WHY CHOOSE SWEDEN

As many of you have asked me why I have chosen Sweden to do my Erasmus, I have decided to make a post explaining why I think Sweden is a good destination.

UNIVERSITY

Södertörns Högskola consists of four buildings with lots of classrooms (they are ordered by letters from A to E), two cafeterias, the Söders Pub (you can find a billiards, a table football, sofas, microwaves to cook your own food, and the bar where they do the parties), the bookshop, the Study and Career Centre and a few more things. People of different nationalities study here, and the atmosphere is so nice.

What I like the most of studying here is that it has nothing to do with Spain. Instead of taking 5 subjects each semester at the same time, here you do each subject separately, I mean, each subject lasts about 3-4 weeks, then you do the exam, and start a new subject. I think it is better, as you can concentrate your time and focus on one subject, and therefore you learn more easily.  I really like how education works here, besides teachers are very nice and explain the lessons very well, at least my teachers! hahaha

I don’t really know about local students, but the Erasmus students usually have from 6 to 9 hours of class a week. In my case on Mondays we have lectures, where the professor explains the lesson using a power point; on Tuesdays we have to send a group report about a case, and on Fridays we do an oral group exposition about the case. Here we usually do take-home exams: they give you the exam (4-5 questions) and you have around one week to do it at home.

I have taken the following subjects: International Marketing Strategy, International Management, Management of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Understanding Organisations and Swedish for International Students 1.

The library is open from 8:30 during weekdays until 21h (19h on Fridays), and it also opens the weekends from 11h to 17h, so you can go there everyday to study, use the computers, or whatever.

What is more, Södertörns Högskola is a new university with a cool and modern design, with lots of sofas, coloured and bright spaces.

(The following three pictures aren't mine, I took them from Google)

BJÖRNKULLA

The student’s residence consists of several buildings:

-Four yellow buildings with individual rooms, each room with a bathroom and a kitchenette, and each corridor has a shared kitchen and the laundry room.

-Buildings with shared rooms: they are quite big, and they also have a bathroom, kitchenette, a big shared kitchen and the laundry room.

In some buildings also live people who are not students, which sometimes is a problem, as they complain when we make parties.

Björnkulla also has a School and a football field.

In my opinion we need two things here: a study room and a party room so we don’t disturbanyone. Anyway, I really like living here because it is located next to a forest, so the place is awesome, but also because it is well connected (it has a bus stop, and it is 15 minutes far from Flemingsberg train station and from the University. What’s more, the bus takes you directly to those places and also to the supermarkets, what be so good in winter).

This year we are 18 Spanish people, but there also people from other  countries: Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Switzerland… So if you want to improve your English, you will have the opportunity to do it everywhere.

I recommend you to choose Bbjörnkulla as soon as possible, but in case you don’t find any accommodation here, the University will help you to find another one in a flat or whatever.

I have posted some pictures of Björnkulla because it is difficult to find them on the internet.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND MONTH EXPENSES

As Sweden is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, you will receive the highest amount of the Erasmus scholarship, which is 300€. In my case, my University gave as an extra 100€ if we had B2 level in English. So I will receive 400€ each month.

In the following list I am going to give you the approximate monthly expenses:

Bbjörnkulla (individual room): 412 €

Internet (it is 40€ but I am sharing it with two girls): 13 €

Transportation (I bought the 3 months pass which costs 156€):  52€

Food (around 20€ a week): 80€

Other expenses (without taking into account trips): 15€

TOTAL: 572€

PARTY

In my opinion Stockholm is similar to Madrid when talking about parties. They are both big cities where you can find pubs where you can have a beer, there are pubs with live music, discos with free entrance, as well as big discos where you have to pay, or they can also ask you to dress form. Be careful because sometimes you have to register on the Guest List to enter a disco.

I usually go to discos or pubs with free entrance and parties organized for Erasmus students. By the way, you can find the cheapest beer in Stockholm at Medusa pub (it opens until 3).

I don’t know why, but all people here including Erasmus (except Italians and Spanish) go out at 7pm and come back home at 1am or 2am!! It is too early for me, especially because Spaniards have dinner at 22pm, so sometimes we take some sandwiches in the bags hahaha.

One thing that has surprised me a lot it that they always play reggaeton music (please, kill me hahaha), what is more, Swedish people know how to dance “La Macarena”! Definitely, they love dancing and singing, they often ask you to dance with them.

WEATHER

This week it has already begun to get cold at night (6 degrees), but until now the weather has been pretty good, every day is sunny and it hasn’t rained so I haven’t worn the winter jackets and the scarves yet.

GOOD CONECTIONS

Airports in Sweden have very good connections with the rest of Europe, and you can find really cheap flights. There is also the ferry to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, etc. Therefore, if you are planning to travel during your Erasmus, Sweden is a good choice!

WHAT TO DO IN THE FREE TIME

One thing that I really like about living here is that there are always things to do. Stockholm is a city where you can find lots of museums, shops, viewpoints, parks, and you will find many events in Facebook, so definitely, you will never get bored here. It is a very beautiful and neat city, so just enjoy it!

Finally, one more advantage is that in winter you can see the Northern lights from Stockholm!!

I am planning to make a post about Swedish Culture, but as I have been here only one month and a half, I thing I will make that post in a few months, when I have learnt more about Sweden. If there is something more you would like me to talk about, just tell me and I will make a post about it!