Admission Journey: Learn how Shreya Kohli got into Uppsala University Sweden

Studyabroad.shiksha.com got in touch with Shreya Kohli and learned about her first-hand experience in pursuing Masters in Embedded Systems from Uppsala University, Sweden. 

Q. Tell us about the course you are pursuing at your university?

Shreya Kohli (SK): I’m currently pursuing a Master’s in Embedded Systems at Uppsala University, Sweden.

Q. Kindly provide us with details about your academic and professional profile?

SK: I pursued a Bachelor's in Technology in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Amity University, India. I secured a 100% scholarship for the first year at Amity based on my grade 12th marks. During my bachelors, I published three Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) indexed conference research papers.

I had six internships in total during my bachelor's programme out of which five were technical internships. While most of my internships were in India, I was fortunate to undertake two internships in Sweden. During my third year of under graduation in 2018, I did two technical internships in Sweden during the summer. One was in a Swedish startup named Baetes while the other one was at Nagarro.

Honestly, I had just gone to Sweden in 2018 to enjoy around and to get to know the place. But life had other plans. On the Internet, I found out about the VR Sci-fi tech event at KTH which was happening in a week’s time. I casually emailed the organiser and asked if I could be a part of the event. And she replied positively. Next thing I know is that I’m standing at KTH’s library at 8 am and working as an event manager.

I made a lot of connections there and it landed me with an internship. I met a wonderful lady who was the CEO of a Swedish NGO FeelgoodWomanhood. She interviewed me and we became friends. I started working for her NGO as the Indian Ambassador of Womanhood in Sweden. After my 2-month experience in Sweden, I was sure that I wanted to be here for my Master’s again.

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Q. How tough would you say it is to get into Uppsala University? What does the college expect in a prospective student profile?

SK: I honestly don’t know how tough it is. But yes most of the people I see here either have an amazing profile or have relevant work experience. Every course has a different requirement. For my programme, a relevant experience was key. It really elevates your profile.

Q. Why did you shortlist this university? What parameters did you take into account when making the final decision? What other school admits did you have?

SK: For finalising the university, I mostly focussed on their rankings and the course curriculum. I knew what I wanted to specialise in and hence I was looking for the exact programme for me. The factors I kept in mind were student life, prospects on completion of the programme, course curriculum and rankings. I just applied to Sweden and I was placed on the reserve list for KTH for System, Control and Robotics programme. I didn’t go for the Embedded system programme at KTH because it wasn’t according to my interest. Read: Top Universities & Colleges in Sweden.

Q. What all exams did you appear for to get into Uppsala University? How did you prepare for these exams?

SK: I gave GRE and IELTS. While GRE is not needed for Uppsala, IELTS is required to show English proficiency. I prepared online for both the exams. There is a lot of free material available online and is actually quite good.

Q. When and How did you apply to the university? How long did it take from application to admission?

SK: I applied in January 2019 and got my result in April 2019. I think I was admitted to Uppsala University in June. I applied through the centralised portal university admissions for all Swedish universities. I had to rank my university preferences with a maximum of four selections. In Sweden, If you are admitted to your first preferred university, your application for the rest of the universities is cancelled on its own.  

Q. Could you give prospective students an idea about the cost of studying abroad?

SK: My tuition fee is about 72,500 SEK per semester. Most people here have taken education loans to fund their education. I didn’t take a loan as my father helped me with the fees for a few semesters. My university offers scholarships to students from various countries. Less number of scholarships are given to Indian students. Nevertheless, some scholarships are programme specific and everyone is eligible. 

Q. Did you avail any study abroad agent services for admission related help – SOP/LOR/Essay/Visa etc?

SK: I had counselling sessions with many Study abroad agencies but mostly did the applications on my own. Read: Self-Apply v/s Outside Agents

Q. How has your study abroad experience been so far at Uppsala University? What are the top 3 things you like about your college and 3 things you wish were better?

SK: My experience so far has been most extraordinary. I received a research fellowship from KTH University and will be working as a research engineer there in the Robotics, Perception and Learning lab. I also received summer internship offers from Sony Cooperation and Veoneer which is a Swedish automotive company. I am also the student ambassador for Mathworks and an Event Manager for one of the largest tech fair, Utnarm in Sweden.

I love my programme and how it is planned. I have learnt a lot of things which are helping me in my internships. The professors are very nice and positive.

I don’t really know the things that could be better but yes one thing could be to provide scholarships to students based on their profile and academic excellence and not based on their countries.

Q. Your advice to study abroad aspirants wanting to get into Uppsala University? What worked for you?

SK: I always had a clear head as to what I want to do in life. I always pushed myself to take up new challenges and learn new things. If you are admitted to Uppsala University, you will have to work diligently and will have a lot of assignments. The curriculum is heavy and needs constant practice.

studyabroad.shiksha.com wishes Shreya Kohli a prosperous future ahead.