Uppsala Universitet (UU)

The social life at Uppsala is really great and everything happens within the confines of the student Nations. There are 13 Nations representing each one of the Swedish regions. Every night you can go out, either to a pub or to a club. My party itinerary: Tuesdays: Snerikes Wednesdays: V-Dala or Ostgota Thursdays: Stockholms Fridays: Vermlands Saturdays: V-dala Sundays: Snerikes Mondays: Varmlands but only after exams, once a month. My favourite nightspot was definitely Stockholms on Thursdays. You should definitely pick the Nation whose party you like the most. Mine was Stockholms, it's reputed for being the hippest and the one with the nicest girls :) You'll get in for free when it's your Nation or if you get ther before 8pm. The party starts at 10pm so you'll have time to spend what you saved at the bar, usually you can eat there too so if you can make ...

The worst thing was that my Swedish did not improve very dramatically, which I was hoping for it to do. Everyone there speaks amazing English and it was more frustrating for them to listen to me try to formulate a sentence in Swedish than it was for them to just speak in my own language. Anything to do with the university was no problem where language was concerned, but dealing with banks and other institutional organisations sometimes proved to be a little difficult.

Well, where to begin?! I was a member of Ostgota Nation, a fairly alternative nation in a beautiful old house with a great bar and great food. It was a smaller nation than some of the others, but I liked that. There are particular nights when everyone goes to certain nations: eg. Wednesday - Ostgota, V-Dala (disco music), Thursday - Kalmar (great groovy tunes), Stockholm (techno), Friday - Varmlands, Saturday - V-Dala. The cafes in the nations are the best value for students. Great cakes and sandwiches and Swedish treats. Again different nations are open certain days. I didn't really venture out into the town for bars or restaurants, as it was way too expensive in comparison. As for events not to be missed - well, I would say Valborg except that I missed it! The Spring and Autumn balls are also really popular and a big deal. Other small ...

The only thing I didn't have and was looking forward to, was my own bathroom. The other hassle was when I managed to lock myself out of my room, and had to wait until the next morning for a locksmith to come and open it for me because of the hours of operation of the student housing desk. Understandable I guess. The best thing about this accommodation was the interaction and social nature of living. I was at Rackarberget, while the majority of students are at Flogsta, but I think there are pros and cons of both. My location was better for a start, but Flogsta maybe better for social reasons. Still, Rackarberget was pretty damn good!

Come to Uppsala, you'll love it.