Amy Edwards emailed Visions the following dispatch detailing her experience as a student in Sweden:
As soon as I arrived at Lund University, I found that students in Sweden have to be much more independent than students at UMR. There's no one to coddle you or baby-sit you through things, no one to hold your hand and let you know where you should be and when. Students have to actually -- gasp! -- work and investigate to discover the basics.
Orientation week at Lund is nothing like orientation week at UMR, where nearly every second is planned. There are also no residential assistants to introduce new students to the floors and answer questions, and nobody has a set schedule saying when and where classes first meet. Instead, students have to navigate their department websites after registering. In addition, the campus is less defined than typical American campuses, and school buildings are scattered throughout town. Almost everyone has to walk, bike or bus kilometer upon kilometer every day. And nobody knows how to get anywhere the first day or two!All in all, this independence helps students mature faster, but it makes "support systems" that much more important. The most obvious support system in Lund comes in the form of nations. Named after geographic locations in Sweden, "nations" are social organizations, or societies. They're often compared to fraternities and sororities in the U.S., but there are huge differences. First of all, all students are required to join a nation. Second, it's typically a lot cheaper to be in a nation than in a Greek house -- although nation fees are the closest thing Lund University has to tuition, since students in Sweden receive free education. Finally, and most importantly, it doesn't matter which nation you join. In American universities, you normally wouldn’t find a member of one sorority playing intramural soccer for another house, but in Sweden it's common to join one nation's rugby/soccer/handball team when you're a member of another. Personally, I'm a member of Krischansta nation, but I've still been involved with several others, even working at Blekingska nation and Hallands nation.
As strange as it sounds, it's popular for students to work -- for free -- at various nations. Each week, almost every nation holds night clubs and "sittnings," multiple-course dinners where guests pay well over 150 kronor to attend, and the volunteer workers at these events are students.
It's all a matter of economics. If a student works at, say, a sittning, they arrive at 5 p.m. and help set up the tables. The dinner begins at 7, and the next few hours are spent serving food and drinks. Once the guests leave at 11 or so, the workers sit down for the same multiple-course meal, and they receive free entrance to the nation's night club that evening (where live bands often perform), as well as free alcohol. In a country where alcohol is outrageously taxed, I'm sure this is the greatest lure for Swedish students. But working is also a great way to have a social life for free, since otherwise, students have to pay to attend most parties. There are also free "worker's parties" each week for students who worked the previous week.
There are 13 nations in Lund, and they all offer several activities to anyone interested. Many students, however, say the best part about nations is that after joining, they don't have to be involved if they’re uninterested. It's all a matter of choice -- and in a place where people bag their own groceries, bring their own grocery bags to the market, and would rather cook, read or play in the sun instead of rushing to the next “trendy" leisure activity, it’s just another Swedish celebration of independence.
