First weeks at SLU: practical information and tips (part 2)

This is part two in a series of posts about the first few weeks as a Master’s student at SLU. Here’s a link to part one if you have yet to read it.

Part 2: My first weeks at SLU!

Something that is important to know is that international students, both masters and exchange students, usually start a week earlier than local students. This is when the orientation program takes place, and it is basically a week filled with activities and seminars for newcomer foreign students. Although participating is completely optional, I would strongly recommend you to do so! It was during that week when I got to meet several of my new friends and got my bearings.

The list of activities of this orientation week might vary from year to year but in my case, it started with a welcoming desk, where everybody got an eco-friendly super cute tote bag filled with pamphlets and, weirdly enough, a sitting mat (for you to sit in the grass or wherever without getting your rear end dirty). This is also the perfect time for you to ask all the questions you want, seriously, don’t hesitate, because next week all the students are formally starting their classes and the waiting line to get to talk to an advisor or for the front desk will remind you of Disneyland. Another tip it would be to make sure you get your IT account during this week.

The next days we had some tours: one around campus, and the other one around central Uppsala. In my opinion, the tour around Uppsala is really worth it! If you are new in town this is an excellent way to find your way around the centrum while learning some fun historical facts. Plus, if you get Hans Odöö as a guide then you are in for a treat!

The last day of the orientation week we had a seminar with fika – if you still don’t know what fika is, then you can either google it or wait for my “fika series.” The seminar was mainly about the basic things you need to know about living in Sweden and starting your studies at SLU.

I think it is important to mention that during all this week there were also events prepared by the student union. I personally didn’t participate in those events since I was busy moving into my new apartment, but I heard that there were lots of activities like dancing, going to pubs, tour around campus, BBQ, and some more dancing. So, good to keep an eye out for those activities if you are interested.

Now, the first official week as a student starts with a welcoming speech from the Vice-chancellor and the oh so famous rollcall day. So, what happens during the rollcall day? Well, after the welcoming speech, one of the student advisors will stand at the podium and will start listing each program’s name and the place where their rollcall will take place. After that, all students have to go to their indicated classroom, where the supervisor of your program will come and give you another welcoming speech and take assistance. After that the rollcall is officially over and the supervisor will register you for your first course himself, so you won’t have to do anything else! So that’s basically it! Really simple. Also, 24 hours after getting registered you will receive an e-mail saying that your access card is ready and that you can pick it up at the front desk with a valid ID. This card gives you access to some restricted areas and for the library and computer rooms after office hours and weekends.

With this, I finally conclude this small series of “First weeks at SLU”. I apologize if these posts were extremely long or even boring, I promise that I’ll be posting about some more light-hearted topics in the future.

Make sure to leave a comment! I would like to know if this kind of posts are helpful or if you have any ideas about other topics you think would be interesting to read about.

Have a nice day!

Anna