A first look at my academic life at Lund University, Sweden

Unexpectedly, in August 2022, I boarded the plane that took me to Sweden, Northern Europe, to begin a new chapter in life.?Earlier this year, in January, when we celebrated Lunar New Year, having the usual ‘self-reflection’ and thinking about the ‘new year resolution,’ I was somewhat unsure of the future. But as one usually says, life always happens. In April, a surprise came when I received the admission result from Lund University as “Accepted” for the master’s program in Communication and Media Studies for the Autumn 2022 intake. I have been interested in Sweden for a long time and have always wanted to visit Sweden to see the country and experience its daily life. Needless to say, I was delighted with the admission result.

However, going to Sweden at that time was still uncertain to me. Coincidentally, I was offered an exciting career progression. I became torn between that offer and a life-changing decision: moving to another country and starting a new chapter in life. There were many factors to consider, including personal matters such as family,?financial situation, and visions for the future. Which one would be the right choice, I did not know. However, a few weeks later, another surprise came, which was a big surprise for me. I was granted the Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global Professionals (SISGP), funded by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. I firmly believe that ‘everything happens for a reason,’ therefore, I believed that maybe I was meant to come to Sweden. A few months later, I arrived in southern Sweden on one bright summer day in early August.?

瑞典兰德大学 offers most master’s programs in English. Therefore, there is a big international student community every year arriving and staying in Lund during the academic year. I went to AF Borgen - all students’ destinations for inquiry and support - to receive an accommodation package (keys, city maps, welcoming gifts, etc.) and check out any relevant information for student activities.

#hejLundUni is an annual Instagram competition from Arrival Day to early September to get featured on the university’s Instagram page and win an LU backpack. I did not want to miss this chance. It was a sheer joy when I got featured twice on the university’s Instagram with a photo and a reel, and I eventually became the final winner of the competition.

The first course started on Aug 29, and a few days before, we had an introduction meeting in one of the classrooms on our campus. It was an excellent opportunity for everyone to meet each other: the professors, the course leaders, the mentors, the faculty officers or the Ph.D. candidates, and last but not least: our classmates. We were introduced to Swedish fika, light lunch (my faculty’s treat!), and most importantly, we were walked through what it would be like with our 22- month program, what to expect during and after our education, and ‘tips for surviving academic life.’ It was a good session that is critical for new students to attend, get all their questions answered, feel inspired, and be motivated to start the journey.?

My first course is ‘Media Audiences,’ and as the title says, we studied our audiences in different contexts related to media, their identity, everyday life, and media engagement. The course was led by Annette Hill - our faculty’s Chair, Professor, and the author of many books about Media and Communications.

I enjoyed studying at the Communication and Media department at Lund University because it enables and emphasises one's ability to conduct a self-study and critical thinking process. Only having to attend very few in-person classes per week, we were expected to commit to a pretty intense level of academic reading before each class and be able to relate them during the seminar session each class, where we would discuss the content of the lecture, what we learned from the reading materials and how to translate them in a real-life context. After a few group assignments, we were given time to prepare for the final essay, which is expected to reflect how we link theories to a practical situation and present our findings through an empirical research method.

My class has more than fifteen nationalities, including natives (Swedes), a total of twenty-five people, so one might say the international level is pretty high. It is a nice mix of all continents, age ranges, and bachelor’s backgrounds. Some students just graduated with their bachelor’s, but there are also some students with several years of working experience.?

We have quite a few group study sessions. In my class, we have people from all over the world: Europe, North/South/Central America, the Middle East, and Asia, which creates a nice mix of cultures and interactions.

I am currently on my second course, Media and Political Engagement, led by professor Michael Bossetta, a political and data scientist. The course has a similar schedule and study methods to my previous course, and we are preparing for our first group assignment in two weeks. However, every faculty and department at the university have a different study schedule and structure. Some other subjects have midterm exams and a shorter essay to end a course. Whichever way, a combination of personal study, group study with peers and in-person class attendance are recommendations from me to go through academic life at Lund University.?

Lund is a small town in the South of Sweden which belongs to Sk?ne region. Some people call it a university town, which I think makes sense. Sometimes it feels like the whole town immerses in the university’s campuses, and many activities and businesses in town are related to students. However, Lund is so much more than that. I love Lund a lot for its nature, historic vibe, and life experience. I have been to a few other places across Sweden by now and a few other nearby cities in neighboring countries. The more I go, the more I love and appreciate Lund. Below is Lund University's main library in autumn. The university has a network of more than 20 libraries across the city.

Having witnessed the city going from gorgeous summer to mesmerising autumn and now pre-winter period, I can only conclude that Nordic weather is genuinely spectacular. More than once, I feel fortunate to experience all this.

In late September, as a scholarship holder, I was invited to attend a kick-off event hosted by the Swedish Institute to start the school year with all scholars of the 2022 intake in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. The event was a perfect opportunity to meet fellow students across Sweden and people from Swedish Institute and be inspired about the upcoming exciting journey as a SI scholar.

I am thrilled and honored to be a board member of the SI Network for Global Leaders in Lund. As a project manager and with other board members here, we are excited to bring a school year full of inspiring and meaningful activities to engage scholars in Lund and connect with scholars and partners across Sweden.

Being able to live and experience life in the land I have a particular interest in. I appreciate the opportunity that brought me here. There are inevitable bumps along the way, but overall my experience has been unique and motivated me to keep going forward, keep learning and experience the present at its best.?

November 2022, Lund, Sweden

All photos featured in the article belong to me; therefore, I own the copyright.