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This experience report can also be found on the ISO website.

I spent the 06/07 winter semester at Uppsala University in Sweden as part of the Erasmus exchange programme. My name is Almuth Schwäblein and I am studying Chemistry (Diplom). I decided to undertake my organic chemistry placement in Uppsala. Although there was a partnership between the University of Oldenburg and Uppsala University in the field of chemistry, I was the first person to want to study organic chemistry there. This caused a few problems, as it first had to be clarified who my contact person actually was. After what felt like an eternity of back-and-forth (you’re welcome to ask Ms Weers about this ;-)) this problem was finally resolved and I was able to submit my application for student accommodation at last. It was already the end of July by then, and I wanted to move in by mid-August. In my application, I’d stated that I’d like to live on Kantorsgatan. This was based on a personal recommendation from a student who’d also studied chemistry in Uppsala. A week before I left, I received my address by email. Now I was ready to go!

I was very lucky that my parents are also big fans of Sweden. They agreed to drive me to Uppsala. They combined the whole trip with a short holiday. We set off on 20 August. First, we travelled to Jönköping, where we spent a night in a youth hostel. The next day, we carried on to Uppsala. The first thing we did was collect the key to my flat from the Studentstaden office. This is located in the city centre, near the railway station. Then, full of curiosity, we headed to the Kantorsgatan hall of residence, one of the largest in Uppsala. When I entered the flat, unfortunately none of my four flatmates (two Swedish girls, one Swedish boy and one Chinese boy) were there yet. I really liked my room. It was furnished, had a large window and an internet connection. I had a small entrance hall with a coat rack and a wardrobe, and my own small bathroom with a washbasin and toilet. After having a further look around, I discovered the shared shower right opposite my room. I also shared a large kitchen and a dining room with my flatmates, which was equipped with a TV and a balcony. Duvets and pillows aren’t provided in the bedrooms. I already knew this, though, from experience reports by former residents and information leaflets. As we’d travelled by car, I was able to bring my bedding from home. I had to pay 2,935 SEK in rent each month, which is roughly 300 euros. However, this is normal by Swedish standards. I brought some crockery from home, though this wasn’t really necessary as the kitchen was very well equipped.
Kantorsgatan is a very well-maintained hall of residence. Compared to Flogsta, it’s rather quiet (no regular corridor parties). There are green spaces and volleyball courts between the blocks of flats. You can get into town by bus (5–7 mins) or by bike (10 mins). There are also plenty of shopping options. You can walk to an ICA supermarket and a NETTO supermarket. It’s a 5-minute cycle to a WILLIS.
The most important item is a roadworthy bicycle. The police often carry out checks in unexpected places and the fines are extremely high, even if you’re just missing a reflector. You can get a good bike for between 500 and 700 SEK. You can visit the markets or keep an eye on the notices on the noticeboards in the halls of residence.
Travelling by bus in Uppsala is something of a luxury. There’s no semester public transport pass available. You can buy a rechargeable bus card, but you’ll still pay 11–13 SEK per journey.

Uppsala University is the oldest university in the north. The buildings are spread all over the city. All my courses and internships took place at the BMC (Biomedical centre). It took me 20 minutes to cycle to the university every day. The BMC is a relatively new building, which seems very confusing at first. There is no canteen but only a small cafeteria which is very expensive. The university is equipped with numerous common rooms in which there are around 30 microwaves. It is common to cook your own food at home and then heat it up at the university.
All the courses and internships I attended were in English. You received a handout at the beginning of a lecture. You also had access to a computer room and printing room. The support was very good and informative. A lot of emphasis is placed on group work and giving lectures. It was very exciting and instructive to work together with many people from other countries and cultures.
One big difference to the German system was that you only have one course at a time, finish it and then start the next one. The semester is divided into four periods. There are courses that last for several periods and some that only last for one period (approx. 4 weeks).

Alongside my chemistry courses, I took part in a Swedish beginners' course twice a week in the evening. I hadn't taken a course in Germany before. Thanks to my numerous visits to Sweden, I knew a few words and phrases, but apart from that everything was new to me. The course was great fun and I learnt a lot. I also asked my Swedish flatmates and fellow students to speak Swedish with me. The course ended with an oral and written exam.

Most of the free time is spent in the student centres. These are located in old villas in the centre of the city. This is where people meet to have a "FIKA" (coffee-drinking), celebrate parties or even have a gasque. Which nation you join is up to you. You pay a fee of around 300-400 sec per semester.
As I also do sport regularly in Germany, I didn't want to miss out on it in Uppsala either. So I joined the university's fitness/sports centre. I had to pay the equivalent of 70 euros per semester. This meant I could use the fitness classes, fitness room, sauna and swimming pool. I can only recommend it, as you can also make better contact with Swedes and definitely learn to count in Swedish quickly .

I went on several trips during my stay in Uppsala. Firstly, we travelled to nearby Öregrund with a group of 10 people. It was easy to reach by bus within 90 minutes. We spent a weekend there in a youth hostel. We had a house to ourselves with two bathrooms and a large kitchen. The place itself was very small and quiet, but the scenery was an experience.
On another weekend, I visited my Swedish friend in Gothenburg. I decided to travel by train. I paid around 100 euros for the return journey. It is advisable to travel on weekdays, which is much cheaper. You should also look out for early bookings and last-minute offers. The trains are very well equipped and comfortable. Gothenburg is a beautiful city and it's definitely worth travelling there. I was very lucky that I was able to stay with my girlfriend. She also showed me around the city and of course knew where the best places were  .
I spent my birthday with a friend in Kiruna in Lapland. We flew there to save time. We made the 15-hour journey back by train. Unfortunately, we travelled overnight, so we didn't get to see too much of the landscape. The landscape in Kiruna is really impressive. We also had a lot of snow there and could even see the northern lights. We spent the night there in the "Yellow House" youth hostel. My friends also went on a sled dog tour there, but we didn't have the time or the money.
We travelled to Stockholm several times. On the one hand, to see the beautiful buildings and to take advantage of the extensive shopping opportunities. I also went on a boat trip through the Scheren. I can also highly recommend it.
I went to the European Handball Championships in Stockholm with two friends. We watched the match for 3rd and 4th place (Germany-France) and the final (Norway-Russia). As I play handball myself, I was naturally thrilled.
Finally, we visited the Christmas market in Stockholm. Unfortunately, we didn't have any snow, but the atmosphere at the market did get us into the Christmas spirit.

When I arrived in August, we initially had a rainy week. Then it got really warm again, so I was glad to have packed some summer clothes. My Schedisch teacher said it was the warmest September in decades. We still had some really nice days and some of us even went swimming. October was pretty rainy. It started snowing right on time on 1 November. It was really cold for a week and the whole ground was completely icy. It was very difficult to get to university by bike and I had several falls. In the end, I took the bus in the morning and walked back through the beautiful snowy landscape. After a week, the snow was already gone. Unfortunately, we didn't even have any snow at Christmas, which was a bit disappointing. In Kiruna it was up to -20 degrees. In Uppsala it was only down to -7 degrees, which was bearable. After all, we had taken precautions and packed plenty of warm clothes.