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! :-)
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Warm Summer Greetings to Everyone and Answer to a Study-Related Question
Dear readers,
I've been quite busy with moving these past two weeks. However, I am enjoying the summer weather that we've had. The past few days have been quite pleasant with temps around +23°C.
Recently, another blogger interested in Swedish Study-Abroad opportunites in the Uppsala area asked my the fellowing question:
[...] I recently graduated with a BS in History from a college outside of Chicago. I am considering studying abroad for my MA or perhaps PHD. I would love to read about the step you took leading up to attending SLU including expenses and the like.
-Another blogger (keeping the username private...)
This is a really great question to ask! Really relevant and really interesting question! I'm going to answer it!
LEADING STEPS...
Long story short I was in the United States working for the Forest Service as a Wildland Firefighter. I wanted to come back to Europe to study and live (I was born and raised in Berlin, Germany, so I'm also a German and with that an EU citizen), so I applied to the EnvEuro European Master of Environmental Science programme. It's an EU program with universities in Denmark, Germany, Austria and Sweden. One year you have to study at one location and for your second year and during your thesis writing you have to study at another location. I chose to begin my studies at Uni Copenhagen and then for my second year I decided on SLU in Uppsala, Sweden. That's how I got to Sweden. For further information, here's the website of my program.
www.enveuro.eu
The leading steps again in short.
1. Wanted to come back to Europe, so I applied to the EnvEuro Programme
2. Got accepted into my academic programme and began studying in Copenhagen
3. Moved to Sweden for my second year of studies (at SLU, Uppsala)
You're probably interested in why I came back to study in Europe. In short I'm a European citizen. As a European citizen I did not have to pay any tuition. In addition, I received a European Erasmus Study Abroad Grant, so that help finance part of my second year in Sweden.
EXPENSES AND MISCELLANEOUS
Bottom line, as a European (EU) citizen I didn't have to pay tuition to attend uni. I had to pay rent. I had some money saved from work in the USA. That payed for the first half of the year in Copenhagen. Then, I found a job in Copenhagen to help pay for the rest of the time here in Denmark. In Sweden, my rent was around €380 per month and my Erasmus International Grant money payed for some of that. For the latter part of the academic year at SLU my parents helped with costs, I took out a small student loan and found a job.
Expenses in short again:
1. No tuition
2. €420 monthly rent in Copenhagen
3. €380 monthly rent living in SLU on-campus housing
4. (Sweden) food: approx. €200 monthly
5. Approx. €150 for moving from Denmark to Sweden
So there you have it. Steps leading up to attending SLU plus expenses and the like. Bottom line, I would keep in mind that as a NON-EU citizen you have to pay tuition if you attend SLU or many other European universities. Please keep that in mind and check out the tuition fees on the university webpage.
I really recommend coming to Sweden to study for your Master's or PhD. Sweden provides a good learning environment (at least at SLU Ultuna, I don't know about other Swedish universities), great professors (I've dealt with) and a pretty good/easy living environment. Once in the EU you have the opportunity to participate in a variety of European-wide study and exchange programs. More often than not these study abroad programs are supported by a variety of scholarships. Remember though, you don't get all of the perks if you're not an EU citizen or within the Schengen Economic area (countries within the EU economic zone).
I hope this blog has answered your questions and please feel free to ask other questions in the form of comments. Should there be anything else you're interested in, please just write the question in a comment to one of my blog posts! That would be great.
Fellow readers, have a pleasant day and look for my next blog sometime early next week!
Take care!
Julian
I've been quite busy with moving these past two weeks. However, I am enjoying the summer weather that we've had. The past few days have been quite pleasant with temps around +23°C.
Recently, another blogger interested in Swedish Study-Abroad opportunites in the Uppsala area asked my the fellowing question:
[...] I recently graduated with a BS in History from a college outside of Chicago. I am considering studying abroad for my MA or perhaps PHD. I would love to read about the step you took leading up to attending SLU including expenses and the like.
-Another blogger (keeping the username private...)
This is a really great question to ask! Really relevant and really interesting question! I'm going to answer it!
LEADING STEPS...
