Uppsala Universitet (UU)

Knowing Swedish would have definitely been helpful and would have made my experience more of a cultural treat than it already was, however I was able to get by quite easily only speaking English.

Transportation was much more expensive than I expected on several fronts; public busses were incredibly so (even after living in New York City), and buying a bike to get around on is reasonable, but only if your lucky enough to buy just one (buy a good lock).

I can honestly say that this international experience has changed my life for the better. My perceptions of what goes on the in the world are not just from my nations point of view any longer. Having friends from many different countries and wanting them to be successful and happy, forces one to look at things from their point of view. This experience opens a whole new world and I have yet to meet anyone who has thought otherwise. Go with an open mind and you'll enjoy the experience.

It seemed that there was something to do every night of the week. The way this works at Uppsala is that everyone is required to join a nation, which is basically a club for students from a particular region. Once you arrive you will need to get a hold of a little pocket calendar which outlines the weekly social events held by each nation - comes in quite handy. Just as an FYI, I went with V-Dala and had a great time (International students get to freely choose among the nations).

The actual rooms were basic and quite small, however being in that kind of environment made the tradeoff well worth it.