Personal Development
I gained insight into new learning/teaching methods that completely changed my attitude towards studying as well as making me feel like I had a lot more freedom. But most of all I made some lifelong friends and even people I would now consider family. I also have countless new and memorable experiences, from skiing to swimming in cold Norwegian fjords, to learning about many different European cultures, and traditions and lanaguage. These have broadened my worldview even more as well as developing new hobbies and a further desire to learn more about the world. Most of all I feel that I have gained a new appreciation for the world and how I live my life and balance studies/work and personal life, and this is something I look forward to bringing back with me. And of course I tried many new foods and will definitely be bringing back some new recipes.
Academic Development
I found academically I was a lot less stressed and the workload felt much lighter despite having a greater 'self workload'. The frequent breaks and use of the 'academic quarter' during classes at Lund University was new but I found it very useful for helping me to stay engaged in class and would also provide an opportunity to consolidate some concepts with peers during the 15 minute breaks before returning to further learning in lectures/exercises. The exam system was possibly the biggest difference and I was quite skeptical of it at first as I do find I work well in the very professional ad controlled exam environment at UQ. However, at Lund the exams were much more relaxed, for all exams you are given a 5 hour time slot and you are only required to remain for the first hour, this removes a lot of the time pressure stress that students can feel during exams. Due to the long time period students are allowed to bring snacks and drinks into the exam as well, which creates a very different atmosphere while still being a controlled and professional environment.
Assignments and exams were usually marked anonymously which was another change. I was very interested by the emphasis on peer review within the university as well. All courses I did which involved a group project involved a 'draft and peer review' process, where we would peer review aother groups report and provide feedback, this was very insightful and I really enjoyed this aspect of those courses. Many courses also involved group discussions with lecturers either at the end of the course or periodically throughout, this was also very helpful for remaining engaged in content and broadening views in the content by hearing others interpretations and understanding. Notably, one of my courses on climate science and politics followed a very different layout to most studies I have done, this course consisted of many guest lecturers from professionals and academics and also kept very up to date with current progress and changes regarding the course content, this kept the course very engaging and prompted discussion in class which I found to be quite a pleasant change compared to the typical lecture layout.
Professional Development
I believe I gained a lot more confidence which transfers professionally to more leadership and communication skills. I also believe I have developed a greater eagerness to be involved with initiatives/projects which will be useful in gaining future experience and improving my employability. My planning skills have also improved a lot and I feel that I have changed mindset from usually taking 'the easy path' to challenging myself more often which have made me much more flexible and adaptive in my mindset and approach to challenges.
Accommodation
I found out about accomodation options through the university website and emails from the exchange department at Lund Unviersity. I lived in a corridor room operated by LU accomodation. The pros of this were I had a large room and toilet to myself and the location of the accomodation was very conveniently close to my classes. The accomodation was also extremely affordable and the communal aspect was great for making connections and having many fun experiences. A con would be the communal kitchen and shower as soemtimes hygiene and cleanliness of these common areas was not great, however this was manageable. I would give future students advice to start looking for accomodation early and focus on what they personally require for a living arrangement, if they are not opposed to communal spaces I would definitely reccommend a corridor room. I did not recieve any assitance while finding accomodation however the university and property manager are easily contactable via email and are very helpful should assitance be required. On arrival day I was also taken to my accomodation by the University mentors which was very helpful and made the moving in process easy and stress free.
Highlight
I have briefly mentioned many highlights already however what made the exchange especially enjoyable were the people I met. My international mentor group became like a family of people in the same situation as well as some local Swedes, this group made the exchange so much ore enjoyable and created many great memories. I also spontaneously went skiing in the French Alps with some friends I met early on exchange, this was an entirely new experience for me and was definitely a highlight. I also went on a trip to the Norwegian Fjords organised by the Erasmus Student Network, this was a major highlight for me, filled with many great memories, meeting incredible people and new experiences such as glacier hiking. On this trip I also overcame a fear of swiming in cold water and swam in the 4 degree fjord, and through this I not only overcame the fear but developed a love for it.
Advice/Top Tips
My advice would be to 'just do it', many times I was faced with the option of joining a certain activity or exprience/trip and I always regretted the times I deciced not to, however when I took the leap and did these things I always have the experience of a lifetime and felt so blessed to be involved. I would also advise making as many connections as you can and really surrounding yourself with a group of great people as they are truely what make the experience.