Practical experiences for international students

Hello and welcome to the Lund University International podcast. The podcast all about living and studying at Lund University in Sweden. Here from current students alumni researchers professors and many more special guests as we dive into life at one of Sweden and Europe's top universities. My name is Tim Parker and I am an international communications officer at the Division of Communication. Today we're talking about practical experiences as an international student from studying abroad to getting involved in tutoring, summer research, and more. Joining me are two Lund University students who have each taken different international paths which make the most of the practical opportunities available. One has combined an exchange in the UK with tutoring and a summer research school here at Lund. While the other has made use of the Arasmus+ internship grant which allowed the opportunity to take a summer internship in Norway as well as participating in a national student congress called Natuavetana which allows opportunities for professional networking and career development. We'll hear how they found these opportunities, what life abroad was really like, and what advice that give to anyone thinking about adding in some practical opportunities in addition to their studies at Lund University. Welcome into the studio. Hey, I'm Sumaya and thank you for having me today and I'm from Bangladesh and I'm doing my master's in molecular biology and my specialization is microbiology and biodechnology and I'm the one who gained the Erosmas+ grant and I am also attending the Natural Veteran Congress student congress team. So yeah, I'm Leoni and I'm from Germany. I'm in my third year of the Biomedicine Bachelor's program here at Lund University and I've been recently on exchange in the UK in Newcastle and done a summer research school here in the summer. Yeah, taken like part in a bunch of opportunities that we've gotten. Fantastic. You're both really involved students and Leoni want to say welcome back to Sweden. Thank you. It doesn't sound like you picked up a Newcastle accent. No, my flight system happened. So how did you first learn about these opportunities? So mostly I think through hearing it from the from the program itself, from what other students have done and also we get a very good newsletter from our faculty but also from the whole university with international opportunities and you just scroll through that a bit and see if there's anything that you kind of like. And yeah, so mostly it's from from the emails from students but also from the Lund University abroad Instagram channel. They also have very nice content and yeah, yeah. And in my case, I mean in my first year of Masters was like pretty hectic. So I have a lot of courses and lab class. So I actually I haven't done much but during summer I actually wanted to do something and I have like a different different plan. I mean if it's not like happening then I will go for Plan B and Plan C and this kind of stuff. So I emailed a lot of like professors here that hey, do you need any master students? I mean as a research assistant or like a student in the lab and then I also like faced a lot of rejection but then I also started emailing in the other like European universities outside Sweden and then I mean some some people actually like replied my email and then I went into the study advisor office that hey I mean some people I mean some professors from other European countries interested to have me in this summer but what opportunities do I have? I mean because I need a scholarship or like a 20-ship grant and then my study advisor like told me that you can actually apply it for Aeresmas plus and then I applied and then I mean after all of those things I realized that gaining Aeresmas plus grant is not a tough task but actually I mean managing a lab to work on is the toughest task. So yeah that's so cool. I actually also got the Aeresmas plus grant from from Lundt University for the UK even though it's not officially I think in Aeresmas program anymore but Lundt is very very nice with that. Yeah. And you've both been involved in some other opportunities and practical experiences here in Lundt or in Sweden as well. Yeah so we have the opportunity to do a kind of like summer research school which is 10 weeks in a summer and you also email a bunch of professors to ask if you can work in their lab and experience first hand how it is to do kind of like a mini thesis. It's not really a thesis it's a mini like a lot project but you you're there from nine till five and like get to experience this okay how do people actually work in in this industry or in academia. I also did some it's called supplementary instruction for short SI. We help first year students from our program to like give them tips and tricks that we kind of learned on the way and also teach them a bit in the lab so that's very very exciting. Yeah and in my case I realized that networking is really important so I also like I will attend a student congress thing and it's a student union which called natural veteriner and I become a member of that and then I received an email from them that I can as a student I can join the student congress and then I can also like I mean propose a lot of things there and it will also be a great opportunity to build a lot of connection to see all the employers in natural science field so that's why yeah I'm also going to take a part of it and it's in Stockholm. So yeah what do you do there? It's a student I mean it's self-history in congress and we have two different events in two days and the first day we will I mean they will actually discuss what they're going to do in this year what's their agenda