Stockholm, Sweden             

Registration

BPE 8000K is a 1.5 credit course offered between March 13-17, 2006. First Year students will then have 45 credit hours of 700 level courses and 1.5 credit hours of 800 level courses for the First Year. For ASC purposes, the grade for this course will count as a First Year grade for the spring semester. Second Year students will be given credit hours for this course in the spring of their Second Year and the grade will count as usual for ASC purposes. The 1.5 credit hours will count toward the 33 credit hours needed in the Second Year. 

All graded materials must be completed before 5:00 PM Monday, March 20, 2006.

   For Second Year Students:

20 slots have been reserved for Second Year students for BPE 8000K. You can register for this course during pre-registration and during the add/drop periods. As of November 15, 2005, all 20 slots had been filled. You can check registration numbers on myDarden at the Registrar's site.

 The deadline for registering is the last day of add/drop, 4:30PM, Friday, January 20, 2006. 

If any slots remain available for BPE 8000K (or any other GBE sections) after this deadline, First Year and Second Year students can add into this (or any other open) GBE, from 1:30PM, Tuesday, January 24, 2006 to 4:30PM, Wednesday, January, 25, 2006. Information on open slots will be available through the Registrar's myDarden site.

Students are not permitted to go to the same country in First Year and Second Year. The faculty expects that no student will attend a GBE in their home country. 

   For First Year Students:

10 slots have been reserved for First Year students for BPE 8000K. 

 Between 3:30PM, Tuesday, November 15, 2005 and 2:00PM, Thursday, November 17, 2005 students will have the opportunity to register for BPE 8000K. Information on how to register for the courses will be sent by e-mail to all students by the Registrar on Tuesday, November 15, 2005.

If more than 10 students register for the course, a random selection will take place to choose the 10 students. Those selected by this registration will be notified by 2:00PM, Friday, November 18, 2005. 

If, at the end of this selection process,  there are openings available in any other GBE, and if you were not already selected by the lottery for a GBE, there will be an opportunity to register for this or any other GBE that still has openings. Selections will be made through a second registration process that will be held from 2:00 PM, Friday, November 18, 2005 to 2:00 PM, Monday, November 21, 2005. A list of open slots for each GBE will be available at the start of this registration. Those selected will be notified on Tuesday, November 22, 2005.

                                                                                                                                                                              Program Costs
  All students must make their own air travel arrangements to and from Stockholm. The 2006 Program Cost for BPE 8000K are $250.00, which includes in-country transportation and some event fees, but DOES NOT include hotel costs or airfare.  This year's Financial Aid budget is posted below.

A preliminary non-refundable deposit representing 20% ($50) of the program cost will be due by 5:00 on Friday, February 3rd, 2006. Payment of the remaining 80% ($200) of the program costs must be made no later than 5:00PM, Friday, February 17, 2006. If you would like to pay by credit card you can download and complete a credit card: credit card payment form. This form should be returned to Will Goldsmith in Room 136 of the Faculty Office Building. If you wish to pay the program costs in cash or by check (please make your check out to The Darden Foundation), please do so by visiting Will Goldsmith in Room 136 of the Faculty Office Building; he will provide you with a receipt.

In order to participate in BPE 8000K each GBE student must complete and return three University of Virginia travel forms, a University of Virginia Travel Waiver Form, an Insurance Verification Form and an online ISO Registration Form. The deadline for completing these forms is 5:00PM, Friday, February 17, 2006. You can pick up copies of these forms from Will Goldsmith in Room 136 of the Faculty Office Building or you can download them here or above - Waiver Form and Insurance Verification Form. If you have insurance coverage from UVA's student health provider, Chickering, you automatically have international health care coverage. But you must still complete the Verification form. In addition to required individual medical insurance coverage, Darden will provide evacuation and emergency coverage at no cost to GBE participants.

