After spending three years at the Biomedicine program at KI I was really keen on going abroad to enjoy the experience of studying in another country. I was not in the mood for a long distance journey dealing with the process of arranging visa and stuff. Instead, I wanted to go within Europe. However, I needed to travel to a country where I could study in English and since I already had been living in London, Heidelberg in Germany became the choice of destination. A friend in class liked the idea and we decided to both apply and luckily we both got the positions!

As soon as we got accepted we began to communicate with the organizers in Heidelberg. To be honest, it was a hustle with the course registration and accommodation etc. We tried to make contact early in April before the arrival in September but we were only sent around to different responders who told us that the course application procedure was not done until august and therefore we should wait until august before we could register properly. In august we tried to make contact with the organizers in Heidelberg but they were all on holiday. When we finally made contact three weeks before arrival in Heidelberg, we were told that the courses were all full and that it was too late to get accommodation arranged by the university.

 We had been told to just show up at the first lecture and beg the responsible teacher for a place, which we did and it worked. But of course we felt worried before we knew it would be properly set. We also were told to arrange individual practicals by visiting different group leaders in person and ask for positions which we did and surprisingly, it also worked. All Erasmus students additionally need to register at a certain office and pay about 50 euro to enable registration. There are welcome meetings and welcome parties for all Erasmus students but we did not join any of these.

All Erasmus students are offered language courses in the german language. Beginner courses as well as advanced courses are being held two evenings a week at a very cheap admision fee. We joined the courses and they were very educational plus it was fun to meet Erasmus students from all over the world.

 Heidelberg University offers an international master in molecular biosciences very suitable for students from the biomedicine program at KI with all lectures and practicals being held in English. The master program is divided into four different majors; tumor biology, neuroscience, molecular biology, plant biology and our choice of major – infectious diseases.

All courses and practicals were held in English so there were no problem following the lecturers.

Heidelberg is a small, beautiful, nice and friendly student city. I would say it is comparable to Uppsala in Sweden. Heidelberg University is an old and large University covering all the subjects one could possibly study. All the medical, technical and nature science based educations are located in the same area in considerably recent constructed facilities. This huge university affects the city in that there are many students’ bars and clubs all around the city. Heidelberg also has a preserved old town with old buildings, churches and a castle which attracts many tourists from all over the world. The weather is also considerably warmer than in Sweden. Heidelberg is located in the south/west of Germany. The city is located close to other larger cities such as Mannheim, Frankfurt and Strasburg which it is easy to travel to by train. Public transports in Heidelberg consist of busses and trams. Since the city is so small, the best way to travel is by bike. There are several second hand bike retailers in Heidelberg.

To summarize my stay in Heidelberg I would say it was a very developing and educational time. If you have a PhD in sight I would definitely recommend an exchange semester in Heidelberg. During your stay you will develop theoretical and practical knowledge which will be very useful for you as a future scientist. You will also increase your study motivation since the courses are more demanding in Heidelberg in comparison to KI. If you go abroad to have fun and to party I’m sure there are a lot of things going on in Heidelberg but at least for me, the increased work load made me neither have the time nor the energy to party. Before going to Heidelberg I was not sure about if I wanted to stay in science by continuing with a PhD after my degree. A reason for this insecurity was probably the lack of understanding for what PhD studies is all about. Something I was not given a feeling for during the Biomedicine program. Probably due to the lack of individual research related practicals. I got some insight into the world of research when I performed the “Sommarforskarskolan” at KI but after now been spending one year in Heidelberg I definitely have gained more experience in what a PhD is about. This is because the focus of the program is to prepare the students for PhD studies by integrating them with research labs in the form of individual lab practicals. When I am now returning to Stockholm I feel both motivated and prepared for a PhD.

If you are looking for study motivation and a superb foundation for your PhD studies; go to Heidelberg!