Student blogs

Hi again! In this blog, I want to introduce the current first-year students of the Toxicology Master’s Programme at Karolinska Institutet! Currently, I’m a second-year student, and I did a similar blog last year for my class. This time around, the first-years are part of a bigger class of 30 people, and 17 students responded to my form. Similar to last year, they’re a very diverse mix of various academic backgrounds, nationalities, and, of course, fika preferences. Arguably the most important characteristic, right?

Disclaimer: The classes look different every year, and the numbers you see here are NOT necessarily what Karolinska Institutet looks for when admitting students. If you want more information about eligibility/requirements for getting admitted to the programme, please take a look at the KI website or contact the Admission’s Office for specific questions. This blog is just meant to be a fun introduction of the current first-year class for recently admitted/future toxicology students.

Nationalities

This year’s class is larger than mine, and with that comes even more diversity! The first-year students come from 14 different countries! Studying in an international environment is one of the great aspects of the ToxMaster, and this year’s group certainly reflects that. 🙂

Languages

With such a diverse group, it’s no surprise that the first-years speak many different languages as well. Of course, everyone speaks English, but beyond that, there are plenty of other languages represented, including Swedish, Spanish, Mandarin, German, and many more. This creates the perfect opportunity to pick up some new words or phrases (maybe learn how to order a coffee in multiple languages? ☕).

Background and age range

As always, students in the ToxMaster come from a variety of academic backgrounds (both bachelor’s and master’s degrees are included in the graph). While many have backgrounds in biomedical sciences, pharmacy, and molecular biology, others bring experience from fields like bioinformatics and even forensics. Personally, I think this mix of different backgrounds is one of the highlights of the programme, lots of interesting discussions! 🙂

In terms of age, the majority are 22-23 years old, having joined the programme directly after their bachelor’s studies. However, there are also students in their later 20s and 30s, similar to last year. A reminder that there’s no set timeline for studying, everyone’s journey looks different!

Future plans

Hot take: This might actually be my favorite question! During my first year, everything was so new, and I had no clue what I wanted to do – it was reassuring to see that most people felt the same way. This year, it seems to be pretty similar. Some students already know they want to work in industry or pursue a PhD, but the majority still aren’t sure yet. A year later, I can give some actual reassurance:

• We have a much better idea of different career paths, having finished all our courses.
• But honestly? Most of us still don’t know for sure what we want to do.

And that’s okay! The way I see it, everything’s still exciting, and there are so many different opportunities available. If you’re curious about the types of jobs you can pursue after this programme, take a look at what our alumni are currently doing!

Go-to fika order

So, what are the first-years actually like? A good starting point is to look at what they order when they go for fika, an integral part of Swedish culture. Here’s what they answered, open to interpretation:

Fun facts and final words

Finally, I asked the students to share a fun fact about themselves. Once again, lots of great answers, and here are a few highlights:

• Super high spice tolerance due to inability in sensation for tasting 🔥
• I love maps and collect them wherever I go 🗺️
• When I was a child I wanted to be a dinosaurs when I grow up 🦖
• We started a fitness group to go to KI gym, I happen to be the trainer 👀
• ALSO, at least three people play an instrument long-term or professionally… ToxMaster band, anyone? 🎻🪈🥁

Once again, I hope this blog gives you a glimpse into the diversity and unique personalities of this year’s ToxMaster students. The programme continues to attract amazing, talented, and supportive people, and I have no doubt they’ll make the most of their time here!

✨ Thanks for reading, see you in the next blog! 😊