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Lund University

2016-2017 PREPARATION

exchange application process

There is a lot of information provided by Utrecht University in order to prepare for your application to study abroad. The deadline is clear, there is a list with the required documents you need to provide before the deadline. The orientation meeting as well as the pre-departure meeting were helpful in the proces of preparing for your choices and the final moment of departure.

counselling & support at Utrecht University

As a noted above the orientation meetings as well as the pre-departure meeting were helpful. Sometimes it is not very clear which body withing the University to contact about what subject matter. For example that you need your study plan to be signed by the studieadviseur, but they don’t know anything about whether or not your courses can be implemented in your Bachelor Program. Basically the studieadviseur, examencommissie and international office are all part of the process but they could definitely put more effort in working together and give more clearification about who to contact in which fase of the application and thereafter.

academic preparation

language preparation

I only needed to do a language assessment in English sent by Erasmus. My English was already on a decent level, I was already able to follow academic courses in English language, so I didn't need much preparation on this point.

finances

As to the finances, I worked a lot before heading off to Sweden. I knew Sweden is quite an expensive country compared to the Netherlands so I made sure I had saved enough money to cover the expected and unexpected costs. Also with financial support from my parents I have been able to go to Sweden.

STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues)

I attended two courses during my semester at Lund University. Both on Master level and both worth 15 ECTS each. The first course called Introduction to Swedish Law was very general and mostly about Swedish and European law. It was a very nice course since only international students took part in it, so I was able to make a lot of friends during this course that were in Sweden for the same reasons as me. The structure was a bit different than I was used to in the Netherlands. The first part of the course existed of all the lectures, after that we had small-group sessions and individual meetings for our group and individual essay. The second course I followed is Law and Literature. Very interesting, reading loads of literature. Sometimes directly related to law and sometimes not that much, but it made me see how important language for law can be. We did a lot of close readings on texts which also made me improve my legal reading skills. There were as far as I'm concerned no organisational issues.

academic quality of education activities

All the education activities are of good academic quality. Lectures and small-group sessions are given by professors

counselling & support at receiving university abroad

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A lot of information is given by Lund University for your stay abroad. Before and during your stay. There is always a student service you can contact if you need support or help.

transfer of credits

I have not received my transcript of records yet, so not applicable.

STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme

The introduction weeks were well organised. There is a specific arrival day recommended for all the new exchange students. It was insanely busy during this day and I had to stand in line for more than two hours in order to receive my keys. This could have been organised/monitored better… By the time I arrived at the desk where they sell the tickets for several activities everything was sold out. And it was only 5 pm, the day was at least to last till 8 pm. Some activities lasted for a whole day, so I had many gaps in my introduction programme. Which is not such a nice thing if you don’t know anyone in Lund yet and wanted to use the introduction activities to get to know more people.

accommodation

I got my room through the Lund Accommodation service, I lived in a corridor room just out of the city centre which was fine. The application process was easy and transparent. The results of the room placements came rather late. I was placed on the waiting list and eventually in the end I was fortunate enough to get a room. But otherwise I would have been to late to use other housing services in Lund and I would have ended up staying at a hotel or something. At my student accommodation lived over a 1000 other students. It was nice that my corridor with 15 people living there was a mix of internationals and Swedes.

leisure & culture

There are a lot of things to do and see in Lund. But it is a small town. You can easily travel to other cities such as Copenhagen, which I did several times for either a day in the city or a night out. Lund has nice coffee places and a few great restaurants. There are furthermore 13 student nations that offer loads of student activities such as brunches, parties, sittnings and dinners.

suggestions/tips

I would recommend to join a nation.

CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain

Defenitely! Everything is well organised and the level of English is really good in Sweden. Not only at the university but also the locals speak English very well.

do you have any additional advice or comments?

Just go for it!

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Lund University

2016-2017

preparation

exchange/placement application process

After having been to Sweden a couple of times before, I fell in love with this country and knew

that I would love to do an exchange semester in a Swedish student city. At the general UU

meeting for studying abroad, I talked to some people who had been to Lund and got convinced. I

applied for Lund (Sweden), Uppsala (Sweden) and London (UK). I wrote a motivation letter, made

a financial and a study plan and handed in my English CV. Two months after the deadline, I heard

I was accepted by Lund University. I payed attention to the deadlines of filling in documents and

tried to reply to emails from Lund/UU as quickly as possible.

counselling/support at home university

I frequently got support from the International Office of Utrecht University. The replied to e-

mails very fast and signed all the documents that needed to be signed.


I have not had any extra academic preparation except for the two years of regular law studies at

Utrecht University.


There were no specific language requirements from Lund University, so an English assessment test

was not needed. In Lund, I followed the introductory Swedish course, which was a fun way to

meet people and get general knowledge of the Swedish language. If you are really interested in

the Swedish language, it is also possible to take intermediate and advanced courses, but this will

of course require extra time and enthusiasm.

finances

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Living in Sweden is very expensive, also compared to The Netherlands. Therefore, making a

financial plan for your semester abroad, is necessary. To be able to have enough money during my

exchange, I applied for the Erasmus grant, got a refund for my Dutch transportation card, got a

contribution from my parents and used my own savings. Furthermore, I had the general student

fund from the Dutch government (studiefinanciering).

study/placement abroad period

study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues)

The first half of my exchange in Lund, I followed the course Introduction to Swedish law (15

ECTS), which introduced us to the basics of many topics of Swedish law, such as family law,

criminal law, labour law, etc. For this course, we made a group essay and presented this in class,

followed by an individual essay of 20 pages. After handing in the individual essay, there was a so-

called ‘opposition’ where you had to give feedback on someone else’s essay and ‘defend’ your

own one. The final examination was an oral exam about the most important parts of the course.

In the second half, I participated in the course Legal History of Minorities (15 ECTS). This course

discussed legal and historical questions about three different minorities: ethnic, religious and

sexual minorities. As for the examination in this course, we had to give three group

presentations, do one written examination and write a 20-page essay about our own interests

concerning (the history of) minorities.

In the examination of both courses, it was already sufficient if you got 50 points out of 100,

which was not very hard to get, so I would say, also considering the fact that you have one course

at a time, that the courses in Utrecht are harder and take more time to study.

academic quality of education/placement activities

Both the courses described above were very interesting and very different than the courses I have

followed so far at Utrecht University. Instead of having to prepare questions weekly, we were just

expected to gain information by going to the lectures and study for ourselves a bit, even though

reading all the reading material was not obligatory. By writing the 20-page essays, I learned to

ameliorate my English and to better my academic skills (such as researching and writing), which I

can surely use for my future courses at Utrecht University.

counselling/support at host institution/organisation

counseling/support at the host university was not really needed, because it was very clear what

the procedure of the exchange and the courses was, but when I needed help with something, I

emailed the contact person at the International Office, who was very helpful and emailed me

back quickly.

transfer of credits

My credits have not been transferred yet.

student life

welcome/orientation programme

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Arrival day was very well organised and students from Lund University helped us get a train ticket

to get to Lund. During this day we got a lot of helpful information, such as where to get a

Swedish number, how to register for your university account, etc. We also got the keys for our

accommodation on this day.

The introduction weeks were a lot of fun, because it was a great opportunity to get to know

people and to explore Lund, without having to think of your studies (yet). I joined a mentor

group, which organised some complementary activities next to the university activities and the

parties from all the nations (associations which organise all the social activities in Lund).

accommodation

I applied for Lund Accommodation through Lund University, but didn’t get a room right away.

Because I was put on the waiting list, I contacted some nations for housing and looked on other

housing sites to find accommodation for my semester abroad. About one month before going to

Lund, I got an email that Lund Accommodation was able to find housing for me after all and

ended up living in one of the accommodations which was in my preferences in the first place. I

lived in a corridor room in Delphi (a very vibrant and big student complex) with 4 other (Swedish)

students.

leisure/culture

When you ask any Swede for student cities in Sweden, you will definitely hear LUND. Lund is a

small, but very vibrant student city which offers a lot of leisure activities for students. When you

enroll in one nation, you will be able to join the activities from other nations as well. All the

nations organise parties at (different) nights, have their own sports teams (for example for the

sport floor ball, which is a very popular sport in Sweden), organise brunches and sittnings (a

fancy party with a three-course dinner and a lot of Swedish songs).

suggestions/tips

My suggestion would be to definitely sign up for both the mentor programme and the Swedish

course for the introduction weeks, as these are great opportunities to meet friends you’re gonna

hang around with during your stay in Lund and hopefully also afterwards.

I would also strongly recommend to work at a nation (you can work at the bar, cook lunch, etc.)

because you will get to know a lot of Swedish students, which you normally don’t get to know

that well as an international student.

Finally, I would advise to go traveling! In my exchange semester, I went to Copenhagen a lot of

times, I have been to Stockholm, been on a (student) cruise from Sweden to Estonia and seen the

northern lights in Lapland (northern Finland).

conclusions

would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain

I would and already have recommended Lund to everyone! Lund is a great student city, where you

yourself can choose how to fill in your half a year. You can work in a club, get to know Swedish

people in Language cafes, go traveling, or combine all of those. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss a

single day of my experience in Lund.


