My Journey to Lund, Sweden – A Life-Changing Experience
Have you heard about Lund University in Sweden? Well, I first learned about this university in an unlikely manner.
A Meeting with Destiny
In 2005, I walked into a cyber cafe in Buea – a university town in Cameroon. My mission in the cyber café was to check my emails since of course, I did not have the luxury of a computer and internet in my room. While in the Cyber cafe, I noticed an unoccupied computer nearby, the session on the computer yet to expire – the previous user had seemingly left in a hurry, and failed to log out. As I took a seat in front of the computer monitor, I saw the homepage of a university displayed on the screen. It was the signature blue and white homepage of Lund University. Apparently, someone had been doing some research.
A law student at the time, I was always on the look out for an opportunity to further my education abroad. I immediately became curious – wanting to learn more about this university. Did Lund University offer a masters programme in law? Running out of time, with no pen or paper in sight, my only option was to quickly memorise the web address as the seconds ticked by and the session timed out. It was www.lu.se, an address that would remain etched in my mind since that day.
After repeated visits to the website, I applied, was admitted and awarded a scholarship to the prestigious Masters programme, organized by the Faculty of Law, in collaboration with the Raoul Wallenburg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI), Lund, Sweden.
On 31 August 2007, I arrived the beautiful city of Lund – a small town located in Southern Sweden, close to Sweden’s third largest city – Malmö, and 61, 7 kilometers from Copenhagen, Denmark. I must tell you – my arrival at the home of Lund University marked a high point in my student life.
Welcome to Lund
Upon arrival in Lund by train from Gothenburg, Sweden, I immediately noted the eco-friendly nature of the city. Lund, according to Wikipedia, has about 5000 bike parking spaces, 160 kilometres of cycling path, with a majority of commuters travelling by bike. As a matter of fact, in 2009, the BBC rightly applauded Lund for being ‘The City where bicycles dominate’.
A friend met me at the Central Railway Station on his bike. Encouraged by a positive first impression of the city, I was ready to explore some more. We took a short walk across the road, to the Faculty of Law. At the time, my friend, a fellow Cameroonian, was a second year student of the same Masters programme I had been admitted into. He took me to the library – the beautiful, well-stocked library of the RWI. From the library, we walked to the other side of the Faculty of Law building, where I caught sight of the Lund University main building in all its grandeur. As a matter of fact, everything I needed to see in Lund, including the towering Lutheran Cathedral, restaurants, coffee shops, sprawling student quarters, were all within walking distance. The narrow streets and city buses were packed with excited people from diverse backgrounds, many of whom were pulling luggage and carrying backpacks. You could tell that the majority of people were looking forward to life in this vibrant and friendly city Lund. The euphoria was palpable!
My first day in class was 3 September 2007. I was impressed by the truly international nature of the masters programme. My class was like a United Nations General Assembly, with ”representatives” from several countries – Uganda, Kenya, Pakistan, Sweden, Ukraine, Belarus, Peru, Turkey, Hungary, USA, Ecuador, France, Canada, Russia, China, Egypt and Germany. It was an [in the true sense of the word] international Masters programme at its best!
The Masters programme at Lund University was obviously very well organized, and I felt honoured taking notes and being lectured by some of the best lecturers in the field worldwide. In fact, at Lund University, lecturers are regularly flown in from different parts of the world to impart knowledge on this diverse group of students.
After two years of hard but rewarding academic work, I can tell you without any fear of contradiction that Lund University is where you want to pursue university studies in an international masters programme.
The Lund Experience
Do not worry about housing in Lund. The International Housing Office and AF Bostäder are there to help you secure affordable housing. You could choose between single apartments or corridor rooms. Of course, corridor rooms are cheaper, but be ready to share common areas (like kitchens, and in some cases toilets and shower rooms) with other students in the corridor. A corridor room is recommended for a complete student experience.
Currently, tuition and application fees have not charged in Sweden. In other words, education in Sweden is tuition free. However, this is set to change in August 2011. Lund University and all universities in Sweden will charge application and tuition fees for international students from outside the European Union and the European Economic Area (and Switzerland). The good news is: scholarships will be available for students from 12 developing countries and high performing students from outside the EU and European Economic Area.
Personally, I count myself lucky, to have acquired a world-class university education in Sweden, especially at a time when education in the Scandinavian country was tuition free.
Although tuition fees in August 2011 is not good news for prospective international students, Lund University remains a place to be.
Lund University is frequently ranked among the World’s Top 100 universities. Do not believe the common misconception that this university does not offer programmes in English. As of today, Lund University offers 75 Masters Programmes, 1 Bachelor Programme, 474 single subject courses and PhD Studies and Research. All in English!
Zuzeeko is on Twitter: @Zuzeeko. Blog: www.zuzeeko.com.
(First published in DUNIA print Magazine, issue 1)
