Johan Gerdin aged 23, from
Gothenburg
in Sweden, arrived in Edinburgh in 2008 to study communications at
Napier
University. His rationale in applying to Napier was to
come to a city where he could gain valuable qualifications to
achieve his career goals while having a great student experience.
Johan says that right from the beginning he felt welcome in
Edinburgh,
"I feel very comfortable in Edinburgh. One of the best things
about studying here is meeting people from different cultures who
are all having the same experience."
"I didn’t have any real expectations. I had been to the UK
before and I really enjoyed it. I had heard that Edinburgh was a
beautiful city and it certainly is a city that’s very appealing
visually, it’s beautiful and always feels kind of fresh. I also
love the fact you can walk everywhere, it’s a good city to stroll
around."
"I would definitely recommend coming to Edinburgh to
study, it’s great to be in Scotland. I think Edinburgh is a great
place for students. The cultural life is vibrant and always
changing."
"In terms of socialising, there’s a lot happening for students.
Gothenburg isn’t really a student city. It is very similar to
Edinburgh in some ways, but it is not for students. Edinburgh seems
almost built for students."
This semester, as well as studying work-based learning at
Napier, Johan is doing a work placement at Edinburgh design agency,
Whitespace.
"It feels like a lot of opportunities open up when you move from
one place to another. You break out of your old habits from back
home, you feel anything is possible. The fact I am doing my
placement at Whitespace has proved that’s true. I’m not sure I
would have been able to find a work placement in Sweden. I won’t
say it was easy here either, but I was more motivated and focused
on achieving my goals than I would have been at home."
Johan recommended sharing accommodation as a quick way to make
friends and settle in.
"Finding a flat share was a hugely positive thing
for me. I thought it was going to be a real struggle to find a
place to stay, but if you are willing to share with someone then
it’s actually relatively easy to find accommodation. It’s been a
great way to meet people."
"It also gives you an instant group of friends which was really
important for me having just moved away from all my friends in
Sweden for the first time."
Another positive outcome for Johan has been the improvement in
his English skills, which he partly attributes to his work
placement.
"I’m now really happy with my English, which was one of the main
reasons for coming to Edinburgh. At first I was with British
students and I tried to get involved in conversations, but I was
pretty hopeless. I couldn’t really say anything. Now it is so
different, I can just engage in conversations and even make
jokes."
"I also realised that the time I have spent at Whitespace has
really developed my language skills. I am forced to speak and think
in English every day, every minute, this experience has helped
every aspect of my language skills."
"I would recommend trying to get some work experience while
studying over here to anyone. It’s one thing to speak, in a social
sense, about everyday life but it’s so much harder to try to
explain your thoughts in a work environment. You have to work on
that in school but not at the same kind of level and
intensity."
Johan is planning to return to Sweden in the summer of 2009.
He’ll be taking a positive image of Edinburgh back with him as well
as some great memories.
"I’ve been fortunate to find a lot of friends from other
countries. I met some Greek people pretty much the first night and
they really took me into their group, which was lovely, these are
people I know I’m going to have as friends for the rest of my life.
I’m really glad I chose Edinburgh for my experience of studying
abroad."
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section for overviews of every aspect of studying in Edinburgh City
Region.