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Try to sign up for as many activities as you can (sittnings, travels, cruises, ESN activities, etc),

because once it’s all over, you’ll regret every single day that you stayed in your room and did

nothing!

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Lund University

2016-2017

preparation


After the general information meeting of the UU, I started to take a look at the student experiences of the

different destinations I could choose. I applied for Lund University, Uppsala university and University of Lisbon.

For the application I wrote a motivation letter, made a financial plan, an English CV, a study plan and did some

research about the universities. The most important part was to take care of the deadlines.

In February, two months after the deadline of applying, I heard I was accepted by Lund University. The university

was very clear about new deadlines of filling in documents and the housing application. It took some work, but it

was all very clear.


During the application and the other preparations of my exchange I frequently requested support by the

International Office. They always replied very fast by e-mail, especially with signing documents. This was very

nice, because keeping track of the deadlines is very important by arranging an exchange. They were also very

kind at the open hours of the office.


At Lund University it is not necessary to take any academic preparations. I did not take the LEAP course,

because this focuses more on the English/American common law system.


I tried to get used to talk and read English again, by reading some books and talking to English people. When I

arrived in Sweden, I took the Swedish Introductory Course, to speak a little Swedish. I recommend this course!

It is an easy way to meet new people in the Introduction period and you learn the basics of the Swedish

language.

finances

I knew living in Sweden is very expensive, so I tried to prepare for that. I made my financial plan and started to

work and save my money for the exchange. Furthermore, I applied for the Erasmus grant and converted my

Dutch public transport card. Moreover, I received a loan from the government and a contribution by my

parents.



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For Law students with just two years of study at university level without knowledge of the Swedish language

and law, there is not that much choice in courses. I founded out too late that it is also possible for Law students

to follow non-Law courses (for example the SAS courses in Sweden). In the end, I choose “Introduction to

Swedish Law” and “Legal History of Minorities”.

The first period of the autumn semester I followed “Introduction to Swedish Law”. The purpose of this course

was to present the main features of the Swedish legal system and to introduce the students to selected topics

of substantive Swedish law. The studying of the Swedish Law had to be done in a comparative perspective.

After the introduction lessons we had to write two essays and present them with a group. After that, we had to

write an essay of 20 pages and to do an oral exam. This seems a lot, but we had a lot of free time, because we

did not have to attend that much classes. Since it was my only course, the level was a little lower than in

Utrecht.

My second course was “Legal History of Minorities”. The purpose of this course was to form a basis of legal

ideology and modern theory, providing deeper knowledge of the legal history of human rights and treatment of

minority groups. The course focused on the legal and historical approach of ethnic, sexual and religious

minorities. The course consisted of several lectures, three group projects with presentations, an individual

essay and a written examination. Both courses were totally in English and with international students.


Both courses did not have a lot of lectures. In contrary to Utrecht University, students did not have to prepare

questions on a weekly basis. Instead, we had to read by ourselves and do presentations and write essays. The

teachers were very kind and gave useful criticism on the essays.

I had the feeling the teachers at my first course did not expect a lot from the exchange students and that they

did not take it very seriously. They seem surprised by our essays and the level of our oral examination. That was

kind of a weird experience. But in the end, the course was very interesting. The presentations and essay

writings really helped to improve my academic skills and my English greatly.


I did not really used the counselling at Lund University. But Lina Jönsson, my contact person, and the teachers

were all very kind and helpful. She e-mailed me back the same day if I had some questions.

transfer of credits

My credits have not been transferred yet.

student life


The welcome programme at Lund University is really well organised at Lund University. On the “arrival day”

Copenhagen Airport was full of students who welcomed me and helped me to take the train to Lund with all my

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suitcases. In Lund, I got my keys, a welcome package full of information and a registration. This whole day was

very well organised and I felt I got all the necessary information in one day.

During the first two weeks there were a lot of activities planned for international students. A Swedish language

course, hikes, parties, a guided tour through the city, etc. I took also part in a mentor group. I met a lot of new

people and got to know Lund and Sweden better.

Furthermore, the student nations organised a lot of parties and other activities. After the introduction period I

knew a lot more about the nations and which one I wanted to join.

accommodation

Because the lack of accommodation for (international) students in Lund, it can be hard to find a place to stay

during an exchange. I signed up at “Lund Accommodation” but did not get a room, I was placed on a waiting list

for housing. I started to search for housing by other websites, which turned out to be very hard, so I was really

worried during the summer. Luckily, one month before I left I received an offer from Lund Accommodation for

Klostergarden Student House. I had a big apartment with my own kitchen and bathroom. One thing I learned is

that you have to be lucky to get an accommodation in Lund by Lund University.

leisure/culture

Lund is a small city full of students. All of these students are part of a nation. This is a student association which

offers cheap food, pub- and clubnights. The nations are a good possibility to meet new (Swedish or

international) people, because they offer a lot of activities, sport teams, voluntary work and another mentor

group. The nations are the best possibility to go out in Lund, because they are cheap and there are not that

much other pubs or clubs in Lund.

Lund is a small, quiet, but very pretty student city. It is easy to visit bigger cities as Copenhagen, Stockholm or

Gothenborg by train. I did a lot of citytrips during my stay and got the real “Scandinavia experience”. During

December I visited Lapland. I saw the Nothern Lights, ride on a Snowmobile and did a Husky safari. I would

really recommend this trip to all students visiting Lund or Uppsala!

suggestions/tips

Lund is absolutely awesome! There are a lot of travelling possibilities. I would really recommend to explore

Scandinavia and go to Lapland (with ESN).

Another tip is to keep track of all deadlines, especially the one for the housing application of Lund

Accommodation! Furthermore, all students should attend to the Introduction programme, because it is a good

opportunity to meet other (international) students and to get to know Lund better. Don’t be afraid to sign up

for a mentor group!

conclusions


I would strongly recommend Lund to others. Lund is a small city with a lot of students and travel possibilities.

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Almost everybody in Sweden speaks (good) English, is very kind and helpful. Furthermore, you can get

anywhere in Lund by bike in a short amount of time. That is why I felt very comfortable living there. I fell in love

with Scandinavia!


Make a lot of pictures while you are abroad. As soon as you come home, it feels like you never left. It is nice to

have pictures to show your friends and family and to remind yourself of the best time of your life!

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Lund University

2016-2017

PREPARATION exchange application process

For the application process, a few documents had to be prepared. A motivation letter had to be handed in as well as your CV, a study plan and a financial plan. When all the documents were prepared, they needed to be submitted in Osiris together with the choices of destinations. The application at Lund University went very well. A couple of months before the application started, Lund University sent e-mails about how to apply and what documents needed to be prepared for applying. It was very clear what Lund University requested. Together with the application, the courses could be chosen and applying for housing was possible. The courses were very easy to find at the website of Lund University. Finally, there was always a possibility to ask questions.


The counselling & support at Utrecht University was very good. It started with an information evening about studying abroad. On that evening it was cleary explained what needed to be prepared in order to study abroad. Also, all the information was sent later in an e-mail. Before going abroad, a pre-departure meeting was organised. The information given on this meeting was very useful. Further all e-mails with questions from me were replied on quickly and the documents for the preparation were always signed in one week or shorter.


Before leaving, I thought that it was useful to read academic texts in English. I tried as much as possible to read case law, articles and books in English. For me, it really helped that I followed European law in English the period before I left to Lund.


I did not really do an official language preparation, for example taking an English language course. A couple of months before leaving, I read some English books and tried to speak English as much as possible. I must say that I was really quickly used to speak English.

finances

One should keep in mind that living in Sweden is a little bit more expensive than in the Netherlands. Especially food and drinks in the supermarket are more expensive, as well as the rent. I had studiefinanciering, OV-vergoeding, Erasmus Grant and I saved money for this exchange. I would really recommend to try to save some money, since you want to enjoy your exchange. It is nice to have, for example, some extra money for trips. I would recommend to buy a bike as soon as you get in Lund, because public travel can be a bit expensive. Further, costs for your books, internet etcetera are almost the same as in the Netherlands.


I studied Introduction to Swedish law and Legal History of Minorities. Both were 15 ECTS. Introduction to Swedish law was about the basis features of Swedish law. For example, I studied the basic Swedish laws (such as the consitution) in different areas such as criminal law, family law, private law etcetera. The examination consisted of writing a group paper, giving a group presentation, writing an essay of 20 pages and defend this essay in class. The examination, especially the essay and defending it, was very different than I was used to. However, I thought it was really useful to experience this form of examination. It really triggered me to form my own opinion about the material. About the organisation of the course: the schedule, the assignments, grades etcetera were all available at a website. Official registration for the course was done at the first meeting, so it was really important to attend the first class. Further, the course coordanitor/administrator was always able to

answer questions. The second course I followed, Legal History of Minorities, was about the development of human rights and especially the rights of minorities world wide. The examination consisted of three group projects with presentations, a written open book exam and an essay of 20 pages. Again, the form of examination was different than what I was used to. About the organisational issues, the same as described above is applicable for this course.


