Ambitious or Prideful?

Deconstructing the Modern-day Icarus

If there’s one thing the Stockholm School of Economics has, it’s clout. If in doubt, just go to a party and introduce yourself as a Handelsstudent, and watch the reactions. Some double takes, a few grimaces, a glance of envy. Whether this is due to the infamous SSE-student stereotype, or the prestige of the institution, it’s clear that for one reason or another SSE has garnered a reputation. In fall 2022, the number of applicants that had the BSc in Business and Economics program as their 1st choice was the 4th highest in the country. 

For some, that wasn’t enough.

You may have heard of them: through whispers in the hallway, or names mentioned offhand in the Atrium. The rumored “dual-degreers” — those studying 2 full-time bachelors programs simultaneously. Those who took one look at 30 ECTS and said “I want more.” To figure out what drives these people, I interviewed Viktor Lado Naess, a 2nd year BE student at SSE and a 1st year Computer Science student at KTH.

Viktor’s aspirations for 2 degrees began back in gymnasium. “the plan was always to do KTH and SSE,” he recalls. “I’m someone who enjoys being busy.”

Unfortunately, the Swedish university application system threw a wrench into his plans. “[In Sweden] you can only start one program each year,” he says. His first year at SSE, he found himself boasting a single-digit attendance rate for most of his classes. As a former IB student, he found the courses at SSE couldn’t scratch the itch he had for mathematics: “SSE data courses were either review or statistics, neither of which I find particularly interesting.”

Starting at KTH added more difficulty: “It’s stressful but also fulfilling.” He found that his KTH studies were further facilitated by the administration's approach to recorded material. “At KTH, all lectures from the COVID years were recorded and published,” he says. “We’re given slides before the lecture, to prepare and try out [beforehand], where questions will be gone through. We also have clear guidelines on what literature will be covered on the exam.”

“It’s stressful but also fulfilling”

While some may think these “dubbelpluggare” have unfulfilling social lives, Viktor doesn’t think of himself as a hermit. With twice the studying, he is exposed to twice as much student life. Some of it is more unique to each school:

“To be honest, I don’t think the student life is comparable. In terms of partying, there’s a lot more for KTH since each KTH program has their own bar, where they sometimes host during the week, and NYMBLE (a Rotunda equivalent) is open to externals. The KTH tenta-fest/post-exam party is probably one of the best university parties in Stockholm.”

On the topic of SSE student life:

“It’s not really fair since SSE is a much smaller school. SSE is mostly banquets and Rotunda parties in terms of events. But I really appreciate SSE’s small-school vibes, where I feel like everyone kind of knows everyone. I feel like I always see friendly faces whenever I’m in the atrium. SSE also has more active participation through committees.”

“The KTH tenta-fest/post-exam party is probably one of the best parties in Stockholm as a whole as far as university organized parties go.”

Even for those who revel in stress, pursuing 2 full-time degrees simultaneously is not all sunshine and roses. One of Viktor’s biggest challenges is exams falling on the same day. “Sometimes there’ll be two at the same time, and I just have to choose which one I have to retake. Sometimes it’s irritating, sometimes it’s relieving,” he says. Forced into a sort of exam triage, he has a methodology to how he prioritizes his exams:

“At KTH you can grade raise, so I can retake exams if I think I can get a better grade. If we look at the priority list, it goes: 1) prerequisite courses, 2) what courses I should prioritize in terms of difficulty/how relevant they will be to future courses, jobs, and degrees. And sometimes, it’s just doing what courses I enjoy the most first and cramming for the rest.”

Managing two course loads is also a tough task. “Do I really juggle it?” he laughs. Aside from an increased caffeine intake, Viktor says, “you have to prioritize. It’s always easier to prioritize things that you enjoy. One main thing is to start early. I read ahead to self-teach if the book is good. I’ve been doing a math exam each day for the past two weeks.”

“I’ve been doing a math exam each day for the past two weeks”

But the best thing about each school: “Definitely the people,” Viktor says. “I get to meet people from all different types of courses and I’ve been exposed to so many new things. I started as co-project lead of the Exchange Committee at SSE this year – it’s been a lot of fun and I’ve learned a lot from it. KTH and SSE have very different atmospheres, but each has a lot to offer.” 

This brings us to the big question: why do it?

“To be honest, there are some days I wake up and ask myself the same question. I guess it’s because I sort of want it all – romanticized student life, both business and computer science, and good grades. Throw in family, friends, and hobbies and it becomes a bit of a balancing act. I’m trying my best so I don’t have to choose between any of them.”