After I was nominated to an exchange period at the University of Edinburgh, my stay there had to be organized. I needed to email back and forth with the main responsible in Edinburgh, David Argyle (also for my research project choice), with Claire Smith for student registry and with John Stewart for my course choice.

What is needed in general for a successful start at the University of Edinburgh:

• Unconditional Offer
• University Username (registered in student registry)
• Courses (4^th year level)
• Research project

For me it made sense to leave some luggage at home and send it to my future apartment. I didn't need a visa of any kind and I withdrew money from my account on arrival in Edinburgh. The flight connection to Edinburgh was very convenient, because I could take Ryanair from Berlin directly to the capital of Scotland, but it was important to book a flight early. I would recommend everybody to join the Fresher's week.

On arrival the unconditional offer and being registered as a student was very helpful in order to matriculate and receive my student card. This card enabled me to use the university gym, the library, use discounts and much more. I also went to my lab before I started my project and got my access card, which is urgently needed in the university hospital at little france. People advised me to register with a local doctor close to my permanent address in Edinburgh, which I never did but I also didn't need one during my semester.

It was sufficient to arrive in time for the official start of the semester, Fresher's week started one week before that. Since I was living quite far away from my lab, I also bought a monthly bus ticket immediately, the so-called Ridacard.

Edinburgh is an expensive city, but in comparison to Stockholm it is not too bad. I got the impression that the rent is quite high (varying between 300 and 450 Pound) and the living expenses a little less than Stockholm, also because Tesco and Lidl are inexpensive alternatives.

It is not too difficult to find a room in Edinburgh and rooms are usually furnished. The best strategy might be to go to the city beforehand, look for a room via www.gumtree.com and call the owner instead of mailing. For me it was not possible to look for a room before I went to Edinburgh, but I found a room within 6 days, which I spent at a hostel.

It is not too difficult to find a room in Edinburgh and rooms are usually furnished. The best strategy might be to go to the city beforehand, look for a room via www.gumtree.com and call the owner instead of mailing. For me it was not possible. I tried to get a room with university accommodation, which was possible during Fresher's week, but it was very expensive (650 Pounds), partly because it was catered. From what I understood there was no guarantee for an exchange student like me to get a room when applying but it might be worth to try.

I really enjoyed my courses, the subject was very interesting.

The exams were taken beginning to mid-December, which fitted nicely with the KI semester schedule. For me it was best to do my research project within the dates of the official semester and use one day a week for my two courses.

I was advised to take level 10 courses within School of Biomedical Sciences and do my 10-week project within the Medical and Biomedical Schools. My project was different from what I expected but very interesting and I felt like it was important to a lot of people what I found out.

One thing that was a bit different in Edinburgh was a focus on Health & Safety, in Sweden and Germany things are handled slightly more casual. Particularly in Sweden teaching also focuses on presentation skills, we practice from an early timepoint, which in some cases does not happen until late into the studies in Edinburgh. I was impressed with the level of detail of my courses, I really liked to focus on one aspect of a research area and learn facts and methods related to that subject throughout the whole semester.

Scottish English can be great to listen to but it can be very hard to understand, too. It's important to not give up. In the end one will understand a wee bit more.

Scotland is very similar to Sweden and Germany, there are only little things that are different. In the event of snow, the British can overreact. The food is extremely tasty to very strange (Haggis, fried pizza). But it's the little differences which are going to make me miss living in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful and extraordinary cities I've seen and heard of. Walking around the old town (which a big part of are actually university buildings) never gets boring. The university not only offers an inexpensive and very well-equipped gym but also lots of societies to join. This is part of why I would recommend experiencing the Fresher's week, all the events, free stuff and sports and socities fair are also interesting for exchange students. There are free sightseeing tours, I enjoyed Scottish dances (the cèilidh) and Scottish food. When it comes to concerts you most probably need to go to Glasgow, which is an hour away (by train). The same applies to extensive shopping, but Princess Street and the Tollcross area were fine with me the whole time. One of the highlights in Edinburgh has to be the Elephant House, a coffee and tea place. Not only the tea is awesome, but it is also the birthplace of Harry Potter. In comparison to Stockholm Edinburgh has a lot of pubs, very cozy and the beer is not too expensive.

The university also has a specific group which organises get-togethers and trips for exchange students. I organised trips on my own and I will have to go back to see the Highlands once more, they are so beautiful. It's not the easiest thing to get into contact with students in the courses (sometimes you really only listen to lectures), so it's important to look for friends somewhere else, too.

The most important part of this exchange for me does not fit into one of the other categories. The friends I made, the exeriences, the food, my roomates broadened my horizon once more. Maybe some of the experiences would have been similar with a new lab in Stockholm, but I would have never been at a bus stop early in the morning on a very snowy December day and watched the unique skyline of Edinburgh. Probably never eaten chips'n'cheese, and for sure I would have never met the fascinating people I met. And they would have never met me and known a bit more about Stockholm and Karolinska Institutet.