The courses consisted of lectures and individual tuitions. The quality of the lectures was really well. Material from the prescribed literature was discussed and there was enough space for questions. The individual tuitions were conversations between one student and the teacher about, for example, help for choosing an essay topic or discussing the progress of the essay writing. I thought that the individual tuitions were really effective and helped to improve the quality of the assingments. What I did not like was that there were no seminars. The consequence was that I had a hard time studying for the exam, because we did not do any practical exercises with the material from the literature.


Like explained before, everyone was really helpful and it was really clear to who you could go with your question. Lund University sent very early information about the application progress as well as the information about the courses. The courses I chose at the beginning of the application were the same courses I eventually followed. Lund University also helped with finding books, how to find all buildings, how to make a library account etcetera.

transfer of credits

At Lund University is used a different grading system. However, there is always explained how the system works. The credit system is the same. Lund University sends automatically a transcript of records to Utrecht University, but you can ask for a copy.


The semester started with an arrival day. It was very well organized. On Copenhagen airport mentors waited for the arriving students and they pointed the way to the ticketmachine. At the ticketmachine, other persons from Lund University were there to help you with buying tickets for the train to Lund. At Lund Central Station, mentors were waiting to bring you to the building where the arrival 'event' took place. At the building, all the luggage could be stored so that everyone was able to walk around without the luggage. At the building, all information one could wish for could be found. From the selling of tickets for orientation events to stands which provided Swedish SIM cards. At the same building, the ones who got a room were able to pick up their keys and the ones who did not get a room, got help to find a place to stay. Further, there were a lot of stands with all information about Lund and its student life. From the building, everyone was brought with a car to his or her accommodation. It was very well organized and a fun way to start the exchange. The orientation progromme was quite intensive. There was an option to follow Swedish language class and to participate in a mentor programme. I did both and I would recommend to do both. It is very nice to learn some basic Swedish words, so you know what you are buying in the supermarket for example. Further, the mentor programme was a great way to get know a lot of people. The mentors were internationals as well, so they could really imagine how it is to be new in Lund. With the mentor group, we did for two weeks very different activities. From parties to informations fairs. That is what was organized as well in the first weeks, a lot of fairs were you could go to get to know the nations (a sort of verenigingen) but also student associations for example. To conclude, the welcome and orientantion programme was full of activities, but it was a great way to get to know Lund, new people and so on.

accommodation

If can be very hard to get a room in Lund. First of all, you can apply for housing by LU accommodation the same

time you apply for studies. If you are lucky, you will get a room. Otherwise, you will put on a waiting list and it is strongly recommended to search by yourself. I was put on the waiting list and it was very stressful then to find a room. I started looking for a room by AF Bostäder, the largest stundent housing company. If you are a new international student, you can participate in a lottery and then will receive a good place in the queue. If that will not help as well to find a room, you can try Bopoolen. It is a website with private landlords. I was very lucky, because two weeks before my departure to Lund, I received an accommodation offer of LU accommodation. I lived in a corridor in Delphi, one of the student accommodations of Lund. I lived there with 5 other people. Accidently, only Swedish people, but there were also corridors with both Swedish and international students. Most of the time, if one will get a room by LU accommodation, one will live with a mix between Swedish and international students. To conclude, make sure you apply for LU accommodation. It is very nice to get a room trough that organisation. You will live with a lot of students and it makes your exchange great. If not, try to find a room by yourself as soon as possible. If you will not be able to find a room, you will get help at the Arrival day with searching for a room, or finding temporary solutions.

leisure & culture

As soon as possible, everyone should join a nation. There are a lot of nations in Lund and it is very nice to spend time there. Since there are a lot of them, everyone should be able to find a nation where he or she feels in place. At the nations, you can have lunch and they organize a lot of activities. For example sports, movie nights, but also parties and pubs. It is a very nice way to get to know Swedish and international students. About Lund, it is not a really big city, but more than half of its population is student. In my opinion, it gives the city a nice vibe. There are not only a lot of Swedish students, also a lot of internationals. It does not matter who you talk to, everyone can speak English very well. It makes it easy to communicate with locals. Further, Lund has a lot of student associations. For example, a lot of music societies, theatre, political societies, religious ones, sport, newspaper etcetera. It is very easy to join an associations and I guess each of them has some activities in the beginning of the semester so everyone is able to join. About the Swedish people, they can be a little bit reserved and individual. However, in my opinion they are very nice and helpful. Try to talk and participate in their traditions. It is fun to do typical Swedish activities to get to know the locals. To finish, besides the student associations and nations, there are great opportunities to hike, walk or cyckel.

suggestions/tips

Try to do as much activities as you can and say yes to everything you can. Especially at the beginning of the time abroad it will help to find new friends you can spend your whole exchange with. About the accommodation, really make sure to apply before the deadline. Otherwise, it will be really hard to find a room. Also, I would recommend to not compare everything with home.


Yes I would definitely recommend Lund to others. First of all, Lund University is a very good university. The system is slightly different. By that I mean that participation during lectures is very important and I personally learned a lot from that. Also, I really appreciated the counselling and support of Lund University during the beginning of the semester. Secondly, Lund is a great small city. More than 60% of all citizens are students which gives the city a nice atmosphere. There is a lot to do and everyone can find activities which correspond to their interests.


Try to learn basic Swedish in advance. It will help in the beginning with doing groceries and getting to know the city.

Lund University 2016-2017

PREPARATION exchange application process

Firstly I went to the general information meeting of the UU. After that I looked at all the student experiences of the different destinations. I decided to apply for Lund University as my first choice, because of the student life, Swedish nature and courses. I needed to make my English resume, motivational letter, financial plan and study plan for the application. It took quite a while before I heard that I was accepted. After that especially the housing process was of importance, via LU Accomodation.


The help of the International Office was great. They always replied quickly.


I didn't take any academic preparation.


I downloaded Duolingo to learn some Swedish before my arrival.

finances


I started of following an introductory course in Swedish language, which was during the orientation programme. It was a nice way to meet some people and learn some basic Swedish. After that I had one large course every period. In the first period I followed ''Fundamentals of Oral Advocacy'', in which an English barrister thougt us everything about pleading in front of a court, judge or jury. It really added value to my education, because it is a skill which you can't develop like this in the bachelor in Utrecht. The second period I followed ''Global Legal Cultures''. I liked that one less. It also wasn't my original pick, but the examination date fitted better in my schedule.


Good. Especially "Fundamentals of Oral Advocacy'' was excellent. Our teacher had years of experience as a barrister himself and as judges we got real judges and people from the most prestigious law firm in Sweden, that gave us good tips and a real challenge.


Lina Jönsson and the other councils were really helpful. Only point of criticism is that they're gone quite often.

transfer of credits

I didn't save any money for my exchange. Sweden is really expensive, but with the Erasmus grant it was definitely doable. I did get a credit card beforehand though, which I didn't need it often, but sometimes definitely came of use.

My credits were transferred fastly, so that it was on time for my graduation. Once I mailed, the transcript was sent in a day and arrived within a week. The examination committee made some mistakes with the rating of my courses, but they corrected that quickly after my request for revision.


The orientation programme is very well organised. You meet a lot of people, there are a lot of parties and you get to know Lund much better.

accommodation

I signed up at ''Lund Accommodation'' but didn't get a room at first and was placed on a waiting list. I started to search for housing on other websites, through the student nations etc. Luckily, a few weeks before the start I received an offer from Lund Accommodation for Brunnsbo, my first pick. It was the best place I can imagine to live in Lund. The accomodation wasn't fancy, but it was one big open building with 40 roommates. That made it a house where there were always roommates in for a drink. Besides that, the location was perfect, on a walking distance to the city center.

leisure & culture

Lund is a small student city, in which almost every student is part of a nation. The nations are very comparable to Dutch fraternities, but then with a more open character. They offer cheap food, sports teams, formal parties and clubnights. The nations are a good possibility to meet new people, both internationals and Swedes, depending on the nation you choose. The nations are the cheapest and thus best option to go out in Lund. If you want to go to a real club I would recommend the T-bar on Friday.

You can also easily visit cities as Copenhagen or Gothenborg by train, as well as nice nature parks in the area like Kullaberg. At the beginning of December I visited Lapland with my roommates through ESN Lund. This was a

brilliant trip including skiing, the Nothern Lights, a snowmobile ride and a Husky safari.

suggestions/tips

Invest some time in learning the basics of the Swedish language really well. You don't need it, but it does make you more part of the incrowd, because the natives speak proper English but logically always prefer to speak in their own language.


Yes definitely. Good university, great student city and you can make beautiful trips in Scandinavia.


-

Lund University

2015-2016

PREPARATION


This was really easy for me. I applied for a rest place from Utrecht University before 1 July 2015. This went really

smooth. The website of Utrecht University provided all the necessary documents I needed to fill in.


