Sanna Olofsson, Nursing programme, University of Windsor, Canada (in English)

My name is Sanna Olofsson, I’m studying nursing and the fall of 2016 I spent my fifth semester at University of Windsor in Canada.

One of the reasons why I chose to study at Jönköping University was the opportunity to study abroad. I was the only one from my class that went to University of Windsor, but I met four other Swedes from JU that I talked to before we left for Canada. It was good to have someone to plan everything with. We all met up at an airport hotel in Toronto before heading to Windsor together. Before we got to Windsor a woman named Michelle that worked at the international office gave us the information we needed. When we got there we had a meeting with her and she gave us our schedules. She also arranged an orientation day for all of the new exchange students so that we would get to know each other.

In Windsor we lived in a residence called MacDonald Hall with other students. We had our own rooms and there was a shared bathroom on each floor and a big lounge where we met to hang out and study together. There was a kitchen in the basement, but I only used it once. We had something called a meal plan so we bought food with our student card from the different restaurants that were placed on campus. We paid for the meal plan and our room before we left Sweden. The prices in Canada are similar to Sweden, maybe a bit lower.

I didn’t have any placement during my semester in Canada. The classes I took was “Basic Human Nutrition”, “Concepts of Leadership”, “Issues in Global Health” and “Nursing Care - Complex Health Problems I”. All of them were really interesting and relevant for my future as a nurse. The professors were all very kind, and if there were something I didn’t understand during the lectures I could always ask them afterwards.

The school arranged a trip to the Niagara Falls, which was really amazing! We also spent a weekend in Toronto and a day in Detroit that’s just across the river. There is a reading week in the middle of the semester if you want to make a longer trip.

This experience was great and I don’t regret studying abroad. I’ve met a lot of new people from different countries and felt that I learnt a lot! My English improved and the classes I took and the experience will improve my future as a nurse. I encourage everyone that’s thinking about studying abroad to just do it! It is a journey you’ll never forget.

If there is anything else you want to know you can email me at sanna92olofsson@gmail.com