Kyra: Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Master’s in Sweden

Swedish Academic Culture

Studying in Sweden really is your own responsibility. While that is very similar to the approach in the Netherlands, I learned that for many of my fellow students this could be quite a challenge. We had very few contact hours, lots of self-study and professors will trust you to figure things out on your own. They will not come to you or give reminders that you need to hand in work. I also did not expect there to be so many group discussions, the number of articles I needed to present in the first six months of my masters’ might have been more than what I had to do in my whole bachelor’s degree.

My tips for you? Read the study guide carefully, put important dates in your calendar and show up for that one lecture a week. Not only is it great that you get to see your classmates and get out of the house, it will also make it less likely that you will miss anything important.

They don’t just give anyone a bank account

I think the logistics of setting things up in Sweden was something that I underestimated the most. To get a Swedish phone number, you first need to get a Swedish bank account, to get a Swedish bank account, you first need a Swedish personal number. By November I finally had everything figured out, three months after moving here. So do not wait too long with requesting that personal number. The whole process can be a bit of a hassle, but the sooner you start, the sooner it will all be done.

You might wonder if you really need a Swedish bank account or phone number. In theory you could definitely live here without it, but especially if you are doing a two-year programme I would highly recommend. Your Swedish bank account is also used for a digital identification system called BankID. This will allow you to have access to not only banking, but also healthcare systems, government websites and even for picking up packages. Once you have this, your everyday life will become much easier.

Making friends

Don’t have too many expectations about befriending the locals. While they are very kind, they are also very reserved, and it will take time before they warm-up to you. Your fellow international students are your best bet, as being an international student can be a bit lonely sometimes. I think one of the best decisions I made, is going to as many of the introduction events as possible and accepting invitations from people to hang-out at other occasions. This allowed me to meet a bunch of people and from there I have made a few very good friends. It might be a bit awkward in the beginning, but it is definitely worth it.

Which part of student life in Örebro are you most curious about?