Going on exchange through Queen’s and the International Programs office was truly one of the best decisions I have made throughout my academic career at Queens. Winter semester 2024, I attended Uppsala Universitet, in Uppsala Sweden.
Being an Environmental Science student, it was important for me to attend a host university that offered a wide range of courses around environmental policy, assessment, and more. Uppsala offered me exactly the unique learning landscape I was looking for. I took courses within the student-driven faculty of “CEMUS”. The courses I took were climate change leadership, and sustainable economic futures. Learning through Art, discussion, debate, and independent study and fieldwork were all integral to the CEMUS faculty.
Outside of my school life in Sweden was filled with as much navigating and learning. Learning about Swedish culture meant partaking in “Fika” (Swedish coffee and cake time) almost daily, and spending time outside hiking, skiing, and ice bathing as much as possible. Having this extended period in Sweden allowed me to have a more integrated experience that I would not have gotten if I was just visiting for a shorter time in Sweden.
Uppsala is a student city, with student “nations” being scattered throughout the city. Nations are a major part of student life in Uppsala, In the briefest explanation, a student nation is a big club or association with nation names all correlating to various regions of Sweden. The nations host all sorts of events but most notably “gasques”. A gasque is a dinner hosted by any one of the thirteen "student nations" in Uppsala, with dancing, dressing up and lots of traditional Swedish songs. Nations also have pubs, cafes, sporting events, live music, choirs, board game nights, clubs, and so much more. Student life in Uppsala is lively, different every day, and full of excitement.
During my time in Uppsala, I lived in student corridors, these are like the Residence at Queen’s, but you have more freedom to cook your own meals and is more of a mixture between off-campus and residence living at Queen’s. It is very common for international students to live in corridors, as most of the housing suggested through Uppsala University is furnished, which is very helpful. I was able to meet my closest friends in my corridor and found so much comfort in my corridor whilst being away from home.
I would highly recommend this program to prospective students who are looking for an exciting challenge, something new, and an opportunity to grow. My time on exchange, before, during, and after was not always easy, in fact, exchange came with a lot of big challenges that I had never faced before. But I was excited to accept these challenges, and the outcome in personal and academic growth was immense.
