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Dylan Breid
Mrs. Pettay
English 111, 2B
20 January 2015
Study Abroad Research Paper
Saint Augustine once said, "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a
page." After hearing stories about other countries all my life from my parents, who were both in
the Navy, I refuse to miss out on any opportunity I get to see the world. College is one of those
opportunities. I plan on spending at least a semester studying abroad before I finish college.
After evaluating most of my options that my college of choice provides, I have narrowed my
choices down to Linnaeus University in Sweden and University of Technology, Sydney. Even
after learning about courses offered, cost of living, culture available, and average amount of
studying abroad students at both Linnaeus University and the University of Technology, Sydney,
the fact that I cannot study abroad until at least two years from now leads me to wait to decide on
my preference.
Before looking at anything else about Linnaeus University, I need to make sure courses
of my intended major are offered. My intended major, Computer Science, is offered at Linnaeus
University. Linnaeus offers over sixty courses in Computer Science. Luckily, almost all of these
classes are offered in both Swedish and English, allowing me to take the courses ("Courses").
Other courses offered at Linnaeus include Archeology, Business, Communications, Cultural
Studies, Engineering, and Sociology ("Linnaeus" George). If I decided to minor in one of the
listed subjects before I go, I would have the ability to take a few of the courses. It would seem as
though Linnaeus University would suit me fairly well, at least as far as classes go.
With a name like University of Technology, I was quite confident that there would be
plenty of Computer Science courses offered. While not necessarily offering Computer Science
courses, many of the Information Technology courses offered at UTS are also credits for a
Computer Science degree at George Mason. The University of Technology has nearly thirty

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courses available to study abroad students in Information Technology ("Study"). UTS also offers
courses in Business, Communication, Engineering, Education, Law, Health, Nursing, and
Science ("University" George). While UTS offers enough classes to pursue my major, Linnaeus
definitely looks like a better choice in terms of class variety. It is quite possible that if I studied
abroad towards the end of my college, I will have already gained all the useful Computer Science
credits that UTS would allow me to get. Unless I choose to study abroad at the earliest semester
possible, Linnaeus University would be the more valuable choice.
No matter what courses Linnaeus University offers, if I cannot afford to attend and live in
Sweden, I certainly cannot study there. According to the George Mason University Study
Abroad website, I will pay the same tuition as I would at George Mason University. On-campus
housing is estimated at $3000. Overseas student health coverage would cost me $250.
International airfare to Sweden would cost at least $1,491 for just the trip there alone. Visa fees
for Sweden are $140 ("Linnaeus" George). Personal expenses remains an unknown variable that
would be difficult to determine before going. However, one student recommends attending a flea
market hosted at the beginning of the semester to purchase kitchen supplies and furniture for a
relatively cheap price ("Linnaeus" Abroad101.com). Besides these fees, I would also need to pay
to go through the process of getting a passport. Linnaeus University is my reference point as I
do not have previous experience with these costs nor do I have older siblings familiar with the
costs of studying abroad.
Having now established a frame of reference, I had hoped that UTS would cost less
overall for expenses required. The George Mason University Study Abroad website also
provides the pricing information to study at UTS. I would pay George Mason tuition like
Linnaeus at UTS, so those are not numbers that need to be compared. On-campus housing is
roughly $5000 at UTS. On-campus housing is guaranteed to all study abroad students that apply

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by a certain date, so the price of housing could be greater if I applied later than the date
(Karunakaran). I would have to pay $240 for overseas student health coverage. A ticket to
Sydney would cost me at least $2,689. Visa fees are $535 for Australia ("University" George).
Studying in Sydney would cost me a much greater amount than it would cost me to study in
Sweden. The price difference of the expenses mentioned shows that UTS would cost $3,583
more than Linnaeus. It would be relatively more affordable to study in Sweden than Australia.
Linnaeus offers more courses for me and would cost me less than UTS unless prices go down in
the next two years.
Having lived all my life in the United States, I hope to take in as much of Sweden as
possible if chosen. Sweden has much to offer. A few of the sightseeing locations near Linnaeus
University include the following: the Teleborg Castle, Kronoberg Ruins, and the Vaxjo Church
Cathedral. Reviews from former study abroad students mention that although Swedish is the
primary language of Sweden, nearly everyone speaks English rather fluently, making life easier
to tour around off campus for exchange students ("Linnaeus" Abroad101.com). One reason that I
am primarily interested in Sweden is that it is one of the few countries that neither of my parents
have visited, so my experience there would be a fresh one. A semester in the fall sounds
preferable as the area of Sweden that Linnaeus is located in, Vaxjo, has temperatures ranging
from 7F to 70F depending on the time of year ("Linnaeus" Abroad101.com). I would prefer to
enter while it is warmer and leave when the temperature drops. Overall, Sweden sounds like a
fascinating place to spend a semester.
While likely the more similar location to the U.S. culturally, Australia is filled with much
to see. The university is located in the heart of Sydney, so there should be much to do there.
Predish Karunakaran, the Study Abroad and Exchange Officer at UTS, states, "Australia is a
great big land and there are great sights to see, but one must be willing to travel" (Karunakaran).

