Interview
Meet Iñigo from Spain
Name: Iñigo Lizarza
Home Country and City: Spain, San Sebastian
Programme of Study: Business Management
Favourite thing about Umeå University: well organized and really good facilities
Favourite Swedish word or custom: Fika. It makes everything easy going.
Three words to summarise your time in Umeå: Snow, Friends, Cozy
What is your educational and professional background?
I\'m a business school graduate in Spain. I specialised and already have a master’s degree in business strategy. I am getting a second one year master’s degree here in Sweden now.
Why did you choose to study at Umeå University?
It gave me to the opportunity to get a master’s degree while staying in a completely different country from mine, Spain. Both climate and culture are exactly the opposite and it makes the whole experience incredible.
What do you like most about your programme or courses?
The methods are completely different, too, much more theoretical than in my home country, Spain. This is not better or worse, just different. The student has much more autonomy to organize his/her study time and this makes the student more responsible. Writing a thesis is also a new experience for me.
What is the most interesting thing you learned in your programme or courses so far?
The academic approach. In my home university almost all the work is practical, for instance, in order to get the business strategy master’s degree we had to develop a realistic and very detailed business plan for a real company and introduce it to the direction board for them to evaluate it with our professors and teachers. Here in Sweden everything is much more theoretical. I am not used to it but I am learning a lot.
What do you do when you are not studying?
Mainly practice some sport. I also party every weekend since there is always something going on. The international student community is always organizing some party or activity. Besides, the buddy programme is a perfect way to try some different and fun stuff like international dinners or barbeques. The activities that they organize, like going to watch hockey or going to an elk farm, are a very good way to have fun while visiting different places apart from Umeå.
What has been your most memorable moment so far?
Some weeks ago some of the Spanish guys and I performed a Backstreet Boys song disguised and even dancing in the karaoke and we had a lot of fun.
What is your impression of Umeå and the surrounding areas?
It is amazing how the city is surrounded by nature and how easy it is to find green areas even inside the city. The climate is pretty rough but once you get used to it, there are a lot of things to enjoy outside.
What do you find as the biggest cultural difference, both socially and educationally, from your country with Sweden?
The educational methods are completely different. In Sweden, everything is much more theoretical and the exams are really long. However, the students have much more freedom to organize their study time than in Spain. Culturally, the Swedish people are much more polite than Spanish people, always there to help. However, everything goes slower in Sweden, and sometimes it looks like Swedish people are really shy.
What you would say or what advice would you give to another international student thinking of attending Umeå University?
Not to be afraid of the weather, it is not as bad as they say. It is really easy to get used to it. It is a really fun destination because there is always some activity going on, so it\'s almost impossible to get bored.
What are your career aspirations?
To get a job to develop myself professionally and personally, but this is almost impossible because of the current situation in Spain. So, maybe I will try to find a job in another country. Who knows, maybe in Sweden.