Long story short I was in the United States working for the Forest Service as a Wildland Firefighter. I wanted to come back to Europe to study and live (I was born and raised in Berlin, Germany, so I'm also a German and with that an EU citizen), so I applied to the EnvEuro European Master of Environmental Science programme. It's an EU program with universities in Denmark, Germany, Austria and Sweden. One year you have to study at one location and for your second year and during your thesis writing you have to study at another location. I chose to begin my studies at Uni Copenhagen and then for my second year I decided on SLU in Uppsala, Sweden. That's how I got to Sweden. For further information, here's the website of my program.
www.enveuro.eu
The leading steps again in short.
1. Wanted to come back to Europe, so I applied to the EnvEuro Programme
2. Got accepted into my academic programme and began studying in Copenhagen
3. Moved to Sweden for my second year of studies (at SLU, Uppsala)
You're probably interested in why I came back to study in Europe. In short I'm a European citizen. As a European citizen I did not have to pay any tuition. In addition, I received a European Erasmus Study Abroad Grant, so that help finance part of my second year in Sweden.
EXPENSES AND MISCELLANEOUS
Bottom line, as a European (EU) citizen I didn't have to pay tuition to attend uni. I had to pay rent. I had some money saved from work in the USA. That payed for the first half of the year in Copenhagen. Then, I found a job in Copenhagen to help pay for the rest of the time here in Denmark. In Sweden, my rent was around €380 per month and my Erasmus International Grant money payed for some of that. For the latter part of the academic year at SLU my parents helped with costs, I took out a small student loan and found a job.
Expenses in short again:
1. No tuition
2. €420 monthly rent in Copenhagen
3. €380 monthly rent living in SLU on-campus housing
4. (Sweden) food: approx. €200 monthly
5. Approx. €150 for moving from Denmark to Sweden
So there you have it. Steps leading up to attending SLU plus expenses and the like. Bottom line, I would keep in mind that as a NON-EU citizen you have to pay tuition if you attend SLU or many other European universities. Please keep that in mind and check out the tuition fees on the university webpage.
I really recommend coming to Sweden to study for your Master's or PhD. Sweden provides a good learning environment (at least at SLU Ultuna, I don't know about other Swedish universities), great professors (I've dealt with) and a pretty good/easy living environment. Once in the EU you have the opportunity to participate in a variety of European-wide study and exchange programs. More often than not these study abroad programs are supported by a variety of scholarships. Remember though, you don't get all of the perks if you're not an EU citizen or within the Schengen Economic area (countries within the EU economic zone).
I hope this blog has answered your questions and please feel free to ask other questions in the form of comments. Should there be anything else you're interested in, please just write the question in a comment to one of my blog posts! That would be great.
Fellow readers, have a pleasant day and look for my next blog sometime early next week!
Take care!
Julian
Thursday, July 14, 2011
So You've Been Accepted Into a Swedish Study Abroad Program! What To Pack and Expect Upon Arrival in Sweden (Specifically If You're Studying At SLU)? (Sorry about the length of this blog!)
Dear readers,
First of all, I hope that all of you are doing well, as usual. Here all is well, I'm currently planning the next steps of my life after having finished my Master's at SLU.
This blog is intended for those readers that have been accepted into a Swedish study abroad program. Of course when I discuss travelling and arriving in Sweden, I'm referring to Uppsala and/or the greater Stockholm area. You may have other experiences if you got to northern Sweden e.g. Umeå or southern Sweden such as Gothenburg or Lund.
Right, now let's get on with the blog! :-)
First of all when you arrive, you will probably arrive by airplane and will land at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport. This is the major airport in Sweden and if you want to arrive in Stockholm, this is most likely where you will land. Now here comes the surprise. Arlanda Airport is NOT a city airport. Actually, it lies in the middle of nowhere. In other words, don't think your long journey to Sweden from wherever you're coming from is over as soon as you arrive at the airport. Many people miss this little detail and are overwhelmed by the fact that they must continue their journey by bus or train.
If you're headed to Stockholm or Uppsala city from Arlanda Airport you can either take the taxi, bus or train to your destination. Taking the taxi is an expensive option and will cost you around €50 for one way. An advantage about taking the taxi is that it's door-to-door service and upon arrival in Uppsala or Stockholm you won't have to take another bus or for that matter pay for another transport ticket. Taking the bus or train is the cheapest solution. A one-way ticket will cost you roughly €8-10.
If you're headed to Uppsala be prepared to walk and/or take the bus for around 15 minutes to arrive at your final destination.
