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!
