Student Report
Name of the University: Stockholm University School of Business
Exchange semester: Fall 2013 (5th semester)
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
- When and how did you receive information from the exchange university, and
did you encounter any difficulties?
The first information I received from the university was in June regarding
information about the course application on e-mail, this contained basic
information about when the application had to be sent in. In august we
received more practical information on e-mail, which contained general
information about the university and the campus.
Applying for a visa (if applicable)
- How did you apply for your visa, what did it cost and did you have
difficulties?
No Visa required.
Travel
- How did you travel to your destination?
By plane and train. Found cheap plane tickets online and bought train ticket at
Arlanda Airport.
Housing
- Was housing provided by the university? If not, did you receive support from
the school?
Unofficially, the student housing office does not prioritize students from
Nordic countries. I recommend you to start your apartment search really early.
Ask all your friends and family if they know anyone who can help you find an
apartment in Stockholm.
Costs
- Approximately how much per month did you spend on rent, books, food,
transportation, and other personal expenses?
Rent
NOK 4000
Books
NOK 600
Food
NOK 1000
Transport Student metro card
1540 SEK (3 months)
Other
NOK 1000
Culture and language
- Did you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
No, I had no trouble communicating. I understand Swedish, Danish and
English well.
-
How are the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
Stockholm has a lot to offer, so it’s really all up to you how you want to spend
your time and money. “The senior buddy program” arranges tours throughout
the semester.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please describe:
- The school (location, size, study structure, special academic areas etc.)
Stockholm University School of Business is situated in “Kräftriket”, which are
only a few minutes away from the city center. However, Stockholm University
has its main campus only 10 minutes walk from “Kräftriket”. The main
campus area is called “Frescati”, and this is where the main library also is
located. My lectures have been held at “Kräftriket”, where I also mostly did
my studies.
-
Current faculty divisions and special areas.
Faculty of Social Sciences
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Humanities
Faculty of law
-
Number of students - graduate and undergraduate – number of exchange
students
Total students: 66 944
International students: 1500
-
Study structure
The study structure at SU is quite different from the one I’m used to in
Trondheim. Instead of following lectures in all four courses simultaneously,
and having all exams in the end of the semester, here you finish one course
before starting a new one. The semester is divided in four periods, which last
for approximately one month each, and then you have the exam in the end of
each period. Be aware that some overlapping can occur.
NB! The fall semester is not over until the middle of January, but this depends
on which course you choose.
Course registration
- When and how did you register for courses?
We registered thru e-mail. The Learning Agreement had to be accepted by BI
before we could sign up at the university. The deadline for handing in the
Learning Agreement to BI was 1st of June, and the deadline for sending back
our course selection to the university was 1st of July.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special
events/holidays:
August 25th
September 2nd
January 19th
Throughout
the
whole
semester;
October - January
Events that the
“Senior Buddy
program” arranged.
Events such as; city
tour, formal dinner,
pub crawl +
Arrival
- Describe the introduction week
We had an introduction day, where the school was presented on main campus
(Frescati) Activities at School was also presented on stands.
We were also a part of the “Senior Buddy Program”. Which was an
association that arranged activities for the exchange students, both graduate
and undergraduate. They had several activities throughput the semester.
The International Office
- As an exchange student, did you receive sufficient and relevant information?
Yes. All relevant information was sent out on e-mail during the semester. We
could also sign up for weekly newsletters from the Stockholm University
Student Union (SUS). Every Friday you were given en update about important
things going on in Stockholm and on Campus. That way you will be sure not
to miss out on crucial things like parties, cultural events, support programs and
job opportunities.
Promoting BI and Norway
- What kind of activities were you involved in to promote exchange to Norway
at your exchange university?
There weren´t any arranged activity to promote exchange to Norway.
However all exchange students I’ve gotten to know are all really eager to visit
Norway. I did also talk warmly about Norway to those exchange students I
met.
Social activities
- How was the relationship with native students and that among exchange
students?
The relationship among the exchange students is also good. Exchange students
usually end up hanging out with exchange students. There is room for
socializing almost every day, but it’s up to you if you want to join in on the
activities. The Facebook-group is a very good tool for getting in touch with
each other and keeping up with what’s happening.
-
Are there any special activities, student organizations, and gatherings for
exchange students?
Yes, a lot of activities. They are organized by the Senior Buddy Program,
which is for the exchange students.
