CIVIS ambassador Louise thinks everyone should study abroad

Louise Wallinder-Mähler smiles happily as she reflects on her exchange semester at the University of Glasgow in the autumn of 2024. She was studying for a bachelor’s degree in History at Stockholm University when she learnt of the possibility to do an exchange with the European university alliance CIVIS.

“I chose Glasgow for several reasons; a study counsellor recommended CIVIS to me and the courses you could study there were really interesting. As I love nature, Scotland felt like the perfect choice. If you go on a regular Erasmus exchange you can’t get a scholarship for Great Britain as they’re no longer a member of the EU*, but with CIVIS that’s not a problem.”

Student ambassador for CIVIS

Thanks to this exchange, Louise was able to apply for the position of student ambassador for CIVIS at Stockholm University, a role where she gets to inspire other students to take the leap and study abroad.

“When I was preparing for Glasgow we were a group of exchange students from SU who supported each other. The application process contains a lot of paper work so it was great that we could help each other, even though we weren’t necessarily going to study the same courses.”

Finding accommodation in Glasgow went smoothly as Louise got help from the university there. She signed up on a list of interest and was offered housing on campus.

“I shared student housing with three other girls: one from the Netherlands, one from Australia and one from the US. It worked out really well and we had a great time together. Once a week we took it in turns to make ‘flatmate dinner’ with food, sweets or snacks that were typical of our different countries.”

“One of the advantages of being an exchange student is that you not only learn about the country you’re going to but also about the other exchange students’ countries. And I learnt a lot about Sweden. If you never leave your own country you won’t discover certain things.”

A different way of studying

As far as the studies were concerned, the structure of the teaching at the University of Glasgow differed somewhat from that at Stockholm University. Instead of taking one course at a time, Louise studied her three chosen courses in parallel. The courses were in Scottish Literature, Scottish History and Linguistics.

“It’s another way of studying but I quickly got used to it. Instead of writing exams during term we had all the exams during the last two weeks. During term we only had a few essays to hand in. All lectures and seminars lasted one hour instead of two, which is normally the case at home. It meant that we didn’t have time to do as much as I’m used to.”

Louise found the Scottish academic environment similar to the Swedish one.

“It was pretty cool, you didn’t have to call the teachers by their titles or anything. Everyone was really nice, as British people usually are.”

“It's definitely worth it”

At the moment Louise is taking History courses at master’s level at Stockholm University, while also working part-time at the Vasa Museum.

“Before my bachelor’s degree in History I completed a bachelor’s degree in Cinema Studies. I’ve definitely studied a lot”, she says with a smile. “I’m very interested in both cinema and history but I think I’m more likely to work within the history field in the future.”

In addition to being a CIVIS ambassador, Louise is a general exchange student ambassador for the International Office in Studenthuset. Among other things she has worked during the arrival service activities for new international students at the beginning of term. An important part of her ambassadorship is to inform and inspire other students to apply for exchange studies.

“Speaking from my own experience you sometimes need some cheering on. There are some challenges that come with being an exchange student but it’s definitely worth it. I’m actually tempted to do another exchange.”

* In 2027 Great Britain will rejoin Erasmus+.