Details

• Sweden
• MAMgmt-14
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

Coming from the Master in Management, the application process for my exchange semester was not an issue at all and felt very straightforward. The communication with Stockholm School of Economics was excellent, and the process was well structured and easy to follow. I highly recommend attending all information sessions, as they provide very useful guidance for the preparation phase. It is also important to familiarize yourself with the university portal early on and keep track of deadlines and required documents. In general, preparing in advance—such as looking for housing early, joining WhatsApp groups, and organizing all important documents in one folder—makes the whole experience much smoother. The SSE administration is very well organized, and the coordinators are always approachable and helpful if any questions arise.

2. Accommodation

I applied for Allihoop in Spånga, and the whole process was very relaxed and uncomplicated. Housing there is organized in shared apartments with around eight people living together, and two apartment units are usually connected, so you end up sharing the space with roughly 16 people in total. This creates a very social and pleasant living environment, and it’s a great way to meet many new people during your exchange semester. Allihoop is located a bit outside the city, which you have to accept, but in return the rent is relatively affordable. Getting into the city is still easy: you usually take a bus to Spånga station and then the commuter train (Pendeltåg) into central Stockholm. From there, you can either walk or switch to the green metro lines (17, 18, or 19) to reach Stockholm School of Economics. Overall, the commute takes around 30–40 minutes and is very manageable thanks to Stockholm’s efficient public transport system.

3. Academic life at host university

Stockholm School of Economics is a very small university, which means that there are only limited learning and study spaces available in the main building. During my stay, the library was unfortunately closed, so most students used alternative spaces. The House of Innovation is a good place to study, although it can be quite loud at times. Overall, the small size of the school creates a very familiar and close-knit atmosphere: you quickly get to know many people and recognize familiar faces on campus. At the same time, the academic culture at SSE is very demanding. Teaching is mostly lecture-based, but the workload and expectations are high. Compared to WU, the courses felt more challenging overall, especially due to the strong academic rigor of the curriculum. In my personal experience, achieving a Very Good grade is manageable, but receiving an Excellent is significantly harder and requires a substantial time investment. Excellent grades are capped at around 20–25% of students per course, which makes top grades particularly competitive. Finance and economics courses tend to be more demanding than soft-skill-oriented courses.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport in Stockholm works very well and is reliable. There is no semester ticket, so students need to wait for their Mecenat card in order to purchase discounted student tickets. Once this is set up, getting around the city is easy and efficient. In general, Stockholm feels like a very safe city, especially in central areas, although some suburbs can feel slightly less safe, particularly at night. Overall, however, safety was not a major concern during my stay. Everyday life in Stockholm is very pleasant. There are clubs open almost every evening, and there is usually something going on, especially in the city center. At the same time, people tend to be rather reserved at first. Stockholm is a very beautiful city, but especially in winter the limited daylight and grey weather can be challenging and sometimes even feel a bit depressing. Nevertheless, the overall quality of life is very high, and once you settle in, it is a great place to live and study. In terms of leisure activities, options are more limited during winter, apart from museums and indoor activities. On the other hand, nature is very close to the city and easily accessible. For sports, the student association SASSE offers various courses and activities for students.

6. Testimonial

Overall, SSE is a great place to go on exchange and offers a very intense but rewarding experience. The academic workload is honestly quite demanding, but at the same time you meet many inspiring people and make a lot of new friends throughout your stay. SSE organizes a wide range of high-quality events, many of which are free, such as company events, lunch lectures, or wellbeing initiatives, and I would highly recommend attending as many of them as possible. Beyond studying, I can strongly recommend making the most of your time in Scandinavia and traveling while you are there. Trips to Norway or Lapland, for example, are incredible experiences, and seeing the Northern Lights is something you should definitely take advantage of. Getting to know the country, the culture, and the people is a crucial part of the exchange experience. Stockholm itself is a very beautiful city, and while the semester can be academically challenging, it is absolutely worth it. If possible, I would recommend living closer to the city rather than far outside, as this allows you to fully immerse yourself in student life. Overall, it was an intense but very memorable exchange semester, and I would definitely choose SSE again.