Carrie
Carrie comes from the US, she previously studied environmental science at Pacific University outside Portland, Oregon. She loves to listen to music, dance, read, and spend time out in nature.
What are the best aspects of your programme?
My favourite thing about my programme is the emphasis on hands-on practice. We do a lot of real-world projects, the kind that we'll face in our careers, and it is really engaging and helps me feel confident about entering the workforce. My other favourite aspect is the people in my programme. I have made so many wonderful friends who come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives, and it is so great to share ideas and discuss anything and everything with them.
Have you chosen a specialisation track within the programme?
I chose the environment and planning track, but I also have taken a couple of courses from the urban and regional planning track. My passion is the environment, so I gravitated toward that track, which has really great courses about environmental justice, sustainability assessments, and low impact planning. However, some of the courses in the urban and regional planning track looked so interesting, especially since I had not studied it before, and I really appreciate the freedom to move between tracks.
What are some of your favourite courses so far?
My favourite courses so far have been Future Studies and Forecasts, and Planning Theory and Urban Governance. Future studies assigned some of the most interesting literature I have ever read for school, and planning theory gave a lot of freedom to explore and discuss a wide range of topics with a more social science angle which was really engaging.
How do studies at KTH differ from your previous studies?
My studies here are much more centred around group work and large projects, as opposed to a textbook style of teaching. Also, there is a culture of respecting students' time, so there is usually the option to take weekends off, or at least not have to be doing schoolwork at all hours.
What do you want to do after graduating?
After graduating, I really want to stay in Sweden and work in urban planning here. The emphasis on sustainability is so much stronger than the US, which is really inspiring and would allow me to work on more transformative ideas and projects. Plus, I love living in Sweden and don't want to leave!