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1 | Pa e o’ Guide for Master’s Students
ABOUT PARETO
Pareto Uppsala Economic Association, commonly referred to as Pareto, is a non-profit student organization formed in the fall of 2010. Pareto tries to promote its members’ interest in economics by organizing lectures within different fields of economics,increasing student satisfaction with the quality of education, and arranging various career and social events. (Read more about us on the attached file ‖Pareto Uppsala Economic Association‖) Membership in Pareto is free of cost and open tostudents and employees at Swedish colleges/universities. Members have access to all activities held by Pareto. With this guide we hope to provide Master’s students in Economics with practical information regarding both academic and everyday life in Uppsala. Much of the guide is aimed at international students and Swedish students studying in Uppsala for the first time. However, if you have any additional questions or would like additional information that is not covered in this guide, please feel free to contact us whether you are new to Uppsala or have studied here before. We look forward to meeting all of you in September!
CONTACT PARETO
Pareto Uppsala Economic Association
Nationalekonomiska Institutionene
Uppsala University
Box 513
751 20 Uppsala
Email: [email protected]
Find out more about us
www.paretouppsala.se
www.facebook.com/ParetoUppsala
2 | Pa e o’ Guide for Master’s Students
FIRST TIME IN SWEDEN
PERSONAL NUMBER
Your personal number (or ―personnummer‖ in Swedish) is
your key to everything in Sweden: you need it for everything
from opening a bank account to registering for classes to
renting a movie. Thus, getting a personal number is the very
first thing you should do when you arrive to Sweden.
The procedures differ a bit depending on whether you are an
EU citizen or not. If you come from outside the EU and
already have a residence permit through your visa, you can go
directly to the tax office (Skatteverket, Kungsängsgatan 43)
along with your residence permit and passport and apply for
the number. EU citizens first have to visit the Migration Board
(Migrationsverket,Bolandsgatan 10) to declare their ―right of residence‖ and then they can visit the tax office once they have received proof of registration. It can take several weeks to
receive the personal number, and it’s really useful to have it, so be sure to apply for it as early as possible.
Read more here: http://www.skatteverket.se/servicelankar/otherlanguages/inenglish/individualsemployees/movingtosweden.4.2b54391
3a42158acf800027235.html
LEARNING SWEDISH Although Uppsala is a very international city where the
majority of people speak English comfortably and fluently, it
is still helpful (and fun!) to learn some basic Swedish. It is
also of high importance for international students who want
job opportunities in Sweden after graduating from the
program. As a Master’s student, Uppsala municipality offers free Swedish classes to you. You can sign up at the ―Sfi-mottagningen‖ (sfi = Swedish for immigrants; mottagningen=
reception) located at S:t Olofsgatan 11 at the centre for adult
learnes (CVL). If you already know some Swedish and don’t want to start at the basic level, you can take a test at CVL and
3 | Pa e o’ Guide for Master’s Students
will then be assigned to a more advanced class based on your
skill level. Classes usually begin in November and January.
Registration requires a personal number, so be sure to get one
ASAP if you want to sign up for November classes.
Free classes are also offered by the Institute for Nordic
languages at Uppsala University, but these classes are
primarily intended for exchange students and Master’s students can have a difficult time getting a place. See
http://www.nordiska.uu.se/Education/svenska/basic/?langu
ageId=1 for more information.
Another alternative is to take a Swedish language course at
Folkuniveristetet, but there are tuition fees of approximately
2000 SEK for a 6 week study period. See their website
(http://www.folkuniversitetet.se/In-English/Swedish-
courses/) for more information about their class offerings.
FIRST TIME IN UPPSALA
HOUSING
There is high demand and insufficient supply of housing in
Uppsala. Needless to say to a group of economists, that means
that finding a place to live can be a big challenge.
Unfortunately, there’s no easy solution to it, and you will
likely have to invest a lot of time and energy into getting an
accommodation. The best advice that we can give you is to
start looking NOW!
