STUDENT REPORT
Name of the University: University of Bath
Exchange semester: Spring 2015
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before we left
We received the information package from the University of Bath first in late
December. All information was received by email. We did not have any difficulties receiving
information, apart from the fact that it came a bit late when the semester starts in the end of
January. We also found the information about the accommodation unclear. Due to
uncertainty whether or not we would be able to get university accommodation the process of
applying for this was frustrating. However, when we did get the information about when to
apply everything went smoothly. We advise you to apply as soon as this opens up! Ours opened
early in December and you apply through the university homepage. You will not be able to
apply for this before you have received the final acceptance letter of being a student at the
university.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
United Kingdom is a part of the EEA and as a Norwegian citizen you do need to bring your
passport but no visa is needed. We bought our plane tickets from Norwegian therefore we
landed at Gatwick. From here we took the train to Bath (First Great
Western https://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/), with one change in Reading. We experienced
the change quite stressful due to very short time from arrival to departure. You need to make
sure that you have time to get to the connecting platform. It can be very expensive to travel by
train in Britain if you have not booked in advance. The prices of the train tickets are not fixed,
so we recommend you to buy the tickets as soon as possible due to the rise in price. This
particularly concerns peak-times (in the morning and the afternoon on week-days). We would
also recommend you to buy a 16-25 Railcard, which gives you a 1/3 of the price discount
(http://www.16-25railcard.co.uk).
Reception
The reception at the school was good. The introduction day was useful, and we got all the
information we needed, in addition to be able to ask all the questions we had. The administration
and faculty were well prepared for the arrival. This is the day we met all the other exchange
students for the first time. Everyone was welcoming and easy to approach. Remember, you are
all in the same situation so no need to be nervous.
Housing
We were offered housing from the University Accommodation. We all got a room in the city
(off-campus) accommodation. We were not able to apply for housing until the beginning of
December and did not receive full confirmation until January.
John Wood Court
John Wood Court (JWC) is located in the heart of the city centre. It is one minute walk from
this accommodation to the bus stop that goes directly up to Campus (ca 20 minutes). JWC is
only for undergraduates, and you can expect to live with one to six other students. Bathroom
and kitchen are communal. The facilities that is provided in the kitchen, is fridge and freezer,
electric hob, oven, microwave, kettle and some cleaning equipment. You will have your own
room that is provided with; bed, pillow, duvet, desk, chair, mirror and a closet. Also, be prepared
to do the cleaning weekly both on the kitchen, the bathroom, and in the hallway.
Thornbank Gardens
Thornbank Gardens is another university accommodation located a 5 minute walk from the city
centre, and the only option providing en-suite facilities. Your room is equipped with the same
furniture as JWC in addition to the bathroom including a bathtub. The kitchen is shared with
seven others and contains the same equipment as JWC. We also had a toaster and an iron +
ironing board in our kitchen. The system vary in every kitchen, some kitchens share all the
equipment (pot, pan, plates, cutlery etc.) while others are separating everything. We recommend
the latter. The kitchen is cleaned (by staff) twice a week and the garbage is emptied several
times during the week. The bus to university stops within a 2 min walk.
Costs
Normally overall prices in the UK are a bit cheaper compared to Norway, but with todays’
exchange rates, (GPB/NOK= 12) the cost of living is about the same in both countries. John
Wood costs about £70-£149 per week while Thornbank costs £115 per week, which
is about 30.000 NOK for the complete semester. Books costs about £30-50 new but it is
possible to buy cheaper or used books on Amazon etc. You will also find a great amount of
relevant literature in the Library for free.
Culture and Language
There were no language problems between us, the faculty and other students. The possibilities
to experience the country and the English culture are many. You can travel around in UK by
bus, train or plain. We recommend buying a railcard if you wish to travel a lot by
train (http://www.16-25railcard.co.uk/).
ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The University of Bath lies on top of a hill 15 minutes by bus outside the city centre. The
campus is split into east and west buildings with the library as the centre. On campus you can
find supermarkets, bars and restaurants, a post office, banks and in addition to this you can join
the University sports centre where they have fantastic opportunities for exercise. The facility
includes basketball, fitness, football, hockey, netball, rowing, rugby, swimming, tennis,
volleyball, lacrosse and more. On campus there is also an arts centre called ICIA where they
have classes for theatre, dance and art. The bus between campus and the city centre departs
regularly, but is however split into two different bus companies, the white/purple bus (First
group) and the blue bus (Wessex connect). We would recommend to use the First service as
they depart more frequently compared to Wessex.
