Time management important skill for Swedish students

Going to school in North America, you almost feel the system guides you by the hand: frequent seminars, mandatory lectures, and weekly assignments to check your understanding of the material. Uppsala University couldn’t have been more different, argues Makele Saidi, exchange student in Uppsala.

Moving across the Atlantic may seem like a daunting experience… you always assume there will be differences, but no one is ever prepared for how big the differences will be, how much it will affect you, and whether you’ll adapt well enough to enjoy and embrace the new culture you find yourself in. Having been fortunate enough to have lived in many different countries and attended international schools before moving to Vancouver for university, I knew that university would continue opening new doors for me and allow me to experience cultural differences in how people act, think, and their values in life. So when I decided to move to Uppsala University for my 3rd year abroad, I was excited but even more so curious as to how much it would differ not only from my life at the University of British Columbia, but also how much my lifestyle would change.

Initially, the differences between the educational systems stood out strongly. Going to school in North America, you almost feel the system guides you by the hand: frequent seminars, mandatory lectures, and weekly assignments to check your understanding of the material. There is a lot of work on a consistent basis. Uppsala University couldn’t have been more different. Classes are fewer times a week, and the focus is much more on independent work. Readings and assignments are expected to be done on your own time, which I believe encourages students to be very disciplined in managing their own time.

Even more striking is the schedule format; being used to taking five classes at a time, it has been a welcomed change to have a class per month, which really gives you the opportunity to focus on the subject, complete the exam, and move on. It relieves you of the stressful exam periods we have back home where you are studying for five exams that will all take place within a two-week period. But even with all these differences, there lies a stream of similarities. The work load is very much alike, teachers are approachable and very helpful, and it makes you realize at the end of the day that your university experience, regardless of where you study, is something you share with other students around the world.

The most striking difference has definitely been the change in lifestyle in terms of balancing our finances. A popular topic amongst students coming from all over to study in Sweden, we have found we have to be much more careful with our spending as Sweden is considerably more expensive than many of the places we come from. Be it in restaurants, to groceries, to entertainment, the costs are all considerably higher. However the "nations" lifestyle here helps students enjoy a great social and nightlife while balancing our finances.

Makele Saidi