Study Abroad in Sweden and the USA

Hayat Ahmed is an international studies student at American University of Sharjah who, while studying abroad in the 2014- 2015 academic year, was able to study in both Sweden and the United States and completed her year abroad with an internship in San Francisco.

Starting her journey in Sweden during Fall 2014, Ahmed studied at Linnaeus University. She said she enjoyed the immersive experience of staying with a host family and experienced completely new seasons, especially when sunset would be around 3 p.m. in December. Studying in Sweden was very different from what she was accustomed to, as the academic system involved one course per month. Ahmed explained that studying in Sweden was highly beneficial due to its distinct socioeconomic policy and political position in the world.

 While in Europe Hayat Ahmed travelled to destinations such as Paris, Spain and Geneva. The United States was up next on her study abroad adventure, where she studied at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York for Spring 2015. The system there was more familiar. Ahmed said she enjoyed her courses, explaining that they helped broaden her horizons in the field of international studies.

While in the United States, Ahmed travelled to Boston, Minnesota, Chicago and Washington, DC, and, upon completing her semester in New York, spent Summer 2015 doing her internship in San Francisco for Human Rights Watch.