The University has six main faculties, which are: Engineering and design, Humanities and
social sciences, Science, School of Management, School of Health and Division of Lifelong
learning.
University of Bath is one of the leading universities in the United Kingdom. The management
faculty is ranked 1st in the entire UK!
(http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/leaguetables/rankings?s=Business+%26+Management+Studies )
For the second year running the University of Bath has come top for student satisfaction out of
more than 130 UK higher education institutions, and was recognized as the ‘Best Campus
University in Britain’ in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2015.
Study Structure
The study structure is similar to the Norwegian way of studying. We had a two-hour lecture for
almost every course each week. In addition we had seminars for some of the courses. These
were mostly one or two hours long. The seminars consisted of exercises and discussion. The
grades are set on the basis of either coursework, final exam or both. The coursework could be
individual or in groups made by the students or arranged by the lecturer. When doing
coursework it was expected of the students to do most of the research themselves. The required
reading was not enough to get a good grade. Note; the overall workload is a bit higher compared
to Norwegian universities.
Academic Calendar
The semester starts late January and finishes late in May. We had to attend an orientation on
29th of January and the teaching started on Monday 2nd of February. Easter break lasts for two
weeks and was the only holiday throughout the semester except bank holidays. The lecturing
period ended late in April followed by one week of revision. The exam period lasts for about
three weeks depending on your courses of choice.
The International Office
The International Office is available for exchange students and they were very helpful. You
could always stop by the office if you had any problems or questions. We received all necessary
information from the office.
Social Activities
The relationship among the exchange students was very good. It is easy to bond with new
friends. However, it was slightly more difficult to get in touch and get to know the English
students even though we had lectures with them.
There is a student union at campus and the exchange students were as much a part of it as all
other students at the school. The school arranged trips around the UK for all students, but it was
mostly international students who participated. Some of these trips were to Windsor Castle,
Stonehenge and Lake District.
ACADEMICS
In the classroom
The courses are taught in English and most of the lecturers were easy to understand. The level
of study was similar to the level we are used to at BI. The teaching method in some of the
courses was more practical than what we are used too. It depends on which courses you choose.
Most lecturers used PowerPoint slides and some had cases and examples the students were
required to be prepared to discuss in class. The workload was similar to that at BI.
The relationship between faculty and students was good. The lecturers were always open for
questions before, during and after the lecture. We had no problems approaching them with
questions. The relationship between students in the classroom was very similar to BI. Some of
the classes were smaller, but students tend to sit with their friends.
Course materials
All the required literature is in English. The level of the literature was about the same as at
BI. The courses we chose had most of the readings in articles, journals, cases and other, instead
of reading a specific book. Some courses required reading a book, it is for a broad overview
and additional reading is necessary.
The exam was mostly based on lecture notes and slides, but to get a high grade it was necessary
to understand the textbooks and the additional reading.
Exams
In most of the courses we had two hour written exams. The theoretical units had essay questions
and the mathematical units had a mix of essay questions and numerical questions. To pass the
exam you had to be able to answer correctly 40 % of the exam and have a good understanding
of the subject. It is about the same as required at BI.
Also, we had to hand in assignments through the semester, which counted 20-70% of our grade,
depending on the course.
Library and Technology
Access to the library is very easy and all books and resources are open for students to borrow.
The library is open 24 hours a day and there is a lot of computers for students to use. You need
your student-id and your password (ask at the issue desk if you have forgotten this) to access
these. Printers and copiers are also available but you need to pay for the prints (it is the same
system as BI has).
While BI uses at.bi.no, University of Bath uses Moodle and SAMIS to access the same
information.
CULTURAL AND SOCIAL EFFECTS FROM THE EXCHANGE EXPERIENCE
The exchange experience is a good way of learning about different cultures and meeting people
from all over the world. By going on exchange you show that you are willing to take a challenge
and that you are not afraid of expanding your point of view. It will also influence future career
possibilities in a good way.
COURSES
Description of Courses
MN20014: IT & its business context
Exam: CW 30%, written exam 70%.
Comments: This unit focuses on how IT is affecting the modern businesses and how to use it
to your advantage. The lectures mainly focus on theories, but will review a lot of examples
and discussions. A fairly decent unit which is helpful and maybe give you a more practical
efficiency of companies, considering the IT. The coursework, which accounts for 30 % of
your mark, is a group project where you must analyse a company and describe the flaws of
the IT, and argument for potential improvements according to your analyses, and use relevant
theories and journals. The exam is not the hardest. You will have a number of topics, whereas
you will get five questions, and be asked to answer three of them. The class is not too
complex and should not take too much of your time to get a decent mark.
