Study Abroad Report

Steve Biljan (MBA ‘08)

Stockholm School of Economics (SSE)

Spring 2008

Academic Experiences at the Partner School

General Academic Structure

A semester at SSE is composed of two 12 week terms (it’s basically a quarter system, though they don’t call it that). With rare exceptions, each class is completed within one term. Grades are most commonly based on a group project/term paper and a final exam. Though varied, some level of attendance was required in each of my classes. Almost no classes meet at the same specific date, time, and place, but at least the class schedule is known prior to the beginning of the semester – and is generally adhered to.Along with three other Stockholm-based higher edinstitutions, SSE is a member of the Stockholm School of Entrepreneurial Studies (SSES). A course offered through SSES may or may not meet at SSE. The other schools are not extremely far away, though.

Classes Taken and How They Compared to CSOM Courses

I took four classes in total, two each in the different halves of the semester: International Marketing; Venture Capital and Private Equity; Performance, Stress and Well-Being; and Science to Business – Concepts in Biotechnology.

The teaching method of International Marketing was very theory-based, though there were several guest lecturers from the business community. Personally, I didn’t gain a lot from it. Private Equity was case-based and taught by a leading academic within the field. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, finance, or even strategy. The instructor was fantastic, too. Well-Being is another class that I highly recommend. Though it may sound “fluffy” or easy, it’s well-taught, focused, and there is a decent workload.Biotechnology was a SSES class offered at the medical school, Karolinska Institutet (KI). It was mainly comprised of guest lectures, several of which were very interesting for me. Most students came from a medical or engineering background, which offered some interesting learning opportunities, but it also constrained a bit the level of business teaching.

Advising

I didn’t use any of the advising services, though they were available for all exchange students.

Surprises/Comparisons with Academic Environment in the U.S.

I think any surprises/comparisons with the academic environment at SSE would be the same for any of the European schools. SSE clearly doesn’t have the level of resources that Carlson has, which the building and classroom environments bear out. Students do not have much work experience, and teaching isn’t as two-way between the instructor and the students. Classes at SSE are both easier and less rigorous than those at Carlson. Coupled with the lack of other time demands (family, friends, etc.) that one would have at home, it felt a lot like a vacation with a little bit of work sprinkled in. (Not that I didn’t mind.)

Logistics at the Partner School

Orientation/Arrival

I found SSE’s logistics support and orientation to be very helpful. Exchange students were grouped into fours and then assigned four SSE “buddies.” I liked how this exposed me early on to four different SSE students (as well as three other exchange students.) As far as moving in, two of my buddies met me at SSE to give me keys and show me where my room was. Orientation was 2-3 days and offered a nice blend of fun to go along with the more boring rules/regulations stuff. SSE students that were part of the exchange student activity group stayed in contact fairly frequently about various student trips and parties, of which there was probably one per month.

You would most likely be flying into Stockholm-Arlanda, which is well outside of the city. The most convenient way to get into central Stockholm is to take the Arlanda Express ( high-speed train, which offers direct service from Arlanda to the main train station (Stockholm Centralen). There is a 50% discount available for students with proper ID (ISIC or Mecenat). SSE is a 15-20 minute walk from Centralen. Other passenger airports are Bromma (located near the city) and Skavsta (80 minutes away by bus).

Housing

SSE offers exchange students two different housing options: Saltis and Lappis. I stayed in Saltis, which I highly, highly recommend. (I can’t stress that enough.)Each floor has about twelve rooms, two of which are doubles. Single rooms come in two different sizes, which I would consider regular and large. I stayed in a regular-sized room (21 m2), which had a bed, bureau, desk, shelves, night stand, bathroom with shower, and small kitchen (microwave, hot plate, sink, mini refrigerator, cupboards/shelves). I paid 4,500 SEK per month (which was around $750 at the time.) Heat, electricity, water, laundry, and trash are included in rent. Laundry and trash are located in the basement, and there is also a storage cage and bike room down there. The fifth floor has a large kitchen/living area, which is where a lot of the students hang out, though I was only up there a few times.

In my opinion, the absolute best thing about Saltis is its location. (If you’re looking at a map, it’s just south of the Odengatan/Sveavägen intersection.) It is across the street from an SSE building that has PC labs, offices, etc, and it is just ½ a block from the SSE classroom building. The main pedestrian shopping street (Drottningatan) starts 3 blocks or so from Saltis, and there is a metro stop one block away as well (Rådmansagatan – Green Line). By foot, Saltis is about 15 minutes from Kungsholmen, 15 minutes from Sergels Torg, 15 minutes from Centralen, 20 minutes from Stureplan, 20 minutes from Gamla Stan, 30 minutes from Slussen, and 30 minutes from Djurgården. Basically, it’s situated at the northern end of “downtown” Stockholm.