4 | Pa e o’ Guide for Master’s Students
The very best guide to housing is compiled by the student
union (see the links provided below), and we strongly advise
that you follow their security recommendations. You also have
to be prepared to accept a temporary solution in the
beginning. But don’t worry too much; everything always
works out in the end. If it looks like you won’t have any place to stay immediately upon your arrival, be sure to book a bed
in a hostel in good time. Hostels tend to be fully booked at the
beginning of the semester as well. For those of you who have
to resort to this option, you will find a list of places offering
extended stay accommodations in the university’s housing guide.
If you are a non-EU fee paying Master’s student, the good
news is that housing is guaranteed to you through the
University Housing Office for the first year. Keep in mind that
it could still be quite difficult to find a place to live for the
second year. Thus, as soon as you receive a personal number,
make sure that you join the queue on the housing sites
(www.studentstaden.se) so that you get maximum number of
queuing points for the coming year.
Housing guide by the student union and the university http://www.uppsalastudentkar.se/international-students/life-sweden/housing
http://www.uu.se/en/education/practical_matters/housing/
LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE
Bring some printed copies of your letter of acceptance. You are likely to need it in all kinds of situations (e.g. registering at the migration board, joining a nation, applying for Swedish class, getting access to the university network, opening a bank account, receiving student discounts when joining the gym, etc.), and it is very convenient to have some ready so you don’t have to find a copy shop each time you need the letter.
INTERNET ACCESS
Having access to the student network is essential in many
ways: you will need it to use the university’s wireless and to log on to all computers inside the university network, and
it is also essential for your coursework. Most courses are
5 | Pa e o’ Guide for Master’s Students
administered over the university’s student portal—―Studentportalen‖—through which teachers will distribute
course material like lecture notes and problem sets from the
very first day of classes.
In order to get a student ID and a password for the network and Studentportalen, you will need to fill out the following form: http://uadm.uu.se/digitalAssets/34/34837_application.pdf
There is a postal address on the form, but it is easiest to
submit it in person at the IT help desk at the student union
(Övre Slottsgatan 7). They can also help you fill out the form.
It will take a few days until your account is ready, and then
you will get an e-mail notification to pick up your login
credentials.
If you need to access the internet before you get access to the
student network, you can use the computers at the student
union for free. You can also use the city library
(Svartbäcksgatan 17) for free wifi.
UNIVERSITY ACCESS CARD
The access card allows you to use the university printers,
scanners and copy machines. Moreover, it gives you access to
Ekonomikum (the building you are going to study at) and the
economics computer lab almost 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
(students are not allowed to be inside the Ekonomikum
building from 2 AM – 5 AM. The access card will not allow
you to go inside the building or the computer lab during these
hours). To receive the card, you have to fill out a form at the
reception desk in Ekonomikum (located on the ground floor,
close to the middle entrance). You will be asked to give a 4-
digit pin of your choice to be used with the card.
In order to use the printers and scanners, you will also need to
set up a Korint and PayEx account where you deposit money
to pay the small printing fees. Instructions for this can also be
found at the reception desk.
6 | Pa e o’ Guide for Master’s Students
Note that the university access card is not the same as the
library card! Of course, you should get a library card as well;
this can be done at the library in Ekonomikum and should not
take more than a few minutes.
EXAMS Examination procedures in Uppsala University are likely quite different from what you are used to if you have not studied in Sweden before. First, the exams may be much longer than you are used to—either four or five hours long (though not all students take the full amount of time). Second, exams are completely anonymous. A teacher does not have access to any information that confirms which student’s exam they are grading. Finally, it is possible to sit for re-examinations. There are typically three opportunities per year to write an exam: two during the semester and one at the end of the summer (in August). Although it is good to sit for the first exam so that you do not fall behind the recommended study pace, you can choose to write the examination at one of the later dates. Additionally, it doesn’t matter how often you take the exam and fail. You are permitted to keep re-writing an exam until you pass, and you can even do a re-take during the following school year. However, note that once you pass an exam, you are not permitted to sit for a re-examination. It is mandatory to register for an exam via Studentportalen by a given deadline. The deadline is usually a couple of weeks before the exam date and will be shown on the bottom of your course schedule. It is wise to register for an exam as soon as possible to be sure that you do not miss the deadline; you can do so as soon as you are registered for the course. Once you register for the exam, you will be sent an anonymous code. On the day of your exams you need to bring this code as well as a valid picture ID card. Be sure to leave enough time to get to the examination hall. They are often located on the outskirts of the city. Check an online map or visit the exam hall in advance if possible. There are three grades in the Swedish system: VG (Pass with Distinction), G (Pass) and UG (Fail).Some courses also offer ECTS grades (A to E), but you may have to ask the instructor to assign them to you. Also note that if you fail a course, it will not show up on your transcript.
