The first step in your quest for exchange studies is the application. You’ll no doubt get more information about this from KI when the time is near, but I’ll give you the quick version anyway. Your application is done online, but you’ll also have to hand in a paper copy of your online application to the International coordinator of your programme. Along with this application you need to submit a CV, a study transcript from LADOK and a motivational letter stating why you should be chosen for exchange studies. After this, there will be some intense waiting for the results of your application until you get the email stating where you’ll spend almost six months of your life.

Remember! You’ll also need to apply for exchange studies at the University you have been nominated to. On paper, the KI application only grants you a nomination to study abroad so get your paperwork sorted and send your application to the University you’ll be going to. There are loads to do before actually going to your destination of studies. I was not alone when going to King’s College London (KCL), but had a fellow student (read his report for a probably complete different view on this exchange) going there as well, which made many things much easier and if you are several people going to the same place I suggest that you join forces to make the most out of your experience.

You’ll probably want to investigate your options when it comes to accommodation (see Boende). If you’re interested in the accommodation KCL offers then remember to apply in time. It is always good to see what sort of preparations you can make in advance such as applying for student Oyster (see Ekonomi), loyalty cards, get a spare phone for a UK SIM-card, travel adapters etc.

London is conveniently close and there are many flight companies to choose from when getting there (SAS, Norwegian, Brittish Airways, Ryanair). Book your flights in time! The closer it gets the higher the prices, so plan your travels in time, but also check for what dates your term begins and also bear in mind that the introduction week is probably the week before the term begins (see Ankomst). Make sure your passport is valid! You don’t have to worry about student visa when going to UK for studies as they are a part of Schengen/EU.

We had unintentionally booked our flight so that we missed the introductory week for new students to KCL. This introduction is mandatory but we managed to have a quick introduction (1 hour meeting) to KCL by the international coordinators. I strongly encourage you to NOT miss the introduction week as we would probably have been a bit more confident about everything and had got in touch with more exchange students if we had attended.

You should also see that you get registered at KCL (official enrolment) as soon as you can. This will grant you your student card which you will need to get access to your lab and other KCL facilities such as the many libraries available. You will also need this card to get student discount when it is present. 

Depending on what kind of accommodation you choose (see Boende) there will be different costs and living expenses to keep track on. If you happen to choose the KCL student accommodation, you will have most of the sourrunding costs included in the rent, but if you choose private rented housing, remember that internet, electricity, council tax and other expenses need to be taken care of.

FOOD

London can be an expensive place to live and to reduce living expenses you can always get loyalty cards for free at Tesco or Sainsburys, (UK’s version of ICA and Coop) to get discounts.

TRAVEL

Oyster card is your friend when it comes to public transportation and you’ll even be able to apply for a Student Oyster card (much discount) when you have been enrolled to KCL so get that as fast as possible. You will save a lot of money.

Since we were two people going to UK we almost immediately decided to team up when searching for accommodation, after all, it is both practical when it comes to the costs and the availability of bigger apartments, but it also brings a sense of security that you are not alone in your quest for a living space.

Our search for accommodation had a few turns and changes of direction. Initially we applied for the KCL accommodationthat study abroad students can apply for (http://www.kcl.ac.uk/campuslife/accom/index.aspx). This is quite easily done when you have been approved for exchange studies by KCL and the application is done online at their website. Because of some confusion, along with us both getting offers of accommodation at completely different times, we turned down the offer from KCL when they answered our application; instead a new plan was forged.

PRIVATE LETTINGS

We decided to look for housing in the private sector, but after some browsing we realized that the turnover rate of apartments in London is very quick and, along with us being in Sweden with no contacts in the UK, we decided book a budget hotel in the outskirts of London for the initial two weeks, while looking for apartments, hopefully finding one in this time frame.

Some facts about the rental market of London emerged itself to us, 1) The standard of the apartments are lower compared to Sweden even though you pay more. 2) It is hard to get contract on a short term letting for abroad students without paying all of the accumulated rent up front. Two letting agents we found to be trustworthy and helpful; http://www.foxtons.co.uk/ and http://www.your-move.co.uk/london. Even so, we managed to find at least some apartments within our reach, but meanwhile I had looked into the KCL accommodation once again, and found out that it was possible to apply for a “reballot” of the available student apartments and so by the time we were about to sign for a privately rented apartment we changed our minds and decided to accept KCLs accommodation offer at the Wolfson House.

KCLs STUDENT ACCOMMODATION

The KCL accommodation is the cheapest option when it comes to living costs (Wi-Fi, electricity etc are included), but as with the rest of London, the standard is a bit lower. The house where I got to stay lay next to campus which comfortably enabled me to start my journey to the lab/lectures about 5-10min before they started. Our accommodation was in a hall so we shared some of our living space (kitchen, toilets and showers) with others. This has of course both its pros and cons, but overall I can say that this enriched my stay in London and made it easy to meet new people and make new friends.

Studies at KCL are quite similar to KI, you can definitely establish the same, easy-going, connection with the teachers as I think we have at KI. During class it is encouraged to be active and pose many (good) questions to the lecturer and also after class has ended. A difference in teaching methods is the increased focus KCL has on written course work, which in my case was an optional ” homework” and a mandatory essay. It is important that the work you hand in are written in correct English and it is easy to get points withdrawn because of clumsy language (guess who received that comment on their essay).

Since the module I chose, aside from my project, was theoretical there was no practical education involved, but bear in mind, this is because the module you choose extra (if you don’t want to take a full time project), is quite short and has quite a limited content. The layout of the modules also differs from KI since all modules are taken alongside each other, which means all examinations for all modules at KCL are taken in the same time period (end of semester) and the module you decide to choose will probably only consist of one day/week with lectures the entire semester.  

Well, it goes without saying that with the education in English provided by Swedish education system you should be not experience any language barriers when going to London. The only thing that might confuse you might be the slightly increase in talking speed along with different accents that differs from the “Queen’s English” that are taught in Sweden. With that said, there was no trouble in understanding and keeping up with the lecturers and other students in communication.

There's definitely a lot going on at King's Collage that encourage students to participate and be active in different groups and societies. The KCL student union (KCLSU) is a good thing to look up http://www.kclsu.org/. They also arrange events for study abroad students.

Because I lived in the provided student accommodation, it was easy for me to get connected with other students at the university and not just students that studied biomedicine, but a range of different programmes. As a result of this, I did not engage myself in the different activities by KCLSU as I initially thought I would, but this allowed me to interact and learn about London from a Brittish perspective (since most of my flatmates where Brittish).

There's a ton of things to do when in London. The city host many different museums which are free to visit, numerous beautiful parks all around London (both central and in outskirts), and of course all the cultural and historic sightseeing.

http://londonsvenskar.com/ is a great site that focus on providing information, help and advice especially intended for Swedes living or visiting London.

For a biomedical student, I feel it is important to visit other universities and to establish contacts for a future career. Different research institutes has different specialities and focus on different research and how to approach it, which is also a good reason to go abroad and see if your research of interest (or a potential interest) is out there.

This exchange was one of the greatest experiences I've done and I would recommend anyone to do exchange studies as well. You get insight into differences and similarities in teaching between different universities which will increase your capacity to learn and to get a new perspective on your studies. In the same time, you will experience a new place, a new culture and make new friend and contacts.