Yannick Wirz

Interview with Yannick Wirz

Field of study: MSc in Life Sciences, specialisation Organic and Supramolecular Chemistry
Stay abroad: Double Degree
Host institution: Linköping University
Semester: Autumn 2023

What made you decide, what motivated you to go abroad?
There are several reasons. Firstly, I would probably like to do a PhD after my Master's, and having both degrees from the FHNW and LiU will be a great advantage. And as it was my first long stay abroad, I wanted to experience what it's like to be completely independent.

Why did you choose your host institution/country?
I had never been to Scandinavia before, but I wanted to discover this part of Europe and travel around a lot. I also thought that the Swiss and Swedish cultures were quite similar, so I would soon feel at home. I had also heard from friends who had spent a semester in Sweden how much it had changed their lives. I was not disappointed.

What is your everyday life like?
Compared to Switzerland, I was able to stay in bed longer because the lectures didn't start so late and because I lived very close to the university. In the lectures I soon made some friends from Sweden and other countries, with whom I had a great time not only in the lectures but also in restaurants and at other activities. In the evenings, I often went to the centre of Linköping to try out new restaurants or I used the local delivery services. Linköping also brews a very good local beer called "Folkes Slusslager".

What surprised you the most about your stay abroad?
What surprised me the most is how affordable it is to travel by train and bus. You can easily travel to other cities like Stockholm, Göteborg or even Oslo and pay very fair prices. Of course, in Switzerland, where I live, we have probably the most expensive public transport in the world, so maybe I'm a bit biased.

Also, many shops are open all day from 7am to 10pm. This is really incredible coming from Switzerland, where shops close earlier and are not open at all on Sundays.

What tips would you give to future exchange students?
I would advise to arrive not to late on the first day. I arrived at my apartment at 8 pm and realized that I had to organize some things (most important duvet and pillow for the bed). So plan, to arrive a bit earlier in case you need to go to IKEA or other stores, which close earlier.

Is there anything else you would like to share?
The biggest recommendation from my side would be that you travel around when you have time, and you will have plenty of time alongside your studies. There are also student organisations like ISA and ESN that organise trips to Estonia, Norway, Iceland, Finland and other places in Sweden. I took part in a trip to the north of Finland and was able to see the Aurora Borealis in all its beauty. It was one of the most impressive events not only during my stay, but in my whole life.

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.