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Study abroad journal
Name: Li, Guanhe
Study abroad period: Fall term 2019
Name of host institution: Lund University
Country of host institution: Sweden
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Monthly Activity Log
August
I arrived in Copenhagen in mid-August.
The international desk is very thoughtful.
There were a group of student volunteers
at the Copenhagen airport, helping us buy
the train tickets, and directing us to the
right track. There are even students
driving minivans to pick us up from Lund Central Station to the registration desk. The
registration provided almost everything one needs to kick start their exchange life, including
academic advice, housing, sim cards, transport, etc. The following two weeks were filled by
all kinds of orientation events. There were guided tours, treasure hunt, the taste of Sweden,
welcome party and orientation for different
departments. I love all of them and I meet a
bunch of cool people there. During August,
the weather in Sweden was still pretty nice.
So we sometimes go to the beach or just chill
in a park. This is almost the busiest time of
my entire exchange, but it was also probably
the most exciting period.
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September
The first study period was from September
to October. I was taking international
business law and Environmental issues. I
spent most of September just settling down
and finding my way around the town. I
signed up for the gym and found my usual
dining spots. All the nations start their
regular events as well as the novish events. I joined a few sittnings, which is a huge thing in
Lund. It is basically a three-course dinner
with a dress code, a lot of singing and
drinking. September is also the time that I
began to get closer to some of the people I
met there, and I started to have this little
friend circle that I’m really comfortable with.
In terms of traveling, I mainly spent time
exploring Malmö and Copenhagen a bit
during this time. And at the end of
September, I met up with some friends in
Munich. We went to Oktoberfest.
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October
This is the time where school work starts
to get tough. I have some classes clashed
with each other, so there was a lot of self-
studying going on. I took one final for
international business law in late October
and it finished up my first study period. I
did a bit more traveling in October. I went
to southern France with an exchange friend I met in Lund. And after the final, we have a
week of study break. I traveled to Greece during that period.
November
I started my classes for the second
period. I was taking international
marketing, international economics,
and environmental issues. Because
the environmental issues were a
whole semester class, my second
period’s study workload was
definitely much more than the first one. At the beginning of the month, I did a road trip with
some friends to somewhere around Jonkoping. It was quite an adventure, we got lost a
couple of times, drove into some rando people’s backyard, stargazing from a small tent,
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gathering around the fireplace with
home-made pizza. Starting from mid-
November, the Swedish winter is
kicking in and it was not fun. The day
is always grey and gloomy. The
daylight is just so precious. The night
starts around 3-4 pm. This is the point
I realize winter blue is actually a thing. I feel not as energetic as usual. I spent most of my
time in my room and gym.
December
The entire December is so Christmas-ish and
I love Christmas in Europe. It is especially
cute in Lund, every single window you walk
past in the town has decorations. We went
to some Christmas themed sittnings and
parties in town. And later on, days are just
filled with assignments due and exams. I
finished my semester on the 20th. In late
December, it is just kind of sad cause, a lot
of my friends are leaving. After tons of
goodbyes, I left Lund on the 21st and went
to Australia for a skiing trip.
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General Exchange Information
1) Visa Procedures
We need to obtain a resident card. The application process takes around a month and a half.
You make your application online first. And once you get your decision, you can go to the
embassy to take biometrics. Your resident card will be ready in around 1 week afterward.
Because I’m holding a Chinese passport, I have to obtain the residential card before I arrive.
But If your passport grants you entry, then you can go to Malmö to collect biometrics after
you arrive.
2) Orientation Activities
We had two full weeks of orientation. You will get an orientation schedule. There will be
events starting from 9-10 am to midnight. There was everything, brunches, BBQ, treasure
hunt, guided tour, cultural night, excursion, sports try-out, karaoke nights, pub quiz, club…
EVERYTHING. I’d suggest going to everything that you can because all of the events are
really fun. And this is just a great time and opportunity to meet people and get involved.
3) International Services & Activities
The international desk helps with arrival and registration. They also hold their own events
throughout the semester. I don’t recall something that especially stands out. But they do
hold game nights and seminars regarding how to cope with winter blue. But ladies there are
super friendly and helpful. I’m sure if you have any problem during your exchange, they will
be able to help.
