Information for parents of students in Sweden

How to help your child adapt quickly and successfully in the new environment that awaits them in Sweden?
What advice and guidance should you give them before leaving, but also after they are already studying in Sweden?
Dear parents,
Your child’s decision to study in Sweden can be a rewarding and exciting opportunity for a better life and a successful professional career. As with most parents, such a decision is likely to cause you some anxiety and uncertainty. We know that the questions you are asking yourselves are many and will grow over time. Rest assured that you are making the right choice. The education in Sweden will make your child much more responsible, independent and confident. The opportunities they will receive thanks to the experience gained in Sweden will differ from those elsewhere. Let’s summarize some of the advantages:
- Studying in Sweden will help your son / daughter grow personally and academically.
- After completing their education, students return more responsible, more independent and better prepared for life’s challenges.
- They gain confidence and intellectual maturity, which distinguishes them from others of their age.
- They acquire skills that they could not develop in the universities in the home country.
- They improve their ability to communicate in a multicultural environment.
- They increase their ability to communicate in a foreign language.
- They establish contacts with people from different countries.

What is our role and how will we help you?
By choosing Danbul Study as your consulting agency, you get not only professionals with the experience of graduates in Scandinavia, but also friends whom you can always count on in difficult times. We are the only agency that will ALWAYS answer inquiries and find answers to the problems that your child will face on the spot in Sweden. Whether you need our help only after 3 days or only after 3 years, we will respond whenever you call us!
At the very beginning, you can expect from us an interest in your child’s ambition and help in choosing the right educational program that will meet their wishes. We will work with them to find out their strengths and help them reach their potential! You will find a personal mentor who will set the bar high and will prepare your child for the reality in Sweden – both in terms of education and everyday life. It is important for us that the students face some of the problems while they are still in Bulgaria, which will allow them to deal with them much easier when they set foot in Sweden.
How important is your support as parents?
Your role is extremely important! The step towards education outside your own country requires a great deal of courage, ambition and desire for success! It is important to support your children to pursue their dreams, even if you are not fully convinced that they are capable of succeeding. Very often they outperform themselves when you show them that anything is possible if you work hard and pursue your goals! Over the years we have been amazed more than once by the die-hard attitude, desire, ambitions and achievements of the students who worked with us! They expect only support and security from you in the most difficult moments, when they will ask themselves if they can really cope! Don’t let them down! Encourage them and make them feel independent – let them cook their favorite food on their own, wash their clothes or iron their shirts! This will be of great benefit to them in Sweden. For everything else, just trust us.

Advice to the students when they are already outside their home country.
Social networks, Skype, Zoom, Viber, etc. they will certainly make communication with your child possible at any time of the day. Like most parents, we know that you will worry about whether your son or daughter will get used to the new environment. You need to know that your worries can easily be passed on to your child. Instead of giving advice, try to have a discussion and work together to determine the best response strategies in a given situation. It is important to help them solve their problems on their own, giving them a chance to analyze the situation and come to the right solution on their own. In this way you will inspire them with faith in themselves, which is the ultimate goal!
Is a student’s life expensive in Sweden?
You probably know very well that Sweden is one of the countries with the highest standard not only in Europe but all over the world! What you don’t know, however, is that every student in Sweden can support themselves completely by working part-time for 10 hours a week! Of course, you should be able to fund your child for the first few months until they receive their paperwork and start working. To speed up this process, we have valuable advice for you. We strongly recommend every student to enroll in Swedish language lessons before moving to Sweden! This is the first question they will be asked wherever they look for a job in Sweden. Knowledge in even a bit of Swedish is a big advantage over all other international students, who will also be actively looking for a job at the very beginning! Every employer would like their staff to speak Swedish. If you don’t take those words seriously, just watch the following video with Bianca.
Prepare a sample monthly budget
For most students in Sweden and abroad in general, budget management is a difficult task. Unfortunately, very often this leads to negative results, especially for parents. It is important to talk to your child about this and create a sample monthly budget to serve as an example, especially during the first few months. Always include at least 10% as contingencies, but here we rather pay attention to the extent to which your child is aware of the financial situation in which your whole family is.
Emphasize on culinary skills development
Do not think that your child will eat the same way as before when on their own. Especially in the first semester they will have a lot of issues to resolve and cooking is often limited to the golden 3 – frozen pizza, spaghetti or sandwiches…
The lack of time, but mostly of skills and established habits in the kitchen, create a stereotype that is difficult to overcome. Help your child get the nutrients they need to get the energy they will need every day at university. They might face a huge mental load and that is why they must be ready for it! Fish, almonds, fruits and vegetables stimulate the brain and its functions. It is a good idea for your children to know different recipes with these products, but also with everything else they like consuming. Another advantage of the ability to cook is that it creates a great opportunity for social contacts with other students, who will most likely stick to pizza and french fries. Our advice to you is to cook with your child in the last months before they go abroad. Besides everything else, cooking with them will create unforgetable moments, which will remain with them forever!

Do no tell them that the student years are the best
The education abroad is not easy at all, especially in the beginning. Students face a new world, language, people, way of life… Your child should be aware that not everything will be smooth. It is very likely that they will find themselves in an unforeseen situation upon arrival. The education in Sweden is radically different from what they might have gotten in school. This difference will certainly lead to some problems at the university. It is very important for the student to be aware of all these circumstances in order to have a realistic idea of their future life. Otherwise, the likelihood of being disappointed with their choice increases many times over. It is your job as parents to repeat that there will be good times but also many adversities that they will have to deal with. After all, this is life – today we are incredibly happy, and tomorrow we face another great test that builds us as individuals!
Is it safe in Sweden?
Sweden is one of the safest countries in the world. Crime is almost extinct here, especially if we exclude the capital Stockholm, where the police still have some work to do. Swedes love the peace, tranquility and really value leisure and privacy. You will surely be convinced of our words when you visit your child in Sweden. Many parents tell us that they remain fascinated by the way of life here – the respect of rules, order, cleanliness, smiling people on the streets and behind the wheel. Road aggression is another factor that is absent in Sweden and throughout Scandinavia. Drivers are extremely careful, calm, which is largely due to the fact that they also ride a bike when are not behind the wheel. However, other factors like the high fines, incorruptibility of the police and severe penalties for repeated offenses contribute to the Swedish system substantially.

Healthcare
Be sure to get a European health card so that your child can use free health services until they receive their Swedish documents. It is a good idea to carry analgesics, antibiotics, ear drops and more, as in Sweden some medicines are not available without a prescription! Of course, you will receive detailed manuals and a list not only of medicines, but also everything you need before leaving from us!
Culture Shock
Culture shock is a psychological transition (it can also be physical – such as changes in body weight) caused by a change in the usual way of life and / or cultural environment. It is most often observed during a long stay away from home. The manifestations of culture shock are very individual. They depend on the nature of the situation in which the particular person finds themselves, on the experiences and changes in their character and behavior, on the tasks for which they are responsible, on their adaptive, social and communicative abilities, etc. Get to know the stages of the culture shock your child will go through to help them cope with the challenges they will face!
What will the other parents tell you?
When students contact us, we always hold a consultation in the presence of a parent. The step is serious, things are moving fast and the unanswered questions suddenly increase exponentially. To make you calmer, we have created our own group on Facebook, where parents like you share their experiences and help each other! Our goal is your children to be satisfied and happy with the choices they have made for their future, and at the same time to be calm that they are in a safe place! See and hear what is ahead of you from Vesela and Zlati.
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