For students attending the Studying at two universities - interview from the HI Master student perspective

What was the biggest difference in studying in two universities?

In addition to Ladok system, the tools used by the two partners were totally different. Karolinska institute uses Canvas platform while Stockholm University uses Daisy and Ilearn which was a bit confusing at the beginning specially for international students. The studied courses differed in structure and examination requirements. Students had to use different accounts for Zoom and Microsoft office applications which were a bit tricky for example tracking shared calendars.

What advantages did you notice in having courses at KI and Stockholm University?

Studying at the two universities had a lot of advantages, you get the chance to explore a wide range of teaching styles offered by a group of excellent professors and teachers with different academic backgrounds. You also get access to both universities' libraries and resources. It was always nice to enjoy the various facilities on different campuses like the big gym in Karolinska Insititutet and the modern study rooms at Stockholm University.

What disadvantages did you notice in having courses at KI and Stockholm University?

Traveling between Karolinska Institutet campus in Solna and Stockholm University campus in Kista takes around 40 to 50 minutes using public transportation which could be a little bit challenging during winter if students had lectures on both campuses on the same day, a good thing that we had the chance to attend online but this was during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On a few occasions, we had conflicting schedules between the courses given at the same time by the two universities that needed to be sorted out.

What can KI learn from Stockholm University?

Nothing in particular as both universities are well established, but one improvement could be to have a unified shared access card for students studying in mixed programs, as we had to get three different physical cards, one issued from Karolinska Institutet and two from Stockholm University.

Do you have any tips for our newly admitted students how to handle to study in two universities? Or anything else you would like to add?

Give yourself the chance to explore the two campuses upfront and to get familiar with the different facilities and the routes to them. It is also recommended to check your access to all the needed software each year. Do not forget to go through the schedule of each course at the beginning to plan your activities upfront.

What is your motto in life?

"Enjoy the little things in your life"