Erasmus Experience in Lund, Sweden

Why did you choose Lund, Sweden?

I chose Lund as my university destination because it's a university city in a Nordic country where everyone knows how to speak English (even the neighbouring old lady who you found doing the laundry). What's more, it's located in the south of Sweden and the temperature isn't as low as it is in the rest of the country.

One point that I took into account a lot was that Lund is located less than an hour away from Copenhagen - a large city with an international airport. It's also very close to Malmo, where you can catch several low-price flights.

Finally, Lunds Universitet is a great, internationally-recognised university, therefore, Lund was my top choice when taking all of this into account.

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How long is the grant for? How much money did you receive as support?

I was there for 5 months (from August to January) and I have received about 300-400€ a month. It's honestly not a lot of money, I couldn't even afford to pay rent with it, but anything helps.

What is the student environment like in Lund?

It is a university city: the majority of people are students, and it is evident by the time that you meet up with people and do things. There is a really good atmosphere and there are loads of students from different nationalities that you can meet up with. For example, my group was comprised of: two people from Bilbao; one from Móstoles; two French girls; a Chinese guy; and, a British-Chinese girl.

Having a multicultural group is the best thing that could have happened to me during these 5 months.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Lund to other students?

Without a doubt.

What is the national food like?

Sweden doesn't have great cuisine, and it is much worse if we compare it with our Mediterranean gastronomy. But, if you travel a little further towards the North of Sweden, you can find cheap, delicious reindeer meat.

How did you find accommodation?

This was the most complicated thing of all. The university was badly organised and, as it had too many students, it couldn't offer accommodation to all of us. I was sleeping rough on the streets for several days and, one day, I slept in front of the Housing Office by way of protesting. In the end, we drew attention to the issue, they interviewed us in the newspaper and on the radio, and we managed to get the university to get their act together.

Some of my friends managed to get rooms through the Housing Office, but others, like me, got them by ringing numbers from internet adverts. After about 8 days there, I got a flat with a very nice Polish guy, and although it was a bit expensive, I wouldn't change it for the world. It seemed to me that I had a better living situation than my friends who were in a residence.

What are the prices of accommodation like? And the prices in general?

Rent prices varied from 250€ to 450€ a month. If you are lucky, you can find cheaper rent, but I would dare to say that the average is around 350€ a month.

Supermarket prices are a little higher than in Spain, but if you know which supermarket to go to and which products to choose, you can make your shopping cheaper.

Transport is expensive.

How is the language? Did you take a course at the university?

With English, you can get by anywhere. However, it's advisable to learn a little bit of Swedish through the university courses, above all so that you can get a little more involved in the culture and have some knowledge when it comes to eating out at some restaurants.

I went to a basic introductory course and then I enrolled in another Swedish course at the university for the rest of the term. After a month and a half I stopped going because I didn't have time, but it is a language that can be easily learnt if you know German because they are very similar.

What's the cheapest way of getting to Lund from your city?

A cheap way of getting from Bilbao to Lund doesn't exist, but I know that there were relatively cheap flights from Madrid and Barcelona to Copenhagen. From there, you can take a train to Lund and, when in Lund, the best option is to catch the bus, as the taxi drivers rip you off for the price they want.

Which places would you recommend for nightlife in Lund?

The student nations, without question. VG's is the one we went to the most (every Wednesday).

In my friends' residences, they usually organise lots of parties, so we normally went to a residence or someone's house to pre-drink before going to a party at the nations.

And eating in Lund? Can you name your favourite places?

-Max Burgers (like McDonalds, but much tastier)

-Vigo's Restaurant (very tasty homemade burgers, located in Lund train station)

-Lunds Falafel (close to the cathedral, next to H&M)

-Primo Ciao-ciao (in front of the train station)

-Sparta's Restaurant (there is a delicious and cheap buffet)

And cultural visits?

There isn't much to see. I recommend reading about Lund's history (there isn't much), visit the cathedral and other places in the south of Sweden (Ales Stenar, for example) and Denmark.

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Any advice that you want to give to future students in Lund?

Don't be doubtful, Lund is a great choice. By the way, bring warm clothes.