UU Report form - Erasmus 2013-2014 faculty/college
Social Sciences, Psychology
level
bachelor
master
name degree programme
Child and Youth Psychology
destination city & country
Bergen, Norway
name host institution and/or
Unversity of Bergen
PhD
company/organization purpose Erasmus grant departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
courses
research
work placement
01 / 08 / 2013 31 / 12 / 2913
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation exchange/placement application process This went quit smooth. The University of Bergen was really fast in sending and signing documents. They also replied fast on queston I send them through the e-mail. counselling/support at home university I was really nice there was a 'walk in hour' at the International Office in Utrecht because when I got questions I just went for a little talk and the people who worked there hepled me really good with the things I could not figure out myself academic preparation Through the website of the University of Bergen I found out which courses I could take, how much credits they were, where it was about and which literature was needed. I did not made other academic preperations. language preparation The courses given by the University of Begen were all in English and because my study at the University of Utrecht is also in English I did not have to work on this language. finances Norway is an really expensive country. The University of Bergen offers all international students a place to live through there 'housingorganisation'. These rooms are not really expensive and comparable with the prices you have to pay for a room in Utrecht. You get a lot of discount on the public transport system and on the gym. Netherless are the other costs really high. Buying groceries cost a lot, and when you go out your drinks will cost UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement page 1 of 14
a lot too. I think the costs in Bergen of standard live are double as the costs in Utrecht. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) Before I went to Bergen I choosed 3 courses but when I arrived 1 course wasn't given anymore. This was no problem for me because I had to much points and with the issing course my point would be the same as I would get for half a year studying in Utrecht. The University of Bergen was really clear and healpfull and they made it easy for international students to find them if they had questions. academic quality of education/placement activities I think that the courses that the international students could follow weren't really high of academic quality. For some courses students had to work hard, but the courses I followed were quit easy and did not took a lot of study hours. counselling/support at host institution/organisation The University of Bergen had in the first month a central information point where you could go to with all your questions and after this month you could go to the information desk of your own faculty. The professors replied really quick and if someone of the University didn't know the answer to your question they always helped you further or connected you to somebody who would now the answer. transfer of credits I passed all my courses but haven't got my list of credits yet. The University of Bergen workes with an other credit system as the Dutch Universities do but I think everything will be fine. student life welcome/orientation programme I started my semester abroad in August. When I arrived I had some introduction days of the University with lectures about the 'Norwegian studentlife', about which paperwork we had to arrange, where to sign in and about where to go to. I have to say I never felled so welcomed as at this Uniiversity. They were really nice and telling us a lot of times how happy they were that the international students were at their University. They all talked extremely good English and were really open and wanted to help you with everything. After the 'informatiion days' the University arranged a mentorweek where the international students where put in groups with the Norwegian students to do a lot of activities. I was surprised about the activities because they were mostly only concentrated on drinking a lot. I was put in a really nice group where the Norwegian students almost always talked English so that me and the few other interanational students would understand everything. The University arranged for the international students also a guided tour through the city what was very interesting and nice, a barbecque, a pub crawl and games through whole of the city. It were nice activities to do when you come to a city you don't know anything or anybody. When you just go to the activities you like
UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement page 2 of 14
and drop the one you think that ar not really interesting the welcome programme is really nice. accommodation In Bergen there is a organistation called 'SiB' and they arrange your accommodation (as well as the gyms in the city, dentists, docters and psychologists). I could choose from a list of places I would live. I lived in a flat called 'Fantoft'. Everybody in the flat had his own toilet and shower and then you could choose with how much people you want to share the kitchen. I shared the kitchen with 8 others and that was really nice. There was always somebody to talk to and especially in the first two months it is nice to talk with people and don't sit alone on your room. There were also other accomodations that were more mixed with Norwegian students, at 'Fantoft' were mostly international students. leisure/culture Although there is not an extremely big distance between Netherlands and Norway there were some big cultural differences. The Norwegian people are more closed and don't make a 'small talk' with you in the grocerie shop or at the bus station. But when they go out, or have an activity at night they drink a lot (!) alcohol and then they are super open and extremely nice. They say that Norwegian people are not easy to be friends with, but if you are friens with them that they are a friend forever. Norwegian is a country of sports. They always go out even if the weather is really bad. You always find people in the mountains surrounding the city and you see them walking a lot in sport clothes. Don’t worry about the English language, everybody speaks it really good. suggestions/tips Take good and waterproof shoes with you because you will defenitly go into the nature. Also make sure you have a good raincoat, and some extra money to spend. Go with the activities that are arranged for the students, they won't cost a lot and you will meet a lot of other students. conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain I would definetly recommend this host organistaion. Make sure you have some savings and realise that Norway is a really wide country so that travelling outside of your own city cost some effort, time and money. I you love being outside and if you enjoy a good view over mountains, go! do you have any additional advice or comments? Go to Bergen if you love nature. The city is surrounded by 7 beautiful mountains. It rains a lot, but even then I think it is one of the most beautiful cities there is. From the center you are in some minutes walking out of the streets and into the woods.
UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement page 3 of 14
UU Report form - Erasmus 2013-2014 faculty/college
Faculty of Social Sciences
level
bachelor
master
PhD
name degree programme
Cultural Anthropology and Developmentsociology
destination city & country
Bergen, Norway
name host institution and/or
University of Bergen
company/organization purpose Erasmus grant departure date (dd/mm/yyyy) return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
courses
research
work placement
03 / 01 / 2014 17 / 06 / 2014
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation exchange/placement application process The application process was one of the hardest things I had to do for my exchange program. I had a lot of trouble finding out where exactly I wanted to go and how to navigate over the websites of the host institutions. There are a lot of things you have to take into account, whether there are enough english courses at the university you want to visit or whether you want to learn a new language or not, what kind of subjects you want to take (if you want to expand your knowledge about your own or about other subjects), the costs of living in the country you want to visit, and so on. There are a lot of factors which will decide which universities you will pick as your first, second and third choice. My first choice was Granada, Spain. I didn't get into this university, instead I went to my second choice: Bergen, Norway. In the beginning I was disappointed that I didn't get the first choice, but eventually I'm really glad that I got my second choice. The application process itself is not very hard, but you do have to pay a lot of attention to it. Make sure you don't forget about something and get your work done on time. The application process can sometimes be a little bit confusing, but the international office in Utrecht helped me a lot to get it clear. counselling/support at home university The international office of the University of Utrecht has helped me a lot with my Erasmus application. They did not only help me apply for the scholarship, but they also pointed out the practical stuff you have to do before you leave. This ofcourse, you have to do yourself, but it was of great help that they provide you with a kind of 'to do list' before you leave. I always thought that the opening hours of the international office were sufficient for my questions, you could just step by with your question and they helped you. Within a couple of minutes
UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement page 4 of 14
you stood outside again a little wiser. I started really early with the preparations for studying abroad what was not necessary but sometimes convenient. For example when you think of sublending your appartment or the things you have to organize with DUO (letting them know you're studying abroad and asking for a OV-substitution and authorizing someone to speak on your behalf for DUO). I often got the remark at the international office that I was really early and that there was some stuff I couldn't do yet, so a tip is to not start too early (but not too late as well). academic preparation Because I study anthropology in Utrecht, the academic preparation was not very hard. the entire second year of the study is arranged in such a way that going abroad is very easily implemented in your academic carreer. The only thing which was hard to arrange was the second 'blok' of the first semester of my second year. The first half year of my second year of studying I did just 3 courses instead of four, because the academic year in Bergen starts very early in comparison to Utrecht. I was able to do one course in Utrecht because it had an examination half way the course and a paper after that. I was able to finish the paper while I was already abroad, but I couldn't do any other courses because the examination would fall in the period while I was in Bergen. For me this is no problem, because I plan to take an extra year for my bachelor anthropology. I want to do a lot more in the 'profileringsruimte' than fits into the studyprogram. So normally with anthropology it is easy to fit a period abroad into your program, just watch out for the examination periods and stick to your plan. language preparation I didn't do any language preparation before I went to Norway, this is also not necessary in this country. All my courses were in English and Norwegian people are generally very good English speakers. I did take a Norwegian course at the University of Bergen to understand a little bit of the Norwegian language. It also helped that I have a Dutch background and a little understanding of German. These languages are clearly closely related and I could understand a great deal of the Norwegian language from the beginning. Although I took the Norwegian course and my understanding of Norwegian was not really bad, I still think I cannot speak Norwegian on the level that I hoped to. This is because it is really easy to speak English to Norwegian people and because as an international student it is harder to get in contact with Norwegian students than other international students. This is