Their student organization is called “Föreningen Ekonomerna” or “F.E.S.T.”
We had to sign up to be apart of the buddy program.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
- Describe the teaching style (practical, theoretical, cases/lectures,
formal/informal etc.)
Courses were taught in English.
The teaching was primarily theoretical, but the seminars are supposed to give
you a more practical outlook. You are supposed to write an assignment for
every seminar, in addition there are presentations for several of the seminars.
Some classes have many lectures in addition to the seminars, while others
have only seminars. Depends on the course.
-
How is the level and workload compared to that at BI?
Since each study period is so short, there is a lot to do within a short time
frame. It’s a different study situation because of the structure, but I believe the
level of difficulties is about the same as at BI. But I think it also depends on
which courses you are taking.
The workload is about the same, but it can feel like it’s more since the
structure is different.
-
Are the professors using cases, group work or lectures (or a mix)?
Also depends on the course you take. My courses were mostly based on
lectures, but we had seminars where we had to solve cases and simulations.
Those were mostly done in groups.
-
How is the relationship between faculty and students?
Professors are available by email and phone, in addition to normal classroom
interaction.
Course materials
- Describe the course materials used (books/literature, online articles,
PowerPoint, level of course material etc).
The course materials were okay. Each course had only one book, but we also
had cases, online articles to read, PowerPoints to follow, seminars to attend
and assignments to hand in.
Exams
- Was the exam based on the course materials or on the lectures?
Both.
-
How was the course evaluated
o Final exam (include form: written, oral, home assignment,
presentation, etc.)
o Small assignments and/or papers
o Presentations
o Group work
o Class attendance
o Class participation/debates
Library and technology
- The library is located at the main campus. The library is quite large and has a
lot of resources. In addition, if you want somewhere to study, you can use the
city library (Kungliga biblioteket) or Studentpalatset. Kungliga biblioteket is
located at Östermalm/Stureplan. Closest metro is Östermalmstorg.
Studentpalatset is located by Odenplan, and is a meeting place for the students
in Stockholm SSCO. It does not cost anything, you have free wireless if you
have a university account at Stockholm University and you use your student
card to access the building,
-
How is the access to the computers?
To access computers, printers, wireless etc. at the University you need to
activate a university account. You can do this at the main campus. You can
then use the wireless network at the main campus, school of business and
Studentpalatset.
A good starting page is Mitt SU, where you have access to several useful
links.
-
How is IT used in the teaching or as a distributor of information?
School of Business use ”Fastreg” to distribute information, while the
Stockholm University use “Mondo” (equivalent to It’s learning at BI). Slides
and presentations are uploaded there, as well as the schedule.
Description of courses
I took two courses at the university and the other two through BI. This is not the way
to do it, but it worked out fine.
OPM and COF were both intensive courses. I believe the academic level were the
same as at BI. The language could be a challenge, especially at the OPM exam, where
we weren’t aloud to bring a dictionary (as I understood it).
Be aware that almost all courses have mandatory lectures and seminars. This makes it
more difficult to find courses that match your schedule.
Course code &
name
FE3122 Corporate
Finance (7,5 credits)
Master/
Bachelo
r
Bachelor
/Undergr
aduate
Exam form
Prereq
uisites
Approve Comments
d as
4-hour written
exam
None
Elective
Intensive course
with many
lectures and
seminars on a
short period of
time.
Written exam
worth 100 % of
the grade.
50 % to pass.
FE3226 Operations
Management (7,5
credits)
Bachelor
/undergr
aduate
3-hour
literature
examination
based on Slack
et al.
+
Seminars
including
assignments
based on cases
and
simulations
None
Elective
This course runs
over two periods.
It’s based on
Seminars with
group
presentations and
seminar
discussions
X (Strategy through
BI)
X (Interactive
Marketing through
BI)
On a final note, how will you sum up the exchange experience?
My exchange semester has helped me grow both academically and personally. It has
definitely led to me becoming more independent, outgoing and confident.
Stockholm is an exciting city, where I’ve gotten to know people from all over the
world. My thoughts regarding this semester are how lucky I am to have this
opportunity; the opportunity to experience other people’s culture etc.
I have learned so much about my self; what I’m good at, but also what I need to work
more on. This semester has left me with positive experiences and relationships for life.
It has also been a great influence to my future career.