Finally, UVA's International Student Office requires all students traveling abroad on University-related activities to register with them. Please read the information and fill out the registration form at: http://www.virginia.edu/iso/studyabroad/gradstudentsabroad/phpform.html
 

Visas and Passports

   United States citizens:

If you are a United States citizen you do not need a visa to travel to Sweden. However, if you do not already have a passport, you will need one. For more information on obtaining a passport, visit the State Department's passport website: 

http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html 

There are several  companies that you can use to expedite getting a passport including:

http://www.travisa.com/

Also very helpful are the United States' State Department links with information on travel and other suggestions for visitors:

http://travel.state.gov/sweden.html  

   Non-United States citizens:

Visa policies for entering Sweden differ for citizens of countries other than the United States. You can find out more about specific visa policies by visiting the Swedish and Latvian embassies' websites: 

http://www.webcom.com/sis/      http://www.swedish-embassy.org/ 

For information on the locations of other foreign embassies in the United States, see:

http://www.state.gov/www/travel/consular_offices/fco_index.html

Travel Reservations

You must make your own airline reservations.  Estimated cost for air fare will be available in January. For the 2001 GBE in Sweden airfare was estimated to be $500.

You will be told specifically when and where to arrive in Stockholm in February, although should arrive no later than the morning of Sunday, March 12, 2006.  Here are some websites that offer online travel reservation services:

http://orbitz.com     http://www.11thhourvacations.com

http://www.expedia.com     http://www.travelocity.com

http://www.cheaptickets.com


Accommodations

Hotel accommodations have not yet been confirmed for Stockholm but will be based on recommendations from the Stockholm School of Economics. This information should be available in early January. Regardless, all students must stay in the same hotel where all rooms will be double occupancy. You can pick your roommate in February; if you do not choose a roommate, one will be assigned to you. 

Host Institution

The Stockholm School of Economics both sends students to and receives student from Darden on an exchange basis. For more information on SSE, visit the school's website:

http://www.hhs.se/  


Academic Program

The Stockholm School of Economics hosted a GBE for Darden students in 2001. While the syllabus for this year's GBE will not be available until some time in January. There are no plans to visit Latvia this year; the overall structure of the program offered in 2001 was:

SSE2001syllabus

            

Financial Aid

If you are registered to participate in a GBE at the close of the add/drop deadline of Friday, January 20, 2006, you will be eligible for a student budget increase of a fixed amount according to the approximate travel, living, and program fees costs of this GBE. With this increase in your budget you may borrow up to the budget increase as a GATE Loan. You may request the loan after the close of the add/drop period on Friday, January 20, 2006.


After Friday, January 20, 2006 please send an e-mail to Amanda Mills at, millsa@darden.virginia.edu with your name, Social Security number, year at Darden, whether you are a citizen of the United States or not, and your GBE destination. You may then immediately file your GATE loan application on-line from the third-party loan section of the Financial Aid website: http://www.darden.virginia.edu/financialaid/sy/sy_loans.htm. A promissory note should arrive at Amanda Mills' office for you to sign within 10 business days. The money should be available within a month. 

Below is the approved budget for the 2006 Sweden GBE:

Airfare*                        $650

Lodging, Food, etc.         $800

Total                                $1450

*from Dulles International Airport

Country Links

Lonely Planet is always a useful site. It offers quick overviews of history, culture, the physical environment and tourist attractions as well as practical travel information. If you only have 15 minutes to prepare, check Lonely Planet:


http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/sweden/ 

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/stockholm/ 

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/latvia/ 

Another excellent source of information is the World Fact Book:

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sw.html

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/lg.html 

The following sites will be helpful in better understanding each country's economic environment:

http://www.scb.se/indexeng.asp

http://www.csb.lv/avidus.cfm 

http://www.bank.lv/englishindex.html 

Finally, for general tourist information, consult:

http://www.sweden.com/

http://www.visit-sweden.com/

http://www.lv/

Deadlines

Registration:                                          Monday, January 20, 2006

Program Deposit Fee:                               Friday, February 3, 2006

Program Costs Payment:                           Friday, February 17, 2006

Insurance and Waiver Forms:                     Friday, February 17, 2006