Broader Horizons After A Trip To Stockholm Past Review

By Sebastian U (Music & Sociology, Tufts University) for

The Swedish Program: Stockholm, Sweden

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

I would love to go back to Sweden; I'm looking at graduate programs in Scandinavia now. It was really great to get a perspective on a country that is almost as prosperous as the United States (right now it may actually be more prosperous), and yet so incredibly different.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here:	Stockholm University
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	The program offers its own classes, taught mostly by Swedish professors, all in English. The classes were very good classes, I learned a lot from them, but the downside was that I was always with other American students; it made it very difficult to try to meet Swedish people my age. The workload was definitely greater than I expected it to be; you have to work hard in order not to fall behind. It ended up being worth it though, the classes that I took ended up being some of the best I've done.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The administration of the program was very kind and involved, I felt that I could go to them with any problem, which was great. Everythign was very organized and worked well. The only major disappointment that I had was always being with other American students, I wanted more opportunities to talk with Swedish students.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I stayed with a wonderful host family in a suburb of Stockholm. The commute was long, but it wasn't terrible. They treated me as a member of the family, and I grew to love them very much. I know that I've made friends for life.
* Food:	A lot of the food was new and different, but I enjoyed almost all of it! I don't think vegetarians would have any huge problems...
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	The students in the program got pretty close, and arranged for some events some times. The program arranges a trip to Gotland, which was really fun, and there was also a trip to the opera, but besides that, not much. But they do help you find activities in Stockholm that you may be interested in. Overall, there's always plenty to do.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	Stockholm is a very very safe city. I felt safer there than I would have in some places in the United States. I never had any concerns, and I never met with anyone who had any concerns. The healthcare system in Sweden is also fantastic. You should know ahead of time what your insurance will reimburse you for, because our insurance covered me, but when I went to the doctor once and was told that my fee would be 1500 SEK (about $200) because I didn't have a Swedish personal number, I got scared and left. In retrospect, my health insurance probably would have covered most of it. I also had an extreme situation where I fell and broke my hip at the end of my stay, so i can say first hand that hospital care in Sweden is superb, even better than the United States in many ways.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	The program provides a monthly food subsidy that will cover your expenses if used wisely. I managed to get by spending very little money, not usually more than 30-40 a week (I bought a fair amount of my own food; my family had three children, and I didn't want to burden them with food items that were specifically for me), but I also didn't go out much. Going out can get very expensive, and if you're one of those people that buys a coffee every morning, that's going to get very expensive also.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	I didn't have any unanticipated expenses. Just be aware of the exchange rate, and try not to spend frivolously. At the same time, you're in a major European city, so take advantage! If you see something that you think is really special, you'll regret not buying it.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	None
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	N/A
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?
Language acquisition improvement?	Almost everyone spoke English. I could practice Swedish in class, with my host family, and possibly out in Stockholm, if I knew enough vocabulary to make myself clear.

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

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Globalization And Culture
Course Department:
Instructor:	Steve Turner
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was definitely challenging, but it was far and away the best course that I have taken during my undergraduate studies thus far. The professor is incredibly intelligent and interesting, and he was very inspirational to me. The classes were dynamic, a mix of lecturing and discussion, and topics ranged from the planned to current events to the completely unexpected. The material was very interdisciplinary, and really gave me a much better sense of the world.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I was hoping to get the course to count as a sociology course, but it ended up not counting because we didn't read sociology texts, even though the professor is a sociologist. But the course covers a huge range of fields and perspectives, and what I learned has helped me with perspective within my sociology major in a way that a regular sociology course never would. It's unfortunate, but fortunately it hasn't been a problem in terms of me fulfilling requirements.