Exploring freely August 11, 2022
By A student (Stockholm, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/14/2022 to 05/14/2022 with
DIS Stockholm Semester
Studying abroad taught me how to be a more self-sufficient adult and showed me just how diverse the world was. The relationships I built are irreplaceable and I'm grateful for the opportunity to have emersed myself in an environment so different to the one I was used to.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The program was just challenging enough while giving me the opportunity to explore Stockholm. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in a studenboende which gave me many opportunities to connect with other DIS students as well as Swedish students. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program was mainly American students, but DIS provided ways that we could become more emersed in Swedish culture if we chose. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Stockholm is a very expensive city, and while we were given a budget for groceries and all transport was covered, I wish I knew more about just how expensive it was going in |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Most Swedes speak English so it was very easy to communicate even though I didn't know any Swedish going in. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I knew more specifically how classes would be structured and what housing would be like. I also wish I had more knowledge of the basic language used for groceries because that was initially very overwhelming. I also wish there was more information about what classes would look like and if they would be more lecture-heavy or discussion based |
