As I didn’t go abroad during my bachelor’s degree at Karolinska Institutet (KI) I made it my principal goal to go during the Master’s programme. This also gave me time to reflect on the whole endeavour. I felt more ready to do it now than as an inexperienced 20-year-old.

I initially wanted to return to Dublin which I had visited before attending KI. However, after learning we could apply for Edinburgh, reputation and rankings spurred me to apply for one of the two spots at the University of Edinburgh. At the time, the Times Higher Education rankings listed the unversity as the 32^nd most influential university in the world out of the 400 being assessed! I argued this would provide better career prospects for me in the long run. The Scottish culture is supposedly similar to the Irish while I was keen to go somewhere rather close to home in terms of time-zones. I expected that home-sickness would hit me, so it would be reassuring to know that familiar faces would be just a Skype-call away. Yet another reason was that Scotland is a native English speaking country which would facilitate everyday life outside the lab.

As KI students, we continuously receive information about international studies so I was well aware of expectations from us as students and our partner universities. Furthermore, I have repeatedly attended the international days arranged by the biomedical programme to hear returning and international student’s stories about the university they represent or have visited. Additionally, I had read previous travel reports from students attending the universities I was interested in.

Thus, when we were informed about exchange studies for the masters, I had already begun making plans and working on my application. I felt like it would be important to have a solid application as the University of Edinburgh is one of the most popular destinations for biomedical KI students. Details about the application procedure are pretty straight-forward so I’ll refer you to the international student coordinator in the event that something is unclear. Some brief reminders: hand in three paper copies of your online application and if you want any certification for your work with the Medical Students’ Association (Medicinska Föreningen, MF) or former supervisor(s) etc – ask for these on time!

For the personal statement, you can explain your choice of destinations or preferred research areas. Mention anything that supports your serious intentions about going abroad and which would give your application a competitive edge. There’s only so much you can fit on one sheet of paper but the letter might prove useful in the overall assessment!

Roughly one month later, I got news from KI that I had been nominated to apply for exchange at the University of Edinburgh. After some initial excitement, I started reading through the documents to learn more what is required of me before my departure. I asked the KI student coordinator about the requirements to submit TOEFL or IELTS test results to Edinburgh. The taught language of the biomedical master’s programme is English so don’t worry, KI will attest to your English skills. I also asked about getting additional funding aside from the Erasmus Scholarship and found out that it is allowed - but you would supposedly need to find it on your own.

The administrative process can be slow, so be patient. Immediately after accepting my nomination from KI, I tried to get in touch with my contact person, the Research Administrator at the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine in Edinburgh. However, months later, I still hadn’t heard from Edinburgh. I got in touch with their International Office by e-mail. That person finally helped me to reach the Research Administrator after several unanswered e-mails. The Research Administrator apologised and said he would get back to me the following week. He didn’t. In the meantime, I was asked to fill in the “MVM Visiting Student Application”-form. I also began to look for suitable projects for my master dissertation and plan a budget - there is useful information on the University of Edinburgh website for international students.

In the autumn, I had found a group to host me but there would be more administrative issues as I would submit the formal papers. Actually, the “MVM Visiting Student”-document was not the correct form to submit. I had to fill in another, more detailed, form (“Application for Admission as a Postgraduate Student” with the official seal on it). About three weeks later, I finally received the unconditional offer. This was almost to the day 8 months after being nominated so again: be patient!

By now, you will gain access to the online portal “MyEd” where you manage your communications while in Edinburgh including e-mail and matriculation details. Lastly, a form for the library and student ID card will be sent to you in Sweden by regular mail to be filled in and returned to Edinburgh. With this form, you will enclose a passport-style photograph for your student ID according to instructions. If you want to save time, have a recent photo ready when the form arrives.

Before departing on exchange studies you would need to complete all courses of the first year of Master degree studies. Also, be sure to attend the KICK-OFF for exchange students hosted by KI to learn more as it will prepare you for the time abroad. To my knowledge, there are no vaccinations required or certifications that you need to submit apart from those I’ve mentioned as you’re still in Europe but it could be worth checking out on an individual level.

