Sweden: Not that challenging yet rewarding Past Review
By Marie A (English, Grinnell College) for
The Swedish Program: Stockholm, Sweden
Yes. It has made me aware of what aspects of American culture I take for granted. Swedish culture was not so obviously different, yet I gradually found myself missing aspects of home and appreciating aspects of Sweden that I never experienced in the U.S.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It was less challenging and less satisfying than my courses at Grinnell, but I do feel that I learned a lot. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I think they could have done a better job at mixing us with Swedes our age and could have arranged more frequently activities/excursions. But, I think they encouraged us to actually be students in Stockholm, so I can understand why we did not have many trips/activities that would cut into class time (there was one trip organized by the program and there were two week-long breaks, so that already cut into course time a lot). |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I LOVED my host family and I think the program did a great job matching students to families. |
| * Food: |
The food was great. And there were plenty of options. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Gotland, the orientation week, etc. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I never felt in danger during the four months I was abroad. |
| 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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
My host family encouraged me to practice and I think the Swedish course the program offered was effective. However, I think it was hard to learn Swedish given that most Swedes speak English so well and that the classes only had American students--we were not mixed with Swedish students. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Someone who is looking for a change of scene but not necessarily a super difficult study abroad experience or drastically different culture. |