Just a reminder: Stockholm-Arlanda Airport is NOT the classical city airport such as JFK in New York City or LAX in Los Angeles or London-Heathrow or Paris Charles de Gaulle and you WILL have to take public transport or make arrangements to be picked up, in order for you to arrive at your final destination.
Here comes part 2 of this blog: What to pack when you're leaving for Sweden?
In general during the late summer, during the end of August or beginning of September (remember Uppsala is around 60°N, so end of August-September is really pushing towards the late summer) the weather is relatively pleasant and pretty stable. My experience in Uppsala in terms of weather in August-September was actually quite pleasant. Daytime temperatures range between +15 to +25°C, while nighttime temps are anywhere between +5 to +15°C. Some days however, can be pretty nasty and the highs can be around +10 to +15°C.
So what to pack? During the end of August and September you'll need summer stuff and a good jacket for the cool nights. When the fall and winter arrives everything changes. Basically for the winter bring everything with you that will keep you warm. Don't skimp on the good winter jacket. I assure you, you WILL need your winter jacket to stay alive during the frigid and long Swedish winter. During the dead of winter daytime highs range anywhere between -15 and +1°C and the nighttime temps range between -5 and -35°C. So this is F%¤#@() cold! Pack a few summer clothes that you can wear during the last month of warm weather after you arrive in Sweden. More importantly, pack winter stuff! You WON'T regret doing that.
I know they're all the predictions about global warming and things. Despite this, when it comes to the Swedish winter, global warming somehow miracoulously freezes over into a 6 month ice age!
To recap what I've discussed in this blog:
1) The Stockholm-Arlanda Airport is NOT a city airport and you will have to take public transport or make arrangements to get to your final destination
2) For the short summer pack summer things (remember: cool days are possible even during August)
3) For the winter pack all the warm things you can in order to survive.
That's it! In addition, once you arrive you will be advised to register in Sweden at the Migration Office or "Migrationsverket" in Swedish. Small tip: if you're NOT an EU citizen, registering with the Swedish Migration Office will cost you 1,000 SEK or around €110. This IS a sort of "hidden" fee when you arrive in Sweden. If your school has worked around this, you're in the clear. Here is the website that explains everything about registering for a residence permit in Sweden:
http://www.migrationsverket.se/info/studera_en.html
On the left hand of the page you can click on your situation. Remember to check out the "fees" section!!!! This IS a hidden fee. Also, I advise you to have medical insurance. People that live in Sweden for a longer time are entitled to all the social services, but if you're an exchange student, don't expect to get free health care just because you've arrived in a social democratic country!
That's it! I wish you all the best upon your arrival in Sweden and a successful year!
Look for my next blog at the beginning of next week!
Peace and Love!
Julian
First of all, I hope that all of you are doing well, as usual. Here all is well, I'm currently planning the next steps of my life after having finished my Master's at SLU.
This blog is intended for those readers that have been accepted into a Swedish study abroad program. Of course when I discuss travelling and arriving in Sweden, I'm referring to Uppsala and/or the greater Stockholm area. You may have other experiences if you got to northern Sweden e.g. Umeå or southern Sweden such as Gothenburg or Lund.
Right, now let's get on with the blog! :-)
First of all when you arrive, you will probably arrive by airplane and will land at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport. This is the major airport in Sweden and if you want to arrive in Stockholm, this is most likely where you will land. Now here comes the surprise. Arlanda Airport is NOT a city airport. Actually, it lies in the middle of nowhere. In other words, don't think your long journey to Sweden from wherever you're coming from is over as soon as you arrive at the airport. Many people miss this little detail and are overwhelmed by the fact that they must continue their journey by bus or train.
If you're headed to Stockholm or Uppsala city from Arlanda Airport you can either take the taxi, bus or train to your destination. Taking the taxi is an expensive option and will cost you around €50 for one way. An advantage about taking the taxi is that it's door-to-door service and upon arrival in Uppsala or Stockholm you won't have to take another bus or for that matter pay for another transport ticket. Taking the bus or train is the cheapest solution. A one-way ticket will cost you roughly €8-10.
If you're headed to Uppsala be prepared to walk and/or take the bus for around 15 minutes to arrive at your final destination.
Just a reminder: Stockholm-Arlanda Airport is NOT the classical city airport such as JFK in New York City or LAX in Los Angeles or London-Heathrow or Paris Charles de Gaulle and you WILL have to take public transport or make arrangements to be picked up, in order for you to arrive at your final destination.
