240,3031For Maya, her interest in studying abroad started from a lecture in her home institution at Umeå University, in Umeå Sweden. The decision to apply to north2north just made sense:
“I wanted to do something else, try something new. I like to travel so I saw this opportunity to get a scholarship… the scholarship gave me a chance to see something else and to get new experience”.
 
Maya’s exchange takes her all the way to the University of Northern British Columbia, in Prince George Canada, where she will continue with her fourth year studies in Environmental Science. Arriving in August, Maya’s first reaction to the new school was a positive one, explaining that the university has made a great effort to look after exchange students. Small class sizes and engaging professors have also helped in her transition to a new academic environment, although studying in a different language has taken some time:
 
240,3046“You have to put more work in your study and the lessons can sometimes feel tiring when you have to concentrate 100%, all the time”.
 
Maya is also enjoying the city of Prince George, as well as the beautiful British Columbia nature. According to Maya, “all the mountains, forest and wildlife are just around the corner”, and says that her favourite experience thus far has been a three day road trip to Prince Rupert. Being surrounded by wilderness does have its restrictions however, as Maya comments on one of the differences between living in Sweden and Northern Canada:
 
“It’s a bit different from European cities; everything is made for car driving. It’s hard to get around the core of the city if you don’t take the bus or have a car”.
 
119,3037Nonetheless, Maya’s experience as a north2north student has been very good, with very few problems. When asked how the experience will help her in her studies and future endeavours, Maya hopes that employers will see her semester abroad as good merit. Finally, in offering some words of wisdom for prospective north2north students, Maya explains to just, “do it! It’s not difficult at all. In the beginning it feels like a lot to hand in all the letters and certificates, but it’s worth all the effort”.
 
More information on north2north can be found here.

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