Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange Report Person 9 Basic Information 1. Name Marcia Munoz 2. E-mail address: marcia.munoz@hotmail.com 3. Exchange university University of Arizona 4. City Tucson 5. Country United States 6. First semester of your exchange Swedish autumn semester (HT) 7. Academic year 2013/2014 8. What subject area/s did you study during your exchange? Political Science 9. Level of studies at the exchange university Undergraduate 10. What are you studying at Uppsala University? Politisk Kandidat 11. How many years of study had you completed before going on exchange? 1,5 Studies 12. Tell us about your studies on your exchange. If you are stuck for ideas you can for exemple write about: The differences between Uppsala University and the exchange. What were the teachers like? What courses would you recommend (or not) for future exchange students? The relationship between teachers and students. The academic level and quality of your courses. Access to computers. Examinations... Att studera i USA är väldigt annorlunda än Sverige och Uppsala. Då jag läser Polkand i Uppsala valde jag att läsa 5 kurser i Political Science. Jag läste: Latin American Politics, Psychology of Politics, Chilean History and Politics, US and the World och Globalization (alla 300-400 i nivå). Klassernas storlek och kvalitet varierade en del, ibland hade jag 20 klasskamrater och ibland 300. Överlag är jag otroligt nöjd med mina kurser och tyckte att varje lektion var hur intressant som helst. I USA bör man vara delaktig på lektionerna på ett helt annat sätt och något som verkligen var annorlunda är hur viktigt det är att själv ta kontakt med lärarna, att besöka de under deras office hours och prata lite efter lektionerna, då känner de igen dig och är redo att hjälpa dig om du skulle behöva det. Jag hade otroligt engagerade lärare och lärde mig massor under denna termin. University of Arizona är ett otroligt bra universitet där jag trivdes kanon. Campus har allt du an tänkas behöva och det är en stor sammanhållning av att tillhöra Wildcat-familjen. Universitetet har alltid massor på gång så man har aldrig tråkigt! Orientation and reception 13. Tell us about how it was to arrive and settle in. Universitetet och deras Internationella Service Center anordnar ett obligatoriska orienteringsdagar där det för det första går ut på att få ordning på alla papper men även middagar och aktiviteter för att lära känna andra utbytesstudenter. Även om kanske inte just dessa tre dagar var suveräna vad gäller planering tycker jag att de var otroligt duktiga på att vara till hjälp och anordnade events, middagar och aktiviteter under hela terminen vilket var riktigt roligt att delta i. Dessutom har de något som Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 26 av??
Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange Report kallas the buddy program då man blir tilldelad en eller flera amerikanska studenter. Tyckte detta var superbra då jag och min amerikanska vän blev riktigt goda vänner och umgicks under hela min vistelse. Accommodation 14. Describe your accommodation. What type of accommodation did you have, where you satisfied? Do you have any tips for future students? Vad gäller boendet så försökte jag hitta något från Sverige men bestämde mig tillslut för att vänta och bestämma mig på plats. Första veckan erbjudet Universitetet att få bo på campus (man blir även upphämtad på flygplatsen) för 30 dollar natten vilket jag tyckte var smidigt eftersom att man då fick en vecka på sig att söka boende. Det var dock lite svårare än väntat men det gick. Jag lyckades dock dra in mig själv i en väldigt jobbig situation av att skriva under två olika kontrakt. Som tur är erbjuder skolan advokater man kan prata vilket känns tryggt då man är helt själv och har ingen koll på vem man kan vända sig till. Det slutade med att jag tillslut bodde på campus La Aldea (ett boende för graduate-studenter). Detta ställe kan jag VERKLIGEN rekommendera. Det är otroligt fräsch och tre minuter från campus. Då det bor äldre studenter där känner man sig mer hemma än med galna 18 år nyss fyllda amerikaner. La Aldea är otroligt mysigt och de erbjuder gratis middag varje fredag. Genemskapen är enorm! Det kostar från 650-700 per månad men det var det helt klart värt. Annars kan man försöka hitta något off-campus men då får man räkna med att cykla eller ta skolans buss Cat-Tran till skolan. Många av mina vänner gjorde så också och då blir det definitivt billigare. Your finances 15. Describe the cost of living. Did you find CSN adequate? How was the rent in comparison to your rent in Uppsala? Did you undertake part-time work in addition to your studies? Jag klarade mig finfint med CSN. Levnadskostnaden i Tucson är billigare än i Sverige och jag reste i princip varje helg och pengarna räckte gott och väl. Det går att arbeta på campus om man vill men själv tyckte jag processen var väldigt komplicerad. Free time 16. What did you do in your free time? Did the university arrange any special activities? Where there any activities specifically for exchange students? Were you happy with what was on offer? Underbara Tucson! University of Arizona och Tucson är en osedd skatt i mina ögon. Så underbart var det. Var ska jag börja... För det första är ju vädret en upplevelse. Visst, väldigt varmt när jag anlände i Augusti men resterande månader hur underbart som helst. Gick i shorts fram till december. Att kunna bada mitt i natten och sitta ute på kvällarna fram till december är helt otroligt. Speciellt när man jämför med att ha november-väder i Sverige. Då Arizona ligger granne med California och två timmar från Mexiko passade jag på att resa en hel del. Under två månader gjorde vänner och jag roadtrips VARJE HELG. Reste till: Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Flagstaff, Phoenix, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Mexiko och ett antal olika nationalparker. Arizona är ett underbart vackert ställe om man gillar hiking, vilket man kommer att tycka om garanterat. Naturen är otrolig och det finns så mycket häftigt att se. Har aldrig sett så vackra solnedgångar och en sådan stjärnklar himmel i mitt liv. Skolan erbjuder även ett gym där man även kan gå på massa olika klasser. Gymmet är otroligt fräscht och stort. Wildcats fotbolls och basketlag spelat och då är det en heldag av fest då man börjar med tailgate för att sedan titta på matchen och sedan festa oavsett vinst eller förlust. Universitetet anordnar massor av resor Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 27 av??
Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange Report som till exempel resan till Gran Canyon. Man måste gå in på Outdoor Activities på deras hemsida och välja och vraka. Bra alternativ om man själv inte har bil och vill bara åka ut på en redan planerad resa. Your exchange on the whole 17. Please sum up your exchange experience. If you have any other tips for future exchange students, or any other comments feel free to include them here. Tror inte att jag med ord kan förklara vilken underbar tid jag hade i Tucson och University of Arizona. Jag älskade det! Tycker att Arizona är en stat som har så mycket att erbjuda och läget samt vädret är en dröm. Under min tid här fick jag vänner för livet och lärde mig otroligt mycket! Kan varmt rekommendera detta Universitet och jag ångrar inte en sekund att jag valde att åka till Tucson! Så var inte rädd att prova något nytt, sök och bear down. GO CATS! Har du några frågor kan du nå mig på: marcia.munoz@hotmail.com Approval 18. Your report will be available for future exchange students in printed form at the International Office and will be sent by email to individual students requesting it. Do you also approve the publishing of your exchange report on Uppsala University s website? Yes 19. Do you have any photos you would like to upload and include in your exchange report? http://doit.medfarm.uu.se/kurtattachment/13881898052130206897.jpg 20. Please tell us a little bit about the picture/s. En solig men kall dag i Grand Canyon 21. Publishing of pictures I approve of my pictures being published and used in Uppsala University s marketing of international exchanges Thank you for submitting your exchange report! Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 28 av??
Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange report 2013/14 Person 15 Basic Information 1. Name Axel Thornström 2. E-mail address: axelthornstrom@gmail.com 3. Exchange university University of Arizona 4. City Tucson 5. Country USA 6. First semester of your exchange Swedish autumn semester (HT) 7. Academic year 2013/2014 8. What subject area/s did you study during your exchange? Engineering, Psychology, History 9. Level of studies at the exchange university Undergraduate 10. What are you studying at Uppsala University? Engineering 11. How many years of study had you completed before going on exchange? 3 Studies 12. Tell us about your studies on your exchange. If you are stuck for ideas you can for exemple write about: The differences between Uppsala University and the exchange. What were the teachers like? What courses would you recommend (or not) for future exchange students? The relationship between teachers and students. The academic level and quality of your courses. Access to computers. Examinations... For my first semester at University of Arizona (UofA), Fall 2013, I took the following classes: - Intro to Psychology (3 credits) - World History (3 credits) - Applied Thermodynamics (3 credits) - Intro to Computer Aided Design (3 credits) My last semester (Spring 2014) contained of 4 other courses: - Globalization, Sustainability & Innovation (3 credits) - Solar Energy Systems (3 credits) - Heat, Ventilation & AC System Design (3 credits) - Project Management (3 credits) About the courses: Generally the classes have a lot of homework, but dont get scared about that. The homework is usually once a week and takes a couple of hours, but its usually very straightforward. This was a big change for me since Im used to study for a final exam with a lot of time to manage the way I want. So instead of studying the way I did in Sweden, with a lot of time spent the last couple of weeks prior to the final exam, I studied more straight from the beginning of the classes but then the final couple of weeks did not get that busy. About the teachers: The professors are usually very helpful, and its a very good idea to talk to them during their office hours. Especially if its anything that you need help with, but its also good just to get to know them because they are usually very friendly. The relationship between students and teacher are generally very good, and I always felt you could ask them whenever you were unsure of something. Differences between Uppsala and Arizona: UofA has a lot of homework, but if I would compare the engineering classes between the universities I would say that the UofA classes were easier. UofA focuses more on learning facts by heart, where in Uppsala you have to learn concepts and then use them. The midterm exams at the UofA are usually only 1 hour, and the final Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 42 av??
Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange report 2013/14 exams are usually 2 hours. Some of my classes even had multiple-choice questions as a final exam, which I thought was a bit too easy, but Im not complaining. If you do well in school at Uppsala University there is no doubt you will do good at the UofA. Courses to recommend: For engineering students, I would recommend the Project Management class. It gave me some good experience about how to work projects effectively in big or small companies. The professor was a former Vice President at Raytheon Missile Systems and had a lot of good advice about Project Management. I would also recommend the Globalization class if you want to practice oral presentations. It was also very interesting to take a globalization class with American students and get their point of view about global questions. Orientation and reception 13. Tell us about how it was to arrive and settle in. I flew to Phoenix and then took a shuttle to Tucson the shuttle took around 2 hours. I had signed up for a room in a dorm at the campus for the first week. I would highly recommend this since it was very convenient. The cost was around $20 a night, but it was definitely worth it. I arrived in Tucson around 2 am, and they had people at the reception 24/7 which was awesome after a long flight. The location was also straight on campus, which was perfect for the first week. Some other students stayed in a hostel, but I would prefer the UofA s alternative for the first week. Also the heat in August is very intense, so bring sunscreen. And drink lots of water. People are very friendly to you if you ask for directions, or any question at all. I thought it was very easy to settle in Tucson. Accommodation 14. Describe your accommodation. What type of accommodation did you have, where you satisfied? Do you have any tips for future students? I didn t have accommodation when I arrived, except for the first 7 days. This worked out very well, since they have a lot of different alternatives for housing. I stayed at University Villa, an apartment complex which was approximately 15 minutes away with car from the campus. I mainly stayed there because my girlfriend studied at Pima Community College, so we were not allowed to stay on campus since only UofA students can live on campus. University Villa was great, we paid $950/month + electricity for a 2 bed/2 bath apartment. Like most of the apartment complexes that are located at that distance, they provide a shuttle service to school. This complex also had a shuttle to Pima Community College, which was perfect for us. They also had an amazing pool, gym, volleyball court etc. But I would not recommend staying there since it was a bit far away from the campus area. There are better alternatives closer to the campus. I would not stay in a dorm at the campus though the people staying there are usually very young (19) and a bit messy. I would recommend an apartment at campus (maybe La Aldea), but then it can get a bit expensive. Another good choice would be to stay in one of the apartment complexes close to the University, and then get a bike. Your finances 15. Describe the cost of living. Did you find CSN adequate? How was the rent in comparison to your rent in Uppsala? Did you undertake part-time work in addition to your studies? We paid $475/month each for our apartment (2bed/2bath), and then we had the whole apartment Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 43 av??
Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange report 2013/14 to ourselves. It can get even cheaper if you stay in a 4bed/4bath apartment. But if you stay on Campus, you usually have to pay more like $700/month for each person for a 2bed/2bath apartment. The money you get from CSN is enough. We did a lot of traveling (New York City, Las Vegas, Miami, Austin) which was a bit expansive, so if you want to travel a lot maybe you need some extra money. But everything is cheaper in Tucson compared to Uppsala. Eating out is very cheap in Tucson, and the gas is super cheap. I think Tucson is one of the cheapest places in the US. Free time 16. What did you do in your free time? Did the university arrange any special activities? Where there any activities specifically for exchange students? Were you happy with what was on offer? They had a Buddy Program, which was really good. I met my best American friends through this program. They pair the international students with the American students, and then they arrange dinners/parties etc. I can be hard to meet people in school depending on the class. A class with 300+ people can get pretty anonymous, but the smaller classes were a lot more fun. In the free time we did a lot of hiking, the nature around Tucson is perfect for great hiking. The Grand Canyon is around 5-6 hours away. We went 3 times. Sedona is another amazing place, really beautiful. Sedona is around 4 hours away from Tucson. You can either rent a car yourself or go with an American friend they usually have a car. Mexico is also very close, I never went but a lot of people did and liked it. But you don t have to travel that far for great nature, Sabino Canyon is 20 minutes away. For partying and eating 4th avenue and downtown are great places. You meet a lot of people out that you hang out with during the whole year. I recommend the bar Bob Dobbs, my favorite bar with the best Karaoke in Tucson! Your exchange on the whole 17. Please sum up your exchange experience. If you have any other tips for future exchange students, or any other comments feel free to include them here. I had an amazing year. I met many amazing people and learned a lot about myself. It can be scary to go away for one full school year, but I promise you will never regret it. Approval 18. Your report will be available for future exchange students in printed form at the International Office and will be sent by email to individual students requesting it. Do you also approve the publishing of your exchange report on Uppsala University s website? Yes 19. Do you have any photos you would like to upload and include in your exchange report? http://doit.medfarm.uu.se/kurtattachment/14010967591083315760.jpg 20. Please tell us a little bit about the picture/s. The Saguaro National Park. 21. Publishing of pictures I approve of my pictures being published and used in Uppsala University s marketing of international exchanges Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 44 av??