When packing, keep important papers (unconditional offer, important contact information, project plan etc) easily accessible in case you would need them checked during the travel. Keep these things in your cabin luggage bag. Before you go, inform the study advisor that you will be away from KI. Also, you might want to do the usual things e.g. see that your passport is valid, get some cash exchanged, acquire the blue European Health Insurance Card if you haven’t got one and talk to your insurance company if you need additional insurance other than what is offered by KI which is already quite all-encompassing.

As I still had to finish my autumn research project, I arrived in Scotland late in January and I missed out on Fresher’s Week in Edinburgh the week before. (Tip: You may be allowed to present the autumn research project before Christmas so you can go sooner!).

Once you’re at the Edinburgh Airport (EDI), get yourself a snack or the like to obtain spare coins which you will need later. From the airport, take the AIRLINK bus (service 100) to the city centre and Waverly Station. It departs every 5 minutes and a single ticket is (currently) £4 with an open return available for £7. If it is still valid, you may use the bus pass (Ridacard) for your return journey later as these allow you to ride the AIRLINK free of charge. More on that in a minute.

When you arrive at Waverly Station (i.e. the last stop for the AIRLINK), I would recommend you walk to the University of Edinburgh library on George Square (main campus area) and pick up your student ID-card if they are open. Apart from identification, this entitles you to student discounts. The main library also has a splendid area for studying on the fifth floor which is reserved for post-graduate students like you, if you need some peace and quiet! To access the library facilities, you would need the student ID though.

The buses operated by Lothian Buses (except for the AIRLINK) only accept exact change onboard, which is why I strongly advise you to have those coins ready from the airport snack. An unlimited travel day pass is £3.50 which should be sufficient for your errands and first day in Edinburgh. I only had bills on me the first day but I was fortunate to have a most kind gentleman buy me a single ticket to get to my host family’s home after a long journey and getting wet from the rain!

Therefore, you might want to return to the Lothian Buses travelshops around Princes Street, ready to pick up the aforementioned Ridacard on your first day in Edinburgh. They’re located either on 27 Hanover Street or the one in conjunction to Waverly Station. Fill in the required form and show your newly acquired Student ID to get a four-week Ridacard for only £43. They initially charge £3 for administration but then the student rate is £40 per four weeks and you can top-up your card anywhere in the city at so called “Pay Points”.

Speaking of buses, although the reach is great and you can easily get anywhere fairly quickly, public transport is much better in Stockholm in my opinion. Apart from late arrivals (5-10 minutes wasn’t uncommon), there is often no indication of your present location or the next stop on-board older vehicles. This was very distressing as a newcomer. Luckily, I could rely on the GPS on my phone to pinpoint my whereabouts before I eventually got to know my way around. Newer buses do have automated call-outs for the next stop but the function was faulty at times or not used. Lastly, I believe you can ride the new trams on the Ridacard as they are maintained by the same company but I left just before they were launched so don’t take this for granted.

While in the Prince’s Street/Waverly area you might want to get hold of a SIM card? There are a variety of providers with different offers so compare them online before you arrive. I opted for a Pay-as-you-go tariff worth £10 per month with Three (“3”) since that corresponded to my demand back home. With 3, your initial top-up balance remains until you’ve used it up. Those £10 was all I ever topped up actually since I didn’t use my phone much at all. All major carriers provide good signal around Edinburgh so the deciding factor is really up to how you use your phone.

I arrived on a Friday so the first weekend was dedicated to sort out the bare necessities and exploring the city. The following Monday, I started my project in the lab, located at the Little France Campus outside the city centre. I was readily offered induction training in health and safety, a tour of the facilities and I was encouraged to read risk assessments for the reagents we’d use already on the first day before getting started. Later, I would undergo Fire Safety Awareness training so I felt that safety issues are very important here. When you’ve been welcomed, make sure to complete the matriculation (i.e. registration as a visiting student) process by sending an e-mail to the postgraduate support at the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine to say you’ve arrived at the University.

