Mobility specification

Country:Sweden

Institution:Umeå Plant Science Centre

City:Umeå

Program:Erasmus+ traineeship

Activity type:Traineeship

Academic year:2020/2021

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Pharmacy

Study level abroad:Doctoral

✅Check the boxes

How would you categorize your internship?Natural Sciences
Pharmacy

💼How-to: Interning abroad

How did you discover this internship opportunity?External website
Recommendation from acquaintances

External website - which one?https://upsc.se

Can you describe the role you held during your internship?Researcher

What specific responsibilities and tasks did you do during your internship?Work in laboratories and greenhouses - plant molecular biology, Arabidopsis Thaliana, benzodiazepines, plant stress signalling and calcium channels, nematodes, electron microscope.

Did your tasks align with the pre-defined conditions?yes

Did the internship meet your expectations?yes

Did you apply any theory you learned at university during the internship?yes

If yes, can you provide a specific example?PCR, electrophoresis, DNA isolation, microscopy, laboratory basics.

How well did you manage to communicate in a foreign language?perfectly

Do you have tips on how to make a great impression on the institution?Interesting idea for a research project that fits the research focus of the Centre and uses their facilities.

How competitive was the selection process? Did you have to go through an application procedure?I approached potential supervisors with a similar research focus directly, so I had no "direct competition" or selection process.

Why would you recommend students do an internship?Any trip outside the parent institution is an endless opportunity to come out of your own stereotypes, to learn new things, to gain a new perspective, ideas, motivation, to grow not only professionally, but especially personally. And in addition, in the process, start many professional and friendship relationships that often last for years after the internship.

💰And how to fund it?

What were your average monthly expenses during the internship?22000 CZK/month

Did the institution provide accommodation?yes

Did you have any unexpected expenses during the internship?no

Do you have any tips on how to save money during the internship?Homemade food and cheap shops (in Sweden, especially Lidl). Students are also entitled to apply for cheap "dorm" accommodation, which I didn't take advantage of because I was going with my husband and we had to find somewhere he could stay with me.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How difficult was it for you to adjust to life abroad?absolutely flawless!

How well did you manage to communicate in English?perfectly

How does public transport work in the city?runs like clockwork

And what about transport outside the city?mostly fine

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?All classically online :) www.sj.se

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?Aurora Borealis on Lake Nydala! The waterfront in the centre, the open-air museum in Gammlia.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?National parks - Skuleskogen, Drakryggen, Holmön Island, trips beyond the Arctic Circle - Kiruna, Lulea.

Share your best experience:Camping on Holmön, weekly sauna, disc golf with classmates - all sports equipment can be rented for free at Fritidsbanken (skis, skates, cross-country skates, discs, ...).

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Plane
Train

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?A plane to Stockholm and then an overnight train north to Umea proved to be a great tip.

Can you pay by card?everywhere

What not to forget when packing?Everything is easy to get locally, so nothing special. We got bikes, a monitor and a comfortable office chair extremely cheap through a local FB group.

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?I travelled a lot during college, but nowhere did I feel as truly happy as I did in Sweden. I'm eternally grateful for the opportunity to go, I learned so much and most importantly, it launched my career in an interdisciplinary field, something I would never have thought of before.