MN20017 Operations Management
Replacing course at BI: Logistics (MAD 2114)
Exam: 30% group presentation, 55 % group project and 15 % individual statement
Comments: This class was fun. All the teachers are very lively and energetic and often show
movies and pictures to make their point. We had a lot of cases and discussions during class.
EL10070 Cambridge Certificate of Advanced/Proficiency examination class
Replacing course at BI: Intercultural Communication in English (SPÅ 2402)
Exam: No final exam, we had 3 tests/assessments during the semester.
Comments: Enjoyable classes with excellent teachers, good way of learning the English
language better. We practice both writing and speaking in addition to grammar and vocabulary
exercises. You can also sign up for the official Cambridge English Exam. To take this exam
you will have to pay a fee, about £150, and then you will receive a certification (if you pass)
showing your skills in English.
EL10684 Modern British society: social institutions
Exam: 50% in-class test: 10%. Presentation: 20%. Individual assignment: 20%.
Comments: This class was fun. The teacher is very funny and energetic and often shows
movies and pictures to make his point.
MN30059: European integration studies 2
Exam: 100% Coursework
This course focuses especially upon the implementation of states in the European Union and
how they interact with each other. The course was fun and not that hard, but you have to do a
lot of research of your own. Reading articles are essential in this course.
MN20012: Economics of Strategy
Exam: CW 30%, written exam 70%
This course aim to broaden the student`s knowledge about economic analysis of the firm and
its environment. It focuses mostly on different goals of the firm and how they can be achieved
throughout the right strategy and decisions. Some of the main topics we had in this course
were the theory of the firm, transaction cost, asymmetric information, vertical integration,
principal-agent relationship, foreign direct investments (FDI). I find the course Economics of
Strategy useful and highly relevant for a person that studies business.
MN20310 Empirical research methods in finance
Prerequisites: Finance 1
Exam: 70% written exam, 30% coursework
Comments: This course is a mixture of finance and statistics, where we had to critically
evaluate empirical research for the appropriateness of the methods used and we had also to
conduct simple empirical investigations. You learn how to use eViews. The lectures were not
so helpful so it is important to read and learn it yourself, or with a working group. Overall, it
was quite a demanding subject.
MN30209 Investment banking
Exam: 100% written
Comments: The investment banking course gives you a brief introduction to investment
banking, a historic perspective, valuation methods used and how the banks are organized. The
course was quite demanding and it was expected that you were well prepared for the weekly
lecture.
MN30400 Strategy and business in India & China
Exam: 70% written exam, 30% coursework
Comments: This course aims to make the student understand the differences, similarities,
causes and effects of business dynamics in China and India. The lectures are very interactive
and it requires that you are well prepared before class. Other than that, the coursework was
fun and not too demanding. The final exam was relatively easy.
MN20445 Corporate Responsibility: Principles and Perspectives
Exam: CW 40 %, written exam 60 %
Comments: The unit is designed to develop the student’s awareness and understanding of
corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues from the perspective of the individual, of
individual firms and of the wider society. The professor is using PowerPoints and is also
giving out hard copies. This class was very small, consisting of 20-30 students. The material
of this unit is mostly based on articles that the professor publishes on moodle for you to
access but also some chapters in different books (available at the library). It is an interesting
class but it requires that you do the readings and the two essays (2x20 %) that make up the
coursework.
EL10688 Academic Writing for Undergraduates
Exam: No final exam. We had 3 assessments during the semester
Comments: The aim of this unit is to improve your academic skills in English. It is very
helpful when it comes to referencing, which is very important in coursework at this
university. Furthermore, it focuses on how to avoid plagiarism, how to write good paragraphs
and essays, cohesion and note-taking. It is a fairly easy unit.
EL10269 English for Business
Exam: No final exam. We had 3 assessments during the semester, both oral and written.
Comments: The main focus in this unit is to learn how to use English in different business
situations. We practised different oral and written exercises related to business. We held
presentations, simulated business meetings, had a few discussions and we read business texts.
We also learned how to write cover letters and CVs aimed for the British system, and how to
write a formal email. This unit is suitable for both business students and non-business
students. The class is small, interactive and the teacher is very enthusiastic.