Very cold and dark but interesting July 24, 2023

By (Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/13/2023 to 05/13/2023 with

DIS Stockholm Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was definitely worthwhile! I made some great friends and got to travel around Europe a lot! I learned that sunlight is really important to me.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes were not very rigorous which gave us a lot of time to just explore Stockholm! However, the quality of teaching wasn't always very good.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It was pretty hard to integrate and meet native Swedes.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

I had a hard time with the long winter. It was hard at times to stay social and active during the colder months and the temperature didn't warm up until the last week.

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
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

The language class I was in was not very good and none of my classmates learned much Swedish at all. Most people in Sweden speak English so I barely used Swedish outside of class.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Beginner
How many hours per day did you use the language?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Good housing
  • Study tour week to Berlin
  • Lovely core class professor (Iwo Nord)
* What could be improved?
  • Overall teaching quality
  • Extracurricular activities offered by DIS
  • Swedish language teaching
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? It is a WINTER semester, not a spring semester!! The darkness is pretty intense and can be a higher risk for seasonal depression.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.