Interview with Monica-Elisabeta Lăcătușu from Romania.

I enjoy living in a big city. In Copenhagen there are so many things to do – a lot of cultural events, many places to go out, and a lot of different people, and the university is right in the heart of the city.

When I got my bachelor degree in physics from Al. I. Cuza in Iasi in Romania, I wanted to travel and study in another country. I spend one year in Norway working for an NGO, and I really liked Northern Europe so I looked at the universities in the area. University of Copenhagen is one of the best so I applied to get in nanoscience, and now I am here.

I choose to study Nanoscience because it gives me the opportunity to work both with physics and chemistry. I like that the master program has a great degree of freedom. There is only one mandatory course you need to follow, after that you can choose the courses that you want to create your own scientific profile. I am into physics so many of the courses I have chosen are within nanophysics.

The hierarchy in the groups is flat that is a big difference to the university that I come from in Romania. Even though I have only been here for seven months, I am already a part of a research group. We talk about the scientific problems and discuss the solutions with each other at group meeting where everybody can say what they think. I have started to look into what my Master’s theses will be about, and I spend much of my time at the Nano-Science Center.

When I am not at the university I spend much time doing voluntary work for different NGOs and The International House. It is not cheap to stay in Copenhagen so I also work some hours a week for a research group at the university.

When I finish my master’s I would like to travel again and maybe do a PhD.

After graduating, Monica-Elisabeta went on to do a PhD at the Technical University of Denmark. She now works as a data analyst in EIVEE, a software company.

Sepideh Hakim, from Iran, is studying Nanoscience.

It is not cheap to study in Copenhagen. But it is worth the money, though I got the chance to go to Gothenburg and study there for free. I chose Copenhagen instead, and I haven't regretted it for one moment.

My uncle spent 25 years in Denmark and he had told me lots of nice things about Copenhagen and the country as such. And when I checked the University of Copenhagen out in the global rankings and it turned out to be the 45th best in the world, my mind was made up.

I did physics in Iran but decided to switch to nanoscience for my Master degree. I believe Nanoscience is investigating unexplored aspects of the world, and it makes me feel I am part of an exciting research and study environment. There are lots of opportunities if you want to do experiments and write papers. From the beginning I was very interested in environmental projects and I can say that I have found it here in Copenhagen University: ''nanoscience in the context of an environmental project''.

I feel completely happy in Copenhagen. In Denmark everyone speaks very good English, which sets it apart from many other countries. There are lots of international higher education programmes in English. Even an old lady will help you in English, if you're standing there looking lost with a map in your hand. Unlike the prejudices you hear about Danes being cold and inhospitable to strangers, according to my experience the Danes are really amenable and welcome foreigners. They are interested in other cultures, and they're really helpful.

One of the things I really like about Denmark is the biking life - here I do bicycling a lot and I enjoy it very much. It gives you a feeling of safety with all those bike paths and facilities for biking in Copenhagen, and in the city it is easy to get around on bike.

Another good thing about studying in Copenhagen is that it is a good way to learn to live independently, by being far from my home - although I've missed my family a lot. I share a flat with some other students. That's also a completely new way of life for me. I am so happy to be studying here, and I am very hopeful for a good future in my education and in my life as well.

Sepideh later did a PhD in Nanoscience at University of Copenhagen and now works as a materials engineer at Grundfos.