Motivation
My sister went on a global experience the year before to China and I have always wanted to travel the world some more when I am younger.
Personal Development
I learnt a lot of different things from this experience. One of the main things was how different but also universal some experiences are. Many of the friends I made, while we had interesting conversations about what were different in our countries, were surprised with what more we had in common with one another. Especially jokes, which were more context specific seemed to be universal, whether they were being made by me, or by my friends.
Academic Development
Uppsala has a much different academic system compared to UQ. For one, you work on subjects one after the other, and not 4 subjects all together. This lets you focus really heavily on your current subject, without your brain being overloaded with other course work information. However, this also means if you don't like your subject, you are stuck with it full time. The workload I found was manageable, while still having time to go out and explore the country. Many assesments were also group based, with presentations/discussions in Seminars each week. I found this very enjoyable, as I did not stress as much about wording things perfectly, but instead having meaningful discussions with my classmates.
Professional Development
One of the biggest challenges I faced was navigating a country I had never visited before. Adjusting to public transport systems, university processes, and unfamiliar social situations required me to be adaptable and significantly strengthened both my problem-solving abilities and self-confidence. In particular, using public transport was initially quite challenging. Although I had a bike for travelling within the city, commuting between Stockholm and Uppsala was confusing due to multiple train lines operating to the same destinations. The risk of receiving substantial fines for boarding the wrong train added to the pressure and stress of the situation. To overcome this, I stepped outside my comfort zone and began asking local Swedish commuters for assistance when I was unsure. This not only helped me navigate the system more effectively but also improved my confidence in communicating with others and seeking help when needed. As a result, I developed stronger interpersonal and communication skills, which are valuable in both personal and professional contexts.
Budget
In Uppsala, I stayed at Floggsta through the University Housing Office. Overall, I budgeted about $10,000 including travel to weekend trips to other countries in Europe.
Rent was about $580 a month, so in total about $3,480. Flights were very expensive, at $1,500 for a one way ticket from Brisbane. Food is not provided in places like a general cafeteria, you need to plan, buy and cook your own food. I did not eat bread every day, so food was about $2,000 over the 6 months I spend there. Eating out and activities with friends (this includes going to the movies, arcade) was about $2,000 over the 6 months. In total, I spent about $9000. This does not include the extra travel costs going around the separate countries in Europe.
Accommodation
Accommodation is provided by the Uppsala Housing Office, which is a separate company, and is not part of the university. However, they make it very easy to apply for housing, and choosing where to live. There are housing areas all over Uppsala that are provided by the housing office, where students can live in studio apartments or what is known as a "corridor", which is a typical Swedish dorm. Corridors consist of a set of rooms along a corridor, with one end holding a shared kitchen. In some corridors you will also need to share bathrooms, however in Floggsta/Sernanders Vag where I stayed, everyone got their own private bathroom. Everyone sharing one kitchen can become a bit difficult depending on your corridor-mates. People may be cooking the same time you want to and you may need to wait for a stove to free up. There are no dishwashers either, so everyone is in charge of doing their own dishes so it can be difficult if people have different standards of cleanliness.
Highlights
My highlight was probably experiencing snow for the first time. I remember when it snowed, everyone in the housing walked outside and started to play in the snow. Snowballs were flying, snowmen and igloos were being made. It was so magical
Top Tips
I definitely recommend a study abroad experience. My biggest tip to enjoy this to the fullest is to just say yes to everything (within reason!). Definitely join a nation, and attend their events that they hold! Say yes to drinks with friends or to go to Stockholm for the day. New experiences can be scary, but it is so rewarding when you do it!
