Madeleine in Stockholm

My exchange semester in Sweden included all the clichés like going to Ikea, enjoying Fika, and daily sunsets at 3 am; however, what particularly fascinated me about Stockholm was the calm atmosphere of the city. I still don’t know if it was the soothing water in and around the city, the tranquil nature close to Stockholm, or just the Swedes who seemed to be very relaxed about basically everything (the cold, exams, etc.).

In terms of academics, I not only learned Matlab, but also to take reading lists seriously. My courses were more metrics-focused and reading-based than what I was used to. I also had to get used to addressing professors by their first name, but it was nice that the smaller classes allowed for very interactive courses.

During my stay, I lived in a dorm with 3,000 students which was a huge contrast to the calming atmosphere of the actual Stockholm city. Having its own supermarket, gym, etc., almost made the dorm a city itself. Living there, my exchange semester was never boring!