Graduation is a chance to celebrate students' enormous achievement in completing a degree, but it's one that can come with bittersweet feelings for many international students as they prepare to enter into a new chapter of their lives. In this final episode of the Lund University International Podcast's third season, we invited three graduating international students to share their reflections on their time at Lund: host Bénédicte Anthony (Master's in Development Studies), Lukrecija Vaisyte (Master's in Environmental Policy and Management), and Mumbi Mwelwa (Master's in Information Systems). Together they discuss how it feels to graduate and the ceremony itself, the highlights and challenges of their time in Lund and Sweden, their plans for the future, advice for prospective international students, and much, much more.

The Lund University Abroad Instagram account (@lund_university_abroad) highlights the varied and exciting journeys of Lund University students as they go abroad on exchange, and the many international opportunities open to students at Lund. In this episode, host Timothy Parker (LU International Office) speaks to guests Ivette Nogués and Bea Ulfvinger, who are both current students at Lund and exchange ambassadors for the @lund_university_abroad account. Together they discuss what the Instagram account is about, their experience as exchange ambassadors, the opportunities available to Lund students, and the many benefits that doing an exchange or international internship can bring.

In this episode, host Timothy Parker (LU International Office) speaks to guests and current exchange students Maria Bennato and Chi Wai Tiffany Cheung about their experience of studying an international exchange at Lund University. Maria, from Italy, and Tiffany, from Hong Kong, discuss how their studies at Lund compare to their home universities, making friends in Sweden, the support services offered by the University, and their advice on how to make the most of your time on exchange.

Many international students often feel somewhat daunted by the prospect of applying for residency as part of their journey to Lund and Sweden, and while this is indeed a crucially important and sometimes complex part of preparing for your studies, it's not a process you need to handle all by yourself. In this episode, host Maria Lindblad (LU International Office) speaks to International Migration Coordinators Louise Corrigan-Konow and Erik Kvist about navigating migration processes, as well as covering the support services they offer to international students and staff. Together they discuss key details and deadlines for the residency application process, the popular 'after-studies' permit, transitioning to work in Sweden after studies, and their personal tips to deal with the stress and challenges of migration issues.

While the obvious choice for Lund University students would be to live in Lund itself, many students choose to look further afield, finding accommodation in Malmö, Helsingborg, or other towns in Skåne. In this episode, host Rebecca van der Steen (LU International Office) speaks to current international student Julia Hampel about her experience of living in Malmö while studying at Lund University. Together they discuss why Julia decided to live in Malmö, the benefits and challenges of living outside of Lund, how best to go about finding private accommodation, avoiding scams, and more.

Proximity to Copenhagen means that students at Lund University have access to many exciting opportunities beyond those available in Sweden and Skåne alone. In this episode, host Timothy Parker (LU International Office) speaks to current international student Israa Hassane, who has been undertaking an internship at the UN City in Copenhagen while continuing to live and study in Sweden. Together they delve into the valuable experience Israa has gained from her internship, how she got the internship, how she has managed working in a different country to where she is living and studying, and what advice she would offer to other international students considering a similar internship.

When moving abroad for study, it's very typical that international students will experience some form of culture shock, whether it's from the weather, social norms, food and drink or even just homesickness. In this episode, host Timothy Parker (LU International Office) speaks to current international students Areej Al-Sabban and Farwa Aslam about their own experience of adjusting to tlife in Sweden and in Lund in particular. Together they discuss ways of dealing with the cold and dark Swedish winters, interacting with Swedes themselves, public transport, homesickness, support from the University, and many more topics, as well as some words of advice to help incoming students prepare themselves for their time abroad.

You may be considering coming to Lund to study an international programme, or already on your way - but even if you'll be studying in English, the burning question many students have been asking is: 'Should I learn Swedish?' In this episode, host Maria Lindblad (Lund University International Office) speaks to guest Frank Schreier, who is a Lund alumnus and former international student now working at the Faculty of Social Science. Together they discuss Frank's experience of learning Swedish as an international student coming from the USA, including his motivation to learn it, the hurdles he faced, the ways it impacted his studies and student life, and his advice for incoming international students.