is and during second day there will be like a carrier kind of event so a lot of like companies employees will come and then we will get a chance to talk to them and yeah there will also be a lot of speakers who will maybe give us motivational space so yeah and you both are studying full-time as well and you're both student ambassadors so you're basically super students. What were your main motivations for getting involved in these activities? I think mainly it is to do some networking like you said before and also getting new experiences for me especially we don't have as many lab experiences within a program as I would wish to have so going abroad or doing the summer research school is a way to kind of get that lab experience like just practical stuff that is really good to have and to know if you want to continue with in this path kind of so I think for me that was kind of the main main motivation and in my case suppose like for the summer internship I was actually focused on the lab things I wanted to gain some experience before starting my master's thesis so there was like my main focus that no I want to like learn a lot of laboratory techniques and like maybe become more confident like how and how we actually like lab work and this kind of stuff and for the student congress things I realized that net building network and like doing collaborative stuff is actually very important it will also like make you confident enough and then I mean it's all about like sharing your thoughts and your like learning perspective and I think most of it is about like gaining confidence in what you do and getting more experiences that you can then always somehow use later in life. Yeah exactly. Yeah. And how did you prepare for these experiences and I'm interested in the practicalities and also the emotional side as well. So in my case as I already like mentioned for the internship I was like fully focused on like gaining some laboratory skills so when I email the professors I mentioned that no I mean I have this this this experience so please like let me in in your lab and I will like work it will be like a good like I mean I will be a good efficient summer student there and when I applied for the Smus+ grant I mentioned that no I mean I want to experience like collaborative things I mean inclusivity and everything and then it will be more much more nicer to me if I gain a lab experience before my master's thesis so I brought my motivation later in a different way for like a different I mean yeah different guesses and I was also like obviously excited about going to Norway home university is not university and the campus is in Baudel so Baudv is like beautiful city I mean it's surrounding by sea and then it has a lot of beaches so I just thought like yeah it's like it's it can be a nice summer so yeah yeah that's what I thought it but but the funniest thing is I was also like quite sad about the fact that I I will be like unable to use my summer ticket here. - Yeah. - The summer ticket. - It was also great deal. - But yeah. - I was here all summer, but I wasn't allowed, but I thought I would use it way more than I actually did. - Yeah. - So, but yeah, coming back to what we were talking about, like how to get ready for this, like exchange for example, which is like four months away. And of course, there's like housing you have to think about before, and like what do you do with your housing here? What, how do you get housing there? And also applying for the Erasmus Postgrad, which was not complicated at all, but you have to do it. And during the applications, in like you have to apply to Lund University, and then also apply to the university that you want to go to. And you have to decide on courses. And like what do you want as your focus kind of when you're there? And also packing was quite difficult. Just like a normal practical thing. How do you get your things there alone? And yeah, 'cause I mean you are doing it alone in the end, usually there's a lot of logistics more behind it that you, I didn't really realize would be because it all sounds very fun when you're applying, but then when it comes closer, you're like, oh, this is my to-do list. - And I mean emotionally, we're both not from Sweden, so we moved here to Sweden, and then we still went abroad. - Exactly. You kind of do this whole process twice, so maybe you're better at it, but I don't know. Because I mean you do leave your friends and family behind once again. - And exactly, I actually thought about to like applying in an exchange program earlier, but then I mean, I didn't thought that no, I mean, so it itself is like quite up-brought for me. So yeah. And yeah, I also forget to mention about the accommodation stuff. So after like arranging the whole internship things, I went through the North University housing portal, and then I saw an email, and then I like, contact with them, and they also like offered me a student housing. So I think like yeah, universities have that like for exchange students or like for training, student training too. - How did studying or working abroad compare to student life here in Lent? - That's really exciting. I mean, from what I can tell about Newcastle, it was very different than student life in Lent, because it's a bit more like bigger as a city than Lent. I mean, Lent is really just students here. Everywhere you go, you see the LTH people with their overalls, and like you have the student nations, and it's all very organized and small and fun. And then Newcastle is a bit of a bigger city, so it's not just students that are there, but also a lot of other people. But yeah, the university there has hundreds of student organizations and society, so it's very different to here, but it's still not worse