7 | Pa e o’ Guide for Master’s Students
NATIONS
If you want to join one of Uppsala’s nations, you should do so early, because again it will take some time before you get your
membership card. You can sign up during the international
orientation week, when all the nations are open and distribute
information. Be sure to get a temporary membership card
when signing up, since this will give you temporary access to
the nations already before your regular membership card
arrives.
Find out more about the nations on this link:
http://www.uu.se/en/admissions/student-
life/the_student_nations/the_13_nations/
TRANSPORTATION Biking is the best way to get around in Uppsala. However, it
could be worth waiting a while before you buy a bike because
at the beginning of a semester the market for used bikes is
often completely empty and prices soar.
If you plan to use public transportation on a frequent basis, it
is probably worth investing in a ―UL card‖ from the local
transportation company UL. Make sure to get a student
discount when you purchase this card; to be eligible, you will
need to have your student ID card, which you will receive a
few weeks after the semester starts and you have joined a
student nation.
If you just want to take the bus from time to time, you can pay
on board with credit/debit card, register to pay by SMS, or
buy a bus card or 10-trip mobile ticket. Tickets for each ride
are valid for 75 minutes (i.e. you can make as many bus
changes as you would like within that time frame). The easiest
way to pay is by credit card, but it is also slightly more
expensive (30 SEK per ticket if you buy on-board versus 25
SEK by SMS or in advance).
8 | Pa e o’ Guide for Master’s Students
In order to purchase an SMS ticket, you will first need to
register your phone via http://www.smsreg.me. Once you
have registered, save the telephone number 0704 20 22 22 to
your mobile. Send the code "UV" to this number if you want to
travel within Uppsala (all the regular green buses) or "ULV1"
or ―ULV2‖ if you want to travel in Uppsala county (by using
the yellow buses, ―Regionbussarna‖, ask the driver which code to send if you are not sure). The price for an SMS ticket inside
Uppsala is 25 SEK and within the county costs 45 SEK.
It is also possible to buy a rechargeable UL card. The UL card
costs 20 SEK that is non-refundable and you can charge a
minimum of 50 SEK from the UL centre at the Uppsala
Central Station or many other shops with a ―UL‖ banner on it. If you have this card each ride costs 20 SEK that is valid for 75
minutes.
More information on UL’s homepage: http://www.ul.se/en/Tickets/
SECOND HAND SHOPS
There are some good and really cheap second hand shops in
Uppsala. If you need furniture or kitchen supplies, it could be
worth checking them out before heading to IKEA. Some shops
even offer home delivery of furniture.
Some addresses (not comprehensive):
-Uppsala Stadsmission, Samaritergränd 2
-Myrorna, Sysslomansgatan 16 and Kungsängsgatan 20 (2
shops)
-Emmaus Second Hand, Hjalmar Brantingsgatan 1 -Kupan (Red Cross), Danmarksgatan 20
-Sirius Loppmarknad, Torsgatan 8 A You might also consider joining facebook group run by
students call ’Buy and Sell Uppsala‖ where students regularly post pictures and prices of things they are selling which might
of use for you.
9 | Pa e o’ Guide for Master’s Students
https://www.facebook.com/groups/buyandselluppsala/
during the summer/autumn months, every Saturday there
is a flea market next to the Uppsala Concert Hall in
Vaksala Torg. You might want to pay also want to pay a
visit there to look for essential things for a cheaper price.
IMPORTANT CONTACTS
All masters students have two contact persons, one for
practical information and one for academic;
For any general and practical information;
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/uppsalauniversity
Skype: uppsala.university
International Office / Internationellakansliet website
www.inter.uadm.uu.se/?languageId=1
Uppsala studentkår website
www.uppsalastudentkar.se/international-students
For academic purpose contact;
Nina Andersson: [email protected], A448
Per Engström: [email protected], A426
Mikael Elinder: [email protected], E413