As mentioned, I set aside time during the summer to make a budget of supposed incomes and expenses. You will be given an Erasmus scholarship from KI. On top of that, CSN provides student grants as usual – at least for me as a Swedish student. There was no problem to get CSN grants despite being away and also getting the Erasmus scholarship, so feel free to inform CSN about this. Lastly, I had private savings to spend on my journey which made up the rest of my budget.

Concerning expenses, I started by estimating the bare minimum costs e.g. flight tickets, accommodation (rent, bills and the deposit), food, mobile phone costs, and bus fares. As mentioned the University has excellent online resources to help you estimate the living expenses in Edinburgh and they continously update this information. For the mobile phone costs, the pay-as-you-go tariff ensures that you know exactly how much you could spend in one month. Another trick to keep costs down would be to cook and bring lunchboxes rather than eating out. That said, as a staff member on the Little France campus you can have lunch in the nearby hospital canteen for about £3-4 (excluding drinks), but for the most part I still brought a lunchbox of my own since I needed to cook at least once daily anyway.

For the most part, I payed by VISA (in-store or online) by my Swedish bankcard from Skandiabanken. There are cash machines that won’t charge you for withdrawals unless your bank at home would apply extra charges abroad. Check with your bank before you go what terms they have for withdrawals abroad. On the upside, I’d say that Edinburgh is overall cheaper than Stockholm in my experience and as reference, £1 would be about 11 SEK during my stay in case you want to do calculations on your own.

I would spend about £500 per month with most of that going to the rent, Ridacard and groceries. I used about £20-30 per week for food. I settled for the nearest (ASDA) but there are several grocery stores of various sized around Edinburgh (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Aldi, Scotmid etc.) ASDA conveniently have a line of “SmartPrice” products which are sold at a cheaper price which was perfect for a student without notably compromising on quality.

A few months into my adventure, I needed a haircut so I went to Afrin Barber (Niddrie Mains Road). For just £7 (even without student discount!) which is again so much cheaper than Stockholm and I would highly recommend them if you need to get your hair done, gentlemen. (They help ladies too but for obvious reasons I can’t comment on the final outcome.)

While I am not the most out-going person, these costs would give a good idea of the bare minimum monthly expenses at least and I will talk about more activities later on.

One of my KI classmates had spent the undergraduate years at University of Edinburgh so I was referred to Gumtree, which is similar to “Blocket” in Sweden. Newspaper The Guardian has a brief guide of considerations when looking for accommodation with private landlords in the UK. Also, the Advice Place of the University has some additional advice on their website.  From what I found, warnings for accommodation agencies seem quite common and several stories tell of how they downright trick people. It’s up to you of whether you want to trust these agencies. I didn’t, so I looked for private landlords.

Within days of putting in an advertisement on Gumtree, I had received about 4 offers already. Gumtree masks your e-mail which made me feel safe when discussing with strangers. You might find appropriate groups on Facebook as well.

Eventually, I settled to stay with a host family via Gumtree with prior experience of hosting students in their home. A large room of my own, bed linens, and bills for electricity, gas and internet were all included in the £425/month fee.The fee was slightly over my budget but I wasn’t asked for the customary deposit (approximately a month’s rent paid in advance). The deposit is otherwise kept during your stay as insurance that everything will be in the same condition as when you arrived. 

It was certainly worth paying a little extra for good accommodation since I would stay in Edinburgh for 4 months. It was a proper house with a very hospitable family so I didn’t experience the horrors described in previous reports of cold buildings, crammed apartments and carpeted floors. However, I did visit colleagues in Marchmont, the main student area around town, close to the central campus. It wasn’t bad but it still made me realise I was better off where I was.

The host family lived in Duddingston in the south east of Edinburgh, just 20 minutes by bus away from the Little France Campus adjacent to the hospital, the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. I could also walk to campus if I wanted, which took me 25-30 minutes. It was roughly 30 minutes to the city centre and 5 minutes to the ASDA supermarket by bus. Overall, a great area to stay in despite not being central, close to the relevant places you would need to go most often.

