Relatively to the arrival arrangements I think that everything was well organized. We had some students of KI wating for us at the airport, and they took us to our accommodations. They also helped us getting the mensal pass for the transportations in Sweden (which includes subway, train, boat and bus). 

During the introduction day the exchange students got useful information regarding the university, the country and the accommodations. I felt very welcomed.

I applied for an accommodation for students. I lived there for approximately five months, and I was pleased with the place. The room was big and had the necessary things for an exchange student (bed, bookshelf, secretary, wardrobe, and a private bathroom). The kitchen and the laundry room were shared. Sometimes it can be difficult to keep the kitchen cleaned while sharing it with many people, you really have to be very organized! I think the rent was a little high compared to the rent in my country, but in general the conditions at the accommodation where good.  

During my stay in Sweden I went to some parties, mostly with the friends that I met in the accommodation, but the university also organizes good parties and events for the students. It was a little difficult for me to make Swedish friends because I didn’t have classes at the university.

I've chosen to go on exchange because I thought it would be an enriching experience, both at a professional and personal level. It would be the perfect way to know new people, a completely different culture and a country. Furthermore, I wanted to know how the work in Radiology is in another country.

I chose KI because it was an university highly recommended by some people I knew that had already studied there, and also because I attended to some classes that the professors of the Radiology department of KI gave in my Portuguese university one year ago, and I really enjoyed it.

All the information given by my university and by KI was very complete and enlightening. Through that information I got to know more a less how things work in Sweden, and I also learned some advices on how to behave and manage my daily life in Sweden. In addition to the fact that I should have my vaccination actualized, I was also asked to do a MRSA test before attending to the clinical practice in Sweden.

I really enjoyed my experience as an exchange student in Sweden. I’m really grateful to all those who guided us during my clinical practice and the realization of my research project. I’m happy that I have chosen the spring semester because I had the possibility to see and live the both sides of Sweden: the dark and cold winter, and the colorful and joyful spring. Stockholm is an extremely beautiful city, with lots of museums and places to see, the architecture is very elegant, the landscapes are incredible, everything is clean and organized. There are lots of cafes where you can enjoy the traditional Fika. People are polite and will help you every time you need. I wish I had classes at the university, because I didn’t have the chance to know many Swedish students and I think it would be important for a more real experience of the Swedish costumes and culture. In addition to the fact that I had the possibility to know the Swedish culture I also got the pleasure to know other cultures from around the world, because there are a lot of foreign people there.

Thank you KI for the amazing experience!

I got the chance to participate in a Swedish language course but I had only one class per week so I couldn’t learn a lot. Swedish is a little complicated and has many grammar rules and expressions.  My advice is to attend classes twice a week, because that way you can learn more things in less time, and you will not lose the motivation to learn the new language.

I didn’t have classes at KI, I only had clinical practice in some hospitals and a research project. At the hospitals the environment was excellent, everyone was helpful and welcoming. I was always accompanied by someone who talked English with me and who explained me the procedures and ways of work at the hospital. Even the patients where nice to me, and were comprehensive with the fact that I couldn’t speak Swedish with them. At the hospitals, the radiology department professionals taught me Swedish words and sentences that were very useful for my practice. I was impressed with the hospitals facilities, everything was organized and the majority equipment was modern. I was able to work in conventional radiology, computed tomography and magnetic resonance, and some protocols and procedures are different from the ones in Portugal, so I learned different ways of working and performing the radiological examinations. At university everyone was also very helpful and accompanied us (me and my colleague) constantly during the realization of our project work. I’m really thankful to the teacher and all the persons that helped us and guided us during the research project.