Lavinia-Mihaela Chirica was an exchange student during the spring 2016 term.
Home University: University of Bucharest
Major subject of study: Sociology
Favourite thing about Umeå University: the fact that the University focuses primarily on students so it provides a lot of facilities for them, such as study places, rooms for taking the lunch, places for relaxing and so on.
Three words to best summarise your time in Umeå: progress, quality, unpredictability
First of all, I wanted to experience something completely different from my country, on every level (cultural, educational, related to the society or even to the origin of the official language). The fact that Umeå seemed to offer me those differences and perspectives, together with a long-lasting winter, made my decision clear from the beginning.
The best things about the courses I had at Umeå University are related to the fact that our critical thinking and our own efforts (through individual study) were not only encouraged, but truly valued. Also, the professor-students interaction was relaxed and thus fruitful: at every course I had, it was easy to start discussions and share ideas, without any feeling of a formal distance between the teachers and me.
In my spare time I had thousands of opportunities to meet people from all over the world, at intercultural nights, cultural and social events and, of course, parties. Lots of them. I have also discovered Umeaåby foot and by bike, and I have to admit I am deeply in love with this place.
Related to studying, I think one of the best moments was my first oral presentation. Talking about evaluations, in a foreign language, in front of an audience made of people coming from at least 10 countries was challenging at least. That task was by far empowering for me as an individual, and forced me to go out of my comfort zone and tailor my speech in order to suit everyone in the room; as a synonym for this experience I would give growth (or progress).
As I am thinking, it is hard to choose only one "memorable" moment I've spent here, in Umeå. Every single day brought me something new, something interesting, something exciting. Unpredictability is for sure a good word to describe my experience as an exchange student.
I would advise them to be prepared to learn new things and to accept new perspectives at every step they take. Also, I would recommend them to try and get the best out of every day, no matter if it is about people, places, experiences etc. I used to say "a day without something new is a wasted day indeed".