the process of applying for studies abroad

The program Science in Business and Economics begins with the basics where you study subjects such as business administration, statistics, law and economics. After three semesters you get to choose a main area to immerse yourself in. Either you choose to study business administration which is a main area that deals with entrepreneurship, the company and actors around the company such as consumers, employees, subcontractors and financiers. Or you can choose to study Economics which is a main area about how we should distribute the limited resources we have. It is partly about how consumers and producers act, but also how countries' economies work. I, and most others who study at this program, have chosen to read "business administration". 

During the sixth semester you can choose one of the specializations: accounting, finance, marketing, management or business development. You can either choose to immerse yourself completely in one of the specializations or you can choose from courses in one or more specializations to create a broader education. But before that, during the fifth semester, you have optional studies such as internship, exchange or optional courses. And it is during this semester that I have chosen to travel abroad.

It all started at the 1st of February 2021 when the application period for exchange studies opened, with a deadline on 1 March. The six Universities/countries that I applied to were: 1 Portugal, 2 Portugal, 3 France, 4 Greece, 5 Italy and 6 Spain. The application would include a CV and a personal letter.

On March 19, we received the results from the first selection, and on March 24 I got the final result that I was nominated a place for exchange studies in Greece, and that I was the only student from Umeå who was going to that country unlike many others who applied in groups. The top 5 number of applications in total from Umeå was 71 applications to France KEDGE , 57 to Portugal, 47 to France Montpellier, 42 to France EDHEC and 37 to Czech Republic/Prag. Everyone who is nominated for an exchange via an Erasmus agreement is guaranteed an Erasmus scholarship.

After that, there was a long wait to receive the email from the University in Greece that I got on May 31. I then had to fill in another application form and before the 25th of July I had to hand in the completed and signed application as well as a variety of documents. It was not until July 30 that I received information about the courses for the academic year with their descriptions and information about the orientation period, first day of classes and so on. The courses that I have applied for, with a total of 36HP, are: Consumer Behavior, Innovation in Organizations, Advertising and Communication Management, Economics of Globalization, Legal Aspects of European Integration and Wireless Networks and Mobile Communications. 

At Athens University of economics and business the orientation period begins on October 4th, and the first day of school is October 11th. Last day of classes is January 25th followed by the exam period that ends at the 25th of February. That the school starts so late is not a problem as I will work at my job here in Umeå until I move, but my next semester in Sweden (spring 2022) starts in January which will be a bigger problemwhich I have not solved yet... 

But as I try to tell myself: everything will be fine.