The support at Utrecht University was good. There was a quick response on questions via email. They were very

helpfull on the phone as well. Everytime when I did not know what I had to fill in they helped me out really fast.

Also the collection of the required signatures for the documents went very smooth.


The Master Privaatrecht at Utrecht University already provided me the background information on the courses I

took in Lund University. I studied the Trade Law Courses in the Master in Utrecht. Therefore, I could pick up

really quick on the academic way of studying in Sweden when I started courses there.


Before I went on exchange I already travelled for 5 months through Australia and South East Asia. This was

really good for my English. Therefore, I did not really need preparation for speaking and writing English.

finances

With the grand, savings from working in Utrecht and support from my parents I was well prepared to stay for 5

months abroad in Sweden. I also met with a friend who studied in Lund in 2013 and he gave me an insight on

the expenses in Sweden. This was very helpful.

STUDY ABROAD PERIOD

study programme (content and organisational issues)

In the whole semester I had 2 courses of a total of 30 ECTS. The first course was Martime & Transportation Law.

This was a rather easy course in comparison with the course Internationaal Handelsrecht in Utrecht. The

organisation was not so smooth because my teacher was sick a lot. The content therefore was sometimes hard

to follow. The second course was European Private International law. The content was very interesting and it

was a very well organised course.


The first course Maritime and Transportation Law was pretty easy. There was not a lot of studying at home to

be done and the final exam was only a written paper around 2500 words. Which is nothing after 2,5 month of

studying. The second Course European Private International Law was a lot harder. We had to present 3 cases in

front of the class and the academic quality was very high. The professor really wanted us to present 10 minutes

withouth any paper. Therfore you needed to know the cases by hart. Also, we needed to write a paper around

6000 words and a written exam of 2 hours. This Course was therefore quit more interesting due to the better

acadamic quality.


The support was really good at Lund University. Quick responses on emails and there is very nice and easygoing

atmosphere between student and teacher. This is because of the principle of equality in Sweden. You name the

teacher by his/her front name and therefore there is a really nice vibe in the classroom. Also questions on the

content of the materials where very well adressed and answered by the teachers and coördinators.

transfer of credits

The transfer of credits is different than you are used to in Utrecht University. In the Law faculty there is a

system based on letters : AB, BA, B and U. Therefore, in my opinion, you don't really know how you really have

written a paper or exam in comparison with your classmates.

STUDENT LIFE

welcome & orientation programme

In Lund there is a very good welcome & orientation programme. You get picked up by mini vans from the train

station to the university building. There you get all the information you need while picking up your key. They

provide transport from there to you accomodation. The whole week there are introduction talks and free tours

through the city. Also you get devided (in advance) in groups with two mentors. They organise a couple of

weeks of events and parties so you get to know some fellow students. There is also an Introductory course in

Swedish for two weeks so you learn the basics to speak with Swedes. This was very nice.

accommodation

The Accomodation in Lund is very well organised. In my room I had my own shower and toilet and the basic

furnature. I lived with 10 Swedes and 2 other internationals. We had a very big kitchen with all the facilities you

need to cook. There was also a very big living area with tv and balcony. It was a very social environment and

because you live with Swedes you learn more about their culture and the way they live. The accomodation

provided free laundry and they fixed all minor problems instantly if you called them. A very good atmosphere

because there lived another 3000 students around you. Good for parties and late night bbq's!

leisure & culture

There are alot of Student Nations in Lund. They organise all kinds of leisure for the students. From football to

windsurfing and working in night clubs. It is a great way to learn to know other students. Also there are Study

associations which organise activities all year around. This was very nice to learn more about your fellow

classmates and study students. The culture in Sweden is very interesting. The culture is based on equality,

therefore all women and man are equal. There is no such thing as men and woman toilets, they are all for

everyone. Also, there are a number of national traditions throughout the year where all swedes get together to

celebrate. A good example is 'Valborg' and 'Midsummer'. These are big events where everybody (especially

Swedes) go to public parks early to celebrate and chill. Studying is very important in the Swedish culture and

therefore every Swede focuses a lot on study and building their CV's. Also everyone is very easygoing to their

teachers and professors. Therfore, there is a very good vibe in the classrooms between teachers and students.

suggestions/tips

CONCLUSIONS

would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain

I would recommend everyone to study abroad at Lund University, Sweden. Sweden is a great and well

organised country. The student life in Lund is amazing and among the best in whole Sweden. Due to the great

amount of students and the small city it is very nice to meet a lot of International and Swedish students. There

is a high quality of academics and great social and studie related events throughout the year. Malmö and

Copenhagen are very close so a trip to these cities are a nice escape to a bigger and busier atmposphe when

needed. Also it is very good place to start your roadtrip to explore more of the beautiful nature of Sweden.


Sweden is in comparison with the Netherlands a very expansive country to live in. If you have plans to travel

around Scandinavia I advice you to save money in advance. You don't want to miss out on all the beautiful spots

Scandinavia has to offer you!

Lund University

2015-2016

PREPARATION


The application process was clear and quite easy. We had to hand-in our resume, a list with our grades, a

financial plan and a motivation letter. After you had to hand it in, the waiting began. It took quite a while before

we heard if we were selected. It was a bit difficult to make a top 3 of cities I want to go to, because a lot of places

attracted me. I read some reports of other students and searched on the internet about information of different

places. I was pretty sure I wanted to go to Scandinavia. In the end I choose Lund because it's a high-ranked

University, the level of English in Sweden is high and Lund is small but has a very vibrant student life.


The UU has a general information evening where they tell you about going on an exchange, an information desk

where you can ask questions and you can call/e-mail them. Before you leave there is another organized evening

where they explain everything about the exchange. You also get a guide to help you. It was good organized and

the International Office helps you as good as they can. The information they gave was correct and they

prepared you well.


When I started my exchange I already had enough ECTS to graduate, but I wanted to do something extra. At

Lund University I choose courses that were different than my bachelor courses so I could broaden my view.


I went to an English speaking country so I didn't really prepare for that. For the Erasmus Grant, we only had to

do a language test of 45 minutes. In Sweden the level of English is really high so you learn a lot from speaking

with other people and friends. Lund University offered a Swedish Language course for the exchange students in

the first two weeks, so we got a bit used to the language.

finances

With our application we had to hand-in a financial plan. After I heard that I was selected I started to loan money

from the government and put it in a savings account. I checked my financial plan once more before I left. I

figured that it is quite important to make a good financial plan, so you know what to expect and to know if you

have enough money. I saved a lot of money to make trips but some friends didn't and couldn't join. Life is

Sweden is more expensive than in the Netherlands but you get used to that and then you stop comparing prices

with what you pay at home.

STUDY ABROAD PERIOD


The courses I attended were different then the courses I took in my bachelors. I choose Maritime and

Transportation Law and Introduction to the Legal System of the United States. You could only choose 1 course

per semester because for the courses in Lund you get 15 ECTS. Every week I had two to three lectures. For the

latter course we had three lectures per week and we had to read case law and discuss this in class. It was really

interesting to learn something about a common law system and to compare it with civil law systems and to

have discussions about it. With Maritime and Transport Law I had two to three lectures per week. We didn't

have to prepare anything and it was not active at all. It was interesting though. For both courses there was no

mandatory attendance, which was also different than at the UU.


Lund University is a high ranked University so I expected a lot from the courses. I was a bit disappointed to be

honest. I expected the courses to be organized kind of the same as in Utrecht but that wasn't the case as I

stated above. Even if the attendance wasn't mandatory I attended all my classes. It was not challenging enough

for me. My friends took other courses and they had a different view on the courses so I guess it was maybe just

these two courses.


On the first day we got a book with useful information about studying in Lund, everything you needed to know

was in there. We got an introduction programme and some other useful books/information. The first two

weeks you could attend a lot of activities to get to know people and to get to know the city. It was a really fun

and interesting week.

My coordinator at Lund University was a really nice woman. She was really kind and she was very helpful. On

the second or third day we had the opportunity to meet her and ask everything we wanted to know.

transfer of credits

Sweden also has ECTS.

STUDENT LIFE


As stated before, there were a lot of organized activities to get to know the city and to meet other exchange

students. It was all very clear and good organized. I met so many people in the first two weeks and made a lot

of friends. Because the University organized a lot it was really easy to find your way and make new friends.

accommodation

I was a bit too late to apply for a room so Lund Accommodation offered me a room far from the city centre. I

accepted it first but I applied for a room on the AF Böstader website (lottery system). I was lucky to get a

corridor room in Sparta. It is so much fun to live with 12 other people (most of them were Swedish) and I really

got along with my corridor mates.

leisure & culture

The Swedish culture is really similar to the Dutch culture. I didn't have a problem to adjust to live in Sweden.

Swedish people are really kind, willing to help, hey speak really good English. They are a bit more introvert than

Dutch people but very polite. Typical Swedish is going for "Fika": coffee and cake.

