Motivation
I was very interested in seeing a part of the world I hadn't visited before. Additionally, I was interested, as a Mechanical Engineering Student, in visiting an economy with significant advanced manufacturing, research & design capabilities, which, in my opinion, Australia lacks significantly. In Sweden I was able to visit Volvo and Husqvarna facilities and see these industries in action at a level of sophistication I believe we are generally unable to replicate domestically.
Personal Development
I have significantly developed my sense of self and thus improved my own self belief. Additionally, I have a clearer view of the type of person I want to be. These things did not just come about through making new friends and immersing in a new culture, but also spending significant time alone in nature, all of which contributed to a serious amount of self reflection and developed me into a more worldly, aware and sympathetic individual.
Academic Development
The system in Lund is quite different. I would say the workload is lower, as you are only taking 2 courses at once, where each is probably only 140% of the work of a single uq course. Their examination system is also much more forgiving, and in my eyes, effective at testing content knowledge. I strongly enjoyed the Masters level courses, where I was in a cohort of less than 10 students, as it meant a more engaged and responsive style of teaching was possible. The different areas of study available allowed me to explore my interests and consider my future studies. Overall I believe I have become more disciplined, curious and interested in my studies.
Professional Development
I believe I have grown up as a person. I am more ready, mentally, to engage in the process of beginning my career, and have a much clearer idea of the type of work I'd like to be doing. Mechanical Engineering at UQ might have you believing that mining and aerospace are the only worthwhile career pathways but there is really a whole world outside of these things.
Costs and Budget
I maintained a budgeting spreadsheet tracking my expenses. I would advise use of a Wise Debit card for card transactions in Europe. I would estimate I spent $4k on transport (mostly flights and longer distance trains, got around locally on a $100 bike). Accommodation was roughly $900 a month (this was a little on the expensive side compared to other options). Food costs are roughly similar to in Australia, about $150 a week eating fresh. Overall, I probably spent $20,000 AUD with travel before and after, and little fretting about the cost of my day to day expenses.
Funding
The OS-Help loan made it possible to afford the experience; Without, there's no way I would have been able to work enough to afford it. The UQ grant was also invaluable to contributing toward travel costs for some trips I made with the university for site visits and trade shows.
Accommodation
I found my apartment through LU-Accomodation. I had my own room and bathroom with a shared kitchen with 3 other international students. Pros: very clean, fairly well appointed, my housemates were awesome. Cons: A little on the expensive side at 6000sek a month, location a bit on the outskirts.
Highlight
My highlight was my travel in the far north of Scandinavia in summer. Truly a magical place at an incredible time of year. The Lofoten islands are an outdoorsman's dream and the Kungsleden in Swedish Lapland was fantastic.
Advice/Top Tips
Get on to your accomodation early, and join and be active in a student nation! They're great fun. Swedish is also a super fun language even though its usefulness later in your life might be dubious. Goteborg and Stockholm are fantastic cities, make sure to travel in Sweden!
