Good teaching, but difficult to make contact with employers. That is what international students think of Lund in a unique study.
The quality of education was the key factor for the foreign students when they chose Lund university. That is shown in i-graduate, an international study presented last week.
Students in the survey say they are generally satisfied with teaching, and teachers’ English has the best rating in Sweden.
But when it comes to contact with employers, Lund is placed low in the rankings.
Difficult to find jobs
Employability, career advice and work experience received low ratings in Lund, as well as in Sweden in general.
The pattern repeats itself again when the students evaluate their living situation. 95 percent think that Lund is “a good place to be.” But while safety and environmental awareness may be highly graded, only a fifth of respondents are satisfied with opportunities to earn money in Lund.
Poor social security
At the same time the possibility of financial assistance is considered small and while the cost of living high.
“The Swedish system is built on the assumption that people live and pay taxes in Sweden,” said Richard Stenelo, responsible of international marketing and recruitment at Lund University.
“The Swedish security support system is not available for international students,” he continued.
He sees a solution in extra jobs being offered by the university.
“Abroad, it is common to get extra jobs at the university. When it comes to contact with employers, student unions have a responsibility to also include international students during their career days.”
“A lot of room for improvement”
Other areas that the international students are dissatisfied with are housing as well as some parts of the Arrival Day services.
However, Lund is the highest rated university in Sweden when it comes to social activities.
“In general, Lund is doing well, but there is a lot of still a lot of room for improvement”, said Richard Stenelo, and continued:
“University does not support certain features, which are available at universities abroad. Some, such as lunch catering, we do not have in Sweden, out of tradition. In other cases, certain services require that one speaks Swedish. The number of international students increased rapidly as an effect of the Bologna process and the introduction of new Master’s programs. It takes time to adjust the organization to the upcoming needs.”
New study this fall
It is the first time ever that Lund University is participating in the survey, which is annually conducted by an independent consultancy service called International Graduate Insight Group.
However, the next time will take place already this fall. “Some of the points we were criticized on are issues that we are currently working on, for example to shorten the admission period. The introduction of tuition fees has meant that the university is pressed to tackle the issues. Therefore it will be interesting to see how opinions will change next time,” said Richard Stenelo.
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