What makes studying in Sweden so different 🤔?

While preparing to study in Sweden, you hear so much about the education system here. A lot is said about how education in Sweden, and Scandinavia in general, is superior to so many places in the world. To be honest, I didn’t really know what that meant, nor did I think it would make a huge practical difference in my studies on a day-to-day basis. As you probably would have guessed by now, boy was I wrong 😂. I find myself constantly wondering how I even managed to learn in any other way 😅. There are a few things that to me, just make sense now.

ORGANIZED…..It’s so organized

First thing’s first, the system here, as you can see from the title 😅, is SOOO organized. There are a few things that immediately stood out to me.

The first thing was how much time I’ve realized is spent, just planning out the semester. I was a bit surprised to find out that my schedule was not the same every week. I had never studied in a system where the schedule was dynamic.  At first, it was a little bit daunting. I felt like I couldn’t build a routine around my classes. Thankfully, I find that my classes are well spaced and never too long, allowing me to still get other things done during the day. In fact, I was even more surprised to find out that EVERY SINGLE WEEK OF LECTURES AND ACTIVITIES IS PLANNED OUT, even individual and group study time. In other words, the lecturers and course coordinators take the time to outline, week by week, what is going to happen, and I honestly just find that amazing. Knowing in advance that you don’t have to schedule a group meeting for instance, because the lecturer has already prescribed that time for you, is absolutely incredible and pretty mind-blowing.

The second thing that jumped out at me (and I know it sounds a little crazy) is the fact that all the tutorials, all the activities, lectures, group projects, everything is uploaded on time and in full. We never have to reach out to a lecturer about getting access to a set of slides or recordings. It sounds like something so simple, but I’ve learnt that it’s not always something that you can take for granted, even here in Europe.

They actually want you to learn!

I’m doing six courses this semester 😓. Yup, you read that correctly. When I first found that out, it was definitely concerning for me. I came from a background where we were studying A LOT, even doing a similar number of courses, and, in many instances, we never really got the time to properly absorb and understand the things we were learning. That’s where the Swedish education system struck again. Each semester is organized into two academic periods. This means that you have greater emphasis on different courses at different times throughout the semester, allowing you to focus your attention in the areas it is needed. This all means that I can learn and practice content the right way, using the lecture slides and tutorials and asking my lecturers if I have any questions.

In addition to normal lectures, several of my teachers also organized for guest lecturers with industry experience to come and speak with the classes. We also had optional field trips to different industries. I even got to go to a wind farm about 3 hours from the campus for free! In Sweden, there is a recognition that what you are learning in the classroom must be connected to what is going on in the world around you. The schools focus on ensuring that students are properly equipped to add value, and that we don’t go to school just for the sake of it 😊.

They recognize that we aren’t superhuman, we have time to exist

One of the things I love the most about studying here is the pace. Obviously, there are a few times during the semester where I do feel a bit overwhelmed, and that may or may not be my fault 😅. For the most part though, I am pretty comfortable with the pace of study of my programme. I’ve seen where my classmates have the opportunity to travel, even during the semester. We learn a lot here, but we do so efficiently. This allows us to spend time with ourselves and other people, and ultimately discover more about Sweden and the rest of Europe! I don’t think many other programmes or places could even begin to compare!

Is there anything that I don’t like😅?

I must say, I had to sit and think about that question for a while. That in itself is a good thing I think 😆. Universities tend to place major emphasis on the student to staff ratio, and it was something I was wary of coming into my masters. As with any programme, there may be larger courses that you must attend. In my case, there were a few at KTH. Sometimes, when you are in a big course with over 50 people, things can begin to feel a little impersonal which is not always nice. I want to feel like I’m close to my lecturer or my tutor. The thing is, although you might not have as much one on one time with them, I have never seen where my learning was impeded. Teachers have always welcomed questions, comments or concerns from students very openly. In fact, the preference here is for you to address your teachers on a first name basis. That goes to show the type of environment in which we operate as students. It’s also useful to remember that for a lot of us, there may be foundation courses that you have to get done, and these courses will probably be a bit bigger. Chances are though, when you get further into your programme, the classes will get smaller and your interactions with lecturers and teaching aids will increase.

I’ve learnt so much about the Swedish education system in just my first semester! Is there anything else you would like to know? Feel free to comment or leave a question! Also, check out posts by Annamria and Ravi about their experiences in the classroom in Sweden. Talk to you soon!