Stockholm is Fantastic! Past Review
By Kelsey N (Sociology., Grinnell College) for
The Swedish Program: Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm was great! I recommend it all the time!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload and difficulty were a little lighter on the Swedish Program than at Grinnell - but that was intentional to give us more time to explore Stockholm! It was really great. The classes themselves were also very interesting, and had very different foci from what I've taken in the past. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
It was great on all counts! The adminstrators were very knowledgeable, helpful, and always available to chat. The program size was manageable - 46 students my semester. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My apartment was great! I lives in St. Eriksplan, right in central Stockholm. It's a really safe neighborhood, and very convenient to get to the university or to nightlife on public transport. But don't forget to bring towels - they're not provided! |
| * Food: |
Food was great! My roommate and I found the stipend for food to be more than enough for groceries and going to restaurants/cafes. There are a ton of options to choose from in Stockholm, and they especially like Thai food. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Gotland was fantastic, as was Sandhamn! |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
Stockholm is super safe. I was more comfortable in the city at night than I was out in the suburbs, honestly. |
| 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) |
|
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
It was hard to become proficient in Swedish because we didn't have much time to practice speaking and responding in class - the classes were a smidge too large my semester. Plus, all the Swedish people I met wanted to practice their English - most of the people in Stockholm spoke very good English. |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Be prepared for winter! And with it, darkness - in winter, the sun sets very early in Sweden. |
