The Last Blog a.k.a. This is It - Conclusions

Dear readers,

I hope that everyone is doing well and enjoying their return to work and/or school/university after the summer break. This will be my last blog on studying in Sweden as an exchange student. I've really enjoyed writing these blogs and hope that you, my readers, have found my blogs

1. Informative
2. Clarifying
3. to have opened your mind to studying in Sweden (either at SLU or at another Swedish higher educational institution).
4. Inspiring (I hope that some of my readers have felt inspired to go study abroad)
5. Fun to read

So after ten months of blogging for SLU I would like to ask the questions: where does this blog leave us (both myself as a writer and you as readers)? What do you as a reader and potential (exchange) student here in Sweden get from my blogs? What is my overall conclusion to studying at SLU in Uppsala, Sweden to complete my Master's?

Over the past ten months I have written about my experiences in Sweden, pro's and con's about studying here and have suggested things to do during your exchange year here in Sweden. I have really enjoyed blogging and communicating with people from all over the world. Blogging has been very fulfilling for me, and I actually realised that I really enjoy writing and conveying my thoughts to you, my readers. I hope that you have found my blogs similarly inspiring and enlightening.

What do you get from my blogs?
Well, that's a question for each of you to answer individually, but I think that my blogs provide a good general idea and overview of what it's like to study in Sweden. If you have any questions about studying here, simply read through my blog articles.

What is my overall conclusion to studying in Sweden?
Overall, I think studying at SLU as an Erasmus exchange student has been rewarding (completing my studies), enriching and fun. As with all international experiences, I think I grew the most by immersing myself in a culture and foreign country that I was previously not acquainted with or had ever visited. I got to know some really good, interesting and annoying people during my stay. That's part of life though, but I still think meeting new people from other cultures and living in another country (and climate) is always interesting.

I've had some great times in Sweden and some not so great times. I've had some excellent professors and impeccable and professional guidance from my professors. The hardest part about Sweden was the winter and the weather (for me at least). In my personal opinion, the weather really sucks in Uppsala. On the other hand, bad weather just makes the good days seem so much better!

Overall conclusion: do a study abroad year, whether it's in Sweden or somewhere else on this planet! I think it's a really great experience that you will not forget. I can only recommend SLU if you're a person that get easily distracted by all the various impulses and happenings that you'll commonly find in a (large) city environment. Uppsala is a small place (in my opinion) and I think it provides for a really good and pleasant study environment. There are not as many distractions as in other places I've been to (e.g. events, parties, places to go, etc.). Yes, Uppsala is very small, but I've really gotten alot of work done here, mainly because of just that reason. What did I ultimately come to Uppsala for? For studying, not partying!

SLU has some really friendly and supportive professors, and I urge you to sieze the opportunity to collaborate with one of SLU's professors! If you're looking for a good research opportunity, I definitely recommend SLU and Uppsala (especially if you don't mind the subarctic climate and a relatively laid back and in my opinion a little monotonous environment).

Well, that's it. There's my take on Sweden and SLU. I wish everyone the best of luck and success for their future endeavors, and who knows, you may read my materials again someday!

Best wishes to all!

Julian

P.S.: On the right hand side of my blog you will find "Blog Archive". Please click on the dates in order to find older blogs. Happy reading! :-)