University West welcomes the new international students for the spring 2009. On Friday the 9th of January, the International Office informed students from different parts of the world during an all-day introduction.
- It will be exciting to be in Sweden, we had expected more snow, but everything looks good so far, says Raquel Luis from Portugal, who look forward to a good stay together with her friends from the same university in Setúbal.
- In Portugal, I am studying to work with sign languages in the future, but now we will see how much I have time to study, it is much more to explore, too, laughs Liliana Deodato.
How long will you be staying in Sweden?
- Who knows, 5 months is given, but perhaps we'll stay forever, we are open to different possibilities, says Raquel.
- This semester we have 60 incoming exchange students, says Maria MacDonald, International Coordinator at the International Office at University West.
- The Introduction Day went great. It was a day really packed with information, so of course the students were tired, but they still seemed happy. The goal is to give them information so they know where to turn with questions about courses, schedule and practicalities like health care, bank services, and more. This year we have more incoming students from each partner university, a sign that those who have been here before had a really good experience! It is a fairly even mix of students, but most students come from Germany this spring, Maria says.
International Office began their work with the introduction day immediately after the last introduction day the autumn 2008.
- It is important to have the day in fresh memory in order to plan the next day even better. Also, we have ongoing contacts with students during the semester and it is often through that work that we get ideas on how we can upload work better next time. As always, a well thought out planning and implementation results in students doing better faster.
Increased interest in the University West
- During the autumn, many institutions ask if they can send more students, because they have an increased request for studies at the University West. This has not happened before and shows that the students who studied here during 2006/2007 have been well received. One reason for this is the work of the international committee of the Student Union - the International Student Committee. They put up activities and trips for students and make a fantastic job much appreciated by both students as us here at International Office. They have received several new members in the committee, and we hope for a continued growing interest from Swedish students to be involved in this work, Maria says.