The student life in Lund is very vibrant, the city really exists because of the students. The lunch/coffee places

are not that expensive. There are different Student Nations you can be part of. The Nations organize parties and

other activities and you can also work if you want. Most nations also provide lunch or dinner for a nice price.

suggestions/tips

I would suggest going to all the activities in the first two weeks so you meet a lot of new people. Also join a

nation and maybe work a few times to get to know Swedish people. Take part in the Swedish Introduction

Course, it is really fun and interesting to learn some Swedish.

CONCLUSIONS


I would definitely recommend Lund and Lund University. Everything is really good organized and coordinators

and people always want to help you. The city has a very vibrant study life and that's really nice. You get the

chance to meet a lot of people and to be part of the community. The city has a lot of nice buildings and places

to hang out. Because it's quite small, you really get to know the city. I really love Sweden and Lund and I really

want to come back here now my exchange is over.


At the end, it doesn't really matter where you go on an exchange. Everywhere you meet a lot of people from

different cultures and make a lot of international friends. Wherever you go, travel! (If you have the chance). It is

the best opportunity to see a lot of a country. Traveling really enriched my exchange.

Lund University

2015-2016

PREPARATION


After I went to a general information meeting about studying abroad, I decided that I wanted to take this

opportunity. I searched for universities and applied for Lund University and Uppsala University. I had to fill in

quite a few documents and let them sign by the sending and receiving university. It is important you take care of

the deadlines, but apart from that it was quite clear and easy.


The support from the International Office at Utrecht University was good: they replied quickly to emails and

tried to help you when it was necessary.


I didn't prepare for the courses I would follow in Lund. I only checked the number of ECTS and the general

content of the courses.


Before I went to Sweden, I downloaded the app Duolingo to practice some Swedish words. Although it was

certainly not necessary to do this, it was fun to do and it is nice when you know a few basic words the moment

you arrive. But because everyone in Sweden speaks English so well, there is really no need to learn Swedish

before.

finances

I saved some money before I went abroad, and furthermore I received an Erasmus grant and some money from

my family. The rent I paid in Lund was around the same price I pay in the Netherlands, around 320 euro's.

STUDY ABROAD PERIOD


At Lund University I followed 3 courses: Migration Law, International Law and its Histories and International

Criminal Law. I found Migration Law and International Criminal Law both interesting courses, although they

remained quite general. There were different forms of examination: we had a take home exam, a moot court, a

multiple choice test and an essay. The course International Law and its Histories was quite dissapointing: there

was not a clear goal of the course and the lectures were a bit incoherent. Apart from that, the courses were

well organised.


I liked the fact that the courses were only with around 20 students and all the teachers were really motivated

and informal. It was also interesting to have class together with both Swedish and international students. In this

way, you learn more about other law systems and about other cultures.


The support from Lund University was very good. They organised an Arrival Day, on which most students arrive

We got all the information we needed and there were a lot of welcome activities. Also the Law Faculty

organised an information meeting where we got information and where you could meet the other exchange

students.

transfer of credits

Lund University uses the same ECTS system as Utrecht University, so I could transfer the credits.

STUDENT LIFE


The welcome programme in Lund was really good. All the exchange students could take part in a mentor

program, which I highly recommend. In this way, you can meet a lot of other exchange students from outside

your study field. There was also a Swedish language course, which was really fun to do. It helps when you know

a few basic words in Swedish, and it was also a good opportunity to meet other people. Furthermore, the

University organised a game night every Monday, a welcoming party, a trip to IKEA to buy some stuff for your

room, and several hikes in nature parks.

accommodation

I applied for accomodation by Lund Accomodation the moment it was possible to subscribe. It is important you

apply as soon as the application process opens, because in this way you have the best chance to receive a nice

room. My first choice was Parentesen, and I also got a room there. It was a really good location close to the city

centre, with an own little bathroom with toilet and sink, and a shared shower. The building of Parentesen is

really nice and the atmosphere was good.

leisure & culture

Lund is a real university town, half of the population consists of students. This makes the student life really

good. There are a lot of Nations (student associations) that organise many activities, like lunches, brunches, pub

nights and parties. As soon you become a member of Studentlund, you are entitled to visit all the different

Nations, which is very nice. Moreover, you can easily visit Malmö or Copenhagen from Lund. Especially

Copenhagen is a really nice city with many beautiful buildings and musea.

suggestions/tips

I would highly recommend taking part in the mentor program and in the Swedish introduction course (called

SUSA). In this way you can join many organised activities in the first weeks, where you can meet a lot of new

people and do a lot of fun things. Another tip is to work at a Nation, they are always searching for people who

want to work at a lunch/brunch/party. It is really nice to do and it is also a good opportunity to integrate in the

student life of Lund.

CONCLUSIONS


Yes, I would highly recommend Lund University. Lund is a small town, but there is a great student life and there

are a lot of international students from all over the world. Furthermore, the accomodation and the university

courses were well organised. So I can only recommend to take the opportunity to go abroad, it was an amazing

experience.


-

Lund University

2014-2015

PREPARATION


The exchange application process started about eight to ten months before the actual arrival day in Lund. In

order to complete the exchange application process various documents had to be handed in.

First of all, a motivation letter had to be written. This motivation letter consisted of my movitation for my first

and second destination of choice. Secondly, a financial plan had to be set up. This financial plan gives insight on

your expected income and expenses during your time abroad. Moreover, it deals with monthly as well as

incidental costs. Thirdly, a study plan had to be made. The study plan serves as an overview of your bachelor

program. It describes the courses which are completed as well as courses that still have to be done. It also

describes the courses that will be done while being abroad. Finally, you have to hand a English version of your

Curriculum Vitae. Mind the fact that the lay out and requirements of an English CV may differ from, for example,

a Dutch CV. On the internet plenty of information can be found on how to make a proper English CV.

Once all of the aforementioned documents are completed and handed in the International Office will take the

application in consideration. Within a couple of weeks you will receive notice from the International Office

regarding your application. Six months before my departure I received notice that my application was accepted

and that I was allowed to study abroad at my first desination of choice, namely Lund University.


During the exchange application I have frequently requested support by the International Office. Preparations

for studying abroad can be stressful, since many deadlines are involved and quite a lot of documents have to be

handed within a short amount of time. However, I have not experienced much stress due to the support by the

International Office. Furthermore, I kept close track of deadlines.

Next, a pre-departure meetings was organized to keep students up-to-date on the latest information regarding

studying abroad, the documents that have to be handed in, applications for grants, possible difficulties that you

may face during your time abroad or just to give student the opportunity to ask questions in person.

However, the support regarding housing can be considered to be poor in my opinion. I will eleborate on this

below.


Before my arrival I have considered to do the course Legal English for Academic Purposes, hereinafter reffered

to as "LEAP", in order to improve my knowledge of legal English. However, I found out that LEAP is mainly

focuses on common law and more specific English and American law. Since Sweden is a civil law system country

I therefore decided to not do the LEAP course.

Further, I have not done any other academic preparations besides language preparations, which I will discuss

below.


In order to improve my language skills I have made several preparations.

First of all, I started listening to English spoken radio a couple months before my departure.

Secondly, I watched many English spoken movies with English subtitles. This is highly recommandable, since it is

fun and also very instructive.

Furthermore, I bought some English written books to improve my reading skills and to boost my vocabulary.

While reading I used a dictionary incase there were words that I did not understand. Writing down unknown

words can also be very useful.

finances

In order to finance my stay abroad I started saving money about one year before my actual departure.

Furthermore, during my time abroad I still received a loan from the government.

Moreover, I applied for the Erasmus grant which is offered by the European Commission. Any student who is

going to study abroad within the European Union can apply for this grant as long as the grant requirements are

met.

Next, I converted my Dutch student travel card. As a result I received money on a monthly basis. One must keep

in mind that it is not possible to enjoy any of the advantages of the student travel card when receiving

compensation. The application form for this convertion can be found on the website of the Ministry of

Education, Culture and Science.

Finally, I received a contribution by my parents to study abroad.

Lund University

2014-2015

PREPARATION


The exchange application process started about eight to ten months before the actual arrival day in Lund. In

order to complete the exchange application process various documents had to be handed in.

First of all, a motivation letter had to be written. This motivation letter consisted of my movitation for my first

and second destination of choice. Secondly, a financial plan had to be set up. This financial plan gives insight on

your expected income and expenses during your time abroad. Moreover, it deals with monthly as well as

incidental costs. Thirdly, a study plan had to be made. The study plan serves as an overview of your bachelor

program. It describes the courses which are completed as well as courses that still have to be done. It also

describes the courses that will be done while being abroad. Finally, you have to hand a English version of your

Curriculum Vitae. Mind the fact that the lay out and requirements of an English CV may differ from, for example,

a Dutch CV. On the internet plenty of information can be found on how to make a proper English CV.

Once all of the aforementioned documents are completed and handed in the International Office will take the

application in consideration. Within a couple of weeks you will receive notice from the International Office

regarding your application. Six months before my departure I received notice that my application was accepted

and that I was allowed to study abroad at my first desination of choice, namely Lund University.


