The importance of sustainability made Arthur want to study in Sweden

Why did you choose to study in the Resource Recovery programme?

"For me, it is important to feel useful for the protection of the environment and the concept of sustainability. It was already something important for me in France and this programme could only give me more ideas for what I would like to do later. It was the opportunity to learn more about the research in this area."

Can you tell me what students do in this educational programme?

"The term is divided into two parts: the first part is dedicated to resource recovery in general (fibres, bread, construction materials recovery…) and a huge introduction to plastics structure, uses, and recycling. This first part is very general but is really interesting (I learnt a lot of things about polymers that I’ve ignored before). The second part is more specific; it is only about polymer materials. Basically, until now, it is a lot of individual work about some specific topics like recycling and the degradation of plastics that we discuss with our teacher."

What do you think about your programme?

"It is really interesting, for what I want to do and also as for the culture. I learnt a lot of different things that might be helpful after my studies! It was sometimes a bit too general, but that is not so bad either, especially for students who, like me, discover plastics composition!"

Why did you choose to study in Sweden?

"For different reasons: first of all for the courses that were ideal for my professional project. The second reason is that I wanted to discover Sweden, the country, and its landscapes, but also the people, and the third one is to improve my English (you know French people’s reputation with foreign languages!)."

What do you think about studying at the University of Borås?

"I really do enjoy studying here. There is a real consideration of the students, about how they feel, what they think of the courses… Compared to France, we are also fewer students per one teacher, so it makes the pedagogy way easier.  The only thing that might be difficult to judge is that we had a lot of courses conducted from home for obvious reasons, so I don’t know about the classes in a room with other students."

What would you like to do after graduation?

"I will certainly try to find a job, either with companies directly specialising in environmental protection, or for food companies with a good impact on the environment."

Do you have any advice for future students who are thinking about studying in Borås?

"I would have three tips for you. I would recommend not to only mix with the other foreign students: join clubs (sport, music…) and meet Swedish people, they are really nice! Also, you will have a lot of free time; spend it travelling across all of Sweden and especially in Lapland to enjoy the northern lights if you are lucky. Finally, enjoy the city itself: there are parks everywhere, all around, which are perfect for barbecues!

I hope you will enjoy your trip as much as I do!"

Text: Lydia Andersson
Photo: Private photo

Published: 2021-05-04