Mobility specification

Country:Sweden

Institution:Örebro University

City:Örebro

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2024/2025

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Education / Department of Civics

Study level abroad:Bachelor

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?yes

Does the university offer enough courses in English?it's alright

Are your credits converted?no

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?What surprised me the most was the friendly and equal attitude of the teachers. We addressed the teachers by their first names and did not care about titles. And also the long deadlines for both students and teachers – we waited a month for exam results and sometimes longer if teachers asked for an exception. The semester was divided into several periods where we had only one subject for a few weeks in each. This was the most significant difference from the Czech system.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?Örebro University offers an orientation programme for all Erasmus students, which lasts several weeks. Apart from getting to know the city, the culture and the university, it gave us a great opportunity to get to know each other. It is definitely better than just one day or one week, by now we are in contact with the local students who took care of us during this program and of course with other Erasmus students. I was scared of Erasmus, but thanks to the orientation programme I started to feel comfortable almost immediately.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?Psychological counseling
Barrier-free access to classrooms and dormitories
Interpretation services
Special examination conditions (e.g., extended time, quiet rooms)
Support for LGBTQ+ students (e.g., safe spaces, counseling services)

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:11000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?The price of food is much higher, but thanks to the accommodation from the school, which was cheap by local standards, it was possible to finance it. The price of services (hairdressers...) is very high and to get an appointment you need an insurance number for most places, which I only got a temporary one and it didn't work, so we didn't get a haircut.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?The second hand shops in Örebro not only have clothes, but also all the household and kitchen equipment, often in really good condition. It's really worth looking at the Facebook marketplace where former students sell things cheaply before they leave. It's also important to apply for student status recognition on the Mecenat app right away, as it takes a very long time and public transport is expensive even with the discount.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?perfectly

How does public transport work in the city?mostly fine

And what about transport outside the city?mostly fine

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?Connections and tickets can be searched in the city's public transport app, which is not difficult to understand, but everything was explained to us by local students as part of an orientation program from the university.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?Must see in Örebro is mainly the castle, but it's prettier from the outside at sunset. And also Max burger in the Behrn arena with a garden right next to the football field!

What are the must-visit trip destinations?On boats on the Svartan River or anywhere in the forest (for blueberries)!

Share your best experience:There's a lot to see in the city, but the best experience was when we got a random notification from the Aurora app at night that the Northern Lights would be visible. We always dropped everything and went outside, sometimes with half-washed hair or a face mask on. We saw the aurora several times right in town, one time it was really strong, multi-colored, circular across the sky. I will really never forget that!

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Plane
Bus

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?No, there is a Flixbus from Stockholm airport directly to Örebro and everything went smoothly.

Can you pay by card?everywhere

What not to forget when packing?Drugstore stuff! There are no drugstores in Sweden and some things are quite hard to find. I really didn't expect to go to a clothing store to buy make-up or razors. But overall, I would have packed rather less, because you can really get a lot of stuff in secondhands. I especially wouldn't pack winter stuff.

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?The fear of a foreign trip disappears very quickly upon arrival and turns into a fear that it will be over too soon.