Interview
Meet Melody from the United States
Name: Melody Almroth
Home Country and City: Portland, Oregon, USA
Programme of Study: Master’s programme in Public Health
Personal Interests: Collecting records, playing guitar, veganism, cooking, reading & writing
Favourite thing about Umeå University: The tunnels under the hospital
Favourite Swedish word or custom: Björn
Three words to summarise your time in Umeå: I like turtles
What is your educational and professional background?
I started working in my family’s business when I was 12 or 13, and since then I spent about 10 years working in retail and going to school at the same time. I graduated high school a year and a half early and got my 4 year bachelor’s degree in social science and history when I was 20 years old. For 2 years I continued to manage a small retail store, play music, DJ, model, bartend, and volunteer at a homeless resource center in Portland.
Why did you choose to enrol in your degree programme at Umeå University?
Though I have many hobbies and passions, I really felt the desire to dedicate my energy toward helping people. Personal experiences and my volunteer work in Portland reminded me every day that health care is a necessity and that the health care system (especially in the USA) is in desperate need of people dedicated to improving the way things are. I came to Sweden because I wanted to learn about Public Health in a place with a successful health care system. I chose Umeå because I had visited once before and really liked the city. It also helped that the university had high ratings for international students and that the Public Health programme was rated the best in the country.
What do you like most about your programme?
Several of the lecturers are very passionate and interesting. The research that some of the staff have done is admirable and fascinating. It is also really exciting to be in a class full of international students and to get perspectives from so many different places in the world, especially since our curriculum is about global health. At one point we had students from North America, South America, Asia, Europe and Africa all represented in our classroom. Group discussions in this context are fun, interesting, and challenging.
What is the most interesting thing you learned in your programme or courses so far?
We have covered so much in the first year of our program that it is hard to choose the most interesting thing. As I mentioned before, the discussions with people from all over the world have been particularly interesting and enjoyable for me. Hearing about the research that the staff in our department have done is also very fascinating.
What do you do when you are not studying?
Above all I want to feel like Umeå is my home and not just a place I am staying temporarily. I play guitar in a band and have made a lot of friends since I have been here. I live in a collective house and do a lot of cooking and movie watching with my friends and housemates. I have tried to explore the city as much as possible and have found some great places in town. I like to see live music whenever possible and I often frequent Verket, an all ages community venue for live music and events. I also enjoy eating at Folkkök which serves cheap vegan food to the community.
What is your impression of Umeå and the surrounding areas?
I really enjoy Umeå. It is beautiful here, and generally a really nice place to live. People that move here sometimes say that people in Northern Sweden are not very warm and friendly, but it is worth investing in making friends. I have met some genuinely wonderful people here, and good things are always worth putting a little bit of time into. For being such a small city, there is plenty to do. The winter was also not as hard as I thought it would be. I found that I prefer snow to the constant rain of my hometown. Because of the cold and the high prices, you spend a lot of time with people in your respective homes. This can be a really nice way to get to know people.
What do you find as the biggest cultural difference, both socially and educationally, from your country with Sweden?
Honestly, one of the strangest things to get used to was how little suffering you see on a daily basis. I am used to living in a place of great inequality where people are struggling to survive. It was hard for me to get used to feeling safe walking around alone at night, and to discover that most people here live a very comfortable life with their basic needs met. Educationally, the biggest difference is that you are graded, at least in our programme, only on written exams. In my previous education, grades were generally based on assignments, participation and multiple smaller exams within each course. The grading system is also quite different and took some getting used to.
What you would say or what advice would you give to another international student thinking of attending Umeå University?
The city and the school have a lot to offer. If you come here, try to get involved and to learn the culture and get to know people. Try to meet people beyond the narrow circles of your classmates and other international students. Find people who share your hobbies and interests. Don’t be afraid to take chances. Don’t get caught up in going to the same crappy club every weekend.
What are your career aspirations?
I often dread being asked this question because it is so difficult to answer. I would like to continue my education and research, and would really like to get a PhD at some point. I would also like to work towards improving the health care system in the USA and to help those who are without health insurance receive health care. I believe that health care is a basic human right, and I want to work toward making that statement a reality.