Tip: Start looking for accommodation early, especially if you arrive in August/September for the third semester. You wouldn’t only compete with fellow students at the start of a new academic year but also tourists coming for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival season! Also, give proper notice in advance of your leaving date so your flatmates or landlord can find another tenant on time or I’ve heard they may not return your deposit.

As for studies, my impressions are limited to the lab experience as I didn't partake in any courses. The labs are similar to the laboratory environments I’ve seen in Sweden. I usually came in at 8.30 in the morning and left at around 4.30 or 5 pm in the afternoon. Some days, naturally, I had to stay a little longer but I happily did so. I didn't work weekends in the lab because I didn’t have access to the building outside normal working hours (nor are you allowed to work alone without proper training either!). Overall, it's similar to Swedish labs with regards to the facilities and what constitutes a typical working day.

Surprisingly though, public holidays don’t really apply for academics in Edinburgh it seems? A PhD student colleague said that at the University of Edinburgh, you only get time off for Christmas basically so if you want additional time off you would have to ask for it. Thus, while people in Sweden had Easter Holidays for example, me and my group spent time working away in the lab! Luckily, I had a satisfactory project and friendly colleagues so I didn’t mind at all. (Note: buses typically run on a Saturday service on bank- and public holidays.)

The atmosphere in my group promoted creativity and I was free to carry out the project as I wanted. Thus, I developed a side-project on my own and it eventually became the centre-piece of my dissertation! Never before have I experienced this feeling of being encouraged, trusted and supported while taking a fully uninhibited approach to my practical studies so this was a very rewarding experience.

Apart from doing experiments, I also participated in weekly lab meetings where I sometimes gave presentations and I had biweekly discussions with my professor and the main supervisor to discuss my progress. Time permitting, I joined “Meet the Speaker” sessions, essentially fika with guest lecturers from around the UK, and listened to their seminars afterwards. It was great to get insights from experienced colleagues and I wish KI would adopt this concept as well.

Contrary to my ideas, there is a rather informal atmosphere in Scotland and you may address your colleagues by their given name just as in Sweden. I accidentally learned this when I habitually called my supervisor by first name rather than “Dr…”. We had a laugh about it and it was good to get that cleared up in the first week. I had a great relationship with my superiors and peers alike. It was easy to get integrated with the group and I was encouraged to join after work activities very early on. I had a friendly and welcoming experience which lasted from the moment I came in the first day until I (reluctantly) left again.

Now we’re getting to the fun part! While you're admittedly in Edinburgh for the purpose of learning, you should seize the opportunity and experience the place. Prior to my departure, Edinburgh was described as a fairy tale city and it really is. It has a blend of new and old. There is the Edinburgh Castle a brief walk from the modern shops at Princes Street, the Grassmarket area for pubs and several public gardens to get lost in. Not to mention the main campus area! It truly is everything you can want in a compact, heart-warming package.

To make things even better, the student ID card gets you discounts for a wide variety of things! My first experience out about town was the cosy, smaller Cameo Picturehouse Cinema with my colleagues (£6.50). I’d highly recommend going there because of the atmosphere in this old Edwardian building and the great price. The bigger franchise movies are also quite cheap because of student discount; I saw a new Hollywood movie in IMAX 3D at the Fountain Park Cineworld for roughly £11!

For £20 (also student discount), I enjoyed a football game between the home team Hearts F.C. and Scottish champions Celtic at Tynecastle Stadium with a very good seat close to the pitch and action! In terms of nightlife, Edinburgh lacks on the side of providing a good music scene for more well-known acts compared to neighbouring Glasgow. Even so, I got a ticket to see Lissie at the Queen’s Hall for £17. Again, it was really inexpensive compared to Stockholm so I decided to donate £1 extra to the venue to support it from going out of business anytime soon. Also, I must stress how easy it is to transport yourself around Edinburgh even later in the evenings provided you don’t get frustrated by buses not being on time most of the time! Just make sure to check when the service finishes for the night so you won't panic of being stranded in the city like I did one night. Evidently, I made it back safe and sound somehow!

