Is this programme right for you?

Name: Sara
From: Germany

There are many design and project-based courses in the programme, but if you’re like me and enjoy the theoretical approach, you have many options to tailor the programme to your liking.

How did you choose your programme?
– Before starting my Master’s degree, I worked as a UX Designer for two years. I looked at a number of programmes in human-computer interaction (HCI), design, and even psychology all over Europe. HCI combines elements of design, psychology, sociology, and IT; this combination sounded super interesting to me. There are many design and project-based courses in the programme, but if you’re like me and enjoy the theoretical approach, you have many options to tailor the programme to your liking.

What is it like to be an international student?
– Both the university and the student nations (student-run organisations) do their best to welcome international students in Uppsala. There are numerous welcome events, so many that I didn’t even manage to attend them all. These are definitely a great place to find international friends who are in the same boat as you.

What is the best thing about studying at Uppsala University?
– The best thing about studying in Uppsala is definitely the student nations. The nations are student-run organisations that offer various activities and operate restaurants, pubs, bars, and many more things. As a student, if you’re not at university or home, you are usually at a student nation.

What is most challenging?
– My Bachelor’s degree is in Business Informatics, so I had no experience with courses with a lot of required reading. Of course, not all courses in the HCI programme involve a lot of reading, but for the ones that do, I had to learn how to effectively manage my time and how to read fast. Now that I am at the end of my programme, I highly appreciate the strong background that I built through these readings. In the future, I want to work in a position where I can research the way technology shapes our lives and our society.

Name three things that you are doing this week.
– Writing on my master thesis, doing readings for a course that I additionally take, and ice skating!

What is your best experience so far?
– The most memorable experience so far was seeing the aurora borealis (Northern Lights) in Uppsala. It is more common to see them in the north of Sweden, but last year I got really lucky with strong northern lights being visible just when I went outside to catch them.

Two quick questions
What is your favourite place in Uppsala?
– The Håga nature reserve and all the footpaths around the Flogsta student housing area.

What is your favourite student tradition at Uppsala University?
–Flogstavrålet (the Flogsta scream)! Every day at 10 pm the students living in the Flogsta student housing open their windows and scream for exactly one minute. The tradition has been around since at least the 1970s and I’m happy that it stuck around because I definitely participate sometimes, it’s quite fun!

Spring 2024.