Study abroad journal

Name: Li, Guanhe

Study abroad period: Fall term 2019

Name of host institution: Lund University

Country of host institution: Sweden

Monthly Activity Log

August

I arrived in Copenhagen in mid-August.

The international desk is very thoughtful.

There were a group of student volunteers

at the Copenhagen airport, helping us buy

the train tickets, and directing us to the

right track. There are even students

driving minivans to pick us up from Lund Central Station to the registration desk. The

registration provided almost everything one needs to kick start their exchange life, including

academic advice, housing, sim cards, transport, etc. The following two weeks were filled by

all kinds of orientation events. There were guided tours, treasure hunt, the taste of Sweden,

welcome party and orientation for different

departments. I love all of them and I meet a

bunch of cool people there. During August,

the weather in Sweden was still pretty nice.

So we sometimes go to the beach or just chill

in a park. This is almost the busiest time of

my entire exchange, but it was also probably

the most exciting period.

September

The first study period was from September

to October. I was taking international

business law and Environmental issues. I

spent most of September just settling down

and finding my way around the town. I

signed up for the gym and found my usual

dining spots. All the nations start their

regular events as well as the novish events. I joined a few sittnings, which is a huge thing in

Lund. It is basically a three-course dinner

with a dress code, a lot of singing and

drinking. September is also the time that I

began to get closer to some of the people I

met there, and I started to have this little

friend circle that I’m really comfortable with.

In terms of traveling, I mainly spent time

exploring Malmö and Copenhagen a bit

during this time. And at the end of

September, I met up with some friends in

Munich. We went to Oktoberfest.

October

This is the time where school work starts

to get tough. I have some classes clashed

with each other, so there was a lot of self-

studying going on. I took one final for

international business law in late October

and it finished up my first study period. I

did a bit more traveling in October. I went

to southern France with an exchange friend I met in Lund. And after the final, we have a

week of study break. I traveled to Greece during that period.

November

I started my classes for the second

period. I was taking international

marketing, international economics,

and environmental issues. Because

the environmental issues were a

whole semester class, my second

period’s study workload was

definitely much more than the first one. At the beginning of the month, I did a road trip with

some friends to somewhere around Jonkoping. It was quite an adventure, we got lost a

couple of times, drove into some rando people’s backyard, stargazing from a small tent,

gathering around the fireplace with

home-made pizza. Starting from mid-

November, the Swedish winter is

kicking in and it was not fun. The day

is always grey and gloomy. The

daylight is just so precious. The night

starts around 3-4 pm. This is the point

I realize winter blue is actually a thing. I feel not as energetic as usual. I spent most of my

time in my room and gym.

December

The entire December is so Christmas-ish and

I love Christmas in Europe. It is especially

cute in Lund, every single window you walk

past in the town has decorations. We went

to some Christmas themed sittnings and

parties in town. And later on, days are just

filled with assignments due and exams. I

finished my semester on the 20th. In late

December, it is just kind of sad cause, a lot

of my friends are leaving. After tons of

goodbyes, I left Lund on the 21st and went

to Australia for a skiing trip.

General Exchange Information

1) Visa Procedures

We need to obtain a resident card. The application process takes around a month and a half.

You make your application online first. And once you get your decision, you can go to the

embassy to take biometrics. Your resident card will be ready in around 1 week afterward.

Because I’m holding a Chinese passport, I have to obtain the residential card before I arrive.

But If your passport grants you entry, then you can go to Malmö to collect biometrics after

you arrive.

2) Orientation Activities

We had two full weeks of orientation. You will get an orientation schedule. There will be

events starting from 9-10 am to midnight. There was everything, brunches, BBQ, treasure

hunt, guided tour, cultural night, excursion, sports try-out, karaoke nights, pub quiz, club…

EVERYTHING. I’d suggest going to everything that you can because all of the events are

really fun. And this is just a great time and opportunity to meet people and get involved.

3) International Services & Activities

The international desk helps with arrival and registration. They also hold their own events

throughout the semester. I don’t recall something that especially stands out. But they do

hold game nights and seminars regarding how to cope with winter blue. But ladies there are

super friendly and helpful. I’m sure if you have any problem during your exchange, they will

be able to help.