During the exchange application I have frequently requested support by the International Office. Preparations

for studying abroad can be stressful, since many deadlines are involved and quite a lot of documents have to be

handed within a short amount of time. However, I have not experienced much stress due to the support by the

International Office. Furthermore, I kept close track of deadlines.

Next, a pre-departure meetings was organized to keep students up-to-date on the latest information regarding

studying abroad, the documents that have to be handed in, applications for grants, possible difficulties that you

may face during your time abroad or just to give student the opportunity to ask questions in person.

However, the support regarding housing can be considered to be poor in my opinion. I will eleborate on this

below.


Before my arrival I have considered to do the course Legal English for Academic Purposes, hereinafter reffered

to as "LEAP", in order to improve my knowledge of legal English. However, I found out that LEAP is mainly

focuses on common law and more specific English and American law. Since Sweden is a civil law system country

I therefore decided to not do the LEAP course.

Further, I have not done any other academic preparations besides language preparations, which I will discuss

below.


In order to improve my language skills I have made several preparations.

First of all, I started listening to English spoken radio a couple months before my departure.

Secondly, I watched many English spoken movies with English subtitles. This is highly recommandable, since it is

fun and also very instructive.

Furthermore, I bought some English written books to improve my reading skills and to boost my vocabulary.

While reading I used a dictionary incase there were words that I did not understand. Writing down unknown

words can also be very useful.

finances

In order to finance my stay abroad I started saving money about one year before my actual departure.

Furthermore, during my time abroad I still received a loan from the government.

Moreover, I applied for the Erasmus grant which is offered by the European Commission. Any student who is

going to study abroad within the European Union can apply for this grant as long as the grant requirements are

met.

Next, I converted my Dutch student travel card. As a result I received money on a monthly basis. One must keep

in mind that it is not possible to enjoy any of the advantages of the student travel card when receiving

compensation. The application form for this convertion can be found on the website of the Ministry of

Education, Culture and Science.

Finally, I received a contribution by my parents to study abroad.

STUDY ABROAD PERIOD


During my stay in Lund I have followed two course on master level. Both courses require a minimum of two

years at University level and are only taught in English. Therefore no knowledge of the Swedish language is

required.

My first course was called "Introduction into Swedish Law". The purpose of this course was to present the main

features of the Swedish legal system and to give students a basic knowledge of Swedish law. The course was

based on lectures and seminars. The course deals with the basic tenets of constitutional law, private law,

criminal law, procedural law, family law and private international law, as well as other fields of law. Moreover,

the course focussed on those aspects of Swedish law that are of special interest from a comparative point of

view. The course consisted of lectures, essay seminars, group projects, presentations and individual essay

writing.

My second course was called "Legal History of Minorities". The purpose of this course was to form a basis of

legal ideology and modern theory, providing deeper knowledge of the legal history of discrimination and

treatment of minority groups. The course started off with a legal and historical approach of the various

minorities in the world. More specific, the course focussed on ethnical, cultural, sexual and gender minorities

and analyzed the different legal approaches these groups experience during the course of history. The course

consisted of lectures, group projects, presentations and individual essay writing.


The academic quality of the education activities can be considered to be very well. In contrary to Utrecht

University, courses at Lund University do not consist of small group session where you have to prepare

assignments on a weekly basis, but instead students have to do a lot of presentations and writing assignments.

Lectures are given on a weekly basis.

Next, as a student you have to do group assignments and individual assignments. Group assignments normally

consist of writing a paper all together and presenting the results after. The individual assignments consist of

writing essays, essay seminars and oral exams. The variety of education activities truly contributes to the

academic quality of the education activities.

Furthermore, the teachers always give useful and constructive criticism after presentations and seminars. This

helps to improve academic skills greatly.


Counselling and support have been good at the receiving university even though I have not requested

counselling often.

Furthermore, teachers are very open en supporting when help is needed. Teachers can be contacted at any

time and also have scheduled office hours when students can come by to discuss study materials or other

related matters.

transfer of credits

My credits have not been transferred yet. According to the international office this can take up to a couple of

months depending on home university and the away university.

STUDENT LIFE


The welcome and orientation programme was very well organized by Lund University. On the arrival day

international mentors from Lund University were present at Copenhagen Airport to welcome international

students and to help them find the right directions. In Lund, there were also a lot of international mentors who

were helping and guiding new international students. Furthermore, the arrival day consisted of registering,

picking up the welcome package and buying tickets for the activities which were organized during the two week

lasting orientation programme.

During the first two weeks many activities were organized for international students, for example a guided tour

through the city, hikes in nature parks, trips to the zoo and trips to IKEA. All these activities were a lot of fun

and were a great way to get to know other international students.

Furthermore, the student nations also organized a lot of activities to welcome the new international students.

Nations offer lunch, brunch or dinner based on the day of the week. Moreover, the nations also organized a lot

of parties during these introduction weeks.

The law faculty also organized a welcome programme to get to know the other law students and the faculty.

Moreover, an introduction course was given on how to borrow books in the library and how to use the search

engine in the library.

accommodation

Lund University tries to help as many students a possible to find housing, but due to a lack of accomodation and

an overload of (international) students in Lund finding housing can be an incredibly difficult task. Moreover,

Lund University only guarantees housing for non-European students who are coming to Lund.

Unfortunately, two months before my arrival I was informed by Lund University that I was placed on a waiting

list for housing. Lund University strongly suggested to start searching for housing through other means, since I

could not longer rely on their housing services. Lund Accomodation, the housing agency of Lund University,

advised me to search for housing through housing assocations, student nations and private websites where

people offer housing. This turned out to be very hard, since loads of international students did not receive a

housing offer by Lund Accomodation. One has to be lucky to find housing through one of the aforementioned

options. Furthermore, there are quite some scammers active on these websites who try to scam people by

offering accomodation that does not actually exist.

Moreover, I did not receive much help from Utrecht University while searching for housing. The international

office advised me to contact students who had studied in Lund in previous years, but since all of these students

had received an offer by Lund Accomodation they were not of much help to me. The international office stated

that there nothing else they could do, since it was not their responsibility to provide housing abroad.

I have been actively searching for housing for two full months, but without any success. When I arrived in Lund

on the arrival day I did not have housing yet. Therefore I was forced to stay in hostels and private places until I

found housing. Six weeks after my arrival I was finally offered housing by Lund Accomodation.

leisure & culture

During your stay in Lund every (international) student is obliged to join one of the student nations in Lund. The

nations offer cheap lunches, brunches, dinners, pubnights, clubnights and much more. It does not really matter

which nation you join, since you are still allowed to go to all the other nations in Lund. Moreover, it is also

possible to work voluntarily at the nations.

Next to the nations, there are a couple of bars and restaurants in Lund that are worth going to. However, these

place are more pricy compared to the nations.

Furthermore, there are many different sport associations and gyms in Lund. A membership at one of the sport

associations or the gyms is fairly priced and popular among the students. During my stay I have been a member

of the field hockey sport association.

Culture-wise there are a couple of sights in Lund that are worth seeing. First of all, the Domkyrkan in the city

centre is worth going to. Secondly, the Skissernas museum is a very interesting museum located close to the big

university library. While in Lund you should definitely also check out the idylic coble stone streets and little

colorful houses north of the city centre.

Furthermore, there are a lot of interesting places to see in the area of Lund. These places can easily be traveled

to by bus or by train. While being in Lund you should definitely check out Malmö, Helsinborg, Helsingör, Ystad,

Copenhagen, Göteborg and Uppsala. Also make sure to go and visit Stockholm for at least a couple days. There

are many sights worth seeing in Stockholm like the Vasa Museum, the Royal Palace or Gamla Stan (the old city

centre).

suggestions/tips

The best tip that I can give to students who are considering to study abroad in Lund is to travel as much as

possible during your stay abroad. During my stay in Lund I have travelled to Denmark, Norway, Finland, and I

have also discovered a large part of Sweden. Travelling has truly enriched my stay abroad, because i have made

a lot of new friends and I have discovered numerous new places that otherwise would have never seen. While

in Sweden make sure to go Lapland to see the northern lights and to go sledding with huskies!

CONCLUSIONS


I would strongly recommend any student to study abroad in Lund. Below I will elaborate why you should pick

Lund as your destination abroad.

Firstly, Lund is a small city located in a southern part of Sweden only 40 minutes by train from Copenhagen.

Roughly 100,000 people live in Lund of which about 40,000 are students. Due to this extremely high amount of

students studying in Lund is a lot of fun. There are lots of nations, bars, coffee places and other fun places to

hang out with your friends. Moreover, since Lund is a pretty small city you can get anywhere by bike within a

fair amount of time.

Secondly, Lund University is truly a great university. My English as well as my academic skills have grealy

improved during my stay in Lund. In contrary to Utrecht University, courses at Lund University do not consist of

small group session where you have to prepare assignments on a weekly basis, but instead students have to do

presentations and writing assignments. In my opinion this approach is more fun and more educative.

