‘I gained a lot of confidence in my labwork’

When Emma Windt, student molecular biology at the University of Gothenburg, was looking for a semester abroad, the Molecular & Cell Biology exchange programme really spoke to her. Coming to Groningen for this programme turned out even better than she expected.

‘I originally wanted to go to Spain, but they didn’t have any English classes there. So then I looked further and came across the Molecular and Cell Biology programme here, and that seemed perfect. It was a complete package of courses that are linked together, and since I was a bit late in applying, that really helped me. Besides that, it was my first time spending a while abroad, so Groningen seemed like a good spot. It is not too far from home, there are a lot of international students here and the education here is excellent, so the choice was easy.

The programme did not disappoint. I already knew some of the subjects we talked about in class, but that was kind of nice because it allowed me to ease into the programme. The practical side of the course was quite intense when we first started, because I wasn’t used to spending so much time on the lab and doing the projects more independently. But gradually I got used to it, and now I really like the freedom on the lab. 

To me, the lab work is the most interesting part of the programme. I am now working on a project on non-small cell lung cancer that is really interesting, and I learnt a lot about doing research. I think I gained a lot of confidence in the lab, before I was kind of worried about my bachelor project, but now I am not anymore. I also like that we had subject like scientific writing in English, which is always a good thing to learn.

All in all, I am very glad I came to Groningen. The city is amazing, it is very internationally oriented and it is so convenient that you can go everywhere on your bike. If you are interested in medical biology, this exchange programme is also highly recommended because you learn a lot of skills in the lab and it really prepares you for a job in research.’