My Program
As opposed to what the title says, I am not in the program Erasmus or from the Netherlands. They just don't have the listing for my program given that it is so new. I am from the University of Maine in the United States and I am in a program called EuroScholars. It is through the company GlobaLinks, and it is tailored for students who have a strong background in their field of study. It is a program in which instead of taking courses at a foreign university, you apply to a research program within your interest and it is the professor of the lab who decides if the applicant is accepted. In my case, I did not really choose KI, the research project at KI chose me.
Choosing a Lab
I have recently been very interested in molecular neuroscience and neurobiochemistry. However, my university does not have either. I knew that I wanted to study abroad since before I began college, and when the study abroad advisor told me about this program, I knew it was the one for me. Knowing before about the Karolinksa Insitituet and its reputation in the medical research community, I decided to look at the research options first at KI. I found a project that suited me adequately, and applied. It took a long time for the lab to reply, so long that they sent my application to other labs in the building with research that was not listed on the website as project options. The lab that responded turned out to be perfect for my interests, and exactly what I wanted to do.
Getting Ready
In preparing for the trip to Sweden, there is obviously quite a bit of paperwork. I did not need any vaccinations other than the ones I already had, and I did not need to even go to the doctor. I did have to apply for a residence permit, which was very complicated, but thankfully I was able to acquire one without an issue. I do wish there had been more information on how to complete all of the paperwork, given that I would have to email multiple people and wait anytime I had a question. However, once all of the paperwork was done, the hard part was deciding what I should pack to bring!