Nov 18, 2019
Catch-up Sesh: Lund University
We have a glimpse about my condition: me trying to be active again in writing a blog, me currently having an exchange study in Sweden, and me now loving the exciting uncertainty ahead.
Now, let’s talk a little bit more about this university and more elaboration on why did I choose this.
Around this time last year, it was near for the exchange studies registration deadline to my faculty. After the information disseminated around May or June last year, I was slightly interested. The idea of living abroad, exploring a new environment and escaping SBM ITB for awhile, who doesn’t love it? my mom.
December 2018, I decided to just register for the exchange program. However, Lund University was not on my preference. In the form, I submitted University of Groningen, Ritsumeikan University, and Pforzheim University in that order as top three priorities. Even without the approval of my mom, I still go for it because deep down I believe, if I didn’t apply at all, the outcome is exact: I am not going. But if I still apply despite all the uncertainty, the outcome itself is uncertain. Isn’t the part that makes life interesting?
A month later, we have to submit several documents and one of them is a document of parent’s approval. I kept on postponing the submission until the deadline, January 31st. That morning I asked my mother for her approval, and surprisingly, after some consideration and conversations with my adviser at the International Relations office (IRO) for choosing Lund Univesity in Lund, Sweden, my mom agrees and she signed the document.
In several consultation with the IRO at my faculty, Lund University was suggested since this will be the second partnership they have with SBM ITB. The quota is only offered for 2 students, ranked 92 (according to QS World Ranking) but not a popular destination among SBM ITB students. These ideas trigger excitement inside me, moreover with the fact that I will have a chance to taste how it feels like living in a Scandinavian country.
The fresh air I breathe, an environmental friendly way of life, a healthy quality of food, and many more of life and health improvement has been felt and changing my decision to choose Lund University as my destination was the best decision I made in 2019. More about the healthy lifestyle I have here will be elaborated in another posts.
Here in Lund University, like most of European university, they have a different way of study with SBM ITB. As I stated in my previous posts, we have 2 period with 2 couses each for me (because I am obligated to take 30 ECTS and 36 at max because this equal to 20 credits at my home university and 24 at maximum)
In my first period (September-October) I took Innovation management and Population Aging and Welfare States. The Innovation management course does not really excite me because apparently, it’s the usual course I would have if I am in SBM ITB. The course teach us about creating innovation, managing it, and all the design thinking related topic. But for the other course, it is something unusual, exciting.
Population Aging and Welfare States is a part of Economic History subject here in Lund University. It is interesting to know how the age structure of the population in the world is ageing due to the decrease of birth fertility or/and the decrease in mortality. Various factors motivate the phenomena to occur and although the professor talked much about economy instead of business, I started to merge the view. Population; citizen; the market. After all, the age structure of existing population will impact how we actually market our product and what to innovate. These kind of contemporary subject is something I wish I could choose back home in SBM ITB.
Here, in my second period, I thought I will have more free time because I only have class on Wednesday and Thursday. Turns out, it’s just a utopia. The Global Business Responsibility and Business to Business marketing, two courses I took in the second period (November-December), require us to read, a lot. Back in my first period, I wait until all class ended to have a solo trip for 10 days (soon to be uploaded here, hold on). After the trip, I got the excitement to think “Oh, I could have another trip in the second period during the weekend, even better, I could have Friday-Monday free for leisure.
Nah girl, it’s just a dream. The workload is even harder but surprisingly, I enjoy reading the books and all articles given. Back in SBM ITB, we rarely have a book because the presentation materials and the lecture given in class is quiet clear, not to mention, the slides are given to the students! But here, no. The slides really include only important points and even when it is given to the students, you may not understand what does the point is talking about if you haven’t read the literature assigned.
Moreover, during the lecture session, the professor asks us a lot. The lecture works in a two way communication instead of one way. We are encouraged to have discussion with one another, ask and answers with the professor which makes the lecture more interesting, challenging, and sometimes confusing.
We rarely have homework, pop-up quizzes, not also mid-term exam. If don’t really know how is it if we take a full time study here, but for exchange student, it is so. Hence, the final exam is mostly our source for score. However, cramming and studying overnight won’t do you any good here because the materials to be studied is a lot. I learned so much from the studying methods and approach here which I hope, I could adapt and cooperate this back home in SBM ITB. At least, I should start to adapt this to myself.
Despite of all the uncertainty and challenges I face during the application for student exchange until I got to sit here in Espresso House Lund C realizing it’s my last month here, I don’t have any regret at all for choosing Lund University. The process to adapt with new environment, new friends, as well as new challenges has created another version of Anin, an improved one.
