Hey! It’s Martyna here, and I would like to share some tips on essential things you should get before coming to Sweden! It’s so soon until you print your boarding passes, jump on a plane and arrive in Sweden!
Accommodation
When I moved into my SSSB apartment in Lappis, the room was unfurnished. I remember buying a wifi router, the first thing that I got. Usually, all of the SSSB accommodations are unfurnished, but no worries! You could definitely find Facebook groups such as “Lappis market”, where people who are moving out sell furniture for a fair price! I think every accommodation has one! Try typing in the Facebook search engine! Other options: Stockholm’s Facebook market and Blocket! You can read more in my previous post here! Perhaps it would be a good idea to get a sleeping bag for your first night? Just in case you won’t find a bed straight away! If you are planning on living in a corridor room at one of the SSSB accommodations, cutlery, pots, and plates will be provided for common use. Of course, you can buy your own!
Documents and cards
It’s super important to bring your passport and ID card. I brought with me both and, additionally, my driver’s license that I carry with me every day and am not scared to lose! To apply for a personal number, you will need a passport!
Medication
Before coming to Stockholm, make sure to get prescribed medicine supplies for a longer time. Once you get a personal number and register at the healthcare centre, you will be able to top them up, but it will take some time! Other pharmacy medicine will be available here. However, it is not the cheapest one. Also, in Stockholm, you won’t find the “Theraflu” type of medicine (that you drink as tea) to help fight cold, so I usually bring it with me when I travel from my own home country! Get some essential medicines when travelling, in case of not feeling well, such as paracetamol or stomach pain relievers.
Glasses/contacts
During your studies here at KTH, most likely, you will read a lot. A good thing to do is to get your eyes checked before coming to Sweden. In case you need stronger glasses or ant-blue light protective glasses.
Dentist appointment
I would suggest going see a dentist before coming to Sweden in advance. Here, dentist appointments are expensive. However, if you have insurance in Sweden (European health insurance card works here) or bought your own insurance, you get to receive free dental care until the age of 23!
Snacks for travelling!
Check what time you will land at the airport. Depending on the working hours, maybe it would be a good idea to grab some snacks from home! The food at the airport is pricy as everywhere else…Since you will be new to the city, it can take a bit of time to find the closest supermarket or food store.
Winter/summer clothes
There is no problem finding winter clothes here in Sweden. However, if you have your favourite jacket or thermal layers, I would definitely grab those! In summers, it can get hot here, and a swimsuit is necessary for your full Stockholm experience!
Study essentials:
Laptop
I would recommend bringing your laptop with you for many reasons! It is easier to find study material online since KTH has access to many research sites. You will probably log in to those sites through your KTH account, and it will open doors for many valuable materials. I found banking transfers easier to make on the laptop. Accessing the SSSB website, you will be able to book laundry washing and much more! What kind of computer is up to your preference and up to your study programme. I have a vintage MacBook that looks nice. However, for architecture, I should have bought a powerful Windows laptop that has more storage and a better graphics card to run all the software! Plus, many softwares for Apple are not free in comparison to Windows…!
Storage & USB drive
When I was working on my last project, I used computers in the school of architecture. The school computers provide a private storage space where you can store and work on your files safely! In the end, I think having a USB drive is super handy! I got one, 128GB for 140kr, which I think it’s a great price! Regarding physical storage, in the school of architecture, we were given private cupboards with a pin code to keep our laptops and all the values safe!
Notebooks & other supplies
You can surely buy all the study supplies here in many office and art shops. To get cheaper deals, online shopping is another option! Just takes a few days!
You could read how much it costs for Raygo to live in Stockholm and Lorenzo’s expenditure can be found here! Mine is linked here!
Have a nice week, everyone!
//Martyna