Jane B. Study Abroad Ambassador
What is one word to describe your study abroad experience:
"If you have any interest in living abroad, I highly recommend it! Studying abroad is absolutely life-changing."
JANE B.
Exchange student at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
Winter semester
Studying Environmental Science
- What is the best thing that happened while you were studying abroad?
I have had so many amazing experiences while studying abroad that picking only one ‘best thing’ is nearly impossible! That being said, one of my favorite things was experiencing the northern lights for the first time. I visited Abisko, Sweden, one of the northernmost cities in the country, in the Arctic Circle. Around midnight in the cold, the sky danced with northern lights. It was by far one of the coolest experiences in my entire life.
- Where was the coolest place you travelled to during your study abroad experience?
I traveled to Amsterdam, Netherlands; Copenhagen, Denmark; and a few cities in Poland and Sweden. I enjoyed my travels to each place for different reasons! It was affordable for me to travel within Europe, so I highly recommend taking full advantage of your time abroad!
- What is something that you know now, that you wish you knew before you studied abroad?
CHECK THE VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR YOUR COUNTRY! Although my home university and host university do provide you with some information, you must look into the visa requirements for your host country yourself to ensure you don’t miss anything. It’s also worth noting that the requirements to qualify for exchange in your home university are different from the requirements for your host university, and are different from the requirements for a student visa. For instance, my host and home universities allow you to take online courses during your exchange, but the Swedish Migration Agency requires that all of your courses be in-person to qualify for a residency permit.
- What was your best learning moment?
I learned so much both inside and outside the classroom! My best learning moment outside of the classroom was connecting with other international students. I was able to ask them questions about their countries/cultures, thereby learning so much about places all over the world (not just Sweden)! Inside the classroom, I participated in the Forest Management Methods course, in which the class took a week-long field trip! Traveling to learn about forestry in a hands-on way added so much value to my education abroad! I highly recommend participating in courses that do field trips.
- Who was the hardest person to leave that you met while on exchange? How did you deal with that?
After making friends from all over the world, it’s hard to move back home! When I moved back to Canada, I had to leave one of my best friends (from Poland). Although it was hard to leave, we text over social media every day and video chat all of the time! She’s also planning to visit me here in Canada!
- If you were to recommend exchange to your best friend, what would you say?
Funnily enough, I have been recommending exchange to all of my friends (and some of them are officially going abroad now)! If you have any interest in living abroad, I highly recommend it! Studying abroad is absolutely life-changing. Once I start my career, I think it will be much harder to live abroad temporarily, making now the best time to move abroad.
- What are your packing recommendations?
Leave space in your suitcase to bring home souvenirs! Also, pack medications that you may need (like cold medicine) because some over-the-counter medications can be inaccessible in other countries without a prescription.
- Would it be helpful to learn another language for this exchange?
My courses were in English, and every person I met spoke fluent English! That being said, there are more courses available if you speak Swedish.
- Did you live on-campus or off-campus? Would you recommend it, and why?
I lived on-campus and highly recommend it! Living with other students was a great way to meet people that weren't in my classes.
- What interesting courses did you get to take while studying abroad? What was the title of the course(s)?
Sweden’s courses are weighted differently and have a different credit system! I took two courses worth 30 Swedish credits (equivalent to 2.5 UofG credits). My first course (from January to March) was Climate Change - Effects on the Landscape and Potential Solutions, a course about climate science and climate mitigations and adaptations from a European perspective! Secondly, from March to June, I took Forest Management Methods, which (as the name suggests) is about silviculture and techniques used to manage forests in a forestry context.
