Study Abroad Program in Sweden Past Review
By Timothy C (Linguistics., The College of William and Mary) for
USAC Sweden: Växjö/Kalmar - Undergraduate and Graduate Courses
I think it was worthwhile because I was always intrigued by Scandinavian culture and I think studying in Sweden gave me a better understanding of that.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
| The term and year this program took place: | Spring 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was very manageable. The Swedish education system is very different than the American one in that I was taking 1 course at a time. On average,each week, I had class for 2 hours twice a week. This is very little class time compared to the American system but there was a moderate amount of homework (about equal with the amount of class time, so about 4 hours of homework per week and 4 hours of class time). After about 4 weeks, my first course finished and my next one began which, again lasted about 4 weeks. I spent the rest of the time working with an advisor (the advisor did not live in Vaxjo so it was through the internet [Skype, mostly]) on my Bachelor's Thesis. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were helpful in getting my luggage (which was lost by British Airways, so I didn't have any of my things when I arrived). They were pretty friendly but reserved. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
A friend and I lived in a studio apartment on campus. The facilities were quite nice and reasonably priced (much cheaper than on campus in the US). There was a very nice (almost space-aged!) laundry room that was free to use. I really liked my apartment and it's location on campus. It was close to a nature path and a field where horses grazed- very beautiful. |
| * Food: |
I mostly made my own meals because food is pretty expensive in Sweden, however, the Student Union has a very nice cafe called Tufvan that has really good sandwiches for only 30 Kr. (extremely good price for Sweden). There was also a local pizzeria on campus that was pretty good as well. Off of campus there are some very nice cafes by the city center as well as bars and other places like that. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It can take a awhile to get used to Swedish social norms. In general they are very reserved and it can take a bit of time to get to know them. If you meet them at parties are at the student pubs it is a different story because Swedes definitely seem to get more sociable with a little alcohol in them. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt perfectly safe all of the time. It's Sweden, they are a modern country and I had no problems getting sick or feeling threatened. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Food is the probably the largest expensive while in Sweden. Everything is more expensive due to the exchange rate and because Sweden imports a lot of its food. If you are willing to walk then don't worry about transportation. The buses are fairly cheap (around 20 Kr) and the passes are good for around 2 hours (I forget exactly how long). The train system is just wonderful so if you want to visit mainland Europe for an extended period of time perhaps think about getting a Eurorail pass. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Most Swedes are practically fluent in English, this was convenient, but it did not help incentivize learning the language. |
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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you want to visit Sweden and don't have to live in a big city, I really suggest this program. It's around 2-3 hours from Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Gothenburg so it's location is nice. I suggest going on the student trips to these cities because it is cheaper through the program (they rent a bus) and you have a lot of time to roam the city by yourself. |
