Professors believe in us

Hello Lara, can you tell us a little about yourself

Hey, I am Lara and I come from Northern Germany, where I was born and raised. I have one older brother and two elder sisters and the most adorable dog at home which I miss very much! I was an exchange student back in 2013-2014 when I was 15-16 in Stockholm, where I learned to speak Swedish.

What made you interested in the programme?

To be completely fair, I was super interested in the double degree option of the programme with Fudan University. However, I did not read that it is only open for students of the Social Science Track and learned of it during orientation. At this point however, I was too invested and interested in the Humanities Track to switch which was the best decision I could have made.

I come from an international university and I knew that I needed some diversity in my MSc as well. I enjoy working with different people from all different backgrounds as you will always learn something you did not know before. These reasons as well, as the location of Gothenburg and the courses offered made me choose the programme as my first choice.

Deadlines are important and exist for a reason, but your mental and physical health is always put at first here. This is also reflected in the structuring of the courses themselves but also the semester.

Are you satisfied with your education so far? Is there any part you find more interesting than the others?

I am very satisfied so far! I loved the introduction course into the programme: “European Identity and Heritage” and my following, Humanities Track-specific, courses: “European Borderlands” and “Public and Political Spaces in European History and Culture”. I particularly enjoyed interacting with my fellow students and professors who show lots of enthusiasm for their fields.

The most interesting part of my education has to be the research internship that I am doing right now at the Centre for European Research (CERGU). It opened my eyes to the interesting topic of Father’s Rights Movements in Europe and introduced me to a field I had no prior knowledge of. The internship made me also consider doing a Ph.D.

Can you describe a normal study week, what do you do?

Over the day I currently work from home for my internship, where I either research online about Fathers’ Rights Groups online or read books and articles for my literature review. I usually am also in a voice chat with my friends where we keep each other in check if we are really working or not!

Monday afternoon I have my meeting with my supervisor and others on the team, discussing our progress and any questions or concerns we might have. On Tuesday morning I go to the CERGU breakfast and if there is a seminar afterwards, I usually stay and attend. Wednesday evening, me and my boyfriend go swimming which always helps me get more energy for the last two days. Thursday and Friday are nothing special. I work till around 17 and afterwards I either read, play video games or watch something.

Sometimes I also meet up with friends. Friday evening, after rush hour, we drive to the summer house an hour away and enjoy our time there. Currently it is too cold to go swimming, but once the weather gets warmer, I am going to inflate my Stand-Up Paddle board and go paddling again. And then on Sunday we drive back and prepare to start the week again.

If you were to encourage somebody to apply for the programme, which attractive features would you emphasize?

I think the thing that makes my study experience so great here, apart from the great and interesting courses, are the professors and lecturers. I come from Germany where it is expected to use the full names of your professors (aka professor/doctor last name), which is so different here. You are encouraged to use the first names of everyone, which does not lessen the respect I have for my professors in the least.

I think GU is a great university for any student, but especially those that sometimes struggle and need that bit of extra help. And the different campuses of the university are all amazing and cool in their own way!

Everyone at the university is also always trying to help you with any problems you have, and they want to see you succeed. The whole atmosphere here helped me develop even more and seek out instructors with my problems. Deadlines are important and exist for a reason, but your mental and physical health is always put at first here. This is also reflected in the structuring of the courses themselves but also the semester. You only have two to four courses a semester and they all happen one after another. You are given time to fully concentrate on your course and you still learn the same amount.

Some professors even arranged it that we had a week of no lectures before the deadlines of paper submissions so we could have the time we needed to research and write them. Overall, I think I just have the feeling that my professors believe in us.

How do you like to spend your leisure time?

I either spend time with friends exploring Gothenburg, play video games or read at home, go swimming or on a walk with my boyfriend and on weekends we usually go back to my family’s summerhouse north of Gothenburg and enjoy long hikes through nature. I also keep in contact with my friends and family at home through the internet. I meet with my best friends from home at least once a week in the evening to chat and catch up and I play board games online with my family.

What are your opinions of the University of Gothenburg and the city of Gothenburg?

I have the same praise for the university as I had for my professors: You have the feeling the university cares for you. They offer help in so many aspects and as a student it is very easy to find those offers. There are instructional videos for mental health during the pandemic, how to study efficiently and the libraries have offers where they will help you with your papers.

The university also listens to its student organizations, at least from my perspective as a student representative of the programme. I think GU is a great university for any student, but especially those that sometimes struggle and need that bit of extra help. And the different campuses of the university are all amazing and cool in their own way! I already loved Sweden before I moved here, due to my exchange year and my frequent holidays in the summer house as a child and adult. However, I only knew the area around the house, as well as Stockholm so I had no idea how Gothenburg would be.

I was blown away by so many different aspects of the city that it is hard to describe them. I think my favorite part is the fact that Gothenburg has the feeling of a small city with all the perks of a big one. You do not meet too many people if you do not want to and it is easy to leave the inner city and find great nature places to relax and enjoy your free time. However, you even have lots and lots of greenery and parks even in the city, making it impossible for you to not walk through a small park when you travel somewhere.

The public transportation is also really good, compared to Hamburg where I lived. You also see that the city focused on bike roads, pedestrians, and public transportation instead of cars which makes it super easy to get around here without one. And all of the museums always offer great entertainment for the long and rainy days in fall and winter. :D