16/05/2021
Hey, I’m Michael Schaffner, an INSEEC Atlantis Student currently at LIU. My experience so far in Sweden has been positive even with COVID. Sweden has amazing sceneries from frozen lakes and northern lights to large forests and abundant wildlife, but also a never-ending winter. I encourage students to not only visit the “big cities” like Stockholm, Malmö, and Göteborg, but also to rent car and explore. You can find cheap Airbnb houses for a big group.
The culture is much different in Sweden, people are very polite, introverted, and usually speak amazing English (even older generations). I would say that I have struggled with the conflict of the avoiding nature of Swedes as I am usually quite straightforward, but it is nevertheless a great skill to have in learning to adapt to one’s culture and trying to understand the implicit cues, habits and « way to see things. » As consequence, international students have to go towards them, which is quite counter intuitive to me at least. Having Swedish roommates (corridor with your own room + shower) that you can get to know on a deeper personal level will help you blend in. Once you make the effort to start a conversation and open up they will do the same, and you will build relationships with interesting people as a result.
Regarding classes, they were online, but the campus was open, meaning you could grab a coffee and study at the library. The campus is really awesome, and different to what you will find in France. The courses are interesting and you only have one class at a time, a lot of freedom is given to you, so it is up to you to have your own schedule and discipline.INSEEC