Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange report 2013/14 Person 113 Basic Information 1. Name Ingrid 2. E-mail address: ingrid.s.heggli@gmail.com 3. Exchange university University College London 4. City London 5. Country United Kingdom 6. First semester of your exchange Swedish spring semester (VT) 7. Academic year 2013/2014 8. What subject area/s did you study during your exchange? Scandinavian Studies 9. Level of studies at the exchange university Undergraduate 10. What are you studying at Uppsala University? English Literature 11. How many years of study had you completed before going on exchange? 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... Studying at UCL was more demanding on undergraduate level than my equivalent studies in humanities at Uppsala. The teachers were engaging and had certain expectations on classroom performance, although in many classes the students were quiet. The libraries were excellent with access to computers and IT service desks. However, I found the online services difficult to navigate with two different student portals and another email, all with different logins. The IT service desk was good to have but very slow in providing help, so if you can manage a problem yourself or ask a friend I would recommend that. The exams were in different places around London and it is important to plan your journey in advance to get there on time. Orientation and reception 13. Tell us about how it was to arrive and settle in. I arrived in the beginning of January and had received an email in advance with information on how to find the university and attend the ISOP (International Student Orientation Programme) events before the first day of term. At these events we were given student ID s, information leaflets, help finding accommodation, and attended lectures on how to live and get around London safely, and get the most out of our experience at the university. Social events were arranged by ISOP throughout the exchange period, and in the beginning this was especially useful for meeting new people. Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 337 av??
Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange report 2013/14 Accommodation 14. Describe your accommodation. What type of accommodation did you have, where you satisfied? Do you have any tips for future students? I lived in a UCL Hostel, the equivalent of a dorm at one of the Nations in Uppsala, and was lucky enough to only have a 15 minute walk to uni. The standard of living was a little lower than in Sweden while the rent was double the standard student rent, but it was safe and well-organised through the university. In my flat we were five people in total sharing one WC, one shower room, and one kitchen, and the people I lived with became some of my closest friends. Others were not so lucky with their flats, but if you stay away from the houses (Ramsay for instance) where many first-years live and party a lot, they are usually quiet and relatively clean. Avoiding taking the tube or bus daily also saves about 100 pounds per month, which is worth taking into consideration when looking for places to live, and strikes were regular during the spring which made it hard to rely on transportation. 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? I calculated an average of 500 pounds additional costs each month living in London compared to Uppsala. My rent was among the lowest you can find but was still twice my rent in Sweden, so I found a job at the university café to cover the additional living costs. Apart from rent, the extra money was mainly spent on food and transportation, as the supermarkets were more expensive and in order to get around London to see friends I had to take public transportation. For incoming students to UCL I would advise applying for a job at one of the UCLU cafés of bars. Only UCL students can work there and it is fun and social while paying well above the London Living Wage. 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? There were plenty of events arranged by ISOP, different societies, the housing office, and the university, and my inbox was constantly full of invitations to trips for international students or parties in the common room of my house. In the beginning I attended some of these but after I settled in with new friends chose to do other things in my free time. Like at most universities, we hung out at each other s houses and on campus, but since I lived in London the city itself had much to offer. On campus there is several bars and cafés, and a gym and theatre all belonging to UCL. Just on the other side of the street is the University of London Union and some of their Universities (Birkbeck, SOAS) and all the bars and cafés belonging to them. Since London is such a big city I wanted to make a home in this area where I lived and studied and came to love Bloomsbury for its cafés and shops, as well as the many museums and libraries that were useful for studies. The British Museum, British Library and Senate House are within a five-minute walk of the main campus and are all free. UCLU has many groups and activities and a gym as well, as do ULU (their gym also has a swimming pool) I joined the Dance Society where you could attend as many classes as you wished for only a 10 pound membership. I travelled to other cities outside London and tried to make the most of living in the UK which was easy to do with good transportation services around the country. The problem in London and at this university was not that there was little to do in your free time, rather that you hardly have any. Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 338 av??
Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange report 2013/14 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 a wonderful time at UCL. I was constantly busy with social events, a job, and demanding studies but it was great to spend a few months in London and the university itself was an amazing place to study. 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? - 20. Please tell us a little bit about the picture/s. - 21. Publishing of pictures - Thank you for submitting your exchange report! Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 339 av??
Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange Report Person 54 Basic Information 1. Name Josefin Nilsson 2. E-mail address: josefin.nilsson@live.se 3. Exchange university University College London 4. City London 5. Country United Kingdom 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? International relations/international politics 9. Level of studies at the exchange university Undergraduate 10. What are you studying at Uppsala University? Juridik 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... Jag läste hälften av mina kurser (2 st) inom School of European Languages, Culture and Society, vilket var obligatoriskt när man sökte utbyte via Internationella kansliet. Kurserna som erbjöds inom SELCS var väldigt varierande och lite märkliga jag läste t ex en kurs om det politiska användandet av döda kroppar. Det kan vara en bra idé att försöka få dessa kurser godkända och klara innan man åker till London, väl där var det svårt att få plats på de kurser man ville ha. Jag uppfattade inte nivån på kurserna inom SELCS som särskilt hög. Resten av mina kurser tog jag inom departementen för Political Science och Hebrew and Jewish studies. Dessa kurser höll oerhört hög kvalitet men nivån var också hög och det var ibland en tuff arbetsbörda. Lärarna på UCL är välutbildade och välmeriterade - jag hade bland annat en doktor från Harvard och en professor som suttit med i fredsförhandlingar mellan Israel och Palestina. Generellt är lärarna väldigt villiga att hjälpa en om man ber om det, men det är en något mer formell nivå på kontakterna än i Uppsala. Ett tips för den som åker till UCL är att tänka på att terminen är inklämd på väldigt få veckor, men arbetsbördan motsvarar ändå 30 hp. Dessutom var de första veckorna av terminen väldigt stillsamma, man hade egentligen inget mer än seminarium att göra. Detta gjorde att arbetsbördan de sista 4-5 veckorna blev väldigt hög. En idé är därför att börja med uppsatser och liknande så fort det går, för att undvika att behöva sitta på biblioteket hela sista månaden. Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 161 av??
Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange Report Orientation and reception 13. Tell us about how it was to arrive and settle in. Jag åkte till London en vecka innan orientation week startade, vilket var möjligt för mig eftersom jag inte hade mitt boende via universitetet utan kunde få tillträde tidigare. Jag kan verkligen rekommendera att vara i London i alla fall ett par dagar innan skolan drar igång - det är mycket administrativt och praktiskt som ska fixas och det kan vara svårt att hinna när introduktionsprogrammet drar igång. Dessutom var det skönt att lära sig hitta i närområdet och till och från skolan innan allt drog igång, och även att hinna få tag på köksgrejer och annat som behövdes. Accommodation 14. Describe your accommodation. What type of accommodation did you have, where you satisfied? Do you have any tips for future students? Jag trodde inte att jag skulle kunna få boende via universitetet eftersom jag bara skulle vara borta en termin och universitetet inte garanterar boende åt studenter som stannar så kort tid. Det visade sig dock senare att jag hade kunnat få boende via UCL, men då hade jag redan ordnat mitt boende själv. Jag hittade mitt boende via UCL:s hemsida, där de hade en lista med länkar till alternativa boenden för studenter som inte kunde bo på campus. Jag bodde via en organisation som heter Viridian Housing på ett ställe som heter Goldsmith s House. Mitt boende låg väldigt centralt och höll hög kvalitet till ett rimligt pris, och hade jag fått göra om mitt val hade jag inte valt att bo på campus istället. Var man än bor i London får man dock vara beredd på att hyran är dyr, i princip dubbelt så dyr som i Uppsala, och att standarden är lägre. Jag kunde dock spara mycket pengar på att mitt boende låg så centralt jag behövde inte köpa något månadskort till kollektivtrafiken som många av mina kompisar som bodde på campus behövde. 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? Det är dyrt att bo i London, särskilt hyror och transporter är dyra. Ett tips är att satsa på ett lite dyrare boende med gångavstånd till skolan - de billigare alternativen längre bort gör att budgeten ändå tänjs med kostnader för kollektivtrafikskort. Mat och dryck är dock billigare än i Sverige. CSN ger extra studiestöd för studier utomlands, men eftersom terminen på UCL officiellt är mycket kortare än en termin i Uppsala fick jag ändå inte så mycket mer pengar än vad jag brukar få hemma. Erasmus var ett välkommet tillskott men man behöver extra tillskott utöver det. Jag hade jobbat hela sommaren så jag klarade mig bra och hade inte ett extrajobb. 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? UCL har ett brett utbud av societies som jag rekommenderar att man tar del av! Jag gick med i Salsa society och hade jättekul. I övrigt är det verkligen inga problem att hitta på saker att göra i London, det är snarare svårt att hinna med skolan emellan alla roliga aktiviteter. Vetenskapsområdet för medicin och farmaci, Uppsala universitet Sida 162 av??
