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What should I know when moving to Sweden?

What should I know before moving to Sweden?

  • I'm a single, 22 year old male from the United States and am moving to Uppsala, Sweden in August for graduate school. I'm currently learning Swedish, but other than language skills what should I know ahead of time to improve my two years in the Nordic country.

  • Answer:

    I've been an Exchange Student in Uppsala during the first half of 2008, and the following is part of the very first email I received from my kind tutor Ulrika :) The Swedish system ------------------ Since you all come from different university systems, with difference backgrounds, it is hard to give general ideas about the differences between Sweden and other university systems, but still, based on our experience, we will try to give a few hints: * First, and most importantly at this stage. Answer any e-mails or paper mails from Uppsala promptly. Do not wait until the dead-line, but react as soon as you get a question or a form to fill in. Further, feel free to contact us at any time. We, in our turn, will try to answer you fast. * We require that you read your e-mail regularly so that we can contact you if needed, and that your make an effort to communicate with us. If you change your address, please let your teachers, your coach and you tutor know. In a similar way, we feel obliged to answer your mails within reasonable time. Do not hesitate to remind us. * You are more independent in Sweden. No-one will check your result during the academic year. As said above, you have to take a large responsibility for your the choice of courses, that you make the labs, etc. There is no compulsory attendance on lectures (but frequently on labs - check!). Our system demands a great degree of maturity - you are responsible for your own results. If, at any moment, you hesitate about anything, check with your coach. We are here to assist you. In other words: You are your own manager in Uppsala and have, yourself, the full responsibility for your results. * It is always wise to ask questions, to whomever it might be, and whatever the subject might be. Your coach can answer questions on many issues and can give valuable advices. Particularly if he does not know, he normally knows how to find out. * An exchange student once said that the Swedish university system seemed like a "loosely connected distributed system". That is a good description. * The contact between teachers and students is informal. You can knock on the door to your lecturer's office, and ask questions about the course. It is also normal to use the given names to teachers as well as to us. * You will get a well-coming package from the university at your arrival, containing hints about what to do, and what not to do in Sweden. We would just want to hint you about one cultural rule (which is important for us): be on time for meetings. Being three minutes late is a reason to apologize. ------------------ I could add a lot more about my awesome experience there, but the most important thing I'd like to tell you are: be prepared for dark and cold. In the winter time these are the hardest things to deal with, but as a young student you shouldn't have any problem finding ways to distract yourself :) Just don't underestimate it, i also mean at mental level. You'll go there in the worst period of the year, because the bad season is approaching, and the daylight will be consistently less every day that passes. On the contrary, the spring and summer time is amazing. I come from Italy, and even in my country I've never seen so much energy explode during the transition from the bad weather to the good one. You'll feel full of energy throughout all the day (which is veeery long!). Women are very self-confident, and it's not strange to see them approaching you to talk maybe more than how much happens in your country; this is mostly thanks to a real equality of sexes which is very important for them. Also remember that Swedish people just *love* US people. They're inspired by them so much, and admire your country a lot. So feel free to ask anyone for help or anything you would need, they'll always use the best kindness they know to give you advices. In the end, Sweden is a wonderful country. There are some of the best landscapes in the world, so remember to travel a lot, especially at north. Try to see the northern lights, get to Cape North (mmhhkay, this is actually in Norway, but..) or at least Kiruna. From Stockholm is also easy and cheap (look for last minutes offers) to travel with ships to other near countries, I strongly suggest you Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia). These are also great occasions to meet people, as they're equipped with everything to party during the night travel :) (Northern lights at the Ice Hotel, Kiruna) What else can I say? Just don't miss Valborg next years (it's been in these days, at the end of April), which is a huge party for the whole city: This image could look scary, but it's a very nice occasion to party for students. There's also a handmade boat race for teams, which occurs in the river Fyrisån, that flows through the city. By the way, I don't know you, so I can't say what you like to do: this is just my general experience, which I hope you and some other people could find useful. If I had to summarize all the advices in one word, I'd say: RELAX. Unfortunately the modern world keeps us under pressure, and we always feel we don't have enough time to do anything. But Sweden is a peaceful relaxing country, people smile and there's a light sky (yeah, I can spot a different shade of blue compared to Italy), and the air is cool and fresh. Take your time to learn to love Sweden and especially Uppsala, and it'll love you back. Bonus content: if you decide to live in a students accommodation, even for a while, Flogsta is the best one to have fun. It's full of people from all over the world, and you have all the ingredients to experience the most crazy nights of your life :) Even if you're not going to live there, don't miss the occasion to go there from time to time. Just to give you an example of the crazyness of this magic place, here's an extract from Wikipedia: "Every evening at 10 p.m. the "Flogsta scream" may be heard, when students scream collectively from windows, balconies and roof tops. There is controversy over how the tradition started. Some locals say it was simply a stress reliever, which started during exam times and then became a daily occurrence." Lycka till!

