My background

Hi, my name is Emma Bahrton, and I am from Sweden. I graduated from California State University, Northridge, two years ago with an Associate Degree in Communications. Today, I live in the United States, more specifically in Los Angeles, pursuing a career in photography on a talent visa.

In high school, I majored in photography at Kungstensgymnasiet in Sweden. However, my interest in photography started long before that. I used to take photos for small jewelry companies in Stockholm. Throughout high school, I was a very shy student who didn’t take up much space. During my last year, I had the chance to study abroad for three weeks on a language exchange program in Barcelona, Spain. The program essentially threw you out into the world on your own, which I found charming. It forced me to grow and evolve in a very short span of time. My school constantly pushed us to try to achieve bigger things at university and in life by giving us these kinds of opportunities.

Why the USA?

After high school, I started studying at Stockholm University in Sweden, but I was very shy. Eventually, I realized I wanted to overcome this shyness, but I didn’t know how. So I contacted a study abroad agency and told them that I wanted to study abroad, even though I didn’t know where. At first, I actually wanted to study in Spain, but the agency strongly recommended the United States, especially California. I had never had any particular interest in the U.S., and I had never been there. But then I thought maybe that was the perfect reason. I would never go there either way, so why not study there? I also knew I would be traveling to Europe a lot either way, so I decided the scarier the better. I started with one semester abroad, which turned into two and eventually into an associate degree.

Looking back, I think I stayed in the U.S. because of how much you grow as a person when you move abroad, especially when you do it alone. To get as many experiences as possible, you have to challenge yourself, and you achieve that here. I also think the school system was a big factor. In Stockholm, you are often assigned books to read, and then you take a big exam two months later. You mostly study alone in front of a computer. Here, it feels a little more like high school. You attend classes regularly. You can only miss two classes per semester, and you build a stronger connection with your teachers that way, because you see them every day. I believe that it makes it a lot more fun, since you are forced to learn.

Application process to California State University

Since I applied for an associate degree, the criteria were quite easy. I didn’t have to submit an English proficiency test or a list of extracurriculars. I sent my grades from the previous study abroad semester, and that’s it. I actually applied on the very last day.

Life at California State University

Life at California State University was a lot of fun. I lived far from school, so I mainly went there for classes and studying. However, campus life offered so much more. The school had a gym, a pool, and many extracurricular activities. Even if you move there alone, you never have to think you’ll be alone. The university organizes many events and activities, making it easy to meet people.

Cost and Student Loan

Studying in the U.S. is very expensive. Many of my student years were during COVID, and I did not have enough information about scholarships at that time, so I did not apply for any. Instead, I took out loans, especially the Swedish CSN loan, and I was fortunate to also receive financial help from my parents. Prior to my studies abroad, I worked for two years in a store to save money. The plan was to study one semester abroad, which would correspond to a Swedish degree, and therefore wouldn’t be too expensive. However, once I arrived, one semester turned into another, etc.

Advice to future applications

My first piece of advice: save money. Studying abroad is expensive, so you need to save a lot of money. My second piece of advice: have fun and take every opportunity to learn something new.