Here comes part 2 of this blog: What to pack when you're leaving for Sweden?
In general during the late summer, during the end of August or beginning of September (remember Uppsala is around 60°N, so end of August-September is really pushing towards the late summer) the weather is relatively pleasant and pretty stable. My experience in Uppsala in terms of weather in August-September was actually quite pleasant. Daytime temperatures range between +15 to +25°C, while nighttime temps are anywhere between +5 to +15°C. Some days however, can be pretty nasty and the highs can be around +10 to +15°C.
So what to pack? During the end of August and September you'll need summer stuff and a good jacket for the cool nights. When the fall and winter arrives everything changes. Basically for the winter bring everything with you that will keep you warm. Don't skimp on the good winter jacket. I assure you, you WILL need your winter jacket to stay alive during the frigid and long Swedish winter. During the dead of winter daytime highs range anywhere between -15 and +1°C and the nighttime temps range between -5 and -35°C. So this is F%¤#@() cold! Pack a few summer clothes that you can wear during the last month of warm weather after you arrive in Sweden. More importantly, pack winter stuff! You WON'T regret doing that.
I know they're all the predictions about global warming and things. Despite this, when it comes to the Swedish winter, global warming somehow miracoulously freezes over into a 6 month ice age!
To recap what I've discussed in this blog:
1) The Stockholm-Arlanda Airport is NOT a city airport and you will have to take public transport or make arrangements to get to your final destination
2) For the short summer pack summer things (remember: cool days are possible even during August)
3) For the winter pack all the warm things you can in order to survive.
That's it! In addition, once you arrive you will be advised to register in Sweden at the Migration Office or "Migrationsverket" in Swedish. Small tip: if you're NOT an EU citizen, registering with the Swedish Migration Office will cost you 1,000 SEK or around €110. This IS a sort of "hidden" fee when you arrive in Sweden. If your school has worked around this, you're in the clear. Here is the website that explains everything about registering for a residence permit in Sweden:
http://www.migrationsverket.se/info/studera_en.html
On the left hand of the page you can click on your situation. Remember to check out the "fees" section!!!! This IS a hidden fee. Also, I advise you to have medical insurance. People that live in Sweden for a longer time are entitled to all the social services, but if you're an exchange student, don't expect to get free health care just because you've arrived in a social democratic country!
That's it! I wish you all the best upon your arrival in Sweden and a successful year!
Look for my next blog at the beginning of next week!
Peace and Love!
Julian
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Great Perk About SLU Housing and Things To Do During Summer
Dear readers,
I hope that all of you are enjoying some nice sunny and warm summer days, wherever you are. Here the days have been quite pleasant, although the last few days have been somewhat grey and windy. There are two things that I would like to discuss here in this blog.
The first thing deals with on-campus housing at SLU. During the months of June and July SUSBO (the on-campus housing contractor) does not require that you pay rent. That means that you can stay in Uppsala for free during the summer break. Actually this is sort of pleasant. Yes, Ultuna (SLU campus and also the location of the on-campus housing) is somewhat dull and not much happens here. During the summer though and when the weather is nice here and you have one or two friends around, Ultuna can be quite a blast. Especially since all the dorms are practically empty no one will bother you if you play loud music at 2 am! :-)
The second thing I want to cover is ideas of what to do in the Uppsala area during the summer months. Besides going to the city and enjoying the warm summer days in one of the many parks in Uppsala, you can also go to one of Uppsala's many restaurants and bars.
Unfortunately most of the student nations are closed during the summer months due to a lack of students. It wouldn't make sense to keep the nations open during the summer without any customers (a.k.a. students) around.
Here's another idea! As you have maybe read in my previous blogs, in the Uppsala area there are a multitude of camping, hiking and sports opportunities. This past weekend my girlfriend and I went camping on Lake Mälaren, the lake just to the south of Uppsala and the SLU campus. Lake Mälaren is a huge lake with a very extensive and diverse shoreline. There are many nature reserves, small beaches and great large and small camping sites along the lake's shoreline. If you feel like camping at some large and official camping ground you can do that, or what I prefer is to find a tiny and hidden spot along the lake. Choose whatever you prefer.
