Interview
Meet Tural from Azerbaijan
Name: Tural Ismayilov
Home Country and City: Azerbaijan, Baku
Programme of Study: Master’s Programme in Management
Personal Interests (leisure activities): surfing on internet, meeting friends, making international dinners or fikas, swimming, GYM
Favourite thing about Umeå University: the campus
Favourite Swedish word or custom: midsummer, lagom, précis, ingen fara
Why did you choose to enroll in your degree programme at Umeå University?
I was looking for a university that would meet my desired program and master’s program in management designed in English at Umea University perfectly met my area of interest. Two years program was exactly what I was looking for, since, taking a 2 years program instead of 1 year not only doubles the study duration for masters but also, extends the possibility of studying double amount of courses in your subject area and grants a change on working on a “big” thesis corresponding to 30ECTS, which is a semester long challenge and a thrilling research experience. At Umeå University I can equally benefit of attending the core courses of two disciplines and later prioritizing my choice of major courses in line with a thesis field. The degree that I chose here corresponds to my intention to master an understanding of different aspects of management in business with a focus on marketing related courses. The reputation of university, the Business School had an important influence on my choice as well.
What’s it like to study at Umeå University?
Studying at Umeå University is a lifelong experience with unforgettable memories of university life taking place in a peaceful, natural environment existing in the campus, lecture halls, library’s, labs and surroundings. It’s perfectly arranged environment for doing your studies in an efficient way with a number of group work study rooms, library facilities, computer labs, cafes, etc. The sequential way of delivering courses in Sweden has a number of advantages that makes education process better perceived and one tend to concentrate on one particular subject at a time. This approach makes you keep an eye on one subject and switch to the other one after you complete it.
The courses delivered under my program are designed in a way that you start with the courses providing theoretical background of the particular discipline, gradually moving to more practical oriented courses where you can apply and practice your already obtained knowledge in a pre-specified company or by using simulation software. The case of working in a group for the purpose of developing a business strategy for one Swedish company was life-learning undertaking which was quite rewarding for me.
What is your impression of Umeå and the surrounding areas?
Umeå is a place where you can forget about busy metropolitan life, traffic jams, noise, pollution, tension, so on and so forth. It’s a place where you can enjoy beautiful landscape, forests, lakes, ponds, river, fresh air and much more, simply a pure nature. My first impression of Umeå was that it’s quite calm and green here. I used to live in a noisy atmosphere. Having moved to Umea I felt a huge difference and really enjoyed environment here. The “biking culture” is pretty strong and the bike roads take you almost to the each and every part of the city and its surroundings, which is a great advantage for green and healthy behaviour. The winter in Umeå is for those who really love and enjoy under 0 degree with tonnes of snow. Having that much snow does not hinder the daily life, since the infrastructure is well built and maintained for winter. For those who adore winter sport, it’s a great place for your weekend adventure with a skiing slope, cross country skiing over the frozen lake and many other possibilities. If you happen to be in Umeå in June, do not miss the Swedish midsummer celebration when the daylight is the longest in a year with almost no dark hours.
What do you find as the biggest cultural difference, both socially and educationally, from your country with Sweden?
Sweden is a place where the rule of law is highly respected and followed by each member of society without the difference in occupation. The communication between professors and students are quite comfortable and you can feel free to make appointments with the lecturers or study advisers anytime. Moreover, one of the astonishing practices in Sweden is the culture of queuing. This practice in fact facilitates the flow of work in daily lives of all people in Sweden. It is one of the ways of public understanding and respect for each other’s rights properly.
What do you like best about the town of Umeå and its surroundings?
The best things about Umeå is that it is a nice campus city with beautiful nature, friendly people and the geographical location that makes you travel to a number of adventurous destinations including Lapland, Polar Circle and witness the arctic nature, atypical wild life and much more.
What you would say to another international student thinking of attending Umeå University?
The learning environment, university facilities, the city and surroundings will make your stay here much more enjoyable. If you are thinking about studying at the Umeå School of Business (USBE), do not hesitate about the quality of education, because with EQUIS accreditation, the School is one of the leading institutions in Sweden and Scandinavia. You will have an exciting semester(s) and tons of unforgettable memories with many international students visiting from different corners of the globe. Their cultures, traditions, foods will broaden your world view.
No doubt that work load, assignments will drive you crazy at times, but, no worries the weekends here are the best, student corridor parties, campus clubs/pubs, new friends will release the tension for sure.
You should also not miss the chance of attending one of the largest sport complex in Europe located in Umeå.
If you are coming from the south, be ready for plenty of snow and winter beauty that you have probably only seen in fairy tales. Keep the way to the north the Aurora Borealis is waiting for YOU!
