My Exchange at Lund University
For my exchange, I got to study at Lund University in Sweden. Being able to reflect on the entire experience now, I don’t think I could have made a better choice for where to spend my semester abroad! Lund is not a city I knew of before I started doing research for my exchange, but what you will come to know once you arrive is that its really one of the most international cities and campuses you can find in Sweden. Because of this, upon arrival, everything was really well planned and inviting.
Surprisingly, rather than finding myself feeling stressed or homesick, my first two weeks in Lund ended up being some of the most fun and memorable. During the first two weeks, Lund University organises information lectures for all new exchange students and outings to local places you should know as a new Lund resident. I got to hike through a local national park, go on a group trip to IKEA (of course!) and shop and fika (aka going for a coffee and sweet treat to unwind – you’ll be well acquainted with this by the the time your exchange is over) at the biggest secondhand shop in Lund. These events, along with my arrival day, were where I managed to meet almost all of the people who ended up becoming my closest friends.
One thing you may be worried about is the potential language barrier you’ll come across if you choose Sweden as your exchange country. I was a bit worried about this before arriving but, truly, I would say you have nothing to worry about. Here, mostly everyone at the university (students and staff) are fluent English speakers. During my everyday, I only came across a few instances where people did not know English and usually when this happened, people were helpful and patient.
One of the first challenges of my exchange was getting used to the weather! Although it was exciting to see the snow when I arrived in January, being located in Scandinavia means that days are extremely short during winter which can certainly take a toll coming from New Zealand. When I arrived, the sun set just before 5pm and rose around 9am! To tackle this, I would highly recommend going to as many of the arrival events as you feel comfortable going to. They are a really nice way to get out of your shell and stay motivated. Lund University also has a great mentorship program, so when you arrive for the first couple weeks, you’ll have local students organising get-togethers and activities for you and other students to help get everyone through the winter season! Also, as I am beginning to learn, getting through the hard winter rewards you with really long days during the pretty Swedish summer!
Secondly, one of the most challenging aspects of going on exchange to Sweden is the pre-departure process. Specifically, getting your resident permit. Unfortunately, if you choose to study in Sweden, one step of the visa process requires you travelling to Canberra in Australia. This was definitely not ideal, but is an important cost you should factor in your decision-making. My general advice would be to start a group chat with other UoA students going to Sweden too. This really makes the process easier to navigate and less stressful knowing you have others trying to figure out the system with you. Second, try to get in touch with past alumni if possible. Although you should certainly reach out to the Embassy and other offical channels with your logistical questions, seeing what a past UoA student has to say about the experience of applying for a permit and travelling to Canberra is something I wish I had been able to do. Despite this part being stressful and requiring a lot of emailing – once I got to Lund, I could tell that it had been worth it.
Q&A
What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?
Despite Lund being a small city, its university campus is really large and diverse! Similar to Auckland, Lund University buildings are dispersed around the city. Many of these are historical buildings making them all the more beautiful. If you visit the Lund University website, one of the first things you will see is their iconic university library which is so incredible to see over the course of the changing seasons since it is covered in vines.
Lund University is also really packed with hidden outdoor lunch areas, communal study spots and (my favourite) so many cool libraries. One fun thing is that almost each library and lecture building has a café on the ground floor where snacks and full meals are super cheap, so perfect for maintaining a student budget!
One other highlight of my academic experience was getting to attend the Social Sciences Ball! In Sweden, sittnings are a big part of university culture. This entails a formal party where you do lots of singing (in Swedish and English), get to indulge in a full course meal, drink (how much is up to you) and dress up as fancy as you like! I went to this event last minute so ended up sitting with Swedish students I did not know, but managed to have the most lovely time. Events like these are really made for getting to know people and having a fun evening. Sittnings tend to sell out very quick (within minutes), so would highly recommend not hesitating to sign up (through the university or at a student nation). You won’t regret it!
Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?
I would recommend going to the clubs/ student nations expo event that is hosted at the beginning of the semester. Lund is very unique because it is one of two universities in Sweden that is comprised of student nations. These are kind of like a sorority or fraternity where everyone is welcome! They organise events, have weekly clubs/pub nights, lunches and you can even volunteer your time at the nation bar or kitchen. The expo is one way to help you get a sense of which one is most your speed (since there are a lot of options to choose).
Second, I would highly recommend joining ESN (Erasmus Student Network) which I found out about at the clubs expo. They are open to all students (even if you are not on an Erasmus exchange) and host so many different kinds of events to help you meet people and have fun in Lund. Also, they organised discounted group trips to different destinations across the Nordic countries. I was able to visit the Finnish Laplands and Helsinki with them and it was hands-down the most memorable trip I got to go on during my exchange and I got to meet so many fun people while there.
What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?