Here in Sweden you are allowed to camp on private properties for one or two nights. In Sweden the term used to describe this is "allemansrätt" or in English this means "freedom to roam". This is a truly great thing about Sweden. Basically it states that everyone can use nature and forests as they want, provided that they follow some basic etiquette guidelines. Don't create trash and don't disturb other people. Here's the Wikipedia link on "freedom to roam":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam
This is sort of nice, because in the USA some farmer dude may threaten you with a gun if you're on his property. This intense situation will most probably NOT occur in Sweden, besides the fact that in my opinion most Swedes are anti-gun and pacifists. GO SWEDEN!!!!!
Anyways, there are many things to do in Sweden over the summer. I recommend to stay here in Ultuna for free over the summer and use the rent money that you save to enjoy some of Sweden, as this is not really as possible to do during the cold winters and during the school year when you're crammed with school work and projects.
ENJOY A PIECE OF SWEDEN DURING THE SUMMER!!!
Peace and love people!
Julian
I hope that all of you are enjoying some nice sunny and warm summer days, wherever you are. Here the days have been quite pleasant, although the last few days have been somewhat grey and windy. There are two things that I would like to discuss here in this blog.
The first thing deals with on-campus housing at SLU. During the months of June and July SUSBO (the on-campus housing contractor) does not require that you pay rent. That means that you can stay in Uppsala for free during the summer break. Actually this is sort of pleasant. Yes, Ultuna (SLU campus and also the location of the on-campus housing) is somewhat dull and not much happens here. During the summer though and when the weather is nice here and you have one or two friends around, Ultuna can be quite a blast. Especially since all the dorms are practically empty no one will bother you if you play loud music at 2 am! :-)
The second thing I want to cover is ideas of what to do in the Uppsala area during the summer months. Besides going to the city and enjoying the warm summer days in one of the many parks in Uppsala, you can also go to one of Uppsala's many restaurants and bars.
Unfortunately most of the student nations are closed during the summer months due to a lack of students. It wouldn't make sense to keep the nations open during the summer without any customers (a.k.a. students) around.
Here's another idea! As you have maybe read in my previous blogs, in the Uppsala area there are a multitude of camping, hiking and sports opportunities. This past weekend my girlfriend and I went camping on Lake Mälaren, the lake just to the south of Uppsala and the SLU campus. Lake Mälaren is a huge lake with a very extensive and diverse shoreline. There are many nature reserves, small beaches and great large and small camping sites along the lake's shoreline. If you feel like camping at some large and official camping ground you can do that, or what I prefer is to find a tiny and hidden spot along the lake. Choose whatever you prefer.
Here in Sweden you are allowed to camp on private properties for one or two nights. In Sweden the term used to describe this is "allemansrätt" or in English this means "freedom to roam". This is a truly great thing about Sweden. Basically it states that everyone can use nature and forests as they want, provided that they follow some basic etiquette guidelines. Don't create trash and don't disturb other people. Here's the Wikipedia link on "freedom to roam":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam
This is sort of nice, because in the USA some farmer dude may threaten you with a gun if you're on his property. This intense situation will most probably NOT occur in Sweden, besides the fact that in my opinion most Swedes are anti-gun and pacifists. GO SWEDEN!!!!!
Anyways, there are many things to do in Sweden over the summer. I recommend to stay here in Ultuna for free over the summer and use the rent money that you save to enjoy some of Sweden, as this is not really as possible to do during the cold winters and during the school year when you're crammed with school work and projects.
ENJOY A PIECE OF SWEDEN DURING THE SUMMER!!!
Peace and love people!
Julian
Friday, June 17, 2011
Great Day Trip!!!
Dear readers,
I hope that all of you are well and you are enjoying some summer weather. Today the weather in Uppsala is rather grey and rainy. Actually this sort of weather is actually a pleasant change from the long spell of warm and sunny weather. I occasionally enjoy a cool and moist day. Good for the plants and animals and good for keeping the air fresh. :-)
So, this time I want to tell you readers about a small and very pleasant day trip that you can do while studying in Uppsala.
I personally can't stay in one place for too long. Generally after two months of being in once place, town or city I need to flee from that place and visit and relax at some other location. The city of Uppsala is rather small in my opinion and it's nice to see something new.
What do I do to get my time away? Go to Stockholm for a day! :-) (Yeah, it rhymes!)
Stockholm is a really nice city. The city has a beautiful old part called "Gamla Stan" and you can enjoy your time at various bars, restaurants, clubs and just hang out at the piers off of the road named "Strandvägen". Strandvägen is really great especially on a sunny day. You're basically walking along the water all the time and you can sit down for a beer and relax in the sun. Besides this, Stockholm has some nice museums that you can visit. Entrance is a little expensive sometimes (around €7-12) but I think it's worth it.
