“Why Stockholm University? It's top market”

As the newcomers descended from the airport shuttle buses, a gentle August sun made a timely appearance on campus. Inside Studenthuset the students were served Swedish fika and assisted by staff and student ambassadors to resolve any queries and practicalities.

A chance to improve career prospects

“This is great!” said Onyedikachi from Nigeria, waving some leaflets he'd just been given. “I’m going to join the student union and sort out some other important things. Everyone is so friendly and helpful here.”

Onyedikachi, who is going to study the programme Master of Laws in European Economic Law, has never been to Sweden before and is looking forward to experiencing a new culture. When asked about his choice of study destination he looked somewhat bewildered.

“Why Stockholm University? The question should be why not – this university is top market."

Already a lawyer in Nigeria, Onyedikachi wants to do the globally renowned master’s programme at Stockholm University to further his legal skills and open doors to a possible career within the EU.

Plenty of field work at Stockholm University

Lucie from France and Lilou from Switzerland also took part in the Arrival Service. They are both going to study biology.

“I’ve always been attracted to the northern European countries”, Lucie explained. “And of course I mainly chose Stockholm University because the study programme is great. A friend of mine went here last year and she was very happy with her experience.”

However, Lucie was somewhat apprehensive of the Swedish winter which is due to differ a lot from the winter in the south of France where she normally lives.

“I packed my boots and a thick coat and I pray that I won’t be freezing in the mornings”, she laughed.

Lilou, on the other hand, was hoping for a proper Scandinavian winter.

“I like snow”, she said. “I guess you’ll just have to wear multiple layers to cope with the cold.”

Lilou was very much looking forward to her marine biology courses.

“One of the great things with Stockholm University is that you get to do a lot of field work here. We are going to the south of Sweden to do field work for a whole week and I’m really excited about that. I’m here for one semester but I’m hoping that I might be able to extend it to one year.”

“It both smells and looks like Ikea”

In the café in Studenthuset, Kagechiyo from Japan, Yitong from Taiwan and Dimitry from France chatted along as if they'd known each other forever. They also took the chance to sort out some practicalities together. Just like Lucie and Lilou, Dimitry is a biology student.

“I’m especially looking forward to the course in immunology”, he explained. "I know Lucie from our university in France: Aix-Marseille.”

Kagechiyo is going to do a master’s programme in comparative education. As Stockholm University has a close collaboration with the University of Tokyo this isn’t his first time in Stockholm and Sweden.

“Because of this collab I’ve been here before to do a short exchange.”

Yitong will study computer and systems sciences at master’s level at the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences.

“I’m particularly interested in HCI, human-computer interaction, and Sweden is very advanced in this area. Stockholm is great for me as I’ll be able to have contact with KTH and Uppsala University as well. I might also attend a conference in the Netherlands while I’m in Europe.”

When asked about their first impression of Sweden, the three newfound friends agreed that it was all the greenery that struck them the most. Then Yitong suddenly came to think of something else.

“You know what my first impression really was?” he said with a broad smile. “That Arlanda Airport both looks and smells like Ikea. I think it must be the nicest airport in the world. Normally airports are places that make you feel like an alien but Arlanda is so welcoming.”

More and more students each year

Hanna Kritz is International Coordinator and project manages the Arrival Service together with her colleague Karolina Lodskär.

“Everything is going like it did last year – perfectly, that is! Still, we are always striving to improve things even further. Now there are more students than ever attending the Arrival Service. The numbers seem to increase each year”, said Hanna while quickly catching her breath before the arrival of the next shuttle bus.

She was keen to stress the importance of the dedicated work done by her colleagues and a number of student ambassadors.

“They are all doing a wonderful job. And the students seem so happy.”