Another option

[reppu]

Grad school in Sweden. I am considering this. Anyone have any opinions or experiences here? Looking at Lund University's Asian Studies program or Uppsala's History program. Each program is just one to two years (depending on which Masters degree I choose to get), which is a much more manageable commitment than seven years for a PhD. That's not to say that I don't want to continue my studies with a PhD (I mean, really, what can I do with a Masters in Asian Studies?), but it's free? The programs feel more like enrichment and a taste of what's to come, like an appetizer, rather than the full course of a doctoral program.

But Sweden is cold. Damn man, can I not get away from cold temperatures?

Comments

[februaryfour]

Does it have to be Sweden? I hear rates are more or less the same throughout Europe...

[reppu.livejournal.com]

Rates? You mean school being free or the temperature?

[februaryfour]

Rates as in school, dear--I haven't heard of temperatures being referred to as "rates" before... ^_^

[reppu.livejournal.com]

I still don't understand. Rates as in prices, meaning the free thing? I know other countries have free schooling, but I haven't heard about free schooling for foreigners before.

[februaryfour]

I actually meant grad school tuition rates. I know at least Germany too has free tuition, and if you're going to grad school apparently stipends etc are much easier to get than in the USA.

[amai.livejournal.com]

Ireland has free tuition too- if you have lived in the country for three years.

[amai.livejournal.com]

Summer internships in Greece or Spain? :)

OMG! Sweden with you = FREAKING FANTASTIC

I'm aiming for Public Health at Lund and Uppsala. I want to apply for the International Development program too at Lund (as a back-up) but I don't know if it is a good idea to apply for two different programs at the same school. I feel like we should find a third school too...

[reppu.livejournal.com]

I went to the CommonApp page, and it said that you can choose up to four programs you want, and then rank them. If you get into your top-ranked program, you'll go there, but if not, they'll go to your second, and so on. Lund has Asian Studies and Japanese, while Uppsala has History and Cultural Anthropology. I know Goteburg (?) has a Global Studies program too. That's all I found that qualified for me.

[reppu.livejournal.com]

The problem is that, as a history major, there aren't too many places to work that have both a historical focus or an East Asian focus. The best I could do is work at a Japanese or Chinese museum of some sort, which we really don't have in my area. I do want to work, but being a secretary or a waitress somewhere isn't really "educational" work experience. I suppose translating would work, but I'm not that good just yet. I'm at a loss for what other kinds of things I could do.

Oh Spock, you and your shiny movie will be in my hands on November 17th!

[seaster.livejournal.com]

Heyy~ You should totally come to Sweden! It's not that cold, honestly. Lund doesn't get snow in the winter (unless the weather is messed up) and Uppsala isn't as far north to give it unusual amounts of snow. I've been to school in Uppsala and it's a really nice student city. Only visited Lund, but it's the same thing: most of the population are students.

Oh yeah, there are talks about making foreign students pay for their education, so you better decide real soon...

[reppu.livejournal.com]

It's good to hear that Lund doesn't get snow. I like the sound of their Asian Studies program, though it doesn't seem like it has a language requirement, which is a turn-off. About how warm does it get around there? Also, this whole "student union/student nations" thing is a bit interesting. You have to join a union, but the nations are optional, am I correct? It's all kinda confusing to me!

Mind if I ask you a couple of questions about Uppsala? What did you study while you were there? As far as applying goes, I figure I might as well apply. I don't see where it'll cost me anything but time, and it's a simple application, so why not? I can always make the final decision if I get accepted, right? :D

[seaster.livejournal.com]

Ahh, well, it's Sweden, so it's probably still cold to you. ^_^; Southern Sweden in the winter... A few degrees above the freezing point and a lot of rain?

About unions and nations, did you read this at Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Students%27_union#Sweden
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nations_at_Swedish_universities

Everyone studying in Sweden have to be part of the Student Union, but as far as I know, only Lund and Uppsala have the Nations. It's basically a club that arranges activities and stuff. I think membership was mandatory (at least when I went to school), but there are free Nations if you're not interested in that kind of stuff.

Go ahead and ask whatever you want about universities. :3 At Uppsala, I studied Assyriology, which is the history and language of ancient Iraq.

Also: good choice of universities? They're both considered top schools here in Sweden. :3

[reppu.livejournal.com]

I can deal with above freezing. I can even deal with -3C. I think my limit is about -10C, and I don't like cold wind. I mean, where I live, it gets to about 4 or 5C every winter, so I'll always be a bit spoiled on that end.

I read about the Nations and Unions on Lund's website, but I think I can manage the small fee to be a part. Do you have to participate, or can you just be a member on paper? The wiki page said unions also have restaurants and housing and stuff; I'd assume that you can only being in the housing if you're a union member, but does the same qualify for restaurants and shops? I wouldn't think that it would.

Also, how is diversity at those two universities? Of course, I'd assume the majority of people are Swedish, but are there like, African-Swedes or something? I'd just like to know; I lived in Japan, after all, so it's not like I need to be surrounded by foreigners, but it is nice to know where to find them. ^^;;

As for Uppsala, there's not much information on the English page about their History program. I have no idea if they even have an East Asian section for historical study. Is it okay to just e-mail professors in Sweden? I know that some professors in America prefer that you go through other offices before you e-mail them, so I figured I'd ask about that first! Right now, my top choices are Lund's Asian Studies program and Uppsala's History program, but Uppsala requires more forms (a statement of purpose and a one-page thesis, what is that?).

And how easy is it to get by in Sweden without being able to speak Swedish? I took German once upon a time, so I don't shake in my boots when I see it. I think it would be interesting to learn, but I'm not gonna know it right off the bat. I always strive to speak to people in their original language, but is English well-spoken in Sweden?

You're a lifesaver, thanks for helping me!

[gottis-chan.livejournal.com]

/Random stopper by.

Come to Sweden, we have cookies! 8D

And it's not that cold. =/ Really, too hot for me. Then again, I'm a wimp.

Hello there, I'm Gottis~

[reppu.livejournal.com]

Haha, drive-by posting. I love it. Nice to met ya Gottis! Where have I seen you before?

I'm looking at Lund, which is in the South, where the weather is currently 9C. I can deal with that. It'll get colder, but as long as it stays above -5C, I can deal. I mean, I'm from a place where 9C is the lowest temperature for the winter. I certainly am a winter wimp. :D

If I can figure out how to deal with Sweden's high cost of living, I might be able to manage it. Would certainly be an interesting experience! I've visited Europe, but I've never lived there before!

[gottis-chan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, me too. ^_^;; Likewise~

Probably somewhere? Burimyu, Tenimyu, something else? IDK. =O;;

Awww. <3 I wish the university at Gotland was better, because we usually get really mild winters. =/ God I miss the snooooooooooooow! T___T *cough* Anyway. Lund is a good town, I think, even though I've never been there. Its university is really famous.

Everything in Sweden is expensive. Fair warning. =|