Lappis is located at the University of Stockholm. I never went there, so the following is based from others. Its location doesn’t offer much in the way of convenience as it’s on the edge of the city. Compared to Saltis, rooms are arranged into smaller groups that share a common kitchen/living space. I think the size and quality of rooms are somewhat less than at Saltis. A positive aspect about Lappis is that an exchange student would find it much easier to come into contact with students from other schools within Stockholm (exchange and native). There’s also a student pub located within the complex that offers cheap drinks (relatively, of course) and holds a variety of different parties.

Meals

Like everything else, food was very expensive – especially from a restaurant. I cooked a lot of quick basic meals in my own room – think anything that doesn’t require a lot of ancillary ingredients and is easy to pull with one hot plate. I also cooked together with my neighbor a lot. As far as going out for food, I generally did this at a café or for lunch. Lunch has a strong cultural tradition to the Swedes – it acts as the primary meal of the day and is relatively inexpensive. The only times I went out for dinner to a restaurant were when I had visitors from the U.S. Around SSE, I recommend Café 60 on Sveavägen, Därmed Pasta on Döbelnsgatan, and Non Solo Bar on Odengatan.

One other thing worth mentioning regarding meals is the Swedish tradition of fika. Roughly, this translates into having a coffee with a sweet, but this is a bit of an understatement.Per capita, Swedes drink the 2nd most coffee in the world, and when a café is full of people at 3:00 on a Wednesday afternoon, fika is why. Because of which, there is a plethora of small cafés throughout the country.

Transportation

Stockholm has an extensive public transportation network, from metro to tram to bus. A monthly pass is available that comprises all of the modes. Tickets cannot be purchased on a bus, metro, or tram – this is especially useful to know if regarding buses. If out late, night buses are generally available in the most common places one would need. (The metro tends to close a bit early on weeknights.) I didn’t use public transportation all that often, so I ended up purchasing 10-ticket strips, which can be bought at nearly all convenience stores and newsstands. The price of this in June 2008 was 180 Kr, and purchasing one individual ride on the metro ticket cost40 Kr ( (Note: the strip actually contains twenty “units”, but one ride on a bus/metro costs 2 “units.”)

Student Activity Groups

There are a decent amount of activity groups to get involved in, and they offer great ways to get to know some of the Swedish students. Activity groups are generally free and don’t require a commitment. The most common, and popular, of these are sport-related. I only participated in one, which was a night of playing floorball (hockey with a ball in a gym). While in Stockholm, I was training for a marathonand found my body extremely stressed from adding the additional activity. I did attend a couple of student activity group parties. Information on student groups and events is published in a weekly pamphlet called ATT-Bladet that is available in the school and on the student website.

Host Country Culture

What were some surprises or insights you had into the culture of your host country/school?

Fairly quickly, I learned why much of the Minnesota culture is the way it is. Though there clearly are major differences, I think an analogy of Sweden’s fit within Europe is a fairly good description of Minnesota’s fit within the U.S.

If I were to use two words to describe the Swedish culture, they would be beautiful and peaceful. The people, nature, architecture, design, fashion, climate – all are stunning in their attraction. Taken together with a high degree of internationalness, I think this leads to a certain confidence within the people and the society. This quiet and reserved confidence – though strong –contributes to its feeling of serenity and harmony. It's more social democratic political tradition and policy of international neutrality (which may itself be debated) have probably also had strong impacts on the culture. There are strong views on gender equality, safety, and cooperation.Its "loudness" factor is almost is almost non-existent.

What are your recommendations for ways that other exchange students can learn about and become immersed in the culture?

In advance, you can read travel guides, books on culture, history, language, etc. Getting in touch with the Swedish Institute about various events in the Minneapolis could be of benefit, and there is also a student group at the UofM called Den Svenska Klubben.

While in Stockholm, you could ask questions of people or befriend natives. The Swedes have a reputation of being difficult to know (similar to Minnesotans), but I didn’t find that to be quite so. Privacy and space are strong cultural values, so I do think that you would have to be the one to initiate conversation and contact. Though quiet, I found Swedes to have a very strong sense of pride in their country and its values, and they were happy to talk about it if one asked. Many seemed fascinated with why a foreigner would choose their country to study in, and there seemed to be a high regard for Americans. (This I was surprised at – and I don’t think the presidential primaries were the sole reason for it.)

