Sweden

University of Auckland students have the opportunity to study at four partner universities in Sweden: Linnaeus University, Lund University, Stockholm University, and Uppsala University (Law only).

Let’s hear what our students have to say…

Living in Lund was completely different to living in Auckland, it has a population of around 82,000 and the city is built around the 350-year-old University. Lund is also considered the best student city in Sweden with its unique traditional student nations and unions which organise events and activities. Lunches at the Nations became a regular occcurence with an almost compulsory Swedish black filter coffee on the side. I was also lucky to become an active member of Östgöta Nation and be there for the annual spring law ball. Overall, I think Lund University is an amazing place to do an exchange if you want a place full of culture, traditions and a strong academic spirit, and I encourage others to apply for their experience of a lifetime.

–  Joshua, Lund University

 

Stockholm is a beautiful city, and a great place to live. Because of its size, there is always something to do. 

– Abigail, Stockholm University

 

Lund is made up of 13 student Nations, when you arrive you chose one of the Nations to join but I found out that it doesn’t really matter what one you chose as long as the Nation belongs to Student Lund then you can go to events and work at any of the other Student Lund Nations. Each of these nations include student housing, have weekly pubs and clubs, breakfasts and lunches and they also hold “Sittnings”. “Sittnings” are a unique experience for students in Sweden and Finland, it is a dinner which involves singing and drinking and lots of fun, it can be formal or even a themed dress up. All events are run by students and everyone has the opportunity to work.

– Caitlin, Lund University

The Swedish climate is interesting and vastly different to what I’d experienced at home. When I arrived in winter, the snow had piled high, it was as cold as -20 degrees, and daylight only lasted for about 5 or 6 hours. This is contrasted by summertime, where the temperature was about 20 degrees, and it felt like the sun never set.

– Aaron, Uppsala University

 

My favourite things about Stockholm included the concept of fika, the nightlife, the snow, the outdoor iceskating rinks, the food (swedish chocolate balls, cinnamon rolls, meatballs, chocolate cake), the super efficient transport system, IKEA, the shopping in general, and the architecture, exterior and interior. By far the best thing I did in Sweden though was travelling to Kiruna and Abisko to see the northern lights, they were indescribable by words, and the fact that we got to ride huskies and climb frozen waterfalls were just bucket list worthy activities. In Stockholm, Summer is a whole other story, the Swedes all come out of hibernation, the sun is up when you leave to go out and rises when you’re going home at 3 in the morning – its a pretty crazy thing to witness.

– Genevieve, Stockholm University

 

One of the major highlights of my exchange was the opportunity to explore different parts of Europe during the weekends and holidays. I visited many different countries, but my highlight would have to be my trip to Swedish Lapland where I was able to see the Northern Lights.

– Abigail, Stockholm University

 

Lund is very close to Denmark and was only a 40 minute train ride to Copenhagen so it was very easy to pop over the border for the day or the night and was also the closest international airport. I was also lucky enough to travel before, during and after my exchange around many countries such as the UK, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Estonia, Norway and Denmark. One of the highlights of my trips was the chance to go to Swedish Lapland where I went husky sledging and snowmobiling and got to see the Northern Lights as well as seeing a Norwegian fiord.

–  Caitlin, Lund University