or better, I don't know. It's a bit what you want to do with it. So you can really choose what you want to do. I joined the Cold Waters Women's Society, so we went every Sunday, we went to the beach with the Metro, and jumped into the ocean, and sometimes even at sunrise or sunset, and then drank some coffee after. There's also a stock society or a Taylor Swift society, or you can do tennis or water polo, or I don't know, like anything your hard desire is, basically you can do there. And the university and also the accommodations have their own gym, so that's a good way for students to keep exercising and healthy, but a lot of stuff going on, very fun. - I'm also curious to hear about any challenges which you encountered during any of your experiences and how you handled them. - Yeah, in my case, as a student from Asia, like a whole different continent, and then coming here, like facing a lot of cultural difference, and also a lot of further difference, I suffered depression in my first year, and I also have a take the vitamin D seriously, and all the supplements. - I'm so gay, I'm so gay. - Yeah, it's just a tough one. I don't want it, because in my whole life, I never have these kind of things like a supplement. So, I mean, yeah, I got depressed, but I feel like if you are well prepared, then you will not actually, because here, I mean, as I also mentioned, that it's the student city, so everybody is kind of like empathetic. I mean, if you're facing something, you should just like talk about, you talk, reach out to other person. It's really helpful. And then, yeah, took your vitamin C, really. - Yeah. - Yeah. - So, yeah, take your vitamin C, basically. - Yeah, I think for me, on exchange, it was there were of course challenges. For me, it was really difficult at the beginning, and also the end with exam season, because I'm not used to exam season, and then we don't have that in my program, since we have like continuous small exams. So, it's never like, oh, we have three courses at the same time, and then you have like these big exams in the span of two weeks, and that was like a very stressful time for me in Newcastle, but I guess you just kind of pushed through. And that is also why I did this exchange to like see the differences between learned and, and like studying in a different system kind of, what would be better for me, also looking for like the future and masters what I want to do for that. But yeah, on another note, like another challenge was definitely like making friends again, because you start always from scratch when you move somewhere else, and you don't really know many people, and sometimes it can take a while. Sometimes you don't really meet the people that you, yeah, really connect with in the first few weeks, and then an exchange is very short. So you kind of have to trust the process, and usually at some points you do find kind of your group, but I also definitely learned that, like you can also do stuff alone. - Yeah. - If there's nobody that has time or that you're really vibing with, then there's no harm in doing the whole thing. - Just change your word thought. - Yeah. So I think that's kind of like a challenge, but you kind of rise from it and realize, oh, you grow as a person, and you know, okay, I can do stuff alone, I can meet new people, I can be social, and all this kind of stuff. It's, yeah, you just kind of find your way. - Yeah. But I also wanted to say that's why, I mean, you should try to do more stuff. Some of us like, we both are a student ambassador, and when we made the first time, we have the whole gathering things, I realized that all the student ambassadors are like, so you go to talk, I mean, it's just our first like knitting, but all of them are like, hey, we can't do your form. And people are really interested in other people. So you just like need to also find your like a perfect group, like yeah, where people actually like interested in you and you as well. - And I think internationals always, like be it on exchange, be it in land, internationals are the most open people you will meet. And the easiest to talk to usually. - Yeah, because like everybody's condition is safe. I mean, everybody is like far from their family and they really like wants to like share their bond to others. So it's like, yeah, I could say. - And coming back to your experiences here in learned and in Sweden as well, how have roles like tutoring or participating in research programs or joining student congresses added to your international experience? - I'm not sure if it's really international experience, but just generally experience that like you learn a lot about yourself and you learn about, okay, what do I want to do in the future? It's kind of a way to get to know yourself and your interests better in a way by just doing it because if you don't do it, you don't know how you will find it. Or yeah, what your thoughts will be about it. So I think usually the best way to go is, okay, you do it and then you see if it was a, if you mark it in the plus or the minus section of your life kind of. And yeah, it's just experience that you take with you and apply for the future things I come. - Yeah. I mean, in my case also, I was actually the one who basically like fear, who have the fear for rejection. But then I realized like you should try more things. I mean, if you, I mean, then you will realize that which things is for you and which things is not for you. And also, suppose like even the podcast also, I mean, if you were like joining a lot of different programs and then you were like being vocal about everything, then I think it's also help you in your future field because I mean, after that you need to search your job, you need to like do a lot of Vi, Vi, interview