Tianshu says that his education taught him to work through collaboration

What made you choose KTH?

I believe that when making decisions about where to further one’s study, it is very important to find a place that really fits. That’s also my strongest motivation for choosing KTH: it’s a place that allows me to come across new things and where I can follow my own rhythm.

What do you like most about KTH?

I benefit a lot from my professors and the way they organise courses here. Most of my courses provide both lectures and lab work, in which we are required to use what we have learned to accomplish a project. I always believe that the best way of learning things is to do things by yourself, and that’s exactly what we do here!

Another thing that I felt so different here was about group work. In almost every course, we are required to finish our projects in groups. I have to say that starting to work with someone that I was not familiar with was not that easy, but when I was doing my internship in China this summer, I felt that I had huge progression in collaborating with colleagues.

What are your impressions of Stockholm and Sweden?

Compared with the cities in Asia, Stockholm is a relaxing place, with wonderful views and great food. It is also a dynamic place with big companies and start-ups. I’d like to say that it is a place with lots of opportunities.

What is your best memory from your time at KTH so far?

My best memory was the time spent with my friends here. In my class, people were all from different countries, but that was never a problem for us when we were sitting together, discussing problems from the courses, or just enjoying the precious Friday nights. I always feel that I have made a good choice to have this chance of meeting them.

Are there any differences between studying at KTH and your home university?

The biggest difference between KTH and my home university, the Ocean University of China, is that at KTH classes are smaller, thus making it easier for students to pose questions to professors, and teachers can also give courses in a more flexible way so that we can acquire more from the courses. Also, as I have mentioned, it is more important here to finish work through collaboration.

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

I would like to say that I really benefit a lot from my experience at KTH, both for my progress in my academic ability and in other abilities such as communication and group cooperation. It is really fun to have this chance to live with a totally different culture compared with the one in my country.

What do you see as the most significant aspects of your programme?

I believe that the most significant aspect of my programme is to keep exploring new things. After graduation, most of us will become engineers and devote ourselves to the development of our cities, so it’s always essential for us to observe our surroundings, think about what people really need, and try to arrange things in the most scientific way. Also, it is important for us to always think more, because what we do in our work may have lasting impacts on our cities.