I lived in NYC with my 6 siblings during undergrad. For graduate school, I was determined to go abroad.

• When Omarni Webb decided she wanted to get a master’s degree, she was determined not to go into debt.
• Webb, 29, decided to apply to schools in Sweden, as Ikea was one of her favorite retailers.
• She enjoyed its safety and affordability, and being able to travel freely.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Omarni Webb. Webb completed a master’s degree in marketing in Sweden and later worked as a data analyst. She is currently on a career break. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

In 2017, I left NYC and moved to Sweden to pursue a graduate degree in marketing.

I had gotten my undergraduate degree in fashion business management at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, which was paid for through the Pell Grant.

After graduation, I worked in the fashion industry for around a year. But I realized that career growth in fashion, specifically design, was incredibly slow.

At the same time, I had always wanted to study marketing. I figured that having a master’s degree would give me an edge because I would know how to design clothes and market them.

So, I started looking into schools in New York. I looked at Columbia and New York University but soon realized that I couldn’t afford to go to either, even if I got accepted.

Tuition at NYU’s Stern School of Business, for example, costs over $80,000 a year — my kidney couldn’t pay for that. I had gotten through college with no debt and wanted to do the same for my master’s degree. I realized I needed to find another option.

I decided to start looking elsewhere

My favorite retailers have always been Dollar Tree, Burlington, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Ikea. I love knickknacks and how Ikea manages to create organized chaos.

My love for Ikea inspired me to look up colleges in Sweden, the country where the furniture brand was founded. In the span of two weeks, I researched all of the requirements, sent everything in and that was that.

A few of the parameters that I set limited my options. The classes needed to be taught in English, and I was only interested in one-year programs because I didn’t have enough funds to sustain myself for two years. The options I found were Mälardalen University and Stockholm University.

I got into Mälardalen University in Västerås, a city an hour and a half away from Stockholm. I remember screaming with joy when I got in.

It honestly didn’t hit me that I was in Sweden until I was on a shuttle bus heading to the school. Growing up in Brooklyn, as the oldest of seven siblings, it was a breath of fresh air to live on my own for the first time in my life. I didn’t feel scared, and I could adapt to the new environment.

I could travel often in Sweden

Before moving to Sweden, I had only traveled outside the US once to visit London. But while I was living in Europe, I traveled at least once every two months to countries like Germany, Estonia, Denmark, and Finland. I could catch a flight with a friend and go somewhere for two or three days before we flew back for classes.

I loved the safety of living in Sweden. It was a complete change from living in New York, where I constantly had to be aware and look over my shoulder.

I never worried about walking outside in the early hours. I remember walking home from a friend’s party in the dark, late at night. The cops pulled me over, and they gave me a reflector slap bracelet so that I could be seen in the dark.

Living in Sweden can be expensive

I remember wanting to see a Marvel movie in the theaters, but a regular ticket was almost $30, so I opted out.

Eating out was expensive, too. But I loved buying groceries because I could survive off $10 a week, which would get me rice, cheese, eggs, and meat.

Although entertainment and eating out were expensive, everything else was affordable. I lived in a single-room dorm, which cost around $6,000 a year, and my degree added up to around $9,000.

After completing my degree in 2018, I wanted to stay in Sweden. The work environment there seemed pretty chill compared to the US, where I was only likely to get a few weeks of paid time off.

I also experienced Swedish summers where the sun hardly set, and it was absolutely incredible. I thrived in that time because I love the sun. Even during winter, when the days were short, I could adapt.

But finding a job in Sweden was really hard, so I unfortunately had to return to the US.

I went to Sweden to study marketing. However, during my studies, I decided to pivot my career into data analytics, which is the field I’m in now.

The experience also gave me an opportunity to make lifelong friends that I’m still in contact with and see every other year. These friendships and memories are simply invaluable. I wouldn’t be where I am if I hadn’t gone to Sweden and had that experience.

Do you have a story about studying abroad that you want to share? Get in touch with the reporter, Erin: [email protected].