Lorenzo Marcon at Quora Visit the source

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I'm Swedish, I'm living in Uppsala, I have studied in Uppsala and I know a few things that I would prepare my self for if I came here. I believe the best thing to know is that you will have all the freedom in the world to use your time as you see fit. This might be used to spend 2y doing nothing than party and I can assure you that the students of Uppsala know how to... If you are focused on the academic part of your visit, make sure you build a social circle around this as well, either at the student federations (Nationerna) or via your grad school students association, pending your master you might find this to be either highly developed or very limited (due to the significance of the general student federations in Uppsala). Knowing and being able to both articulate your goal and some relevant measures with the 2years I would say is the most important preparation you can do, else the choices and freedom you find is likely to overwhelm you and after 18months you will find yourself wondering how things moved that quick. I'm sad to say that Swedish language skills might be wasted, other than in possibly the dating scene as a ice breaker or if you major in linguistics or have a strong interest in the subject as such ... I know several people that have lived in Sweden for 10+y that hardly learns Swedish and have no or very limited negative impact from it. On the other hand I know of people that after 3 months speak rather fluent Swedish and love the ability to engage in the new language. The other response from Lorenzo covers most of the cultural and other parts you might need, take close advice of that. The only small thing I would not agree with is that August and September is probably two of the best months in the year and you will still enjoy some light before 6 months of cold and darkness.

Per Kangru

I'm a part-time professor at Uppsala University's Gotland Campus. Having gone to undergraduate school in the US, one thing that I find really extraordinary is the relaxed Swedish attitude to grading. This doesn't matter to you as much anyway, since you're a graduate student, but there are only three grades: Fail/Incomplete, Good, and Very Good. Students don't come and argue about turning a B+ into an A-, and stuff like that. Also, if you fail an assignment, you have multiple opportunities to do it again. They don't seem to have any concept that students are competing with one another, so there's no issue of needing to be fair to them by holding them all to the same deadline.A few other things... the only alcohol you can purchase in the grocery store is near-beer: 3.5% or lower. For stronger beer, wine, or anything else you have to go to the government liquor store, which is called Systembolaget. The prices are decent, but the opening hours are odd -- if you plan to stock up for a Saturday night you have to go in the morning, because it closes on Saturday afternoons.If you live in an apartment building you will probably have shared laundry facilities. These often come with a system for reserving 4-hour blocks of time; typically a board  with a schedule on it and a removable lock, unique to you, that you can lock into the time slot you want. There will also be a big room somewhere nearby with a ton of different garbage and recycling cans. Brännbart is the word for ordinary garbage, but there will probably also be bins for metal, glass, plastic, paper, and compost (food waste). These will usually be labeled with pictures. Plastic and glass drink bottles, and possibly metal beer cans (not sure) can be returned at the supermarket for money.Tipping in restaurants is 10%, not 15 or 18 or whatever insane amount is current in the US. Wait staff are paid a living wage in Sweden, so it really is a extra for good service, not a morally obligatory service charge. I don't tip taxi drivers at all unless I have a ton of luggage, nor delivery people.

