Meet some of our partner universities
As a student at Linnaeus University you have the opportunity to study abroad as an exchange student at one of our partner universities. Here are representatives from three of them to tell you what they have to offer.
This week Linnaeus University has had visitors from Arizona State University (USA), Kenyatta University (Kenya) och University of Tasmania (Australia). The purpose of the visit has been to increase student mobility and to inspire staff collaboration between the universities.
Shira Burns from Arizona State University
In what academic field do you have your main strength? Is there any specific program that you would like to highlight?
– ASU has got 450 undergraduate programs in a wide variety of disciplines so I feel pretty confident that any student, whatever their path is here at Linnaeus University, will be able to find a program that’ll fit.
Where is your university located and what’s the best about this location?
– ASU has four locations in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The largest and the main campus is located in Tempe, Arizona which is just next to downtown Phoenix. To get to the airport from our campus is a 10 minute drive so it’s very close. It’s at fairly densely populated area which feels very much like a small city with a downtown area, shops, restaurants and places to go. There are also museums and plenty of things to do and see in the immediate area.
Why should swedish students choose to study at your university?
– I think Swedish students should study at Arizona state university because for one, it’s October here and it’s freezing. The weather at ASU is great as long as you don’t mind a little bit of heat. I think that we have a close alignment in what our universities focus on. Sustainability is huge at ASU, also innovation. There’s opportunity to get involved in athletics and really just see the true essence of American university culture.
Agnes Gathumbi from Kenyetta university
In what academic field do you have your main strength? Is there any specific program that you would like to highlight?
– Kenyatta university has got many disciplines ranging from social sciences, business sciences, engineering, law etc. We are ready to receive students within all areas. All of our faculties are run by qualified staff that are very well educated both locally and internationally.
Where is your university located and what’s the best about this location?
– Kenyatta University is located about 20 km from Nairobi's city center. It’s about 45 minutes from the airport by car. Since it is outside the city center, the location is great for studying because there aren’t that many distractions. But there are shopping malls around when the students want to go there and restaurants. We have students business centers where they can use wi-fi, get something to eat or basically anything they need. We also have student hostels so once the students are here they are taken care of and they can get into the city whenever they want.
Why should swedish students choose to study at your university?
– First of all because of cultural exchange. They may be coming to a culture that is different from theirs but might infact realise that it's not very different. At the same time traveling and exchanging experiences with other people and cultures helps to open up your mind and also makes you grow as a person. Secondly, the media always talk about different people and cultures in a certain way and I think that it is important for you to go and see for yourself if the medial image is correct and make up your own mind.
Daisy Ryan Pont from University of Tasmania
In what academic field do you have your main strength? Is there any specific program that you would like to highlight?
– We have strength in lots of fields. Since we are the only university in the island of Tasmania we have to offer a wide variety of education. What makes us unique and different from pretty much every other university in the world is our institute for marine and Antarctic studies. The new building was built in 2013 so it’s completely state of the art. We have research vessels that go out and Antarctica is on our door step. We’re the last built up place until you get to that wilderness so that is very unique about the university of Tasmania.
Where is your university located and what’s the best about this location?
– We're in Tasmania, a little island off an island. Our main campus is in Hobart and we’ve also got one in Lanceston. The one in Lanceston is next to one of the most beautiful places in the world, the Cataract Gorge. You should google it, it’s very nice. And in Hobart you’ve got Mount Wellington on one side and the beach 5 minutes on the other side. I don’t think it gets much better than that. Our accommodations are up on the hills where there are wallabys hopping around and other little creatures, it’s beautiful.
Why should swedish students choose to study at your university?
– I think that something Swedish students enjoy wherever they go is the chance to practice English in an English speaking country so that’s a huge one. We also treat our exchange students very nicely. We don’t have that many so I know all of them by name and I put on activities for them. They always have a great time when they come down there, especially if they are into outdoors activities. We’ve got kayaking, rock climbing, surfing, everything they can want. Also there are lots of classes where the whole class will be a field trip where they get to go up in the mountains somewhere for two weeks and they get credits for it towards their degree. That’s something that’s hard to beat.