Experience Report Exchange
ANR: 816071
Name: Jesse Kessels
E-mail: jesse.kessels@gmail.com
Exchange semester: fall
Academic year: 2015-2016
Host University: Södertörn Hogskola
I General information
Sodertorn Hogskola is situated at about 20 minutes travel by train from the city centre of Stockholm.
It is located directly next to the train station , allowing for only a small walking distance from public
transport. The campus itself is quite compact, with a 6 story building housing the classes and offices,
opposite of which are the library and some other smaller buildings, which house bookshops for the
most part. While the campus itself is organized and easy to get used to, what is sometimes
bothersome is the distance you have to travel before you get to Stockholm city centre. It requires a
little more planning to go out or meet up than in Tilburg. This is the obvious effect of the difference
in population between the two cities. Apart from that, Stockholm offers every possible diversion
that you would expect. For shoppers, the shopping area around T-centralen offers the best possible
experience, with the Gallerien shopping centre close by. If you want to go clubbing, White Room,
Monkey Bar or Sturekompagniet will do nicely. Or, if you’re not that keen on paying much money for
drinks, going to Lion Bar early in the evening will keep the bill low. Alternatively, If you would prefer
the more “hipster” side of town, Slakthuset is your place to go, but make sure to dress appropriately
first.
II Practical information
I received my pre-arrival information 2 weeks in advance of arriving at the Host university. I felt that
that was extremely late, but according to them , and my fellow students, this happens all the time or
not at all, and I shouldn’t be too concerned about it. In the end, they were right. The practical
information I needed was the information session which welcomed us all at Sodertorn. In this session
all the rest of the info we needed was given to us in pamphlets and in a presentation. All handled
very well. After this presentation we were split up in groups to explore Stockholm on our own,
accompanied by a Student Buddy, who guided us through. It was a nice way to meet all the exchange
students in our group.
Arranging of the housing was a little difficult for me. Although the university said it guaranteed
housing for me, I had to remind them that I had not received any information about my housing 2
months before I would leave for Stockholm. They informed me that I unfortunately did not get any
housing and I should find something by myself. In the time between this denial and my arrival in
Stockholm I did not find anything, so the first 10 days I had to stay in hostels. However, I made an
appointment with the housing officer at Sodertorn and he said he might be able to provide me with
housing. In the end I was lucky to receive housing in RIksten, one of Sodertorns housing areas, but I
do think the whole procedure should be revised, as guaranteeing something and ultimately not
providing it doesn’t do much good for your reputation. The housing itself was excellent, and I did not
have much to complain about in that regard.
Sweden itself is a very expensive country, if you’re not actually a Swedish resident. Compared to the
Netherlands, there are many items which are much more expensive. Doing groceries could
sometimes result in bills of 15-20 Euro per day. It wasn’t a fun experience walking through the
supermarket in Sweden for the first time. Buying alcohol is even more expensive. Compared to the
Netherlands, alcohol is 50-100% more expensive, depending on what you buy. My advice to all
exchange students; take a ferry to Finland/Estonia and buy your alcohol there, as the ticket will cost
less than the money you will probably save.
My budget (approximately) in Euros per month
-
Housing : 450
Food : 300
Transport : 50
Books : 30
Miscellaneous: 40
Social activity: 100
Academic Calendar
The academic Calendar ran from the 17th of September to the 14th of January, for me at least. I was
one of the people who had a course which ran until January, many others finishes their courses
before the Christmas break. This course was also one of the reasons I returned to Sweden for & days
after the break, as the courses are obligatory. The examination for the courses were all take home
exams, and I found it a much easier way of examination than in Tilburg, as you are not required
reproduce the knowledge yourself, but only write a paper about it in in 7 days. This allows for a lot of
time to look through the course information and does not motivate one to study the material as
much as you would in Tilburg. The examinations were not a very large source of study-stress at all in
my exchange period.
International office
There is an international office, in which two people are responsible for the exchange students.
There is a general exchange officer and a housing officer. The former handles the application
procedures for students and the other their housing. Anything else will have to be run through the
general reception. I think that the information provided by the international office was quite good,
albeit a bit late for my taste.
Exchange promotion
I did not promote much , because my interaction with Swedish students was limited due to our
exchange students only classes and activities, and the general attitude of Swedish students towards
strangers.
Social activities
There was an introduction party, where we all started to get to know each other. Additionally, there
were several parties organised throughout the semester in different clubs and pubs in Stockholm.
These were always well visited, and most of the exchange students would go there. Furthermore,
there were several city trips and tours organised, for instance, to Helsinki, Tallinn , Bergen and
Lapland. These were all fully occupied, with the Lapland trip being the most fantastic trip ive had
during the semester. I came to know that last year apparently almost no one went on this trip, and
that the organizers were elated that this year so many people wanted to go. The general consensus
between the exchange students was that the trip to Lapland was the best of the semester and really
completed our experience of Scandinavia.