and all of those things. So if you already have experience, I suppose like if you already have a conference experience and if you already like give some speech earlier, then it's actually helpful for you because yeah, it will make you confident. - Yeah. - And I would also say that just participating in also exchange or research programs, like it makes you appreciate also what you have at home. Kind of that was the case for me when I was in England. Like, oh, okay, like this is better here definitely. So like it makes me appreciate it much more when you experience it in another way. And you're like, oh, the grass is not always greener on the other side. So I think those are kind of things that you take from it that you kind of see, okay, this can be made better also at home. This you could apply or okay, scratch that. That is not a good thing for me. And I also feel like this kind of experiences in your CV is actually a proof that you are that person who always like push yourself to try different things, which is a good skill for I mean, I would say. Yeah. So yeah, this kind of thing. I mean, yeah, you are that one who will do like intercultural things and like who is like more prone to do collaborative research. So yeah, this is like this kind of stuff is a proof in your profile. So yeah. Yeah. And what advice would you give to other students who are considering applying for an exchange, a similar program or seeking out other practical experiences in learnt as well? I think the first step is to it. Like see what's out there and don't be kind of scared of rejection. I want to say, yeah. And also if you don't have time, then be honest about that and don't push yourself to do too many things and then do them all kind of badly. So maybe like focus on one to two things and it can be overwhelming because there's a lot to choose from. But yeah, you also don't want to really burn out or have your studies suffer because all the stuff you do kind of. Yeah. Next. Yeah. I would also say the same things that just go for you, just try a lot of different stuff. I mean, I always tell myself that if like 20 plus tab is not open in my laptop, I'm not doing enough. So yeah, just search a lot, just search everything because it I mean, load university, I mean, also provide you a lot of information through newsletter, through canvas, through like their website. So you will like see a lot of like opportunities. And I feel like you should also talk about what you were doing to your friends, to your senior. And also, I mean, discuss things like what they are also doing. So yeah, I mean, I feel like exchanging like your works and like your mindset is actually quite helpful. And I mean, I, yeah, I feel like you shouldn't like fear about rejection and to rejection itself is a like learning thing. Supposed like you brought your motivation letter in a certain way and then you got rejected. Then you will like realize that, okay, it's not the right way. So I should like put some more things or I should like delete some things from that. So yeah, I mean, every rejection is also a lesson. So yeah, and I also feel like that just like Google just like search everything because I mean, I feel like if you are really trying, then you will actually get something. So yeah, yeah. Yeah. I also, what you said about talking to other people like you're hearing from two people now, but within my program, I can talk about that. Like there's so many people doing a bunch of different things and like working in firema companies or doing courses, online courses at other universities abroad or doing summer research in most other universities actually at those places and not just online and we're interning in labs during the time during the semester during like there's a bunch of things and you're hearing like to kind of stand point everyone, you know, programs that like super enthusiastic and like all of them are like trying different different things. So yeah, I mean, you can actually like talk about it in a thicker time and then I mean, yeah, they never realized that okay, there are a lot of opportunities actually. Yeah, yeah, and also talk to the professors. They're always very welcoming to talk about anything and if you have questions or if you want to kind of put in, they are always happy to help. Thank you. Thank you for mentioning that because I am a fan of my study advisor. So I, I would say that just bother them. Just I feel like I mean, my program study advisors are like really, really sweet and I believe like every program study advisors are quite nice because I mean, they know what they're doing and they are also like trained, well trained like to talk how, how to like, convert to just international students and what they're like facing. They're so empathetic. So just like talk to them if you have any confusion. Suppose like in my case, also I was not sure like how to apply for the traineeship like what opportunities I have and then I just like went, I mean directly to my study advisor's office and then told me that you can okay, you have these, these options and you should just apply, go for it and so yeah. So just like always like communicate with your study advisors. They'll be like, and there's like an individual path for everybody and you can find kind of what you're interested in and there will be a space where you can try it out or apply it. So yeah. Yeah. Thank you both so much for today. Thank you for having us. This is like, we have a lot of things to say. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Lund University International podcast. If you're interested in learning more about Lund University, you can go to our website lundeuniversity.allu.se. 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