Student blogs

Hej! I am Sakura, a 2nd-year student in the Public Health Program. I invited 2 students from the Epidemiology track to hear about their life in Sweden and more non-academic experience. I hope this helps you to picture what it is like living in Sweden/Stockholm?

1. What do you like about life in Sweden/Stockholm?

Alexandra: In Stockholm, there is always something to do. There are a lot of really good food places and the city is not so big so everything is a relatively short metro line or walk away. It is a very convenient city.

Maëli: I really like nature and there are still a lot of places in Sweden that I have to explore. And what I like about Stockholm is that even though it is the capital, it doesn’t really feel like a big city. Because nature is spread out and you are always close to the water. Also, the buildings are really pretty here. Stockholm is just a nice small but big city. 

2. What do you like to do in your free time?

Alexandra: In my free time, I like to keep busy, such as going exercise and running. I also like to go on nature walks. I enjoy going to Hagaparken, but also more outside like Nacka that has a number of really good walks. In fall, I like to be outside and in winter I spend more time in cafes.

Maëli: I really like Sweden because of nature. So in my free time, I like to go out in nature and go hiking. Even though Stockholm is the capital, there is still a lot of nature within and around the city super nearby. We are always close to lakes so that is just great. in Tyresta and Nacka, there are lots of smaller nature resorts. In summer I went to Hoga Kusten 6 or 7 hours from Stockholm.

3. Do you work in any student organizations?

Alexandra: On top of my studies, I also got involved in some student organizations. The one that I mainly got involved with is called Swedish Network for International Health. We focused on connecting aspiring health professionals so public health students specifically with those experts in their fields. I work as a secretary. So, I’m in charge of the minutes and notes, but also all the logistics behind our activities. Kinda setting up the tech since now everything is on zoom because of the pandemic there are a lot of technical issues, ensuring that the zoom is working and what dates we are having events and getting contact with speakers.

Maëli: I took part in DGH which is the Decolonizing Global Health movement at KI. We are organizing events like book clubs and conferences and we are currently working with KI. During the summer I was also a part of Polygeia. Polygeia provides students opportunities to conduct research. That’s been an interesting experience. My research was a scoping review on the environmental impact on menstrual products and specifically in Uganda. That was quite interesting because I’ve never done a scoping or literature review before and I have learnt a lot about how to do it and how not to do it.

4. Do you have any advice for prospective students?

Alexandra: There is a lot of room for activities on the side. So, my biggest recommendation is to get involved in some student organizations if you can. Take advantage of the resources that KI has. And also a number of student organizations there are. This is a great opportunity to develop your professional skills and get to know people.

Maëli: Start your application in time. Make sure you provide enough evidence of your English proficiency, especially if you are coming from one of the countries that do not need to show the TOEFL or the other tests. For me, for example, my high school diploma and my grades from my last year in high school were sufficient. However, I needed some kind of proof of how many hours of English I have had. Make sure you meet all the country requirements. (Note: This is just her experience, so please check your requirement from the admission websites!)

Thank you for reading. I hope this was helpful to get to know student life in Sweden. Please contact me if you have any questions 😉

Sakura