On Wednesday the University of Skövde welcomed their new international students. About 150 students from more than 20 countries will start their studies at the university this autumn. Their stay in Sweden starts with a plenteous introduction programme and during three days the students will learn more about Sweden, get important information about their studies and the university and get to know each other better. During the break the students were served Swedish “kanelbullar” (cinnamon buns) and coffee/tea and got the chance to mingle. To push the students in the right direction the International Coordinators had put together a quiz, where the students had to find a fellow student that, for example, could dance salsa, someone who liked taking photos and a person who knew somebody famous. This resulted in a lot of new connections, conversations and laughter.
First time in Sweden
For many of the students this is their first time in Sweden, and for some of them even the first time in Europe. This is the case for Anthonny Mukwaya from Uganda, who has been awarded a full scholarship from the Swedish Institute to study a Master’s in Molecular Biology.
-I’m so happy to be here. So far I think that Sweden is a beautiful country and that people are very nice. I have got so much help and assistance from my programme director, Mikael Ejdebäck, who has helped me with the preparations and who has answered all my questions, says Anthonny.
Others are more familiar with Sweden. Christina Bellinghoven from Germany has been in Sweden before and already speaks some Swedish.
-I arrived here on the 7th of August and I have been travelling around a lot. The nature is beautiful and there are a lot of cute towns. But there are not some many people, comparing to my home town Essen, Christina says.
Many students seem to appreciate that the University of Skövde is a rather small university, as it gives a more personal atmosphere and close relationship between the students and the staff.
From all over the world
About a hundred of the internationals are exchange students who are coming from universities around the world which the University of Skövde has partnership agreements with. These students study for free and most of them are coming through the Erasmus Programme. The majority of the exchange students come from Spain, Germany and France, but there are also students coming from partner institutions in, for example, Bangladesh, Thailand, Australia and Ireland. The students who are not coming from a partner university are so called free-movers. A bit more than 20 of these students are coming from countries outside the EU/EES and, therefore, have paid tuition fees. Most of the fee paying students this year are coming from India and Iran. They are admitted to the International Master’s Programmes at the University of Skövde.