Uppsala Universitet (UU)

Try to take as much money as you can to experience all the wonderful aspects of Uppsala. Being a student is the most inexpensive way you can do it, but there is so much to do that it will end up costing you a lot of money. But it's worth it! If you get a phone, there's a huge amount of money that you have to put up at first (kind of like a bond), but you get it back at the end of your stay. There are ways of getting around it (like a Swede nominating you) but when you've just arrived, you don't want to ask big favours of anyone, so most people just pay it up front and then get it back at the end. Buy alcohol from the Systembolaget instead of when you are out at a nation's bar/club.

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!