The train ticket is also affordable and is around €7 for one way. So all in all if you feel like spending around €30-40 you can have a really great day in Stockholm and walk around and see most of the city's attractions. Moreover, there are often sports events and concerts in Stockholm. You just need to find them. After a long day in the city it's great to return to the serenity of Uppsala and ultimately Ultuna campus where you can rest after a long day.
I've "escaped" a few times and I always feel more relaxed once I'm away from my regular work and living place for a while. Just an affordable idea and a great daytime low-budget student trip.
Take care my readers and look for my next blog!
Peace and love!
Julian
I hope that all of you are well and you are enjoying some summer weather. Today the weather in Uppsala is rather grey and rainy. Actually this sort of weather is actually a pleasant change from the long spell of warm and sunny weather. I occasionally enjoy a cool and moist day. Good for the plants and animals and good for keeping the air fresh. :-)
So, this time I want to tell you readers about a small and very pleasant day trip that you can do while studying in Uppsala.
I personally can't stay in one place for too long. Generally after two months of being in once place, town or city I need to flee from that place and visit and relax at some other location. The city of Uppsala is rather small in my opinion and it's nice to see something new.
What do I do to get my time away? Go to Stockholm for a day! :-) (Yeah, it rhymes!)
Stockholm is a really nice city. The city has a beautiful old part called "Gamla Stan" and you can enjoy your time at various bars, restaurants, clubs and just hang out at the piers off of the road named "Strandvägen". Strandvägen is really great especially on a sunny day. You're basically walking along the water all the time and you can sit down for a beer and relax in the sun. Besides this, Stockholm has some nice museums that you can visit. Entrance is a little expensive sometimes (around €7-12) but I think it's worth it.
The train ticket is also affordable and is around €7 for one way. So all in all if you feel like spending around €30-40 you can have a really great day in Stockholm and walk around and see most of the city's attractions. Moreover, there are often sports events and concerts in Stockholm. You just need to find them. After a long day in the city it's great to return to the serenity of Uppsala and ultimately Ultuna campus where you can rest after a long day.
I've "escaped" a few times and I always feel more relaxed once I'm away from my regular work and living place for a while. Just an affordable idea and a great daytime low-budget student trip.
Take care my readers and look for my next blog!
Peace and love!
Julian
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Update & THE WEATHER IN SWEDEN IS AWESOME!!!!!!
Dear readers,
As usual I hope that everyone's having a great day and week and enjoying the warm and long summer days, depending on where you are on the planet. For the rest of you, I hope that you're enjoying some beautiful winter days if you come from the southern hemisphere.
All is well here. I'm so thrilled to be done with my master's. Here's some advice. Don't take forever and procrastinate while working on your master's. Get it done already! I don't think it makes sense to sit with an unfinished master's for a long time. Of course the work is challenging and it requires alot of time, energy and thinking, especially in the "discussion" section of your master's thesis. Despite this, you really only need to sit down and do it. Basically a master's is like a normal class research paper on steroids! :-D If you know what I mean. It's (just) a supersized research paper. It takes a while, but overall I think it's a manageable task if you work on it a little bit every day. I really recommend NOT to drag it out longer than you need to.
Now to the real point as to why I'm writing this blog. The weather here in Sweden is AMAZING!!! This whole past week it's been really nice and warm and dry. The temperatures are around +15°C during the night and around +23 - +25°C during the day. Of course if you're coming from a tropical country such as India or Bangladesh or Panama that temperature is not very warm. Remember though, you're in Sweden and located 60°N! So you take what you can get here! :-)
Bottom line the weather's great here. Really great to go camping and hanging out. Over the past days I've just been chilling and relaxing. Today I think I may do a BBQ later and possibly go camping at Lake Mälaren either this or next weekend.
So good stuff going on here during the summer in Uppsala!
Julian
As usual I hope that everyone's having a great day and week and enjoying the warm and long summer days, depending on where you are on the planet. For the rest of you, I hope that you're enjoying some beautiful winter days if you come from the southern hemisphere.