Being at a campus remote from the city centre and main student area, I regrettably didn’t experience too much in terms of student life. That said, Little France has a post-graduate society. Apart from the “Meet The Speaker” sessions, one of the events I participated in was a Pub quiz at the Pleasance, a bar run by the student’s association. It was very fun and it had an entrance fee of only £4. Speaking of the main campus, the Swedish (!) café "Peter's Yard" is located close to George Square for a proper fika.

In terms of travelling, I didn’t have much time to explore Scotland (or the UK) outside Edinburgh. I had an afternoon in Falkirk with my host family and a full day in Glasgow, about an hour away by train from Edinburgh (~£13 from Waverly for a return ticket). You can supposedly also go to Glasgow by bus and it would take about as long. Anyway, once arrived at Glasgow’s Queen Street Station, I visited several places including the Glasgow Green park, the river Clyde, museums (with free admission!) and the University of Glasgow main campus. The latter was definitely a highlight for me and it is exactly the sort of “Hogwarts”-style campus that one would envision a more traditional UK campus to be. The Glaswegian evening concluded with a meal at “Ketchup” on Ashton Lane, a restaurant with the interior of a 1950’s American diner to go with the hamburgers and home-made ketchup they served. Glasgow is close by yet has a different atmosphere and still more things to see. I would have really wanted to go once more before coming back to Sweden but I didn’t have the time in the end!

Make no mistake; there are also many things to experience in Edinburgh which do not cost you a penny!  Much of my free time in Edinburgh was initially dedicated to roaming and exploring. The Scottish capital is perfect to just disappear in the cityscapes or taking a break in the Princes Street Gardens or Meadows.

One of the more memorable adventures was the hike to the summit of Arthur’s Seat, the big dormant volcano that can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. There are different routes to the top and I think you can also go with a guide if you feel like it but I wanted to experience it on my own. Once you arrive up there, you will have a splendid view of the city although that particular day it was a bit on the grey and windy side to truly enjoy it.

Another memory that stands out is the Field of Light exhibition on St Andrews Square. It was truly magic – and again, free of charge! Close to where I stayed, there is Craigmillar Castle which, although I didn’t enter it, provided a splendid view of the neighbourhood and the surroundings up on the hill where it is located. If I would invite someone to a pick-nick, I would undoubtedly host it up there.  Because the spring tends to be milder than back home I had a running session at magical Portobello Beach which was very inspiring and refreshing. Ironically, I didn’t set aside time to exercise regularly but the University offers great prices for gym and sports activities if you are so inclined from what I could see on the website.

Edinburgh really has it all! Just keep your eyes peeled for offers and you can’t go wrong.

Tip: Follow @LoveEdinburgh and @EdinSpotlight on Twitter to get insights into the city and particular events. I even signed up to curate the former for a week, telling the locals about my time in their hometown. It was great fun to talk about my impressions of the city and get a response to my adventure. 

Well, that's it!

The experience in Scotland has had a fundamental impact on myself, both on a personal and professional level. It's been valuable to try my own wings as a young individual and also see a different higher education atmosphere. As this was the last course, it naturally didn't influence my studies at KI very much afterwards though. My time in Edinburgh has encouraged me to also look beyond the Swedish borders when looking for my next career step and that's certainly not a bad thing!  A degree from KI combined with experience abroad is as valuable to you as your future colleagues, that's for sure. Indeed, as I suspected, having studied at the University of Edinburgh is a very attractive factor for the potential employers that I've been in touch so far, particularly for international universities. It's really true what they say: going abroad as a student is one of the best experiences in my life so if you're still making up your mind - just get ready and go for it!

Also, If you want daily details about every aspect of my exchange experience from pre-arrival to returning, I recommend you to visit my blog: http://simonpeyda.wordpress.com/ and find the “Study Abroad” category in the menu under “Studying”. I also put together a short video of a typical day in my life as a KI student in Edinburgh that you can watch for a quick taste of what awaits you in the Scottish capital! That said, I am very happy to offer advice if you are either contemplating to visit Edinburgh or already find yourself there but feel a bit lost, so please get in touch if you have questions!