A short but deep dive into Sweden September 06, 2022

By A student (Environmental Psychology, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/14/2022 to 05/14/2022 with

DIS Stockholm Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

It was extremely worthwhile. I matured in some aspects, found ways to cope with difficult emotions and situations, and learned a heck of a lot about Sweden and Swedish culture/history.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Everything that need to be taken care of happened in decent time. Solid team.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I arranged my own housing
* Food:	I arranged my own food
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Through the program, there was not much integration. I sought it out on my own and through my housing.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	COVID screening was handled well, and I was able to see a physician quickly with a knee injury.
* Safety:	If you're biking, watch out for electric scooters. Otherwise, Stockholm is a fairly safe city.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes I wanted to go to Sweden, and the program was solid so it would not have deterred me from going where I wanted to if I was to do it all over again.

Finances

* 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 not cheap, and I wanted to try the food.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	maybe $110 per week. I helped my host family buy groceries too though.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Keep track of and plan out how many times you go to a cafe...

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language	English is commonly spoken in Stockholm
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?	Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	None in Swedish
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?	Live with a host family.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans
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?	My host family, but that was independently arranged The classes that engaged me with the place I was living (Sweden and Stockholm specifically) Central location within the beautiful city of Stockholm
* What could be improved?	Having time in the schedule for a lunch. The temperature in the classrooms, way too hot Study tours beginning and ending reliably on time...
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Stockholm is not as snowy or cold as I thought it would be.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.	The Avid Adventurer The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Positive Psychology
Course Department:	Psychology
Instructor:	Susanna Papp
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The course took a critical perspective on an important sector of psychology. Assignments were challenging, engaging, but reasonable. Study tours were relevant, exciting. and informative. The instructor was knowledgable, understanding, and had a very effective teaching method.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No issues

Course Name/Rating:	History of Sweden in Europe and the World
Course Department:	History
Instructor:	Steffen Werther
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	500 years of Swedish history condensed into a single semester course was a lot, but very engaging. Included wider historical theory. Steep expectations for some readings and assignments, but extremely interesting and informative study tours.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No issues.

Course Name/Rating:	Psychology of Emerging Adulthood
Course Department:	Psychology
Instructor:	Simone Schwank
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course provided a good opportunity for introspection while abroad and for cross-cultural comparison. Academic expectations for coursework were extremely unclear.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No issues.

Course Name/Rating:	Swedish Language and Culture
Course Department:	Language
Instructor:	Djina Wilk
Instruction Language:	Swedish and English
Comments:	I learned a lot about Swedish language and culture in this class, at a pace that was generally manageable. So spot on. We had some fun too. The instructor is one of the most dedicated teachers (to their students' learning) I have ever had.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No issues.

Course Name/Rating:	Smart and Sustainable Cities
Course Department:	Sustainability
Instructor:	Mika Hakosalo
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class taught me things about sustainability I had never thought of, and also did a great job of SHOWING them in action throughout Stockholm. There was some interesting group-work and fascinating big-picture thinking going on in this class. The instructor was very knowledgeable and engaged. Academic expectations were not always clear.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No issues.