Malmö Högskola (MAH)

Mmm... read as much as you can about Sweden, and the specific city you'd be studying in, but expect the unexpected.

I have to say that my experiences in the country were largely influenced by my academic program. I'd have to say that if I could do it again, I'd probably go and study somewhere else, because I was very surprised to find out that the overall organization of this master's was messy and largely improvised. I came here just because of the program and I was a bit bummed about it. This university though seems promising and could go far if they get their act together.

I came to do a master's in IMER (international migration and ethnic relations). The program is VERY new, barely three years old, and the university is still trying to work it out. It was very disorganized at the beginning, even teachers in the program couldn't agree on what to teach and when to teach it. It was very difficult at times to obtain the literature for the courses, as no bookstores would carry our books and we had to order them online. The professors were nice, accessible and very approachable, however their grading criteria wasn't fully clear most of the time. The program is promising, but it definitely needs to go through some major changes and adjustments, it's still very new.

I have to say that the grading in my program was very confusing. Being the only native speaker of English, studying in an international program, I was frankly appalled to see that some of my classmates struggled with English in their presentations and essays (at times, they weren't able to convey their messages) and sometimes we would all get the same mark! Likewise, many professors seemed to favour projects and essays that focused on the Oresund region (Denmark and Skane), from a sociology perspective. That was frustrating, because this is supposed to be a multidisciplinary program, and all students have different academic backgrounds.

Sweden, in comparison to Canada, is a very expensive country. Clothes and food are very expensive. However, due to Malmo's location, I frequently went to Copenhagen and from that airport I traveled to Spain, Turkey, Germany, Holland, because European airlines frequently have great last minute deals. Prior to Sweden, I lived in Seoul, South Korea for almost two years, and the nightlife there is cheap and spectacular. In comparison to that, Malmo's nightlife is expensive (in most places a cover fee plus a coat fee is mandatory), and alcohol prices are outrageous. I didn't spend much on telephone, because I used mostly Skype.

As an independent student (not involved in any exchange/scholarship program), also known here as "free mover", the university makes it clear that we're on our own in terms of getting accommodation. It was particularly difficult for me, coming from Canada, to find available housing in Sweden. It's not impossible, but it certainly takes a lot of persistence, patience and tenacity. It took me 4.5 months to find a room. I share an apartment with two other girls, one Swedish and one Finnish.