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What Isabelle says about the programme

Isabelle Karlsson

Isabelle Karlsson

What did you do before you started studying the Master’s programme in Strategic Communication?

Before starting my Masters, I studied my Bachelors in Communication Science and Sociology at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany. In the last year of my Bachelors, I went for an exchange semester to La Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, and interned at the Corporate Communications Department of Hilti Corporation in Liechtenstein. I had already written my bachelor thesis and completed all compulsory credits before this “gap year”, which gave me a lot of freedom to choose courses for my exchange that I found interesting and to do the internship abroad.

What was it like to study in Sweden?

It was exciting! Being half Swedish, I have always wanted to live and study in Sweden. During my studies I lived in Lund, which was great because of the rich student life and all the exciting extra-curricular activities you can do. I was part of the Debate Society and the Association of Foreign Affairs, where I met many interesting people – with some of them I am still good friends today. Of course, it was challenging at times to adapt to a new context while trying to maintain a good work-life-balance. Overall, I am very happy about this experience and it has opened so many doors.

What do you currently work with?

Currently, I am a PhD candidate at the Department of Strategic Communication.

What is the biggest challenge in your current job?

A big challenge in my job is to balance between reading and getting active myself. You have to familiarize yourself with the literature, the theories, the trends, and the current status of research – but it is also important to develop your own ideas and formulate research problems and aims early on. Becoming aware of this is the first step, and then it is about doing it better the next time – it is a learning process.

What was the best thing about the programme?

I think the best thing about the programme was the variety of topics, learning methods, and all the experience you get from working together with many different interesting people. We were at all times encouraged to think critically and independently, and to be creative in the topics of course papers and group projects – which I appreciated a lot. One of the most valuable things I took away from studying the programme, and especially from writing my Master thesis, was to embrace the process: have a goal, have a plan, but then just go and do it – step by step.