What Shuai Xu says about the Master's in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Shuai Xu from China

The programme and the teaching style

Why did you choose this programme and Lund University?

"I chose the Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality programme at Lund University because I was looking for a two-year Master's programme. During my Bachelor’s, I did a lot of computer graphics and image analysis so I wanted to continue with this. I quite like games so I thought it would be very cool to build some virtual reality and augmented reality games. Before deciding on Sweden, I travelled to a lot of different countries, but I was drawn to the environment in Sweden. I liked how quiet it is in Lund and that it is not a big city. I have lived in such a large city for more than 20 years, so I wanted to live in a smaller city which has everything close by." 

What do you think about your programme and teaching style so far?

"It has exceeded my expectations. Everyone is so kind. The professors are always ready to help you with everything you need for your studies, including connecting you with companies for job opportunities. I enjoy the way they teach as well. We have lots of practical projects where we get to work with students from different programmes as well as with companies. Every two weeks, we also have laboratory projects where we get to practice what we have studied."

What is the best thing about your programme?

"I think the main thing is the chance to do the code projects. For instance, this year, we did VR projects which were based on what we studied in the first few months. Then, we chose our group members, decided on our topics and worked with a university in Ukraine. We built our own VR projects for a summer festival. We couldn’t do this festival in real life but we could do it in VR which was also exciting.

With AR, we worked with a lot of different companies. For instance, we got some spots from companies and built them an AR keyboard. It is a very interesting programme and we have lots of opportunities to communicate with companies which can help us find jobs and collaborations for our Master’s thesis." 

What is your favourite course and why? 

"I like all the courses so it is difficult to choose, but I will try. I liked the Computer Graphics courses where we created a game. My second favourite is called High-Performance Computer Graphics which is more advanced. During that course, we had competitions where we had a few weeks to design a game. On the day of the competition, each group would present their respective games to experts from the company, PhD students and previous champions. This group would then ask us questions and select the best three games and the winning teams would earn a GPU as a prize."

Have you gained any professional experience so far?

"Our professors invite lots of companies like Sony or Ericsson (formerly Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications) for networking opportunities. That is actually how I found my summer internship last year at Ericsson, where I worked for three months doing some AR projects which was very nice." 

Being an international student at Lund, spare time and tips for prospective students

What is it like to be an international student at Lund University? 

"Although we have different skills, perspectives and backgrounds coming from different countries, we somehow fit together. Being an international student here means celebrating each other’s festivals, and appreciating different cultures. For instance, in my programme, we have the opportunity to work with exchange students or do group projects with students from other programmes. This provides a diverse way of thinking and the opportunity to learn new things."

What do you do in your spare time?

"I travel to a lot of different countries. During the summers, I explore nature here in Sweden with other students. We have hiked, kayaked in the wild, gone to a farm to pick strawberries and explored the Viking Sanctuary in southern Skåne."

Do you have any advice for other students who are considering coming to Lund?

"It is good to study some basic words in Swedish so you can network during ‘fika’ (coffee breaks). This is based on my experience at Ericsson when I was working as an intern. During fika, my colleagues spoke Swedish but always switched to English when I was around, but I would have loved to be able to speak Swedish with them." 

Do you have tips on overcoming homesickness for students from your region?

"I do miss home sometimes, especially in the winter when it is dark and during the Spring Festival where I usually would have been with my family celebrating it. What I do to overcome the homesickness is to have a video call with my father every week. I also spend time with my friends and other Chinese students here. Eating food from home also helps."

What have you liked most about living in Sweden?

"I love the environment and the work-life balance. People here are so kind and Swedes are always happy to assist you. You might not know a person, but they will still smile at you and say 'Hej hej'."