4) Accommodations

Lund’s accommodation situation can be a bit tricky. I got my housing through AFB. I chose to

live in a corridor room to have a chance to meet local kids. As an exchange student, we do

get the privilege. But make sure you register as soon as you can. You get your waiting

number based on the time you register. I managed to get an offer in Sparta in August. I love

Sparta. I think it is perfect for a business school student. It’s close to the classroom. It has an

ICA (grocery shop) right at the entrance. There’s a gym on the ground floor. And there’s a lot

of corridor parties and it’s so easy to make friends.

5) Courses Registration

You will get an online form for course registration. Usually, one will get to choose two

courses for each study period. For each course, you will get to write down two alternatives.

So you are almost guaranteed to get the courses you want. Even if you don’t, there’s still a

chance to make the adjustment after you arrive.

For me,

Courses in Lund Period Transfer to

FMIF 20 Environmental issues The whole semester LIFS 1030

HARA 29 International business law 1st period NA

IBUA 21 International marketing 2nd period MARK3430

SASE 31 international economics 2nd period ECON4364

6) Teaching & Assessment Methods

Teaching is pretty standard. There is nothing too different from UST. For me, none of the

lectures takes attendance. So you have a lot of control over your time. In Sweden, the

culture is really flat. We call our professors by name. And they are really chill and easy to

talk to. In terms of assessment, your final grades mainly depend on the finals. There will be

assignments or seminars from time to time, but they are not graded. So exams take up a lot

of percentages of your final grades. And the grading system varies between schools and

departments. Sometimes it can be an A, B, C system, sometimes a 3,4,5 and sometimes a

Fail, Pass, Pass with outstanding result system.

7) Sports & Recreation Facilities

There is no school gym, so you have to sign up for your own membership. I sign up for the

Actic in Sparta because of how close it is. It costs around 400 HKD per month. And you have

access to all Actics in town, all the facilities, and the classes. I think obtaining a gym

membership is pretty necessary especially for the winter season when there’s nothing to do.

There is not a lot of other recreation facilities in town. There’s a central park, a botanical

garden. There are two swimming pools, one close to Delphi, one in Lund C. I’ve been to the

one in Lund C, they have an adventurous park which I think is pretty fun. There’s slides,

diving pool, and all kinds of things. It’s nice to spend a Sunday there.

8) Finance & Banking (including currency/expenses)

Sweden is almost cashless. Make sure you have credit cards with you, then you should be

fine. A small amount of cash may be helpful just in case of an emergency. You will not be

able to open a bank account if you are only staying for one semester.

9) Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities

If you want, you can always find some events in town almost every single day. Lund has a

very unique and special student life. There are nations which run brunch, dinner, bar, and

club. I signed up for VG, because most of the exchange students do. Their food is really

good. I usually go for Saturday brunch and Friday dinner. For clubs, I’d recommend

Goteborg. Also, working at a nation is pretty fun and probably one of the best ways to know

people. And there’s always corridor parties. Other than these, there’s ESN, which is a

student organization. ESN in Lund has all kinds of events, including sports, social events,

trips, etc.

10) Climate

The weather in August is just perfect. So do bring little summer clothes. It starts to get

cooler from September. And around late October to mid-November, the weather becomes

kind of depressing. Winter is not as cold as people would imagine, it’s only like around 0

degrees.

11) Health & Safety

I don’t know too much about the medical stuff in Lund. There is a university hospital. So in

case of any illness, you should be able to get decent help. In terms of safety, Lund is really

safe. Even though sometimes you may hear about crazy stories, but generally it is really

safe. I would be comfortable walking at night alone. But do mind certain areas around the

town, I would avoid certain areas in Malmo.

12) Food

Most of the students cook themselves. Because of that, the school doesn’t really have many

actual canteens. There are cafeterias which sell sandwiches and salad. If you don’t really

cook, there’s always kebab, pizza, falafel, etc.

13) Transportation

Getting around the town is easy. Lund is such a small town, most of the places you will need

to go are within 30 mins walking distance. It’s more common that people bike. It is super

easy to get a second-hand bike. If the weather gets too cold, the bus system runs through

the city as well. There is an app called Skanetraffic where you can see the timetable and

purchase the tickets.

14) Communication

Swedish people speak perfect English, so there is absolutely no problem in communication.

But if your timetable allowed, I would suggest continuing taking a Swedish language course

during the semester. Knowing the basics will make life even easier in Lund.

Items to Bring

- Winter jacket

- Passport

- Credit Cards

- Adapter

- Euros

- Medicines

- Cocktail dress and suits

Useful link and contacts - https://liveatlund.lu.se

- https://www.studentlund.se

- https://afbostader.se

- https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Private-individuals/Studying-in-Sweden.html