Experience a New Academic World: Chinese Female Students at Swedish Universities

Abstract: This paper presents the outcomes of an applied cultural study carried out during spring semester 2010 with more than 10 Chinese female postgraduate students in Swedish universities. The aims of this research were to investigate Chinese female postgraduates’ decision-making process, to understand university lives in Sweden with the main focus on their learning experiences and social activities, and to explore the differences of students’ university lives between Sweden and China. This study will reveal students’ expectations, difficulties, comments, and needs of their studying lives in Sweden. This study will not only be contributed to getting a better understanding of Chinese female students’ studying experiences at Swedish universities for potential Chinese oversea students, but also provide an extra window for Swedish universities to know Chinese female students’ studying intentions, to hear their real voices and to see their actual studying lives in Sweden.