Firstly, I would spend some time thinking about how much you want to spend on transportation/ how you want to get around Lund. In Lund, transport is fairly accessible, but more expensive compared to Auckland. Although you can apply a student discount to your travels, the cheapest ticket you can buy is ~3NZD (a single ticket offering unlimited travel for one hour across Lund). My accomodation was fairly central so I opted to walk much of the time but, otherwise, I would also recommend looking into getting a bike for the spring/summer months. In Lund, I barely met any exchange students who did not have a bike. It cuts down your travel time immensely and the great thing is Lund is a student city, so there is always someone selling theirs secondhand.
Second, I would advise visiting the secondhand store in Lund as soon as possible (before you go to IKEA). Once again, Lund is a hub for international and exchange students so the secondhand shops are full of so many things (probably all the things an exchange student before you purchased new!). For instance, instead of bringing a winter coat to Sweden, I found one basically new at the secondhand shop (Erikshjalpen). Also, Lund is unique in that it has lots of stores that allow you to borrow/ rent equipment for free or at a really low cost for weeks or months at a time. This is something I wish I had known my first week. But now that I do, I would highly recommend Fritidsbanken (sports equipment e.g. yoga mats, camping gear etc) and Circle Centre Lund (household appliances, workout equipment etc).
Last, enjoy your host country while you are there! This may sound cliché, but your exchange semester will fly by! Being around a lot of other exchange students, particularly who came from outside of Europe, I came across a lot of people who were sometimes travelling to other countries every week. I’d say, don’t feel pressure to go abroad all the time or too early. Start with exploring southern Sweden as it has so much to offer!
How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?
While living in Sweden, weekly costs amounted to about what I would have expected to pay in Auckland, or sometimes slightly more. During my exchange, I was lucky enough to spend some time in all the Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway and Sweden of course) and I would say from personal experience, Sweden always proved to be the cheapest. As mentioned, the largest cost difference between Lund and Auckland was certainly public transportation, but Lund is generally quite walkable and bike-able, so transport costs can be easily cut. Also, a fun fact about public transportation in southern Sweden is that if you travel in a pair or group, you can travel at a discounted rate.
Additionally, one general tip that I would give to anyone wanting to study in Scandinavia for their exchange (but afraid of how much the cost of living might be) is to consider a university that is not located in one of the capital cities. While studying in Lund, travelling to Copenhagen is very accessible. Unfortunately, it was always jarring to see how much more expensive things became in Denmark compared to Lund even though the two were only one hour apart by train.
One more specific tip that I learned upon arrival was that Sweden has lots of supermarket options. The cheapest are Lidl and Willys, medium priced is ICA and most expensive is Coop. If you shop at the stores with prices on the lower end, I would say you could reduce your grocery budget compared to what you would likely spend in Auckland.
What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?
Choosing to study in Sweden was daunting and nerve-wracking in many ways. As someone who had never travelled to Europe until their exchange, this truly constituted the most out of my comfort zone I had ever been. In saying this, looking back on my exchange, I think the hardest aspect was getting on the plane. Once that was out of the way, it turns out that a lot of the things I was worrying about (fitting into a brand new university culture, making friends, finding my way around) came really easily and I think a lot of that has to do with the university that I chose.
Although it may seem obvious, spending the time to do the extra research into all the universities you put on your 360 application will absolutely pay off! I would also really recommend looking at options that you would not necessarily go for at first glance (Lund was the very last school I researched, but the one I ended up ranking first on my list of choices).
Finally one thing that I think is important to mention – especially if you are nervous for exchange or on the fence about applying – is that exchange students are some of the kindest and enthusiastic people you will meet! I was most nervous about making friends while in Lund, but where ever you go on exchange, this will come a lot easier than you think. One of my favourite memories is from when I first arrived at the airport in Copenhagen. Once off my flight, the first person that approached me was another girl asking if I was also going to Lund for an exchange. And while exiting the airport, the two of us met another girl starting her exchange at Lund also. In the end, both of them ended up being people I would catch up with all the way up until the end of my semester exchange. Just remember, everyone is in the same boat as you, so sailing will be smoother than you think!
Final Comments
Lund is truly a hidden gem! I know that when deciding on where to go for exchange, the capitals can be super appealing (as they were to me!), but my expectations were entirely exceeded by what Lund had to offer as a smaller city. Lund’s campus is absolutely beautiful, the town is packed with really nice cafes, lunch spots and its only a train ride away from bigger cities like Malmö and Copenhagen if you are looking for a more fast-paced setting. The south of Sweden is also a really great area for doing day trips by train/bus or going on hikes. If that is your cup of tea, Lund is the perfect departure point! Finally, Lund University also really knows how to accommodate and welcome its foreign students. You will meet so many people from all over through events and trips mostly because of how tight knit the university community is here. Lund may not be a city you had on your radar, but you won’t regret putting it down as an exchange option!