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Amanda

Amanda is from Stockholm and is studying the master's programme in Molecular Science and Engineering at KTH. For her, the master's programme is the second part of the five-year programme in Chemical Engineering. Some of her interests outside of school are photography, wall climbing and alpine skiing.

Why did you choose this master's programme at KTH?

Within the Chemical Engineering programme there are three choices for master's programmes. I chose Molecular Science and Engineering because it gives me the opportunity to continue my studies in molecular science and dig deeper into applied electrochemistry, nanostructured materials, and inorganic chemistry, which suits me very well.

What are the best aspects of your programme?

The best aspect of my programme is the variety of courses that can be elected. There is only one mandatory course and the rest of the courses you can pick from a list. There are no official specialisation tracks, and you can build your own programme with courses that you find interesting.

How is student life in Stockholm?

Stockholm is a big city, but at the same time, everything is so close. You can both find the city and nature close to campus. During the summers, you can swim or walk in Hagaparken. In the wintertime, try skiing in Hammarbybacken, or why not participate in the yearly trip to Åre with the chemistry chapter. It is very convenient that everything is so close, you can basically walk out the door and explore something new every day.

But for me, student life also consists of meeting other students, whether in the same course or through a common interest. There are plenty of groups and interests at KTH. I participated in THS, the student union at KTH, and got to meet people from different chapters, which was fun!

How would you describe your time at KTH so far?

I still remember the day when I took my first steps at KTH. I was excited and nervous. It was a bright summer day in August back in 2014, I had just finished high school, and honestly, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Earlier that spring, I applied to KTH and the technical preparatory year without thinking too much about it. That year I got more interested in technology and sustainability. After that, I took a break and a couple of years later, I returned, and I recently finished the first three years which is the bachelor.

Due to the pandemic, some of the years on my bachelor have been a bit different from how the regular lectures are being held. Before Covid, all the lectures, exercises and laboratory work were at the campus. Going from that to studying at home all day was difficult in the beginning. I wanted to hang with my friends in Nymble, the student union house, but instead, we had our lunch breaks on Zoom. During this semester three out of four courses are at the campus, Zoom lectures have worked out great for me, but in the end, it is quite nice to come back to campus.

What would you like to say to students thinking of choosing KTH for master's studies?

Come here in the fall and see how beautiful the trees get, or in the spring when Borggården is finally turning green again, and I won't have to try to convince you to come here. Jokes aside, KTH is a big school, and there is something here for everyone. My advice is to have a look at the different courses and see what interests you the most. That truly helped me when I was trying to decide which master's programme I wanted to attend. Another thing I would recommend is to join a club or find friends with the same interest as you.