Student blogs

Applying to universities as a high school student can be quite a stressful and overwhelming task. How am I supposed to choose what university I’ll study at for the next 3-5 years? As an overthinker, I remember asking myself thousands of questions about how it would be like to study at KI. I wished so badly to talk to my future-self who’d have the answers. 

Now, as a KI student, I have compiled answers to some of the 5 main questions that I, as a prospective student, worried about when applying to KI. I’m hoping this Q&A helps answer some of your questions as well!

1. What are my chances of being accepted? Should I even apply?

Forget the statistics, just apply. Yes, when you google the acceptance rate…it looks daunting, but instead of wasting your time doing that kind of research, apply! And when you’ve applied, direct your focus and energy on preparation for your exams instead. I didn’t expect to be accepted- but I was! (As an EU/EEA citizen, I also found that the Swedish application portal is very user friendly. It was the least time consuming application compared to other countries.)

2. What is student life like in Stockholm?…does it exist?

When you google student life in Stockholm… the results you get aren’t exactly what you’d hope for. You’ll likely come across comments like: “Stockholm is notorious for not having a good student life.” I remember reading that and wondering: “If I move to Stockholm to study at KI, would that be at the cost of a student life?” And my answer now is: “No!” Sure, Stockholm is not a student city like Lund or Uppsala, but there’s still plenty to do. From events, sittings, and parties at KI, nights out at KTH (the technical university), or even nights in Uppsala once in a while– you won’t be bored. There’s also many, many student-led organisations you can be part of that accommodate any interests you might have.

3. Will the atmosphere be very competitive? How demanding is the programme?

Nope, there is no super competitive atmosphere! What I find really helps is that there are only 3 grades you can get: a pass, pass with distinction, or a fail. This definitely reduces the pressure on students. And the whole class is there to help each other out, not to compete against each other. We often study together and have each other’s back when topics get hard. Even the second years are there to help out and share notes with us. As for how demanding the program is, it depends on the course, and your educational background. As an IB student, I felt that the workload is definitely manageable, and if you manage your time well you can still have plenty of time for yourself. (Sweden is big on the work-life balance.)

4. Will I be able to befriend the stereotypically anti-social Swedes?

I was told that the Swedes will only hangout with each other since they already know people here and have their own friends. But that wasn’t what I experienced. The Swedes are very friendly, fun and social. They’ve helped me integrate, by teaching me Swedish and introducing me to their Swedish friends. 

5. How will I deal with the darkness and Swedish winter?

This is a really popular question, and a question I’m still not able to fully answer. So far, I’ve kept myself so busy with events, hangouts and my studies that I haven’t been too bothered by how early it gets dark. In a way it’s sort of cozy with all the streets lit up and the Christmas lights decorating the streets. I think a good mindset really helps, as well as making sure you stay active and don’t end up just hibernating at home when it gets dark. The sunsets are also very, very pretty! So right now, I’d say it’s not bothering me much, …but it might be a little too early to say that.

Any other questions/worries on your mind while you’re applying? Leave them in the comments for me to answer! 🙂