Umeå University welcomes 270 new international students

[2013-01-24] Laughter and excited voices filled Lecture Hall A at the Social Sciences building on Monday when the Orientation Course for new international students started. 270 exchange students arrived for the spring semester 2013 and received a warm welcome at Umeå University.

International Office Director Per Nilsson welcomed the students and wished them a memorable and fun experience at Umeå University. His speech was followed by practical information about the Swedish study system, the university library, housing, student services, and the highly popular buddy programme.

One of the new students is Fabio Arcidiacono from the University of Turin in Italy. “Everything was so well organised and easy to find. The people are really kind, which encourages you to get to know new people,” he said when asked about his first impressions.

The Orientation Course continued on Wednesday. Dieter Müller, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences who came to Umeå University as an exchange student 22 years ago, shared his experiences in Sweden “from the perspective of a Swedified German”. Furthermore, the sports centre IKSU presented upcoming outdoor and skiing trips.

Later that evening, the students got a chance to mingle and experience the Northern Swedish winter with some snow games. Jessica Richelieu, an exchange student from Idaho State University, USA, feels she has yet to get used to the Northern climate. “It’s cold but very pretty. I hope to meet a lot of international people and get a chance to experience the northern lights,” she says.

The 270 new students come from 36 different countries, with Germany, France and Turkey on top of the list. Though most students are from Europe, the number of students from Asia is growing. Last year, Umeå University signed its first exchange agreement with universities in South Korea. One of this semester’s Korean exchange students is Kang Myungwoo. “I am looking forward to working out at IKSU and reading a lot,” he says.

New exchange students spring semester 2013:

Australia 17	Ireland 5
Austria 11	Italy 10
Belgium 5	Lithuania 2
Brazil 1	Netherlands 9
Cameroon 2	Poland 5
Canada 12	Portugal 1
China 11	Romania 4
Cyprus 1	Russia 3
Czech Republic 13	Slovakia 5
Denmark 3	South Africa 2
Finland 7	South Korea 9
France 24	Spain 6
Germany 38	Switzerland 3
Greece 2	Taiwan 2
Hungary 2	Tanzania 5
Iceland 1	Turkey 23
India 6	UK 4
Indonesia 2	USA 13