Studera utomlands

Hi everyone and welcome to my last blog post!

I have now graduated from the Biomedicine program and successfully presented the project I worked on at Harvard. I definitely miss Boston, my friends there and of course also the lab group. The project was amazing and I had an absolutely fantastic experience – so much so that I actually did not want to return back to Sweden. The four months were definitely some of the best ones I had during the whole Bachelor’s program.

The three things I take with me from exchange are the following:

• Make use of the free time you have, especially at the beginning of the exchange, to explore the city, travel and experience the culture. Remember that you may only visit the city once – so make the best of your time there!
• Don’t worry about finding friends. At most universities, there are a lot of exchange students in different labs in the department or you will meet nice people through friends you have already made, when going to sports events or going to talks. As long as you are open and friendly you will have no problem at all!
• This is more of a fun one: Leave space in your suitcases for bringing back souvenirs for friends and family! I love bringing smiles to the faces of others by bringing back small things from the country I was in that reminded me of them or that I think they would enjoy.

Finally, let’s look back at the Boston Bucket List I made before my exchange and see how much of it I managed to achieve:

• “Understand” the city: I definitely feel like I achieved this one! Through the museum visits, by participating in local celebrations like the Lunar New Year’s parade, watching the Super Bowl or by walking the Freedom Trail. Biking also helped get a feeling for the city.
• Watch the sports games: Watching the Super Bowl, going to a rodeo and watching a Harvard hockey game were definitely also highlights of my exchange. And let’s not forget watching the Red Sox play in Fenway Park!
• Try classic Boston food: This goal I also achieved for sure! I loved the Boston cream pie, the fresh lobster and the lobster rolls! The clams were amazing as well.
• Travel: Apart from a day trip and a trip to visit family friends, I unfortunately did not have the time to travel more. In future visits to the US, I would love to do a road trip to see more of the country as a whole – especially New York City and the West Coast.

Thank you all for keeping up with my exchange and see you soon at KI – I’ll be staying for the Master’s in Biomedicine!