Ernest W. Adams

Lorenzo and Per have covered most of what you need to know so I'll just add some minor notes in no particular order. Note that I'm born and raised here in Sweden so this is an insider's perspective and may be a bit skewed. Get a cheap bike Uppsala is a very bike-friendly town and biking is the normal way to get around for students and many others. However, bike theft is also very common so get a cheap one and/or a very good lock. Most Swedes are friendly and love to speak English If you wonder about something, just ask. Odds are that if the person you ask can't help you they'll know who can. Many Swedes think Swedes in general are reserved and that may be true... if you compare us to stereotypical Italians or Frenchmen. Most Swedes are very easygoing and friendly. Everyone takes several years of English in school and most are eager to practice it on a native speaker. Live in a student corridor if you get the chance It's one of the best ways to get to know people, and you'll always have someone around if you need to ask questions. Join a student nation The student nations are the heart of student life in Uppsala. They have many clubs and extra-curricular activities, along with relatively cheap food and drinks. Working in a student pub is another way to get to know people and make a bit of extra money. Uppsala is lovely, but visit Stockholm as well It's less than an hour away by train and there's a lot to see there. There are many cultural differences between the US and Sweden, but most of them you'll learn the not-so-hard way of just spending time with Swedes. The one thing we enjoy almost as much as practicing our English it's explaining how Sweden works to foreigners. Good luck!

Anders Gabrielsson

My perspective is as American, who's lived in Uppsala for the past 12 years. I earned my teaching degree at Uppsala University. For me it was easier to succeed academically in Sweden than when I studied in the US. If you don't pass an exam here, you get to re-take it instead of doing the entire course over. Although I usually passed everything the first time, I knew folks who took the same tests two or three times before getting a pass. As for Swedish, the more you learn the less isolated you will feel. It generally takes about 6 months to understand the basics. Yes, Swedish people speak very good English, but conversations tend to revert back to Swedish after a while. I found that rather uncomfortable at times, especially after the first few months when homesickness sets in. Finally, I concur with the other answers about life as a student and what a nice place Uppsala is. Enjoy your time in Europe. Walking around a city that was established eons ago, seeing runestones from viking times and realizing how young our country is by comparison is an amazing experience. I made a website a few years ago where you can see some photos and read more about the city. http://www.echorider.com Cheers!

Sue Pathkiller

I agree with most of the things already said! I studied In Malmö in 2010 and lund in 2012 so not Uppsala (or nearly as cold) but in general, joining (and participating) in a student union, grabbing a bike, also preparing mentally for the winter months is good advice. Not sure where specifically you're from but being from California and it suddenly being so cold and so dark and often having less classes and human interaction was hard. I invited people over a lot! We had "paper writing parties," wine and cheese nights anything to not get too lonely. some other things id add are:everything is expensive in Sweden! (Compared to the US). No matter how much you mentally prepare, it Still gets you haha. I'd imagine being 22 (I turned 21 in Sweden) alcohol is one of your favorite pastimes. Bring some if you can! Your friends will enjoy it and it will go a long way :) There's an interesting 15 minute rule where your lectures typically don't start or your not late until 15mins past. Id still be on time! But don't be shocked if you arrive to a 13:00 class 10 minutes early and no ones there. Everyone will be there and things will be underway by 13:15 oh! Swedish. It's admirable you're trying to learn it before arriving. As many have said, most people speak English and will actually revert to English every time you start to try your broken Swedish, but it's helpful for directions, reading maps, calling the doctor, etc haha - if you're on a 2 year course you should have the chance to take SFI (Swedish for immigrants/S-F-E) for free. Take it if you can. My first masters I had all the free time in the world, my second masters I could hardly breathe let alone add in sfi, but its really helpful! if possible, book return flights in advance, from home (cheaper), probably smart to bring as many products as possible from home (cheaper lol), OH! And the Swedish grading system is a lot different. In general I guess just be open minded,  embrace the difference. I remember creaking out over my first C, the cost of cheese and difficulty distinguishing between köttfärs, nötfärs etc, etc and those are my only regrets. Swedens amazing and you're gonna have the best time :) (may even end up like me never wanting to leave haha)

Jasmin Nicole

" The most fun way of travel around Europe is by renting your own car, companies like Hertz, Europcar and Avis is usually available in every major city.." says our Swedish Guest Author Robert Lindhe-Rahr. He gives tips on how to travel from his own experiences. Hear what he has to say about the beautiful country of https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweden/113371425340197. http://www.videsitraveller.com/europe/sweden/ Follow us- http://on.fb.me/Uu2eJj

Amit Rao

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