one of the reasons why I decided to do voluntary work at a students café in Bergen. A lot of Norwegian students came there and worked there as well. This is where I learned the most Norwegian and where I got in contact with my Norwegian friends. finances As is widely known, Norway is not a cheap country. Even with the money you get from DUO and Erasmus, it is not possible to live in Norway. It is also not possible to get a paid job if you stay for just one semester, because you will need a Norwegian ID number which you only receive if you stay for over 6 months. I got 200 euro's extra from my parents every month and I used around 1000 euro's of my savings. You have to take this into account if you start preparing to go to Norway. It is smart to get a room at the sib, because they have cheap housing for students, you will probably not find any cheaper housing if you start looking for it yourself. UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement page 5 of 14
Relatively cheap places to go out are Kaos, Tidy and Lille on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the cheapest supermarket is Rema 1000. There is a lot of difference in places where you can go, so if you do not have unlimited supply of money, try to look for the cheaper places. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) For my period abroad I decided to stay focussed on anthropology on one side, but also to expand my study to a more political side and other perspectives on Latin America, since anthropology in Utrecht is focussed on Latin America. I chose three courses, Norwegian language, development anthropology and comparative politics of Latin America. When I came to Norway, non of these courses were decided yet. I had a lot of time to choose which courses I wanted to do and I changed all the courses which I picked beforehand. The courses which I eventually took were very informative and helpful. It was really interesting to see what exactly the difference was between cultural and social anthropology, since they teach social anthropology in Bergen and it gave a more practical overview. A lot of concepts and theories I already learned in Utrecht, but I learned a lot of the connecting and practical use of these concepts and theories and the meaning of anthropology in development. The norwegian course was very easy, but that was a good thing since the other two courses were pretty demanding and as an exchange student you also want to do other fun stuff. It was really nice to be able to speak and understand some Norwegian, so if you decide to go to Norway, I completely recommend to do this course. The comparative politics in Latin America course was not the best course I ever took. The teacher was very passionate about politics, but this made the course a little messy and often he was not able to finish lectures. The curriculum was not always equally relevant and it was too much. Nevertheless I learned a lot about politics in Latin America and I am glad I took the course. The perspective was very interesting and I could even use some of my anthropological perspective to critique and discuss. academic quality of education/placement activities The academic quality of education is very high in Bergen. The teachers expect a lot from you. In most courses you have to write a paper and an exam. This could be a take-home exam or a 6-hour written exam in which you have to write a paper. This is a really demanding way of doing exams, because you have to be able to connect your knowledge and to concentrate for a very long time. Nevertheless, this really helped me in learning how to write a paper and gave me valuable knowledge which I will use when I am back in Utrecht. A negative point would be that the university hardly works with seminars and I didn't have to do a single presentation. There are not a lot of contact hours in the social sciences and it is hard to ask questions. But, the seminars that I did have were very good. The last negative thing is that it was sometimes very clear that the teachers of the lectures were not trained to be a teacher, rather they were just researchers and academics which happened to give some lectures. It was sometimes hard to follow the lectures because of this. A positive thing is that you can always just raise your
UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement page 6 of 14
hand if something is not clear and they will explain it again right away. Lectures are also not very long, they take 2 hours, which is perfect against the loss of concentration. counselling/support at host institution/organisation The counselling and support in Bergen is really good. You've got a studentscentre where you can go to with all the questions you have. Also when you send an e-mail with a question, it will not take long before you get answer. I didn't have to ask a lot of questions, because you get a lot of information in front and everyting is very clear. It is smart to go to the introductionweek the University offers, because this will spare you a lot of organizational sorting out. For example you have to go to the police office to get a residence permit, but the University