Master’s Exchange in Stockholm University in Fall 2018

I was lucky to get accepted to study population health in an international program in the Department of Public Health Sciences in Stockholm University, Sweden. I found the studies very interesting and refreshing as health issues were discussed looking at them from a wider perspective than what I had been used to in my home department. I also very much liked the way the studies were scheduled and how take-home exams were preferred in the program. In addition I took an oral Swedish course for international students and completed some distance courses for my home university.

In my freetime I loved exploring the city of Stockholm where I had only been a couple times before. Over the fall I got to “fika” (Swedish for having coffee) in the Golden Hall during a free visit to the City Hall arranged by the City of Stockholm and to see the royal family at the re-opening ceremony of Nationalmuseum amongst other things. I also took part in some of the many events organized by the university’s active Student Union and played volleyball in a beginners’ group in Stockholms Studenters IF. Due to the short distance to home, I often had visitors from Finland on the weekends and I also did one trip to Central Europe myself.

Although applying for a semester abroad and all the other arrangements that come with an exchange demand a lot of work and living in a foreign country is not always easy, it is worth it in the end. I had an unforgettable student exchange for the third time in my life and I feel that the effort I have put into internationalization has helped me to grow, given me perspective and brought me closer to where I want to be in the future because I would like my work to include international aspects. I also feel privileged to have met people from all over the world and to have made new friends that I am hoping to see again soon – either here in Finland or back in Stockholm!

Leena Koivusalo
Master’s Student
Department of Nursing Science
University of Turku