Master student Yan Shao: From China to a doctorate from Uppsala

“When I finished my undergraduate studies in Beijing, I thought it would be nice to study abroad, and that I wouldn’t learn as much if I stayed in China,” says Yan. “I’ve learned so much in Sweden, both from my studies at the University and from life outside the University, and about Swedish culture. I believe this will be very useful for me.”

Before Yan came to Uppsala, he didn’t know very much about Uppsala or Sweden.

“It was quite a big experience for me, since Sweden is so different from China. It was a great stroke of luck to receive the scholarship which helped me to complete the Master’s programme and continue as a doctoral student.”

Now Yan plans to return to China and work in industry.

“As a doctoral student, I’ve studied natural linguistic processes and artificial intelligence and I have better opportunities in China. For example, there are many very large high-tech firms there. But the time I’ve spent in Sweden will be a great influence on me all my life.”

Facts about the Anders Wall scholarship

• The Anders Wall scholarship is awarded to students from China for education at Uppsala University.
• All the scholarships cover the tuition fee for a programme lasting one to three years.
• The first scholarship was awarded in 2012.
• In all, nearly 70 International Master’s students have started programmes in Uppsala thanks to these scholarships.