Did you have the chance to learn a second language? Why or why not?

There are some introductory Swedish lessons offered by SSE. I attended a few of these, and they were useful for some basic words/phrases and pronunciation. I did not know any Swedish in advance, and nearly all people in Stockholm speak impeccable English. This made it somewhat difficult to learn or practice. With a population of around 9 million, most Swedes would be shocked by anyone not planning on living there to learn their language.

Social Life

How would you rate your integration with other students from the host university?How would you rate your integration with other international students?

I got to know a smaller amount of international students really, really well, plus a few SSE students really well and some non-student Swedes, too. I’d rate my integration as being just fine – I found people to be accessible, genuine, and friendly. It does take some time and effort on the part of an exchange student, though, to get to know people outside of other exchange students.

What were some of the best ways you found to make friends and meet people at the host university?

Making a point to sit next and talk to Swedish students is one way, as is attending a social event or student activity group. Buddies and other exchange students are other good ways to network. For me, the best way that I got to know SSE students well was through group work.

What kinds of after-hours and weekend activities would you recommend for other students?

There are a ton of things to do in Stockholm, though there was a definite change in culture and activities once spring came. Swedes live for warmth and sun, and Stockholm is a completely different city in April/May than it is in January/February. (Winters are extremely mild compared to Minnesota standards.) There are some great parks in the city, interesting museums, quirky neighborhoods, and lots more. Soccer and ice hockey have strong followings in the city, and Stockholm also has a very good music scene. The two main areas of nightlife are around Stureplan and Södermalm. As a stereotype, Stureplan is more posh with clubs, while Söder is more laid back with pubs.

If you traveled with your family, how was their integration into the host community? Did you find any particularly helpful resources for them?

N/A.

Other

Budgeting: How much would you recommend students take with them? How much would you say would be the monthly living expenses in the city you lived in including rent/food/misc. expenses?

Even taking the weak U.S. dollar into account, Stockholm is a very expensive city.Including everything, my monthly budget averaged around $3,500.If the exchange rate remains similar, I’d recommend budgeting a minimum of $3,000 per month.Of course, $3,500 sounds extremely high (and it is), but the exchange rate and 25% Swedish VAT tax basically doubled my cost of living.

Do you have suggestions on the types of students who would be well suited to this program?

Students that enjoy challenges, have an interest in experiencing different cultures, are at least somewhat independent in nature, and open to new experiences are well suited to any study abroad program. The cultural similarity and true lack of language barrier probably make Stockholm one of the easiest of the exchange cities to adjust to.

Did you need a visa to enter the country? If so, how did you apply for one and how long did it take to receive?

I did need a student visa in order to be in Sweden longer than 90 days. The process was very easy and prompt. After receiving some official documents from SSE, I mailed my application to the Swedish Embassy in New York. Though it didn’t take long for me to receive the visa, it’s always best to take care of this as soon as possible.The websites (both from the Swedish government) information.

What recommendations would you give to other CSOM students going on this program (to bring, to wear, etc.)?

The climate of Stockholm is similar to that of Minneapolis, minus the extreme cold/heat, so clothing needs weren’t that much different for me. Swedish fashion is pretty distinct and grew on me quite a bit, though.

If you’re a female and are bringing a curling iron or hair dryer, make sure to purchase a powerful enough converter before heading to Stockholm. Any voltage and plug-in converter, of course, are good items to bring along, since they are probably a lot easier to find in the U.S. than in Sweden.

My U.S. cell phone didn’t operate on the same frequency as the European network, so I purchased a cheap cell phone in Stockholm. SSE furnished exchange students with SIM cards, and I ended up purchasing prepaid minutes. Skype is another option of course, but having a cell phone does offer a lot in terms of social convenience.

Since everything is much more expensive in Stockholm, my biggest recommendation is to pack as many personal hygiene items as possible. Not only will their consumption save you money, but it will also free up room as you pack for your return.

What resources did you use to plan your trip or semester travels that you think other students should know about?

I mainly bought a few travel and culture books to get some quick insights into a Sweden’s and Stockholm’s general history and culture. I also talked with people I knew that had studied in Sweden and got in touch with some Swedes that I either knew personally or through someone else.

As far as other trips, I had a good idea of some places I really wanted to travel to before I got here. There are several low-cost airlines that fly out of Stockholm (both Arlanda and Skavsta). Lonely Planet and Rough Guide are the two websites that I used for most of my travel-related questions.