Thirdly, if you feel like staying within Europe you should come to Sweden. Swedes are extremely friendly and

helpful. They can be a little rigid from the start, but once you get to know them they you will become best

friends with them. Next, Sweden's nature is mindblowingly beautiful. It's nature consists of vast forests, lakes,

island and landscapes. If you are into outdoor sports you should definitely come to Sweden.

Unfortunately, finding housing can be difficult in Lund since there are lot of students in need of housing and

there is a lack of available accomodation. However, as long as a keep track of deadlines to sign up for housing

and you stay patient you will find housing eventually.


If you are still doubting whether to go abroad or not please keep in mind that most people who write these

reports, including myself, were also hesitant when we were about to go abroad. Getting out of your comfort

zone can be frightening, but it will make you grow as human being. Personally, I consider going abroad to be

one of the best choices that I have ever made and I would strongly recommend anyone to go!

Lund University

2014 - 2015

PREPARATION


The application process started with writing a motivation letter and uploading your cv. About two months after

submitting these files I got an email from the international office that I was chosen to go to Lund.


International office in Utrecht is not open very regularly, but you can also reach them by telephone. In my case,

they were a little late with emailing the documents I had to sent to Lund in order to apply, so that was a bit

stressful. There is a meeting for all students that are going to study abroad during, in which the international

officer explains everything you need to sign, prepare etc. That was very helpful. Also the website provides a

good amount of information.


In order to study abroad you have to have 90 ECTS in Utrecht. I did not have any other academic preparation

and I don't feel like I should have had any.


The courses are taught in English and I haven't had many English courses since I started University. But I didn't

find it hard to follow the lectures and answer questions, since you're speaking English all the time. I think most

Dutch students have an adequate level of English speaking and writing in order to pass the courses in Lund.

finances

I applied for the Erasmus grant. Since the system for this grant was changed rights before I went abroad,

everything was a bit complicated and short-term, but it worked out fine in the end. I didn't know at first that

the Erasmus grant is not a monthly income but you get 70% at once and the other 30% after your stay. Since

Sweden is a very expensive country, the living costs are higher than in the Netherlands so you have to pay close

attention to your finances before you leave. I also got 'OV-vergoeding', which is about €100,- a month on top of

the regular study finance. In addition to that, I took a loan from DUO to make sure I wasn't going to be in

financial trouble during my stay in Lund.

STUDY ABROAD PERIOD


I took a total of 3 courses. The first one was called SUSA (3 ECTS). This was a very small introduction to the

Swedish language, taught in the first 1,5 weeks after your arrival. The classes took around 2-3 hours and the

course ended with a multiple choice exam. You had the opportunity to buy the study books during the Arrival

Day. Your group and schedule were communicated in an early stage.

The other two courses were taught at the Faculty of Law. The law courses in Lund are all 15 ECTS, so you have

the opportunity to choose two of them in one semester. All courses start with an introduction meeting, in

which you officially register for the course and get a printed version of your schedule (the schedule is already

available online about 1 month before you arrive). You also hear which books you have to buy. There is an

academic bookshop that sells all the books required, but there are also opportunities to buy them secondhand.

The first law course I took was called Introduction to Swedish law. This course was only available for

international students. During several lectures it firstly gave a - very brief - overview of some Swedish (legal)

history and legal organisation. After that, lectures about different fields of law followed, such as family law,

criminal law, constitutional law, labour law and social welfare law. During the lectures, the teachers often asked

about the situation in our own country, so we could compare different law systems on a specific topic. After the

lectures we were placed in groups of different nationalities to write a short essay and give a presentation. The

lectures continued for about a month. After that, we had about two weeks to individually write an essay of 20

pages, in which you had to compare a certain feature of Swedish law to your own legal system. There was also a

class in which we had to comment on each other's essays. Two weeks after the deadline of the essay, there was

an oral exam about the lectures and the book. You had to pick several cards with questions and answer them.

The second law course I took was Legal History of Minorities. In this course we had four lectures about

international treaties, religious minorities, ethnic minorities and sexual minorities. After those lectures, groups

were formed and we had to give three presentations (one each week) about the minorities we discussed during

the lectures. Your topic was given by the teacher every week. After the presentations, we had a written exam.

This was an open-book test of 4 hours, in which you had to answer about four essay questions. Finally, we also

had to write a 20-page essay about one of the minorities that we discussed before.


Starting with the Swedish language course. It is really fun to do, you meet a lot of people and learn a little bit of

Swedish right after your arrival. But, to be honest, for Dutch-speaking students Swedish is definitely not a hard

language to learn. Especially reading is pretty easy and similar to either Dutch, English or German. To speak and

understand Swedish it might be useful to take the SUSA course, but don't expect to use it that often as

practically everyone in Lund speaks English perfectly!

Introduction to Swedish law was definitely an interesting course. The teachers were good at speaking English

and could explain their story to us. Unfortunately we mostly had one lecture (two hours) for each field of law,

which gave us very little time to go into depth or to ask any questions. With the group projects, we got a paper

with our topic and the sources we should use for the presentation. I was more used to finding your own sources

so this seemed relatively easy to me. The essay of 20 pages scared me a bit at first, because in Utrecht we are

definitely not used to writing such an amount of pages during the first two years of your bachelor. But, as it

turned out, it was not that hard. The teacher gives you the opportunity to discuss your essay twice and she gave

me some tips about what to write and what sources to use. As soon as you start writing, it is actually a bit hard

to stay within those 20 pages. I had never had an oral exam in Utrecht, but it was really not that difficult if you

had studied the lectures. You had time to think about the answers and it was more like a conversation rather

than just questions from teacher to student.

The Legal History course was a bit different to what I was used to in Utrecht in the sense that it was a lot more

about history than about law. For the presentations, you did get a topic with your group each week, but you

had to find the sources yourself. I didn't really know what to do for the open-book exam, as we never had that

in Utrecht before either. But it turned out that I just had to know were to find specific things in the book,

instead of reading everything closely (not the entire book was relevant to the course, but we had to find out

what was relevant by ourselfs). Also an essay of 20 pages. The teacher looks into your topic and gives you some

advice about what to write and how to structure your essay.


The international coordinator at the Law Faculty in Lund was of great support. She always answered my emails

extremely fast and gave me very clear answers. She was in time with all the deadlines and let us know if there

was something we needed to sign.

transfer of credits

The grading system in Sweden is pretty different from the Dutch system. Even the Law Faculty has a different

grading system compared to the rest of the University. Lund University automatically sends a copy of your

credits as soon as all your exams and essays are graded, so you do not really have to worry about that.

STUDENT LIFE


The semester in Lund always starts with an Arrival Day, on which most of the international students arrive. This

is very well organised. There are people from Lund University at Copenhagen Airport to show you which train

you have to take and help you with your tickets. At Lund Central Station there is a transfer service ready to take

you to the building of the Academic society, where you have to register, get your keys in case you have

accommodation via the University and buy tickets for several introduction events. There is also a transfer to

your accommodation, but the waiting time for that can be very long. The orientation programme was a lot of

fun. There were several different activities at different "nations (some kind of student associations). Most

people have a mentor group with Swedish mentors who can help you. With this group you also do certain

activities, such as a treasure hunt. You meet a lot of people during the first two weeks and you get to know the

student life in Lund a bit more.

accommodation

I got accommodation via LU Accommodation, which is the housing organisation of the University. You had to

apply about 4 months before your departure and give five preferences on where you want to live. It takes a lot

of patience, because there are students who have housing priority (students from outside Europe for example).

They have to be given a room first before LU Accommodation starts making an offer to all the other students.

This is based on some kind of lottery, so you don't know whether you'll get a room via LU Accommodation. I

was very lucky and got an apartment in the south of Lund, about 10 minutes by bike from the city centre. I got

the email with the accommodation offer about five weeks before the Arrival Day, so you have to be very patient

and not panic of you still don't have a room about one and a half or two months before you go to Lund (even

though that is quite hard…). My apartment was great, it was spacious (about 25m2) and had it's own bathroom

and kitchen. It was a flat with only international students. There were supermarkets nearby. The rent is a bit

high (around 4,500 SEK (€500,- ) a month) but there is a lot of need for housing so it is best to just take

whatever LU Accommodation offers you.

leisure & culture

Lund is a very young city and almost half of it's inhabitants is a student at the University. The student life is

therefore very vibrating and a lot of fun. In your first weeks after arrival, you sign up at a so-called "nation". This

is some kind of student association (studentenvereniging in Dutch), but the structure is different. You join one

nation, but that doesn't mean that you can't go to other nations. In fact, you can go to every nation in Lund, as

long as you’re a member of one of them. The nations organize a lot of activities, such as lunch, brunch, pubs,

clubs and so on. If you want to become active at one of the nations and meet new people you can work there. I

worked at a bakery and a pub a few times. Instead of getting paid, you get food during your work and the

nations gives you tickets for a free lunch or some kind of thank-you-party. It is a perfect way to meet Swedish

people, as there weren't any in my classes.