All is well here. I'm so thrilled to be done with my master's. Here's some advice. Don't take forever and procrastinate while working on your master's. Get it done already! I don't think it makes sense to sit with an unfinished master's for a long time. Of course the work is challenging and it requires alot of time, energy and thinking, especially in the "discussion" section of your master's thesis. Despite this, you really only need to sit down and do it. Basically a master's is like a normal class research paper on steroids! :-D If you know what I mean. It's (just) a supersized research paper. It takes a while, but overall I think it's a manageable task if you work on it a little bit every day. I really recommend NOT to drag it out longer than you need to.
Now to the real point as to why I'm writing this blog. The weather here in Sweden is AMAZING!!! This whole past week it's been really nice and warm and dry. The temperatures are around +15°C during the night and around +23 - +25°C during the day. Of course if you're coming from a tropical country such as India or Bangladesh or Panama that temperature is not very warm. Remember though, you're in Sweden and located 60°N! So you take what you can get here! :-)
Bottom line the weather's great here. Really great to go camping and hanging out. Over the past days I've just been chilling and relaxing. Today I think I may do a BBQ later and possibly go camping at Lake Mälaren either this or next weekend.
So good stuff going on here during the summer in Uppsala!
Julian
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Gälbo (On Campus Housing) and Uppsala is Emptying Out and A Word About On-Campus Living!
Dear readers,
Wow these past couple of weeks have been really crazy. I finally presented and defended my Master's thesis, so I've officially graduated with a Master's of Science. This feels really good, but I must take the whole thing with a grain of salt because I still need to revise some things on my final thesis manuscript before it's published in the SLU library system. Nevertheless, I'm still very happy to have the bulk of the thesis finished.
Here in Sweden (at SLU more specifically) you will write your Master's thesis and eventually present it in front of your external examinor(s). Once you have done that, you will be given the possibility to revise it and hand it in again. This final manuscript will then be graded. This is different from most countries, including Denmark (Copenhagen University) where I began my studies. At other universities, you're expected to fully complete your manuscript on the date that you graduate and present and defend your thesis. At SLU you first complete, present and defend your thesis and then you will revise it to later publish it in the SLU library system. This is actually good, because your thesis will become available online and will be accessible online via a Google search! This is a pretty cool system and in my opinion blows the other universities' Master's publishing methods and policies out of the water! Most other universitites merely make your manuscript available in the form of a booklet in the institution's library and not publicly available online.
My second thing that I want to discuss in this blog is the city of Uppsala during summer break. It's dead but still charming. At this time you can really enjoy the "Swedish" side of Uppsala. There are very few international students left in Uppsala. Most have left for the summer and the many new ones haven't arrived yet. So Uppsala is back to good 'ol Sweden and not anymore a mixing pot of various cultures and minds (a.k.a. exchange students). Bottom line, there are much fewer people around.
My final topic I would like to discuss is the SLU on-campus housing at Gälbo. The place is even more dead than the city! :-) There are extremely few people around. Almost no Swedes left (that I've seen) and some international students that haven't returned home. I like this though. Finally I don't have to see all these damn dogs that they have on campus.
A final word. If I would have the chance to redo this year in Uppsala I would've not lived on campus. Yes, it's very close to classes which is extremely convenient during a frigid Swedish winter (ca. -25°). The real negatives of living on campus is 1. the people you live with, 2. the fact that you're living in the middle of nowhere and 3. the dogs (no not police, the actual dogs, Canis lupus familiaris).
The people I lived with were extremely boring and very senstitive about even the smallest sound that I made which is really annoying. I'm not always a loud person, but being sensitive about the smallest things is sort of unnecessary in my opinion. Another thing is if I wouldn't have said "hello" to my housemates and actually attempted to talk to them, I would have never conversed with them. I think this is really strange and really just boring. I think if you live with people, you could at least have the courtesy to say "hi" to other people living there. I guess it's a thing here in Sweden that everyone must be really quiet and introverted!
Secondly, Gälbo is literally situated between a forest and a field. It's really pretty but really boring. It takes ca. 20 minutes to get to the city by bike and the way home from a party is often long, cold and really sucks!
Finally, DOGS!!!! There are sooooooo many dogs on campus. SO MANY, SO MANY, SO MANY DAMN DOGS!!!! I cannot stress this enough. ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOG!!! I don't mind that, but many residents that are dog owners seem to let their dogs have the same rights as humans, e.g. jumping up on the counters and tables, eating food from tables and just generally being allowed to misbehave. Really annoying! People, if you own a dog, discipline it! Also, the place is for humans, not dogs. People don't seem to understand that dogs do not pay the rent, people do. So following that idea, dogs should take the second place, not people. Some on-campus friends of mine and I had a pretty big problem with this and I really think it needs to be addressed by the housing committee.