Enskilda enkäter för Utbytesrapport/Exchange Report 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. Terminen i London var en fantastisk upplevelse och jag rekommenderar alla att söka till UCL. Universitetet håller hög kvalitet och är otroligt mångkulturellt. London är dessutom ett underbart ställe att bo på. Det finns ingenting som hade kunnat vara bättre med mitt utbyte. 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/13916833291278975733.jpg 20. Please tell us a little bit about the picture/s. UCL Main Quad 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 163 av??
Utbytesrapport/UCL/2013 1. Name Linda Virkkala 2. E-mail address: linda.virkkala@gmail.com / linda.virkkala.7526@student.uu.se 3. Exchange university University College London (UCL) 4. City London 5. Country UK 6. First semester of your exchange Autumn 7. Academic year 2013 8. What subject area/s did you study during your exchange? Scandinavian studies / management & innovation 9. Level of studies at the exchange university Undergraduate 10. What are you studying at Uppsala University? Master in Sociotechnical Systems Engineering 11. How many years of study had you completed before going on exchange? 3 Studies The level of studies at UCL was generally very high and professional, but still different from what I was used to at UU. Students were expected to take responsibility and study on their spare time, which I as an engineering student found quite difficult. We only had four classes a week, and the rest was dedicated to self-study time. It took some time to get used to, but after a while I learned to adapt and found my own study pace. The quality of all the courses, except one literature course, was high and interesting. I got the sense that the lecturers had more influence in their choice of subject, which made them well educated in their courses. There were a lot of computer clusters, which was good because they gave access to printers in an easy way. All in all I can really recommend UCL as an academic institution!
Orientation and reception The first week (wednesday-saturday) was dedicated to us international students that arrived to the Uni. It was really good, because it gave us the time to fix everything with courses (have a lot of back-up plans on what you want to read!!) and there were a few parties for us. Nothing really special, but still some time to get to know some of the other people. London, and UCL, is quite different from the rest of the Erasmus exchanges, in the sense that it is much more individualistic since almost everyone knows the language. This does not make people that are not locals, or that know the language, to cluster together in the same way as in for example Spain. However, it is as the Swedish saying it becomes what you make it!" Accommodation I got accommodation though UCL, which was a room with shared bathroom and kitchen. London is ridiculous when it comes to rent, so I felt quite lucky to get a room for a reasonable price (150 /week) that was located around a 15-20 min walk from Uni. It included cleaning and the facilities were decent. Some others in the house were not as lucky, because they just remade our hall before we moved in. But in general, if you do not mind sharing, the university accommodations are decent! And most of them are located in walking distance to UCL, which is a great advantage! Your finances As I mentioned above, my living cost was 150 /week. CSN was adequate if you are not a minor shop-a-holic as I am. In general, food and going out, etc. is cheaper in London. But I can recommend to have some savings or to have a part-time work in the city. Free time I tried to explore London quite a lot together with my friends from Uni, and did not participate in things that UCL arranged. London has such a scene of whatever your interest is, so there is always something to do! What I thought was a lot of fun though are all the societies that exist. I tried a lot of fun stuff like salsa, pole dance, vegetarian food, etc They are all cheap and a great way to get to know people that are studying for a degree at UCL, and there are over 300 of them! Your exchange on the whole My exchange year was amazing! I learned so much about myself, of other cultures and people. If I got the chance to do it again - I would! It can be tough sometimes as well, being away from friends and family, which is good to recognize before leaving. I liked to be away for a full academic year, because it made me feel a bit more like a Londoner, so I can recommend that. 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? - 20. Please tell us a little bit about the picture/s. - Enjoying a coffee break in early November at the school yard. 21. Publishing of pictures? Yes