Viktor spent a semester in Prague
Viktor Ottosson studied sociology at Master's level. In the second semester, it is possible to choose different specializations and Viktor chose to study abroad. He spent a semester at Charles University in Prague. At some point you have to step out of your comfort zone and try something new, he says.
The Erasmus programme offers favourable conditions for European students to study at other universities, and the University of Gothenburg has agreements with several different European universities. Information about which agreements apply and the conditions can be found on the Student Portal or the study counsellors can help.
– I thought it would be interesting to see how it differs between different countries, and there are certainly differences, but they are not that big, I studied five courses in parallel and all examinations were at the end of the semester, for my part at the end of June, says Viktor.
Open lectures
In the Czech system, when you start studying at Charles University in Prague, you are not guaranteed a place on the different courses. This naturally created some uncertainty, but it turned out to be unjustified.
– During the first two weeks, you could attend different types of open presentation lectures for the different courses and then you made your choice. For me, this meant that I had to change two of the five courses I had planned to take. The alternatives were very good, but I just had to get them approved by the University of Gothenburg so I could take them, but that was no problem.
Cheap to live
Living in Prague is cheap, so Viktor managed on the Erasmus scholarship and another scholarship he had received earlier. He arranged his own accommodation. The university has cheap solutions, but then you have to live with several students in the same room.
– On the university website there were links to people who rented out rooms to students, which is quite common, and I found a room that was interesting. Of course, I didn't pay anything in advance, but when I came down I met the landlord, looked at the room and put a monthly rent in deposit.
– There were students from Eastern Europe, Russia, Germany and England living in the same house as me.
In his spare time, Viktor got to know a lot of students from both the Czech Republic and Slovakia and spent a lot of time with them. These experiences were a good complement to his theoretical studies at university.
Valuable experiences
Although the differences between studying in Sweden and the Czech Republic were not so great, they gave Viktor a lot of new experiences.
- I think being forced to try new things is very valuable for me in the future. It is easy to stay in the same rut and then a semester abroad can be very valuable. So my advice to those who are considering it: just go for it.