Culture and language + Personal development
I did not think that culture shock would be much of a problem within Europe at first, but after a few
weeks of living in Sweden I was harshly confronted with reality. As a Dutch person, who fulfils most
of the Dutch stereotypes (direct, open, sharing and fond of confrontation and discussion) I found
Swedish people difficult to relate to. I’ve had multiple descriptions and explanations of and
interactions with Swedish culture, but I cannot help to feel that I am not compatible with it. The
Swedish are a distant, closed and confrontational people. It takes a lot to make an Swedish person
raise their voice, as they will not easily admit that something upsets, irritates or offends them.
Additionally, most will not tell you if it does , which made me feel very confused often, because when
I tried to be direct and ask a question about things which might be considered “loaded” I would often
get evasive answers. In general, Swedish people tend to evade “difficult” subjects and prefer not to
talk bout things which might create conflict between people. I found this to be extremely annoying at
first, as I am used to opening up to each other, sharing opinions and being comfortable in
disagreement, if there is any. However, after my time in Sweden and the realisation that culture is
very different between countries, even in Europe , I learned how to deal with these differences and
adapt. The group we had as exchange students was made up of many people from different
countries in Europe. This caused everyone to learn of the differences between countries in Europe
even more, and everyone saw that even though we were all very different culture wise we could all
get along. Sometimes there was an occasional clash in culture between Asian country values and
European values, but these were often smoothed out with some dialogue. There was a very open
culture among the exchange students, and that is one of the things I will miss most. The room to be
yourself and learn about the way your culture has shaped your own identity. This is one of the things
I have experienced during my exchange and am very grateful for.
III Academic information
The languages at Sodertorn are offered in English. It is possible to take Swedish language courses
language courses, but these are very basic, so the wish to gain an academic comprehension of the
Swedish language during the semester was an ambitious one to say the least. I took mostly political
science courses, because those fit well with my curriculum at home, and because Swedish
universities are known for their excellence in Political studies. I personally do not recommend any
courses, because there wasn’t one which really sprung out as a very high quality course. In general,
the academic level at Sodertorn university is below that of Tilburg university, and passing the courses
was never a problem. I have to say that many of the professors admitted that the standards for
exchange students are not as high as for Swedish students, and that some procedures for handing-in
of papers are foregone for the sake of administration. There was a strict control on attendance
though, and you had to write a make-up assignment for every missed lecture. This ensured that
students would attend lectures, no matter the circumstances. Most of the material is theoretical, and
not a lot of applied science. Most material was offered in lectures, although some courses had
seminars where some questions answered by the students as homework was reviewed. I was
satisfies with my academic achievement, as I easily passed all my courses and felt that I took away
something from every single one of them. I wholeheartedly disagree with the examination methods
at Sodertorn. When every exam is given as a take home exam students have too much time to just
review the parts of the material that they need to pass the course and will ignore most of the
material that is not required to pass. This adds to a student who only knows how to find information
and not one who has a good grasp of what concept the information tries to convey. Too much trust is
given to the motivation and work attitude of the student, and I have personally experienced the
attitude this leads to for many people.
The library is a lot smaller than Tilburg university’s library is, and I have often found that there is
simply no room to study at a computer. There are a lot of rooms which have room to sit though, so
studying with your own laptop is more convenient.
Description of courses
Course Name
Prerequisites
Exam
Democracy : the
Swedish way
Comparative
European politcs
Media culture and
society
none
Take
paper
Take
paper
Take
exam
The
history
scandinavia
none
of
none
none
Take
exam
Major at TiU
home
Political science
Approved
as
(minor/ elective
/ extra)
Minor
home
Political science
Minor
Home
Media
and
communication
studies
History
minor
home
Minor
Democracy the Swedish way (1009ST) (bachelor) (7.5 ects)
Interesting introduction to the way Swedish democracy has been designed. A good first course to
have to take the knowledge of it to the additional courses in the semester.
Comparative European Politics (1094ST) (Bachelor) (7.5 ects)
Course which aims to compare european democracies and the effects of the way they work.
Insightful lectures, capable rofessor with a very clear way of explaining political systems. All-in all a
very good course.
Media culture and society (1055MV) (Bachelor) (7.5 ects)
This course gives a basic insight in the way media is organized and hwo it affects society and our
understanding of the world. Following this course gave me an understanding of the stream of
information that reaches everyone on a daily basis.
The history of Scandinavia (1012HI) (Bachelor) (7.5 ects)
A broad collection of information about scandinavia and the baltics’ history , which made me more
aware of the significance of many events wich shaped the identity of the country lining the Baltic
sea.