Experiences of our MSc student Vidur Mithal in Bern

20 June 2023

Photo: private

How far in advance did you start to prepare your stay abroad? Where did you get support with respect to the organization as well as finances?

Studying abroad requires planning far in advance. Though I started my semester abroad in September, I had already begun to explore my options a year in advance, and I had to submit an application to study abroad as early as January. I was supported through the application process by the Department of International Affairs at the University of Hamburg, in particular Ms. Sonja Kanemaki, as well as by Dr. Sebastian Zubrzycki who is the MSc ICSS program coordinator. My semester abroad was organized under the Swiss-European Mobility Program (SEMP), so I received a stipend from the Swiss government to support my living costs.

What was your everyday life like? And how did it differ from your everyday life on the campus in Hamburg?

On most days, I made the short commute to university in the morning to attend lectures, after which I would stay on campus to study or work until the evening. Evenings were mostly spent exploring Bern, meeting up with friends, relaxing outdoors if the weather permitted, or working on assignments. In many ways, my everyday life in Bern was not too different from that in Hamburg, since there are many similarities between Germany and Switzerland in terms of both academic system and lifestyle. However, one difference was that since I took classes from several departments and I didn't have a fixed working space like I do in Hamburg, I spent a lot more time in different buildings and libraries across the University of Bern campus.

What fascinated you the most during the semester abroad?

Studying abroad is a wonderful opportunity to meet new people, have new experiences, and get new perspectives on one's field of study, and I was fortunate enough to accomplish all of these things in my short stay. Thanks to the Erasmus Student Network in Bern, I also had the opportunity to explore much of Switzerland's natural and cultural heritage, and that was of course a great experience. For me, learning about a new culture and talking to people from different backgrounds was also interesting in the context of climate change, as it made me think more about the diversity of perspectives and motivations that people and countries have on the issue. I was also fascinated by multilingualism in Switzerland, and how it shapes Swiss identity and politics, and of course, it is impossible to not be fascinated by the Alps!

To what extent does the experience help you to broaden your scientific knowledge? Were you able to get to know new aspects of climate science and if so, which?

The University of Bern is one of the major hubs for climate research in Switzerland, and I was able to benefit greatly from the various courses, seminars and colloquia on different aspects of climate science that are offered there. Out of all the courses I took, I particularly enjoyed the interdisciplinary Seminar on Climate Sciences and Law, as it dealt with a topic which is increasingly relevant — the role of litigation in addressing climate change — and it was truly interdisciplinary, bringing together students and lecturers from the climate sciences and law. Working on the final paper together with a law student was a challenging but helpful exercise, particularly as it made me realize that different disciplines have different understandings of what comprises "evidence". Besides this, I also enjoyed the Seminar on Climate and Environmental Physics where speakers gave talks on a wide range of topics, and Environmental Econometrics, some methods from which I may use in my master's thesis.

What do you take with you from the semester abroad? (either personally or career wise)

It is difficult to distil a whole semester into just a few takeaways. But I think from a career- and academic-perspective my time in Bern highlighted the importance of interdisciplinarity, especially in climate science, and strengthened my desire to do interdisciplinary work and research in the future. On a personal level, I was able to sharpen some important skills such as adapting quickly to a new place and system, time management, and balancing multiple responsibilities. On the whole, my semester abroad has also highlighted the value of pursuing new experiences in spite of the initial challenges.