An interesting topic took Nils to Sweden for four months.

Interview with Nils Hänggi

Field of study: BSc Chemistry
Stay abroad: Bachelor's thesis
Host institution: Linköping University
Semester: Spring 2024

What made you decide, what motivated you to go abroad?
For me, it was clear from the beginning that I wanted to do my bachelor's thesis abroad. I believe it is the easiest way to not only visit, but also live in another country and get to know its culture, which is something I have always wanted to do.

Why did you choose your host institution/country?
I chose LiU as my host institution because it is a partner university of FHNW and the subject of the bachelor thesis intrigued me.

What is your everyday life like?
Usually, I got up and went to the university by e-scooter, where I worked until the evening, with breaks for a morning snack and lunch. After finishing work, I typically went to the gym, bought groceries, and cooked and ate dinner with Markus (fellow student at HLS). Afterwards, I prepared my morning snack and lunch for the next day.

Tell us about your research findings during your residency.
My research focused on synthetic cannabinoids and their metabolites, which I first synthesized through multiple steps and later analyzed to confirm their structures. Often, the initial synthesis pathway was unsuccessful, requiring the proposal and testing of alternative methods. This process sometimes took up to seven attempts with around five steps each. In the end, I successfully delivered eight metabolites.

What surprised you the most about your stay abroad?
Definitely the student life. The student life in Sweden was completely different from that in Switzerland. In fact, if you compare them, you have to admit that student life in Switzerland barely exists. However, in Linköping, there were various student-only clubs and bars with different events each week. Additionally, every section of the university had its own colored overalls, which were worn to several parties. At themed parties, you could buy patches to glue or sew onto the overalls.

What tips would you give to future exchange students?
I think it would be best to talk to someone who previously studied in Linköping. They can show you which apps to download and the easiest ways to get from A to B. Additionally, be prepared for extremely cold temperatures in winter and hundreds of mosquitoes when it starts getting warm.

Is there anything else you would like to share?
The best things I did during my exchange semester were the trip to Lapland and the ESN Sea Battle cruise to Tallinn, Estonia. I highly recommend these experiences to anyone planning to do an exchange semester in Sweden.

Ab ins Ausland?

Unsere Studierenden profitieren von der internationalen Vernetzung der Hochschule für Life Sciences. Ein Auslandsaufenthalt bei unseren Partnerschulen ist bei Bachelor- wie auch Master-Studierenden sehr begehrt. Nicht nur, um den persönlichen Horizont zu erweitern, sondern auch, um neue soziale und kulturelle Kompetenzen zu erwerben.

Im Rahmen unseres Masterprogramms können ausgewählte Studierende durch ein zusätzliches Semester an einer unserer Partnerschulen, zwei Diplome erhalten. Das Double-Degree Programm ist besonders attraktiv für Masterstudierende, die anschliessend eine Promotion anstreben. Weitere Details zum Double-Degree-Programm finden Sie im hier.