Another fun thing is I really liked were the "sittnings". This is a dinner, mostly followed by a party. During these

dinners you sing songs and socialize with the people around you. Most of the time, you have a table-lady or -

gentleman to whom you have to give a small (funny) present.

suggestions/tips

Lund is quite small, so almost everyone uses a bike. Make sure you buy a bike during your first days in Lund!

You can buy them secondhand (via Facebook for example) and sell them again pretty easily at the end of your

stay.

The public transport is also good, you can buy a Jojo-card at the supermarket to use in the bus and the train.

You will get a Swedish sim-card in your arrival-day package, which also includes 500MB free internet each

month.

I found the prices in Sweden overall pretty high. Most of the time when I went to the supermarket I spent about

1.5 or 2 times as much as I would spent for the same amount of groceries in the Netherlands. It kind of

bothered me in the beginning, but eventually you get used to it. Make sure you prepare yourself financially in

order to have a good stay in Sweden without worrying about money.

CONCLUSIONS


I would definitely recommend Lund to others. The city is small, so you get to know your way around pretty

quick. All the friends you make live close to where you live and it is pretty common to run into people you know

in the supermarket or in the city centre for example. The city is very well connected by train, not only to

Copenhagen but also to Stockholm and other cities. The University and everything around your semester in

Lund is very well organized. The schedules are clear and the information provided is helpful.


No.

Lund University

2014 - 2015

PREPARATION


Quite clear, except for the courses you can choose. They apparantly still change, even after arrival and that's

annoying since some people make their choice based on the courses a University offers.


Okay. Did not really need that much help, but they answered the questions I had.


Just my regular courses in Utrecht


Everything in Sweden was in English, so no need to prepare.

finances

I saved 2000 euro before departure, which was very convenient.

STUDY ABROAD PERIOD


I had to switch courses once I got there, for the first period that was okay because the course was still

interesting. For the second period, I had no choice at all. The course I chose was apparantly ful, and therefore I

had to take a course which I was not interested in. It was a pity that I couldn't do the courses I singed for and

was looking forward to. Lunds University is furthermore very organised, except for this course-issue, no

complaints about that.


The quality was a little bit lower than my regular courses in Utrecht, especially since I took 'master-courses' in

Lund. And most of the classes were lectures, not seminars, which I would have liked more.


Good.

transfer of credits

Ok.

STUDY ABROAD PERIOD


I had to switch courses once I got there, for the first period that was okay because the course was still

interesting. For the second period, I had no choice at all. The course I chose was apparantly ful, and therefore I

had to take a course which I was not interested in. It was a pity that I couldn't do the courses I singed for and

was looking forward to. Lunds University is furthermore very organised, except for this course-issue, no

complaints about that.


The quality was a little bit lower than my regular courses in Utrecht, especially since I took 'master-courses' in

Lund. And most of the classes were lectures, not seminars, which I would have liked more.


Good.

transfer of credits

Ok.

CONCLUSIONS


Yes, very much. I really liked the little city of Lund and it's student life, which is really big for such a small city.

The courses were not that good, but I did learn a lot, especially from taking courses in English.


Sign up for the Swedish language course as well! It's fun to know a little swedish during your semester there.

Lund University

2013 - 2014 preparation


I wrote a motivation letter. My first choice was Uppsala University and Lund University was my second choice. In

the end of February/beginning of March I got a message that I was nominated for my second choice, Lund

University. I was happy because I really wanted to go to Sweden.


Everything went very smoothly. I was informed very well about the process by Utrecht University and they

communicated well with Lund University. I got an e-mail from my coördinator in Lund about the application

process very soon.


I didn't have any academic preparation.


I participated in a Legal English course, provided by Urios.

finances

I worked a lot during the summer holiday to get some savings, since everything in Sweden is much more

expensive than in the Netherlands. Together with my student grant and the Erasmus grant I could manage.



Together with my application form I got an information package about the courses I could take. Lund University

offers a wide range of different and interesting courses. In the application form I had to say which courses I

wanted to take. Just before my departure to Lund I got an e-mail from my coördinator and I got into the courses

of my choice.


I took two courses both worth 15 ECTS credit points. The first course was Comparative European Legal History. I

really enjoyed this course. There was a lot of group work and we had to give several presentations. The

professor was really enthusiastic and motivating. The second course I was supposed to take was Competition

Law, but I found out that I couldn't get full credit for this in Utrecht, because we had some competition law in

our International and European law courses. I decided to switch courses. This was still possible and my

coördinator in Lund helped me out with this very well. So instead of Competition law I took a course called

Environmental Law, Markets and Trade. This course was not organized very well. The literature was hard to find

and there was so much information that we couldn't get into the subjects in depth.


My coördinator in Lund was very nice and friendly. I could always reach me and she was happy to answer all my

questions and help me out.

transfer of credits

This process isn't finished yet.

student life


Lund University organized an orientation programme of two weeks. I arrived on the 20th

of August, the official

arrival day for international students. International mentors welcomed arriving students at Copenhagen Airport

and the train station of Lund to show us where to go. Everything was organized very well. During the two

orientation weeks I participated in a Swedish language course and there were many organized activities like

parties, hikes and dinners. I met a lot of people during these two weeks.

accommodation

It is hard to find accomodation in Lund. The university offers rooms, but not enough for all the internationals. I

didn't get a room from the university, so I had to find housing on my own. I started looking on a housing

website: bopoolen.nu. Be careful when you are looking for housing on this website, because there are a lot of

scammers! Luckily I found a really nice room a few days before my departure. I lived in a big student house with

14 other students, half Swedish and half international. I had a great time there. Everyone I know found a room

in Lund within a couple of days, so besides the fact that the housing situation is tense, it will work out fine.

leisure/culture

Lund is a little city with a vibrant student life. There is something to do for everyone. There are lots of student

societies to join, a variety of sports activities and the international office organises a lot of activities. The lovely

city of Copenhagen is only 30 minutes away by train and it is a perfect base to explore the other parts of

Scandinavia from. I made a lot of trips with friends.

suggestions/tips

Go!

conclusions


Lund is a very nice place to go. The university is good, everything is well organized and the people are friendly.

There is a lot to do for students and the international community is really big. All the ingredients to make your

Erasmus experience a really good one are present in Lund. One thing I missed in Lund was a vibrant city life.

Lund is very small, which is nice because you feel at home very quick and bump into friends all the time, but

sometimes I missed the variety and rush of a big city. But that's just my personal opinion.


-

Lund University

2013-2014

preparation


I first had to write a motivation letter, a financial plan and a study plan. Also I provided the university with a

proof of my IELTS test. They choose me for my first choice, which was Lund University.


Throughout the process my home university always provided me with enough information. I was able to drop

by during their office hours and could send them an email at all times which was usually aswered quickly. They

send me a lot of emails themselve too to remind me of deadlines and other things I needed to think about.


I didn't have to do any academic preparation.


I had already done the IELTS test for another purpose so I was confident enough about my academic English

and I didn't do any other language preparation because all my law courses were taught in English.

finances

I got the Erasmus grant during my stay and apart from that my normal DUO grant from the Dutch government.

Also my parents supported me and I saved up a lot by having part time jobs before I went to Sweden.



I did 2 master courses in Sweden concerning 30 ECTS in total and 2 Swedish language courses concerning 7,5

ECTS in total. Also I did a Swedish introductory course of 3 ECTS. This was all very easy to organise.


Although I had never done master courses the level was perfectly fine for me. It must have been, otherwise

they wouldn't have agreed with bachelor students doing these courses. The academic quality of the courses

was good. We had to do some research ourselves when writing papers, new developments in the law subject

were being spoken about and exams were just the right level.


The host university was very helpful. They gave us all the relevant information and made sure we knew how

and who to reach when we had problems. It was all organised perfectly fine.

transfer of credits

I don't know exactly yet how my credits will be transferred but I do know they will be awarded in some sort of

way and they at least will be mentioned on my diploma. As Sweden also uses ECTS and it looks similar to the

Dutch system I think that if they transfer my credits they will remain the same.

student life


The orientation program took about 2 weeks was very well organised. We got all the relevant information and

got involved with other students and the student life in Lund straight away. I couldn't have wished for anything

better.

accommodation

Lund is pretty expensive and it can sometimes be hard to find suitable accomodation. I got offered two

expensive rooms before I left the Netherlands. One through Lund University and the other through AFB. I

accepted the offer from AFB but in the end I ended up in an awesome private student house my friend found

through the internet and I could move in straight away.

leisure/culture

Swedish culture is not that extremely different from the Dutch and it was easy for me to adapt.

suggestions/tips

Don't forget to take of your shoes when you enter a Swedish house. Make sure you keep in mind deadlines and

try to organise things as early as possible but apart from that just go with the flow.

conclusions


Definitely. Lund University is very well organised, Sweden is a beautiful country and going on exchange is

always a great opportunity and life experience.


lund university€¦ · applied for lund (sweden), uppsala (sweden) and london (uk). i wrote a...

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