My studies at
KI were quite different from the studies in Leiden. There were far more
lectures and less self-study compared to Leiden, which resulted in a more
passive learning style. I also did not need to buy books for my course, because
most of the information was supplied in the lectures. The facilities at the
university were great, with a good library with extensive opening hours and
enough places to study. The practicals were pretty well organized. Supervisors
and teachers were fairly approachable (which in Sweden is more common in
itself, due to the less hierarchical structure of society). I did kind of miss the
smaller group sessions in which one can discuss the studied matter and make it
more a part of inherent knowledge rather than something you studied once and do
not quite remember. Although some people prefer listening to lectures, I myself
am more the type to read and self-study new material and then talk about it
with others to really let it sink in.
One thing I did learn while studying in the international Biomedicine program
of KI is to cooperate with people from all cultures. The Dutch nature is quite
straightforward, so I learned to be less direct in giving feedback and taking
people’s cultural background into account when discussing topics.