Yes, Mom, I am in school #HogsAbroad

While studying abroad, it’s very easy to forget why you’re here. From weekend adventures to a different country or spending late nights talking to your new international friends, you forget that you are still in university.

Sweden’s school system is a very different structure from what I’m use to. In Arkansas, your classes have at least 5 different things that make up your grade. It can be things like attendance points, weekly homework assignments, and test grades. In Sweden you have a final. Maybe a midterm or a presentation worth 10% but basically everything is weighted on that one final. The teachers don’t care if you show up or not. It’s not their responsibility for you to go to class or get good grades. This school system is built on self discipline and I honestly love it.

Not only have I learned so much in my classes here already, but I have also learned how to time manage and work more efficiently through this system. When temptation is all around and distractions run rampant throughout your daily life, you are forced to make those hard decisions on what’s important and what can wait.

 In my international trade theory class, we have a 3 hour lecture, twice a week and they can be hard to get through. After my lecture you can usually find Hayley and I at a coffee shop, spending an hour (or two) on Facebook catching up on news back home and then another 4 studying until we get kicked out because it’s closing time.  

A red bull or a few cups of coffee may be necessary to make it through 3 hour seminars on economic trade functions, but the experience and learning here in Sweden is beyond worth it.

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Read more from Anna at https://annatakessweden.wordpress.com/
Read more about the U of A exchange program with Jönköping University's School of Business at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/exchange/wcobjibs