Personal Erasmus Report
Stockholm University, Sweden
InformationName: Juliette van den Dorpel
Email: juliettevandendorpel@gmail.com
Studies at RUG: Arts, Culture and Media Host University: Stockholm University
Faculty: Culture and Aesthetics / Media Studies Semester: Spring semester (January – June) 2017 Why Sweden?
More than one year ago I had to give up three universities for an exchange abroad. In order to make this decision I did research, including the maps of the International Office, with all the experiences of other students who did an exchange. There, I read one report about Stockholm University which raised my curiosity about the country, city and university. I searched on the website for courses that corresponded with my studies, Arts, Culture and Media. The website was very accessible and I immediately found a few courses that took my interest. After some research, I decided to put Stockholm University as my first choice.
Information
From the moment I knew I was going to Stockholm University, to the moment I left Stockholm University, I had been very well informed about everything. All the emails I got, were very detailed and clear. When I did have a question, they answered me the same day. Because of this my arrival wasn’t stressful at all and I liked that very much.
For both courses, I had the same teacher. She always responded right away and was clear about the results she wanted from us. She provided us with well-structured schedules and when there would be a slight change in it, she would tell us immediately.
Courses and level of education
During my exchange, I followed two courses of 15ECTs. One was called Swedish Film and
Television Culture (15ECT) and the other was called Postcolonial Perspectives on Audiovisual Media (15ECT). Both courses were very interesting! Every class we watched a movie first, and
then we had a lecture about it, in which we would discuss the film and the whole background based on the readings. The discussions were always a very interesting part of the lecture, since every student had another background of studies, which also means that everyone had another view on certain topics. The lectures themselves were not mandatory and because we had to write essays instead of making a test, the content on the lectures were not always as important as it would be in the Netherlands. Furthermore, the level of education is not lower than in the Netherlands, but just different, since we had to write essays. Still, I learned a lot from it and I also think this is a good way of testing your knowledge on the subject
Living in Stockholm
Accommodation
Stockholm University offers all bachelor exchange students an accommodation. Still, there are not enough rooms for all the students, so it depends on how many exchange students arrive in your semester and you have to be a bit lucky. SU has four different kinds of housing. You had to make a top three and they will try to get you your favorite accommodation. Once you have a room, the housing office sends you lots of instruction mails about payment, where to get a key, etc. Again, you will be very well informed.
I lived in an apartment building called ‘Idun’ and I lived with a roommate in a room, including kitchen and bathroom. We shared a bunk bed. At first I was a bit nervous about this, since it is nice to have your own private room, but it was quite okay for five months. Besides that, the building was in a beautiful neighborhood in the city center. There were a lot of options for public transport (busses, subways, trains) so it was a great location to live!
Culture
The culture isn’t very different from Dutch culture, only Swedes are stricter, cleaner, more conscious about things, emancipated, follow the rules, they’re hard workers and are socially more closed. But they also enjoy life, are happy to help you or answer your questions, they like to go out and family is very important. Of course, you can’t really generalize it, and you will see that every city is different in this. When there is a national day of celebration, make sure you will be there to celebrate it to!
The language isn’t that hard if you speak Dutch. The grammar is similar, only the pronunciation is quite different and you have to get used to it. I started Swedish in the first couple of weeks, but decided to stop, since I speak 3 other languages that I have to practice more and the Swedes speak English so well, that once you start trying to order in Swedish they immediately change the conversation to English.
City
Stockholm is an amazing city. 1/3 is city, 1/3 is green, 1/3 is water. This is why Stockholm has so many faces. The city center is formed by islands and each part/neighborhood/island has its own characteristics. Furthermore, around every corner you can find a park (which is most beautiful in summer, because then it’s greener than green). But once you take a subway or bus 15 minutes out of the city, you will find the most amazing forests and lakes where you can hike, go to saunas, ice-skate or swim. When the weather isn’t good, the city offers you many interesting museums, theaters, a lot of cinema’s and nice cafes. You will never be bored. When the weather is good, the city is perfect. Everyone is outside, there are so many nice places to enjoy the sun and because of all the water there are lots of small beaches. If you want to go out, there are many different clubs or bars, only the alcohol prices are high.
Trips
I also made a few trips to other cities in Sweden (Göteborg, Uppsala, Sigtuna) and bigger trips to Tallinn, Lapland and Russia. There are student organizations who organize trips to Lapland, Russia and Norway and I would definitely recommend doing at least one of them. Also, the
Stockholm University Student Union offers to go with them on trips like these, which is really nice because you will meet other exchange students.
Expenses
Sweden is an expensive country and Stockholm is an expensive city. Still, I think the most expensive product is alcohol (which is quite important in the life of a student, so be prepared). There are many cafes where you can have breakfast or lunch for less than 10 euro’s. To have dinner in a restaurant is a bit more expensive, but it’s not that different from the Netherlands, only the alcohol makes the price higher, but in every cafe or restaurant you can take the free water.
The Lidl and the Willy’s are the cheapest supermarkets. The Hemköp and the COOP are the most expensive supermarkets.
Some of the museums are free, some are not. The cinemas are more expensive than in the Netherlands, but they always offer a few films for student price during the week.
Train tickets are quite the same as in the Netherlands and there are different tariffs per hour, so you can decide yourself at what time for what price you would like to go.
The trips to Lapland, Russia and Norway are around 250 euros.
All in all, your expenses really depend on how you fill your time during your exchange. Still, I would recommend everyone to save a bit of money, so that money won’t be an issue and that you can enjoy your time there.
Recommendations
During my time in Stockholm I’ve made a list with all the cafes, restaurants, parks, nature, cities, museums and other nice places to visit, where I’ve been to. If you’re interested in this list you can write me an email (see ‘information’) and I will send it to you.
