewarding, hard-working and enjoyable months in Ann Arbor. I met wonderful people and grew immensely as an individual. I was academically challenged by my teachers and peers and I learned to love it. I was well taken care of and the people I encountered were all very friendly. The academic environment at the University of Michigan is unique and leaves a lasting impression on anyone who stays there. Being able to experience a semester abroad and at a place such as Ann Arbor is something I am very grateful for and I would recommend going to Ann Arbor to everyone interested in traveling abroad. Ann Arbor has a place a place for everyone. Approval 18. Your report will be available for future exchange students in printed form at the International Office and will be sent by email 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? http://doit.medfarm.uu.se/kurtattachment/1405122566825979749.jpg 20. Please tell us a little bit about the picture/s. Michigan Stadium 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 242 av??
Person 116 Basic Information 1. Name Yiming Zhang 2. E-mail address: yimingzhang0107@gmail.com 3. Exchange university University of Michigan 4. City Ann Arbor 5. Country United States 6. First semester of your exchange Swedish spring semester (VT) 7. Academic year 2013/2014 8. What subject area/s did you study during your exchange? Liberal Arts 9. Level of studies at the exchange university Mixed undergrad/postgrad 10. What are you studying at Uppsala University? Statistics 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... Before I begin, a little bit about my background which the reader may want to take into account before reading my report. I am a Chinese student and I completed my undergraduate degree in China, after which I came to Sweden for a two-year masters program. The curriculum system of my university in China is largely based on the system used by most American universities hence in many ways the University of Michigan was more familiar to me than Uppsala. My subject area is statistics, but since I had completed the requirements for my degree at Uppsala one semester early, I mostly did not take courses related to my subject area. In the following, I will try my best to focus on what a Swedish student interested in exchange would be concerned about. In general, I thought the courses at Michigan were a lot tougher and required more work than the courses at Uppsala. Most courses have at least one midterm exam or paper (one of the courses I took had three) and a final exam. Weekly assignments are also very common and can be very time consuming. Also unlike Sweden, the time constraint on the exams can sometimes make the exams very difficult (as opposed to the Swedish philosophy of allowing students to perform to the best of their abilities without worrying about time limits). The learning curve for most of the courses I took were also quite steep meaning that they could start off fairly easy but gets difficult very quickly. However, the teachers and GSIs (Graduate Student Instructors who serve as teaching assistants) are all very helpful and encourage you to come to office hours to discuss the subject matter. Overall I was very pleased with my educational experience. Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 346 av??
Orientation and reception 13. Tell us about how it was to arrive and settle in. Arriving and settling was fairly smooth for me and I thought the arrival process was very straight forward. However, while the orientation was very informative, as international exchange students and transfer students had the same orientation, much of the information provided during orientation (such as federal/state scholarship programs) was not very useful for exchange students. Accommodation 14. Describe your accommodation. What type of accommodation did you have, where you satisfied? Do you have any tips for future students? I lived in an fairly cheap and nice apartment off-campus which I found through a friend and was about 30 minute walk or 10 minute bus ride from the central campus. For future students, I would recommend taking the residential hall (the student dormitories) offered by the university for the following reasons. 1) The residential halls would allow you to experience an important part the American college experience. it is also easier to make friends in the residential halls as you are constantly meeting new people. 2) The price of the residential halls also include food which means that you would not need to worry about cooking/buying food. 3) You would save a lot of time on commuting and you would be able to avoiding waiting at the bus stops in winter. Bear in mind that the winter in the midwestern United States is much worse than the winter in Uppsala with strong winds, heavy snow, and temperatures often dropping below -20 celsius, this could make commuting very difficult if you live far away from campus. 4) Unless your exchange program is for a full academic year, finding housing outside campus could be quite difficult as most housing companies in Ann Arbor only offer housing contracts for no less than a year, you would need to go on websites such as Craigslist to find people who are subleasing (which is not always reliable) or find housing through friends. If you are staying for the full academic year however, finding off-campus housing is much easier compared to Uppsala as there are an abundance of affordable apartments. Though even in this case there is still one problem, as contracts are always for one full year (which would usually be from September to September of the next year), this would mean that you would have to sublease your apartment during the summer which is VERY difficult. Most students I know who live off-campus pay around $400-$700 a month for accommodations. However, there are several downsides to living in the residential halls. One is the cost, prices for residential halls go from around $4000 for a triple room to nearly $6000 for a single room for one semester (4 months). The price also includes 150 meals at the dining halls (which I heard were not very good). Two is that currently there are no large supermarkets within walking distance of the central campus, though the supermarkets are a short bus ride away and that the student government is trying to resolve the issue. Despite these however, unless you are on a very tight budget, I would still recommend living in the residential halls as the experience is very worthwhile. 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? I did not have access to CSN as I am not a Swedish citizen therefore I was required to pay for my own living. For the most part, living in Ann Arbor is a lot cheaper than living in Uppsala. Public buses are free with a student ID, groceries are also a lot cheaper though one issue with the University is that there are currently no large supermarkets within walking distance to the main campus. A meal at a non-fast food restaurant will cost around $10 with tipping (which is normally 15%). However certain things are more expensive than Sweden such as Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 347 av??
Internet if you live off campus and mobile phone plans. Textbooks are very expensive but are often still cheaper (though not always) cheaper than in Sweden. I will explain further about the cost of accommodations in the accommodations section. 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? Being a university town, Ann Arbor is like Uppsala in a lot of ways, there is always a lot to do in your free time. Go to Fall fest/winter fest at the start of semester to check out the different student clubs and organizations. One organization which I took part in and I would also encourage other students to do the same if they have the time is the Detroit Partnership. The organization is devoted to helping the city of Detroit (which recently declared bankruptcy), you get to help build vegetable gardens, help out in schools etc. For me it was interesting to see how the city is slowing recovering and it felt nice to help out in the local community. 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. I have very much enjoyed my exchange at the University of Michigan overall. I would also very much recommend students in participating in the exchange program at Michigan as the U.S. education system is quite different from that of Sweden and as one of the top universities in the U.S., it is a great place to experience education in the states. Approval 18. Your report will be available for future exchange students in printed form at the International Office and will be sent by email 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? - 20. Please tell us a little bit about the picture/s. - 21. Publishing of pictures - Thank you for submitting your exchange report! Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 348 av??