Rosie Clarke from England was an exchange student at the Lighting Design Program at the School of Engineering at Jönköping University (JU) last fall - and she would like to come back!

"It was a very good experience for me and I definitely recommend it to other students," says Rosie Clarke.

She also explains why she prefer Jönköping and Jönköpings residents over London and Londoners.

Rosie Clarke hails from the small village of Pill in south-west England and is studying lighting design at Rose Bruford College of Theater and Performance in Sidcup outside central London. Last fall, she spent four months as an exchange student at the School of Engineering in Jönköping and emphasizes that it was a good time for her, from start to finish.

"It was a warm and welcoming atmosphere at the School of Engineering. Everyone was very nice," she says.

She read the daylighting and Lighting masterplan courses at the Lighting Design Program. There are of course similarities between the courses at Rose Bruford and JTH, but there are also big differences.

"My school at home is a theater school and to go from the environment where you have to think creatively and outside the box to the environment at JTH where you work more logically and science-based was very useful to me," says Rosie Clarke.

In the daylight planning course, she learned how daylight affects different rooms and what differentiates good from bad daylight. Furthermore, she has gained a greater understanding of how to create a realistic environment on stage, which she feels can be usefull for her in her further studies and future jobs.

The lighting design courses was a fun challenge for her and she enjoyed her stay at School of Engineering and JU. But after four months she was happy to return to England and Rose Bruford College of Theater and Performance.

"I missed the independent working method we have and to work more physically. After all, I go to a theater school, she says and laughs.

Back in England, she lacks her friends from Jönköping - and the Swedish landscape.

"My friends helped me a lot during my time in Jönköping and anyone can see that Sweden in general is such a beautiful country. In London there is very little greenery as everything, as you can imagine, is a built up busy city. Everything in Jönköping is much more peaceful and calming. 

And now to the part that Rosie Clarke chooses Jönköping over London and Jönköping residens over Londoners. How is that?

"There is more to do in London, but I still prefer Jönköping. It is a lot nicer to look at than London and its cleaner. London is kind of grubby and Polution is a really big thing in London as well and you guys have got a lot cleaner air."

Furthermore, she thinks that the Jönköpings residens is more relaxed compared to Londoners, which she likes.

"In London everybody is in a rusch all of the time so it´s quite nice to come to Jönköping where people just seem to take their time a little bit more. It´s a bit more relaxed, which I quite like."