has one date set up when all the EU international students can go together and you ave it within 5 minutes. The same counts for student cards, registering for courses, etc. transfer of credits There are a couple of things you have to take into account referring the transfer of credits. First, you have to take courses which are approved by the 'examencommissie'. So take courses of the right level and make sure that you have the right number of ECTS. When you have all your grades back, you can request the academic transcript of records on the StudentWeb. This is the place where you also register for courses and where you can look at your grades. In Utrecht this would be Osiris. This transcript of records has to be approved by the 'examencommissie' to be able to transfer your credits, you can do this when you are back at your home university. student life welcome/orientation programme Th orientation program in Bergen is very informative. Everything you didn't understand before will become clear in these days. I came to Bergen in the second semester, the orientation program was not the same as in the first semester as I heard. I heard that in the first semester the University also organizes fun trips around Bergen to discover the city. This is not the case in the second semester, but you can ofcourse still do it yourself. It is really convenient to attend the introduction program, you will miss crucial information otherwise. A negative thing about the orientation program for me was that it started more than a month before my actual courses started. I also missed a tour around the university buildings, because you kind of had to find out yourself where all the buildings were in the city. accommodation It is really easy to register for a room with the sib and I truly recommend to do that. You will not find cheaper housing than this. Most international students live at Fantoft, I lived in an appartment complex Alrek, which was closer to the city but had less international students and was less big. The sib also has several buldings in the city centre, but those appartments are a little more expensive. If you like to party a lot and don't mind a little noise in the weekends, you should choose to live in Fantoft. Alrek is a little more quiet, but it is easy to get to Fantoft and the city centre. I thought it was a really nice place to live since you can decide if you want to UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement page 7 of 14
party or sleep or study or whatever and you will not be disturbed by parties going on all the time. leisure/culture The culture in Norway is not very different from the culture in the Netherlands. You have to take into account, though, that alcohol rules are really strict. Everything closes down around 2:30 every night and a lot of evenings there is not a lot to do in the city. You should go to Bergen if you love nature and love to hike in the mountains. It is certainly the most beautiful place I have ever been. It is also nice to try to find some volunteering job to get in touch with more Norwegian students, because that can be hard otherwise. What I really like about the Norwegian culture (but it can also be inconvenient) is the laid back attitude. There is not a lot of stress, you can just take things easy. This also means that if there is a slight holiday, everything is closed. Also people don't really like to work, so musea and libraries have very limited opening hours. You really have to adjust to this, but it makes you more relaxed as well. What is really nice to do, is to rent a car sometimes and just drive through the fjords to a place to hike or to do a cabin trip. It is a really beautiful and unique country and you should take advantage of that. suggestions/tips I mentioned some tips above, also it is smart to buy alcohol at the airports (tax-free) because the taxes are incredibly high in Norway since the government has a monopoly on selling it, same with cigarettes if you smoke. bring good shoes to hike and good rainclothes because it will rain a lot. Another tip will be to join the different international facebook groups and to look what ESN Bergen is organizing, because they do some amazing trips for not too much money conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain YES! I had an amazing time here in Norway. As they say, you fall in love with the place. It ofcourse has its downsides, as all places do. But you cannot deny the beauty of the place and the connection you feel with the amazing people here. The university is very good as well, I learned a lot of useful skills and gained knowledge about things that would be tought in a complete different way in the Netherlands. And next to that, I still had time to do a lot of fun stuff. Norway is a ridiculous but awesome country and you will definitely not regret chosing it for your exchange program. do you have any additional advice or comments? Even if you decide not to study in Bergen, you have to visit it at least once in your life. It is an incredible city with even more beautiful surroundings. If you like adventure and are a bit sporty, this is the perfect place to go to.
UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement page 8 of 14
UU Report form ~ Erasmus 2012-2013 Social Sciences
faculty/college level
bachelor
master
name degree programme
Cultural Anthropology
destination city & country
Bergen, Norway
name host institution and/or
Universitet i Bergen
PhD
other
company/organization purpose Erasmus grant
study/courses
departure date (dd/mm/yyyy)
04 / 01 / 2013
return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
01 / 07 / 2013
work placement
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation exchange/placement application process Choosing a university abroad was quite difficult, because beforehand you have no idea what it would be like. I wanted to go to Scandinavia for multiple reasons: the education systems on the Scandinavian universities are known to be quite good, I wanted to go to a country where they speak good English, to be able to improve my own academic English and because of financial reasons (the Erasmus grant and the price of flights) I wanted to stay in Europe. Besides study related and economic reasons I wanted to study in Norway because of the beautiful nature. I'm a big fan of outdoor sports such as hiking and mountainbiking and Norway, especially Bergen and it's environment, are extremely beautiful and suitable for outdoor sports. I preferred a smaller university and city over the bigger capital Oslo and it's bigger university. It is easier to find your way and get to know the city and also easier to get out of the city, into the nature. Bergen proved to be the perfect choice, surrounded by fjords and mountains. From an academic perspective I gained some insight in the differences between british social anthropology (UiB) and the American cultural anthropology system that is used at the UU. The application process took some effort, as there are a lot of forms to be filled out and handed in before deadlines and you have to think about a lot of different things. Start in time and don't give up, it's all worth it. counselling/support at home university The support I got from the International Office of the Social Sciences faculty was really useful. They organised a pre-departure meeting, made sure you didn't forget anything and were patient to answer all your questions. I was also really greatful for the reminders they sent me by e-mail and the clear information regarding the application for the Erasmus grant, step by step. They also provided me with the possibility to get in contact with other UU students who had been exchange students at UiB before or who, like me, planned to go there in the second semester. academic preparation I applied for two anthropology courses, which fit perfectly in my anthropology major but didn't overlap with courses I took in Utrecht. I gained some insight in different disciplines within anthropology and learned some more about
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social anthropology, linguistics and ethnomusicology. I also took a course in political sciences: Political development in Latin America. It took a while to get used to the political science concepts but I didn’t have any major problems because of this lack of previous knowledge and passed the course easily. In my opinion it's good to broaden your academic horizon during your stay abroad and to take part in courses in other disciplines as well to allow yourself to see issues from different perspectives than just the perspective of your own discipline. language preparation I took some courses in English before I left. Some of them for my major anthropology, others for my minor Conflict Studies. These courses allowed me to improve my academic English before I left. I felt more secure about studying in English for one semester, it was a good preparation and I would recommend you to do the same. The UiB provided a Norwegian course for exchange students in which i took part, but this was just for fun, since all courses were taught in English and every Norwegian speaks basic English. finances Norway is a terribly expensive country and you should be very aware of it, before you choose to study there for half a year. It's very hard to find a job as an international student, especially if you don't speak any Norwegian and there are plenty of Norwegian students looking for jobs as well. The erasmus grant helps a bit, but I had to get a DUO loan as well to be able to pay my rent and basic necessities. Buying a bike saved me a lot of money, since the public transport is really expensive. If you're expecting a 'party semester', you better don't choose Norway. Alcohol is heavily taxed which make it very expensive to go out a lot. If you buy your groceries in small foreign supermarkets and if you buy seasonal vegetables and fruits, you could save a lot of money. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) I applied for a lot of courses (70 ECTS in total). The UiB recommends you to do so, because they don't know any timetables in advance, so you don't have any idea about when the lectures will take place and if the timetables of different courses will overlap or not. Eventually I took part in 4 courses (45 ECTS) out of the 6 courses I applied for. At the UU all courses are worth 7,5 credits but the amount of credits you get for the different courses at the UiB varies from 5 ECTS to 20 ECTS. The 5 ECTS courses only last four weeks whether the courses you get a lot of credits for, last for the whole semester. This could make the studyload during the semester quite imbalanced. For example: I was really busy in March when all my courses had started, including the lectures of the short 5 ECTS course I took part in, but I finished all my courses half May which made my semester in Bergen short but intensive. Another bigger problem is that the semesters at the UU and UiB overlap. In January, when my courses in Bergen had already started, I was still writing essays and take-home exams for my courses at the UU and I had to arrange to take my exams before I left, earlier than the other students. Luckily the teachers of the courses proved to be very flexible and helped me to find a way to finish all the courses properly, either before I left or on a distance.
UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement page 10 of 14
academic quality of education/placement activities The academic quality of the courses was very good, especially the seminars in which the literature was discussed. Unfortunately these seminars weren't organised for all of the courses. The quality of the literature I had to read for my courses was very high although most of the exams were really easy. The lectures were similar to the lectures I had had in Utrecht. The different manners of examining were varied. I had to do fieldwork and present my results for the ethnomusicology course and wrote essays and (take home) exams for my anthropology and politics courses. Most teachers provided us with useful feedback. The ambience is very informal at the UiB. The Norwegian students address there teachers with their forenames and don’t hesitate to drop by their offices, in case they have any questions. Less good are the very limited opening hours of the library, that closes during evening hours, the weekend and in holidays. counselling/support at host institution/organisation During the introductory program in the first week, the university provides all the practical information you need, in a small useful booklet in which the registration process for courses, the creation of an email account, a liberary ID et cetera is step by step explained. Before the courses start there are 'orientation meetings' in which all the practical issues concerning the lectures, literature and examination are discussed. transfer of credits The UiB uses the American grading system with grades from A (excellent) to F (fail). The UU exam commission excepted all the credits I earned in Bergen, but I don't know yet if they will convert my grades to the UU grading system and if so, what their method will be. student life welcome/orientation programme The UiB provides an orientation program during the first week before the courses start. It consists of formal information meetings and informal social activities in order to get to know your fellow international and Norwegian students. accommodation If you’re registered as a student at the UiB you could apply for housing through SIB, the student welfare organisation. Most international students live in Fantoft, 20 minutes from the city centre by lightrail (or 15 minutes by bike). It's a huge ugly flat but the atmosphere is really nice. I shared my kitchen with 7 other international students, all of them with different nationalities. There's also a place to gather called 'klub fantoft' in which workshops, parties and other activities are organised. The rent is about UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement page 11 of 14
400 euro a month. leisure/culture Bergen is the perfect base for hiking and biking. The beautiful city is surrounded by seven mountains, which you can climb pretty easily (or all seven in one day during the famous 'Seven Mountain Hike' if you like challenges). I also made a one week cycling trip along the Norway's west coast: wild camping along the fjords and catching fish for dinner, it was a great experience. Most international students make trips to Stavanger, Tromsø, Oslo and Trondheim during their stay here. Bergen itself has a lot to offer as well. There are multiple festivals throughout the year, and volunteering on some of them has been a nice experience. In 'det Akademische kvarter' public seminars, debates, pub quizes, concerts and workshops are organized and there is a restaurant with cheap food and a bar. It could be seen as the cultural heart of student's live in Bergen and it's possible to volunteer there as well. The art museums with their varied and changing collections of contemporary art, are worth visiting. I recommend you to apply for a 'Norwegian Buddy' through the Buddy Bergen organisation. It's easier to find your way in the city when you know a local. suggestions/tips Bergen is a wonderful city but very dark, cold, rainy and windy during the winter months. When I arrived in January it got light around 10 a.m. and dark at 16.00 p.m. and it rained almost constantly. Don't bother too much about the rain, bring warm and waterproof clothing and do not let the weather influence your plans too much. The Norwegians are pretty good in ignoring the bad weather, and it is recommendable to follow their example: don't stay inside because of the rain: "there is no such a thing as bad weather, only bad clothing." In summer, especially in May, the city is at its best, when the trees and flower are blooming