My name is Fernanda and I am a Brazilian medical student at Universidade Federal do Paraná. I was given the chance to spend one year studying abroad in Groningen through the Brazilian Science without Borders program.

From the very beginning the University Medical Center Groningen was attractive to me (and other colleagues agree with me on this) because the application process was very clear and easy to follow and the international office would answer any of your questions right away by email and were always well prepared to help. They also gave me plenty of options, asking me what I would like to do exactly, what I would like to study and what my particular fields of interest were. This allowed me to choose to work in a laboratory at the UMCG for a year with equipment, facilities and research lines that I wouldn't have been able to access in my home country.

The program I choose (working a year in the lab) is better suited to those who like, or want to discover more about, basic sciences research applied to clinical medicine. In my opinion, this program best suits a student who is able to take on and rise to responsibilities that go beyond tests and classes. Every day of this program involves studying, thinking and as well as successes, being prepared for some failures from time to time. This program allows major space for learning and development!

Overall the UMCG is an international, modern and welcoming environment. You will also find a couple of peculiar art pieces dotted around the many buildings, which will make your journey through the hallways all the more interesting!

Besides the study opportunities, Groningen is, in a word, an alive city. It is beautiful, clean and well organized and you can go anywhere (literally, anywhere!) by bike. The city’s night life is great due to the fact that so many students live here. The weather is a little bit too cloudy and rainy, but on the bright side, it teaches you to be excited when there are sunny days: when the sun comes out everybody goes to the park in the north of the city to relax. And, if you do get bored, you can be in Amsterdam in just 2 hours! 

In short, it can be the time of your life!

Are you also interested in a Science without Borders research internship? Contact us!