Again, if I would redo my Uppsala year, I would live in the city with more people, more open and creative minds and attitudes and more things to do. Just a piece of advice for all you incoming students!
That's all folks and stay tuned to my next couple of blogs. This should be my last few weeks of blogging, as I will be leaving Sweden shortly.
Enjoy your summer days!
Julian
Wow these past couple of weeks have been really crazy. I finally presented and defended my Master's thesis, so I've officially graduated with a Master's of Science. This feels really good, but I must take the whole thing with a grain of salt because I still need to revise some things on my final thesis manuscript before it's published in the SLU library system. Nevertheless, I'm still very happy to have the bulk of the thesis finished.
Here in Sweden (at SLU more specifically) you will write your Master's thesis and eventually present it in front of your external examinor(s). Once you have done that, you will be given the possibility to revise it and hand it in again. This final manuscript will then be graded. This is different from most countries, including Denmark (Copenhagen University) where I began my studies. At other universities, you're expected to fully complete your manuscript on the date that you graduate and present and defend your thesis. At SLU you first complete, present and defend your thesis and then you will revise it to later publish it in the SLU library system. This is actually good, because your thesis will become available online and will be accessible online via a Google search! This is a pretty cool system and in my opinion blows the other universities' Master's publishing methods and policies out of the water! Most other universitites merely make your manuscript available in the form of a booklet in the institution's library and not publicly available online.
My second thing that I want to discuss in this blog is the city of Uppsala during summer break. It's dead but still charming. At this time you can really enjoy the "Swedish" side of Uppsala. There are very few international students left in Uppsala. Most have left for the summer and the many new ones haven't arrived yet. So Uppsala is back to good 'ol Sweden and not anymore a mixing pot of various cultures and minds (a.k.a. exchange students). Bottom line, there are much fewer people around.
My final topic I would like to discuss is the SLU on-campus housing at Gälbo. The place is even more dead than the city! :-) There are extremely few people around. Almost no Swedes left (that I've seen) and some international students that haven't returned home. I like this though. Finally I don't have to see all these damn dogs that they have on campus.
A final word. If I would have the chance to redo this year in Uppsala I would've not lived on campus. Yes, it's very close to classes which is extremely convenient during a frigid Swedish winter (ca. -25°). The real negatives of living on campus is 1. the people you live with, 2. the fact that you're living in the middle of nowhere and 3. the dogs (no not police, the actual dogs, Canis lupus familiaris).
The people I lived with were extremely boring and very senstitive about even the smallest sound that I made which is really annoying. I'm not always a loud person, but being sensitive about the smallest things is sort of unnecessary in my opinion. Another thing is if I wouldn't have said "hello" to my housemates and actually attempted to talk to them, I would have never conversed with them. I think this is really strange and really just boring. I think if you live with people, you could at least have the courtesy to say "hi" to other people living there. I guess it's a thing here in Sweden that everyone must be really quiet and introverted!
Secondly, Gälbo is literally situated between a forest and a field. It's really pretty but really boring. It takes ca. 20 minutes to get to the city by bike and the way home from a party is often long, cold and really sucks!
Finally, DOGS!!!! There are sooooooo many dogs on campus. SO MANY, SO MANY, SO MANY DAMN DOGS!!!! I cannot stress this enough. ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOG!!! I don't mind that, but many residents that are dog owners seem to let their dogs have the same rights as humans, e.g. jumping up on the counters and tables, eating food from tables and just generally being allowed to misbehave. Really annoying! People, if you own a dog, discipline it! Also, the place is for humans, not dogs. People don't seem to understand that dogs do not pay the rent, people do. So following that idea, dogs should take the second place, not people. Some on-campus friends of mine and I had a pretty big problem with this and I really think it needs to be addressed by the housing committee.
Again, if I would redo my Uppsala year, I would live in the city with more people, more open and creative minds and attitudes and more things to do. Just a piece of advice for all you incoming students!
That's all folks and stay tuned to my next couple of blogs. This should be my last few weeks of blogging, as I will be leaving Sweden shortly.
Enjoy your summer days!
Julian
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