Sofia Tengelin, Nursing Programme, University of Windsor, Canada

When I found out that I could apply for a semester abroad I knew I wanted to do so. To have the opportunity to study a semester abroad was something I just had to do. It was difficult to choose between all countries and partner universities, but at the end my first choice was Windsor in Canada and I’m really glad it was.

The education level in Canada was higher than I expected. In order to pass the midterm and finals exams I had to study more than ever but it was also an opportunity to broaden my knowledge. I studied Issues in Global Health, Concepts of Leadership in Nursing Practice, Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing and Nursing Care of Clients with Complex Health Problems 1. The professors were really good and gave us the opportunities to meet up and ask questions if there was somethings we did not understand during the lectures. My favourite professor was Dr Rickard who had the course Nursing in complex situations which is one of the most difficult courses during the nursing program at the university. She was captivating and made really complex and difficult things easy to understand. She also explained what we needed to know for the exams and every lecture ended with a Kahoot with prizes.

The Global health course I took was really interesting. This is a subject I am very interested in and I got a deeper knowledge about what is important in maternal and children’s health as well as how to prevent illnesses. I think that my English has improved during my stay. I also learned a lot from the lectures and I now have a different view on health care. We had a really informative guest lecture about human trafficking, which gave me a deeper understanding and it changed my preconceptions. I also got an insight in the Canadian health care system and how Canadian nurses work.

The coordinator at University of Windsor was Michelle who was most helpful. She sent me a lot of information before and during my stay and was very keen on us taking part in activities on campus. If there was a problem I knew I could always contact her and she would help me out. During my stay in Windsor I stayed in Laurier Hall on campus. I couldn’t have chosen a better accommodation. It was expensive but a lot of fun to stay with the other exchange students. We spent a lot of time in the dorm during the study for the exams, before the pub or during dinner. I would say that it is more expensive to live in Canada than in Sweden.

I would recommend other students to study in Canada and experience the student life, go to hockey games and drink from red cups. I would also recommend them to take time and travel in Canada but also in the US, I went to Niagara falls, Montreal, Ottawa, Detroit and Chicago. A good choice is to look up literature and buy it second hand or ask the professors it they have an extra copy to save money. I would really recommend other students to study abroad, I think it will be an experience no matter where they choose to go but Canada is a really good choice. And I promise that it will be an experience for life!