Stockholm School of Economics in Riga Students' Magazine

Every year, spring at SSE Riga arrives along with a list of lucky students that are granted an opportunity to go on exchange. Since this moment brings along both joy and disappointment, we seek to enlighten the issues that arouse confusion (such as selection criteria) by providing answers to the most popular questions.

The first part of the article is more factual, while the second provides personal opinions and a discussion. We would like to thank all students and graduates of SSE Riga who contributed to this article with suggestions, questions and comments. Furthermore, we particularly appreciate information and clarifications provided by Diana Pauna and Evita Lukina. Lastly, word of thanks goes to Arvis T. and Krišjānis K.

What kinds of exchange programmes exist and how many people can go there?

Scholarships are provided for Erasmus and HESP exchange programmes with 25 places for Erasmus and 5 for HESP. Please note that if one applies only for Erasmus and does not get selected, it is not possible to go on HESP. There is also an option to go on a self-financed exchange trip, which means that if there are no better candidates, one is free to go. It should be noted that self-financing is an option for Erasmus and other partnership schools worldwide.

What is the amount of scholarship that students receive?

Within the Erasmus mobility programme a student receives between 600-1000 EUR per month depending on the host country, while within HESP a student can be awarded a scholarship of up to 4000 USD. One does not need to pay a fee at the partner-university apart from the SSE Riga tuition fee.

Why isn’t the selection process more transparent?

It should be understood that going exchange is neither a gift nor a prize. Students are expected to participate in extra-curricular activities because they are passionate about them, but not for the reason that it would give them extra points in the selection process. This is why detailed information about the selection criteria is only provided during the second year of studies at SSE Riga.

What are the main criteria?

Selection is based on three basic criteria: the personal, academic and social development of the candidate. The most highly valued are the top ten students according to their unweighted Grade-Point Average, followed by TAs and SA members. For Erasmus it is vital to be in the top 50%, while it does not matter much whether one is 11th or 29th. All social activities inside and outside SSE Riga matter, as do one’s manners in personal communication with staff members. It should be noted that although criteria change, academically strong and socially active people will get an opportunity to go on exchange.

How many students can go to one university?

The maximum is two students in any of the 88 places that candidates can choose from, in order that students from SSE Riga do not establish an SSE Riga community at the host university and instead try to make new contacts and network with foreigners. However, there are exceptions when a student is personally able to negotiate with the partner university to have three places for exchange students from SSE Riga.

Who is involved in the selection process?

Almost all staff members submit their evaluation of each candidate. Next year, the Chair of the Education Committee is also expected to participate.

What are the alternatives to going on exchange?

Every year many students from France, Germany, Kazakhstan and many other countries come to our school and anyone can apply for the Compadre Scheme or get cross-cultural experience by interacting with them. 

Why can’t there be more partner universities?

If students from SSE Riga go on exchange to a certain university, our partners can also send their students here. SSE Riga is too small to host more exchange students.

Do all TAs receive the same amount of points in the selection process?

TAs are awarded points based on the workload, for example, TAs in Macroeconomics have to spend a lot more time reading reports and preparing for seminars than, for example, TAs in EBP or ITC.

Is participation in all student organisations (e.g. Peak Time, Charity Club etc.) equally valued?

It does not matter which student project or organization a student manages, administrates or participates in. What matters is the demonstration of leadership skills, i.e. if one is the main organiser of an activity; he or she receives two points, whereas people who are merely active participants in the organisation receive one point. 

Do outside school activities matter?

Yes, and any non-governmental organisations and/or AIESEC should be mentioned in the application forms!

What requirements have to be fulfilled when going on exchange?

One needs to collect 21 ECTs points from business and economic courses in addition to taking Research Methods at SSE Riga.

Which are the most popular destinations?

Places with warm climate in Southern Europe, such as Spain and Malta. And we can whisper a little secret to you: next year, there will be two more universities available in Spain.

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We encouraged students to fill in a survey, and got diverse responses, yet most of them shared one common feature, namely, dissatisfaction with the selection process and/or results. Even though many of these responses may have come from students that resent the fact they were not among those chosen for a participation in an exchange programme, it seems that the main issue is the lack/misinterpretation of information.

On the one hand, there could be no doubt that the representatives of the administration are frustrated having received feedback of such nature, as they invest a lot of time and effort to arrange all the issues concerning exchange programmes, and would appreciate just that little bit of gratitude instead of the never-ending cumbersome negotiations and haggling. Additionally, the complex evaluation process shouldn’t be neglected either, as there will always be students that will perceive the system as unfair, and based on biased criteria.

On the other hand, it has to be said that many students long for basic explanations such as what are the selection criteria, what are the odds of them changing in the foreseeable future, and why is this information not being disclosed to students to a full extent. We cherish a sincere hope that the first part of the article provided the necessary clarifications, and those who desire to obtain more information on the matter will be able to keep track of just how many points they have been assigned to for whatever activities they’ve performed. 

All in all, it seems that the main conflicts arise from miscommunication and lack of mutual understanding. However, we would like to thank administration for their great effort to clarify all the exchange-related issues. And even though some students were not granted the desired opportunity, the students applying for exchange programmes are the ones who have large aims and success as well as moments of triumph awaits them ahead.

 Laura Danberga & Liene Grizāne.

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Several comments from the online survey:

“Why are the exchange selection criteria listed only few months before the applicationdeadline, instead of introducing students to the whole procedure in year 1?”

“How can you RATE the importance of TAs according to some criteria that you considerare showing their effort put?Totally subjective and unfair!!a TA is a TA, at the end it turns out to be a disadvantage rather thatn advantage for those who have been TAs in other courses than math, accounting and micro.”

“Of course the best would be if they simply would put the whole list, or individually send to everyone how many points and for what people got.”

“The administration did not stand for its own values in exchange selection process, i.e. transparency, consistency and integrity overall.”

“The process resulted in the disappointment in the institution many of us profoundlybelieved in to be fair and avoid any kind of bias and subjectivity; the last one to break the oath of keeping their word.”

“Why is the academic performance so much more important? When you study - you study for YOURSELF. When you work in some projects, you obtain experience but you academic results suffer!”

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Students Say...

The exchange semester has proved to be a remarkable experience for me, yet it has to be said that since the requirements were unambiguously lower than at SSE Riga, there was hardly any progress as far as academic knowledge is concerned. Nonetheless, I regard the possibility to get to know a different culture, and international contacts as priceless gains. Without a fear of an exaggeration, I can claim I got to know several hundred new people from around the globe, and I was able to explore the lifestyle that prevails in my host country.

Arvis