Student blogs

Hi! Does the title sound familiar? That’s because I’m expanding the wonderful “Student spotlight” series that my fellow blogger Luis from Global health started last semester. I’m excited to every once in a while be introducing my toxicology friends to you – and today’s spotlight shines on Alice!

The very first conversation I remember having with Alice was during the Finnhamn trip in the first week of the programme. And even though I have of course gotten to know her better since then, this interview today was a fun reason to talk a bit more again – and it even revealed some things that I didn’t know yet about her. So, here we go:

How old are you, where are you from and what led you to toxicology?

Hi! I’m Alice, 25, and I come from Milan in Italy. Before coming to KI, I did my bachelor’s in biological sciences.

When I started looking for master’s, I first thought I had to decide between “environment” or “not environment”. But then I found toxicology and realized that I don’t have to decide, because this master’s covers both the human and the environmental perspectives!

What have you enjoyed most about your studies here so far?

I’ve enjoyed our group works. I had never really done them before, since we were far too many students for that in my bachelor’s and because it’s generally not as common in Italy. And first, I thought it might get tricky to find good dynamics and ways to deal with conflicts, but it turned out being much easier than I thought.

About KI: I love the campus. My previous university consisted of just one building (an old cathedral; beautiful but not the typical campus experience), so I enjoy moving around campus here at KI. It’s nice to see different places and a good way to get some movement and fresh air between classes.

What’s your favourite thing to do in Stockholm?

The best thing for me is walking in the forest or park, especially when it is frozen or has snowed.

I also love to eat warm and non-European food. In Stockholm, there are many places that offer vegetarian and/or vegan options that are delicious.

What were the biggest surprises for you?

I was surprised how exhausting it was for me to study in English; I was really tired after every single day at first. I guess it makes sense, because my last time actively using English every day was eight years ago during an exchange year, and after that, I haven’t really needed it. It took about a month to get used to it again.

Something else I had to get used to was the frequency of exams. In my bachelor’s, we used to have exam periods at the end of each semester. Here, we sometimes had exams every 2 weeks, and I really underestimated that.

About the city: I had not expected people to be in such a rush. I always thought it’s an Italian thing to be busy and hurry to places – I expected Swedes to be relaxed and calm everywhere. But when I get out of the metro in the mornings, I do feel elbows and crowds pushing, so it’s really more busy here than I thought.

What advice would you give your past self?

I would tell my younger self that math is not all science there is. During middle and high school, I often felt like we were being put in boxes: if you like math, it means you’re smart and science is your thing – if not, not. And, well, math wasn’t my thing, which discouraged me from going for sciences. In the sense of: “I’m just not good at this, why should I even put effort?” But one day, I understood that math is not all science. And that you can be a great problem-solver and scientist without understanding every detail of mathematics. That’s something I would have loved to hear as a kid.

In a nutshell

Reflecting over Alice’s answers shows me that we have a lot in common; the reasons to study toxicology, the love for the nature and food places around Stockholm… and kind of also the math trauma.

I hope you enjoyed reading this interview as much as I enjoyed being busy with it – and if so, stay tuned because there may be more interviews with tox students on their way!