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In other words, Karunakaran means that plenty of opportunities for students to explore Australia
exist, but students have to take these opportunities. Some of the sightseeing locations near the
school recommended by past students include the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbor, and
Central Station ("University" Abroad101.com). Australians also speak English, which makes
traveling and talking to people there easier than other countries. Australians, or Aussies as they
are often called, are apparently very pleasant people. One former students experience was
satisfying enough to state that he wished he knew how nice and friendly all Australians are
("University" Abroad101.com). One of the other interesting points about Australia is that it is
home to some of the most diverse and dangerous animals. I hope to see some of these animals if
I were to study there. I could probably stay during either semester considering Australia
maintains a fairly tropical climate most of the year. As far as sights go for both countries, I
would probably prefer to spend time in Australia. Living in the heart of one of Australia's largest
cities sounds like an exciting experience.
While part of studying abroad is to take in the culture of the host country, I feel like
attending as one of the only foreigners at Linnaeus would be a difficult experience. According to
Asa Dahlberg, International Coordinator for Linnaeus, "Around 1500 students study here as
exchange students every year" (Dahlberg). Reviews of students back this number up by stating
that the number of study abroad students each semester is moderate ("Linnaeus"
Abroad101.com). Dahlberg also mentions that Linnaeus offers a "buddy program" to help
international students adjust to the area and get around more easily (Dahlberg). Both of these
facts are relieving as I am sure adjusting to a new culture that is drastically different is made
easier with others in the same situation.
Since the U.S. is more similar to Australia than Sweden, adjusting would likely be much
easier. Reviews state that American student presence is fairly decent, which makes me feel

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pretty good ("University" Abroad101.com). Karunakaran has stated that roughly 400-500 new
study abroad students arrive each semester but also mentions that "we have seen this number
increase by a bit in the last few semesters" (Karunakaran). While this number is only about a
third of the amount of study abroad students that Linnaeus University receives, as previously
stated, Australia is more similar culturally to the U.S., making adjustment still fairly easy. It
should be noted, however, that the number of students allowed to study abroad each semester is
based on the number of students from the host school that study abroad, so the numbers could
drastically increase or decrease at some point ("University" George). I cannot see much of a
victor between the two schools as far as adjustment and population of international students
goes.
After researching both study abroad choices, I have found myself unable to decide which
I would prefer to go to. As I conducted my research, I constantly found myself changing which
location sounded better to spend a semester. This inability to maintain a clear favorite led me to
conclude that I cannot decide yet. I am not allowed to study abroad until my second semester of
sophomore year, so committing myself to a location this early seems like a poor choice. Many
factors could change over the next two years. Other locations become available that I could visit.
Courses offered at these colleges might change. I have decided that it is in my best interest to
look into this more as my freshman year of college begins, allowing myself to get a better idea of
where I would truly love to study. I would hate to rush into a decision and get stuck studying in
a country that I do not actually enjoy for a semester. While I have not yet decided what pages of
this book of the world I plan on reading, I have decided that I will still read more than just one
page.

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Works Cited
"Courses in English." Linnaeus University, Sweden. Linnaeus University, 2014. Web. 17 Dec.
2014.
Dahlberg, sa. "Linnaeus University Study Abroad Questions." E-mail interview. 15 Jan. 2015.
Karunakaran, Predish. "UTS Study Abroad Questions." E-mail interview. 12 Jan. 2015.
"Linnaeus University - Vaxjo: Vaxjo - Direct Enrollment & Exchange."Abroad101.com.
Abroad101.com, 8 Sept. 2014. Web. 05 Jan. 2015.
"Linnaeus University: Vxj and Kalmar." George Mason University. Center for Global
Education, 2014. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.
"Study Abroad and Exchange at UTS: Information Technology." Study Abroad and Exchange at
UTS: Information Technology (2014): n. pag.UTS International. University of
Technology, Sydney, Dec. 2014. Web. 5 Jan. 2015.
"University of Technology - Sydney (UTS): Sydney - Direct Enrollment &
Exchange." Abroad101.com. Abroad101.com, 27 Oct. 2014. Web. 09 Jan. 2015.
"University of Technology, Sydney." George Mason University. Center for Global Education,
2014. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.