Outside the comfort zone

In 2010 Benedikt made a decision to leave Gent and spend one semester in Sweden, at Linköping University. “I first came to Sweden the summer before my studies and I liked the atmosphere and the surroundings. The level of education seemed good and the teaching style was different from the Belgian one,” she says.

Benedikt left Belgium to explore something totally new. This forced her to leave her comfort zone, but that turned out to be one of the best decisions in her life. Studying abroad helped Benedikt become more independent. In Linköping she met friends from all over the world whom she is still in contact with.

Studying at LiU

According to Benedikt, the study groups are smaller at Linköping University and the relationship between professors and students is more casual. “This allows you to have a closer contact with your professors and to be more involved in the learning process.” Benedikt also tells that studies at LiU are more oriented towards practice, which helps her now when doing her PhD.

In Linköping most students live in a concentrated area, giving a great opportunity to meet a lot of people from all over the world. “The best thing about being a student in Linköping is that everyone lives in the same neighbourhood and all parties are there. You can reach each other very easily and there are plenty of occasions for exchange students to get to know each other.”

Must-do in Linköping

While studying in Linköping, Benedikt suggests biking around and seeing the area surrounding the town. Moreover, “go to Stockholm and learn Swedish,” she advises.

The only thing she regrets is that she missed the Sea Battle. The Sea Battle is a student cruise to Tallinn with more than 1500 students from the Scandinavian and Baltic countries. It is an event organised by the student organisation Erasmus Student Network (ESN).

“What would I say to students that are thinking about going abroad? DO IT!”

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Last updated: Wed Oct 24 16:26:10 CEST 2012