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4) Accommodations
Lund’s accommodation situation can be a bit tricky. I got my housing through AFB. I chose to
live in a corridor room to have a chance to meet local kids. As an exchange student, we do
get the privilege. But make sure you register as soon as you can. You get your waiting
number based on the time you register. I managed to get an offer in Sparta in August. I love
Sparta. I think it is perfect for a business school student. It’s close to the classroom. It has an
ICA (grocery shop) right at the entrance. There’s a gym on the ground floor. And there’s a lot
of corridor parties and it’s so easy to make friends.
5) Courses Registration
You will get an online form for course registration. Usually, one will get to choose two
courses for each study period. For each course, you will get to write down two alternatives.
So you are almost guaranteed to get the courses you want. Even if you don’t, there’s still a
chance to make the adjustment after you arrive.
For me,
Courses in Lund Period Transfer to
FMIF 20 Environmental issues The whole semester LIFS 1030
HARA 29 International business law 1st period NA
IBUA 21 International marketing 2nd period MARK3430
SASE 31 international economics 2nd period ECON4364
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6) Teaching & Assessment Methods
Teaching is pretty standard. There is nothing too different from UST. For me, none of the
lectures takes attendance. So you have a lot of control over your time. In Sweden, the
culture is really flat. We call our professors by name. And they are really chill and easy to
talk to. In terms of assessment, your final grades mainly depend on the finals. There will be
assignments or seminars from time to time, but they are not graded. So exams take up a lot
of percentages of your final grades. And the grading system varies between schools and
departments. Sometimes it can be an A, B, C system, sometimes a 3,4,5 and sometimes a
Fail, Pass, Pass with outstanding result system.
7) Sports & Recreation Facilities
There is no school gym, so you have to sign up for your own membership. I sign up for the
Actic in Sparta because of how close it is. It costs around 400 HKD per month. And you have
access to all Actics in town, all the facilities, and the classes. I think obtaining a gym
membership is pretty necessary especially for the winter season when there’s nothing to do.
There is not a lot of other recreation facilities in town. There’s a central park, a botanical
garden. There are two swimming pools, one close to Delphi, one in Lund C. I’ve been to the
one in Lund C, they have an adventurous park which I think is pretty fun. There’s slides,
diving pool, and all kinds of things. It’s nice to spend a Sunday there.
8) Finance & Banking (including currency/expenses)
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Sweden is almost cashless. Make sure you have credit cards with you, then you should be
fine. A small amount of cash may be helpful just in case of an emergency. You will not be
able to open a bank account if you are only staying for one semester.
9) Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities
If you want, you can always find some events in town almost every single day. Lund has a
very unique and special student life. There are nations which run brunch, dinner, bar, and
club. I signed up for VG, because most of the exchange students do. Their food is really
good. I usually go for Saturday brunch and Friday dinner. For clubs, I’d recommend
Goteborg. Also, working at a nation is pretty fun and probably one of the best ways to know
people. And there’s always corridor parties. Other than these, there’s ESN, which is a
student organization. ESN in Lund has all kinds of events, including sports, social events,
trips, etc.
10) Climate
The weather in August is just perfect. So do bring little summer clothes. It starts to get
cooler from September. And around late October to mid-November, the weather becomes
kind of depressing. Winter is not as cold as people would imagine, it’s only like around 0
degrees.
11) Health & Safety
I don’t know too much about the medical stuff in Lund. There is a university hospital. So in
case of any illness, you should be able to get decent help. In terms of safety, Lund is really
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safe. Even though sometimes you may hear about crazy stories, but generally it is really
safe. I would be comfortable walking at night alone. But do mind certain areas around the
town, I would avoid certain areas in Malmo.
12) Food
Most of the students cook themselves. Because of that, the school doesn’t really have many
actual canteens. There are cafeterias which sell sandwiches and salad. If you don’t really
cook, there’s always kebab, pizza, falafel, etc.
13) Transportation
Getting around the town is easy. Lund is such a small town, most of the places you will need
to go are within 30 mins walking distance. It’s more common that people bike. It is super
easy to get a second-hand bike. If the weather gets too cold, the bus system runs through
the city as well. There is an app called Skanetraffic where you can see the timetable and
purchase the tickets.
14) Communication
Swedish people speak perfect English, so there is absolutely no problem in communication.
But if your timetable allowed, I would suggest continuing taking a Swedish language course
during the semester. Knowing the basics will make life even easier in Lund.
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Items to Bring
- Winter jacket
- Passport
- Credit Cards
- Adapter
- Euros
- Medicines
- Cocktail dress and suits
Useful link and contacts - https://liveatlund.lu.se
- https://www.studentlund.se
- https://afbostader.se
- https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Private-individuals/Studying-in-Sweden.html