and everybody's outside for bbq's, sports, hikes in the mountains and hanging around in the parks. It starts getting dark at midnight and around 3 a.m. the sun rises again. For this reason, I would recommend you to study abroad in the second semester. It is better to start in the dark with the days becoming longer than the other way round. conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain I would definitely recommend the Universitet i Bergen. The city and its environment are amazing and the university is really organized and provides interesting courses taught in English. do you have any additional advice or comments? The Bergen international resource institute for Development organizes truly interesting seminars and debates on current political and social issues and if you’re interested in Latin America, you should attend some of the events that LAG (Latin Amerika Gruppe) organizes. .
UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement page 12 of 14
UU Report form ~ Erasmus 2012-2013 faculty/college
Social and Behavioural Sciences/University of Utrecht
level
bachelor
master
name degree programme
Pedagogical Sciences
destination city & country
Bergen, Norway
name host institution and/or
University of Bergen
PhD
other
company/organization purpose Erasmus grant
study/courses
departure date (dd/mm/yyyy)
01 / 08 / 2012
return date (dd/mm/yyyy)
31 / 12 / 2012
work placement
You are requested to write on the following topics. Text boxes will expand automatically while typing!
preparation exchange/placement application process I actually applied for the University of Auckland, but I didn't get selected. That's why I eventually choose the University of Bergen. Therefore all my application forms are written for the University of Auckland. The application process was well explained on the site of the University of Utrecht. counselling/support at home university The support of the international office at my home university was very good. They responded very well to my questions. The only bad thing was that the application procedure was changed this year, so this led to a bit confusion. academic preparation I didn't really do any academic preparation. language preparation I didn't do any language preparation, I only bought a dictionary in the Norwegian language. finances Thanks to the Erasmus grant and the travel allowance, I had enough money. Also, my parents gave me some financial support. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) The content of the study programme was interesting, but the organization was not really good. For one course I got lessons from a student who didn't really know what to do. academic quality of education/placement activities The academic quality of education was okay. It was not too easy and not too hard. counselling/support at host institution/organisation
UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement page 13 of 14
The support/counseling at the host institution was really good. Everything was clear and you didn't have to wait for a long time to get help. transfer of credits The transfer of credits is not yet done. I still have to get the result of one of my courses. student life welcome/orientation programme The orientation programme was okay, but we were in a group with 20 Norwegian students and only 4 internationals. Therefore, most of the programme was in Norwegian language and the Norwegian students spoke Norwegian most of the time. The content of the programme was nice. accommodation The accomodation was not really beautiful, but it was nice that they arranged accomodation for us and it was also nice to be on a campus with so many international students. leisure/culture The culture was really nice. I like the Norwegian style of living. suggestions/tips I would really recommend new internationals to make several trips. Especially a visit to Nortern Norway and to the kjeragbolten is really nice. conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain Yes, I would definitely recommend this host organisation/destination to others. The lectures were interesting, the Norwegian people are really good English speakers and they are very friendly to internationals, they country is beautiful and living on a campus is great. do you have any additional advice or comments? To all students: If you have the possibility to study abroad, definitely take this opportunity, you won't regret it!
UU Erasmus report deadlines: 1 March 2014 for 1st semester ~ 1 July 2014 for 2nd semester or full year exchange/placement page 14 of 14
