Details

• Sweden
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

Before applying I didn’t really inform myself about Göteborg as it only was quite low on mx priority list, but in general I can recommend to prepare well for the interview. Think about outstanding reasons why you would like to study there, show a passion for the country/city/culture, be informed about the current political situation, and have a look into possible courses you want to study. Other than that, the application process isn’t really complicated and you don’t need any special documents for the application in Göteborg. The first thing I would do is apply for the student housing incase you want to get a place in a residential home as there is sort of a queue with first come first serve. Additionally I would get in contact with the other people going from WU to Göteborg and also with former exchange students from the destination to get some more tips and recommendations. When it comes to packing take the different trips into account you will do, like Lappland where you definitely need warmer clothes than in the city. Follow the Insta accounts of the uni and the student unions to get all the relevant information about deadlines and events. @h.h.g.s, @esngoteborg, @handelshogskolangb, @intuhandels, @student.gu, @goteborgcom

2. Accommodation

Accommodation search experience For me accommodation search was pretty hard as I wasn’t accepted for student housing in the first place which made me panic a bit. I found my apartment on Airbnb where I just asked my tenant if it is possible to rent the place for a longer time, which made it cheaper than renting via airbnb. In the end I would have been able to select a student housing room in the second round of applications. There are quite a few options to find apartments other than student housing: Airbnb, Facebook groups, QASA, Blocket, Waterfront Cabins Accommodation type (student residence/private) My apartment was a private shared space. I lived there with another German girl and we just shared a kitchen and a bathroom. Location, safety, and proximity to the university I really loved the location of my accommodation as it was very central. I lived in Linne, which is a very central location and I always felt very safe there, as there were always young people around. I only had a 10 minute walk to Uni, a 20 minute walk to the city center and a 10 minute walk to Slotskogen, which is a big public park in Göteborg. Tips I wish I’d known beforehand When looking for accommodation I feel like it’s most important to consider the location as it has a huge influence on the whole experience. Have a look at the possible public transport connections to places like uni and the city center as some housing options are quite far away. I can recommend to stay on the south side of the river as this is the saver area, better connected to the public transport network and is more walkable.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus of Handels is smaller than the one of WU, it is one building where most of the classes for business and law students take place. There also is a library in the building and one on the other side of the street and many other nice ones around town. The building also has a cafeteria with a lunch menu and many microwaves to heat your meal prep as this is pretty common in Sweden. The academic culture was different than at WU as it was a bit less formal (you address your Profs with their first name). The design of classes was somehow similar to WU as there often were lectures without mandatory attendance and then seminars with compulsory attendance. The form of teaching however was a bit different as I had a few courses without an exam but assignments as form of assessment. Instead of exams there was a higher focus on academic writing so most of the time you had to write assignments. 3 of there 4 courses I participated in were for exchange students only, so there were no local students at all. The courses focused on social science and history about mainly Sweden which was quite interesting. The grading was mid, as I feel like it isn’t very easy to get an A. The biggest difference to WU is that the semester is divided into quarters so you only have one 7.5 ECTS course each quarter.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport is fine. During the warmer time I biked and walked pretty much everywhere, as it was cheaper and nice to see the city. The public transport ticket was about 150€ for three months or about 3€ for 90 minutes. For biking there is Styr & Ställ where you can get a monthly abo for 8€ and there are stations all around town. The safety situation is very well, at least on the south side of the river and in the parts of the city that are closer to the center. In the bars and the center there are quite a lot of securities so I always felt save there as well. When I was walking home at night I was feeling very safe at all times as well and especially on the weekends there is pretty decent public transport at night as well. In terms of activities there is so much to do in Göteborg and the surrounding area. I´ll attach a Google Maps list with some of my favorite places and activities. As there are student unions in Sweden, there is quite a lot of events to attend organized by them. In the beginning there are a lot of events from INTU and ESN for the new exchange students which are a great place to get to know other people and get to see first bits of the city. There is another student union called Handels IF which organizes many different sport events, like a weekly run club which was a lot of fun to attend. Additionally there is HHGS, which is the biggest student union I think. They have a weekly pub on Wednesday, which is on campus of Handels and always a fun and cheap place to pre drink. The city offers a lot of sports options as there are many different sport clubs, gyms and a lot of surrounding nature for hiking. I played field hockey at Valhalla HC, which was such a nice team and I can only recommend them even for beginners. I highly recommend doing lots of trips to cities like Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo as they are all reachable within 4 hours from Göteborg. Additionally I loved the ESN trip to Gotland and to Lappland (must do!!) and the Sea Battle was a very fun experience as well. I would recommend to get the ESN card for discounts for the ESN trips, their events and things like Ryanair. Additionally the HHGS membership is crucial for discounted public transport, access to Handelspub and for some other discounts.

6. Testimonial

My Erasmus in Göteborg was as cheesy as it sounds the best time! I can only recommend coming here as the city is the perfect size for spending one semester. Sweden is such a livable country, the people here are great and there is a huge international student community in Göteborg. Spending a semester abroad is such a great time as you leave your comfort zone, get to know so many amazing people and make tons of unforgettable memories.