Finding Belonging Abroad

The flight was just a few days away, and Miriam Manna ‘24 BSB was nervous. It was a cold winter morning, and although she had all of her belongings packed, she did not feel prepared for the several months she would be living alone in Sweden, studying at the Stockholm School of Economics through the Carlson Global Institute’s Exchange program. It would be her first time leaving the United States, and once she was there she would be completely alone.

“I was nervous about making friends. It was scary, not knowing anyone. I was diving outside of my comfort zone,” said Manna.

Finding Friendship and New Hobbies

Immediately after landing in Sweden a few days later, she recognized some key differences from the United States. Everybody used public transportation in Stockholm, so most roads were devoid of cars. Manna joined them, commuting 20 minutes by train from her apartment. A lot of local students commuted from home, so most students living in the apartments with Manna were international. She was surprised to find that most people she met were fluent in English.

Manna arrived at school the first day feeling anxious, but quickly made friends with a French student and was invited to a cheerleading practice. Although she had no cheer experience, Manna wanted to learn a new hobby while abroad, so she took a chance and fell in love.

“I made some of my closest friends on that cheer team,” said Manna. “We attended a couple of international competitions, the largest of which was in the Netherlands. It was definitely not something I would have ever expected for myself.”

The Swedish Academic Experience

The classroom environment was considerably different than what she was used to. At the end of lectures, students would clap for the professor.

“It was weird, but it made the classroom feel a lot more professional.”

Lectures focused on textbooks and theories, with little practical learning. Unlike at the Carlson School, there was no collaboration between students in the classroom, as professors lectured the entire time.

“The classes were harder. There's no homework really, so I had a class where 75% of my grade was the final.”

Manna took four classes in Sweden, although only two of them, Data Science and Econometrics, applied to her MIS major at the Carlson School. She also took applied marketing  and entrepreneurship growth classes. Although she was in attendance for one Carlson School semester, it was the equivalent of two periods at the Stockholm School of Economics. She took two courses at a time, each for 8 weeks.

Exploring Europe Solo

Class schedules varied week-by-week, which gave her unique opportunities to travel throughout the week. She traveled a lot in her free time, and while occasionally she would travel with friends or visit friends in different countries, she typically traveled solo.

“I have never solo traveled before, and I wasn't really going to Europe expecting to travel alone. But the opportunity came up, and I wasn’t going to stay stuck in Sweden.”

Manna didn’t plan any of her trips ahead of time. Instead, she either asked friends or used ChatGPT to develop a game plan while on her way to the airport. For example, ChatGPT helped her find a secluded beach near Nice, France, where she went cliff jumping. She also visited Ireland, Spain, and Italy.

“My favorite place I visited was Vienna. I loved the royal family homes and gardens. I went to an awesome historical museum that had probably the most impressive collections ever. Vienna was cheap, the people were nice, and there were lots of small street markets to explore for hours.”

A Global Network

Manna returned to Minnesota in early June. Home felt different after her time away, and she is eager to continue to explore the world.

“There's so much more to life than the Twin Cities. There is so much to explore, so much to see, so many different people to talk to. It’s awesome to know that I now have a global network of friends.”

When the fall semester started back up at the Carlson School, Manna found herself comparing her experiences abroad to her experiences back in Minnesota. She felt a sense of reverse culture shock, as she recognized how different the Carlson School is from the Stockholm School of Economics. But she was also grateful for those differences.

“I found a sense of belonging abroad. There's a part of me that I left there, but there's also a new Miriam that I came back with that I didn’t start with. I have a community abroad, and while I left a piece of my heart in Europe with the people I met and the school I attended, I will always belong there, and I won’t forget that.”