Name:
E-mail:
Study Program:
Exchange semester:
Academic year:
Host University:
Country:
Kristel van der Linden
kristelvdlinden@hotmail.com
BA Personeelwetenschappen
(MA Organization Studies already completed)
Spring Semester
2014 – 2015
BI Norwegian Business School
Norway
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL AND CITY
BI Norwegian Business School is a private school that is located in Oslo, Norway. The
campus itself consists of just one building which is very modern. There are several oncampus facilities such as canteens, coffee bars, a library, workplaces, public computers and a
fitness centre.
Throughout Norway there are three other study locations of BI and about 20.000 students
participate in their programs. At Oslo campus, 9.000 Norwegian and international students
take part in BI bachelor and master programs. BI offers a wide range of study programs
varying from Business Adminstration to Leadership and Organizational Psychology.
Even though the school is situated in Nydalen, North of the city centre, it is easily reached
due to a good public transport system (a metro station can be found just in front of the
school).
Oslo is a relatively small city and described as the blue and the green and the city in between.
It is really nice to be able to enjoy the city life (e.g. Karl Johans Gate, Aker Brygge,
Grunerlokka) and be able to escape it within 10 minutes and relax in a park or at a lake (e.g.
Sognsvann, Vigelandsparken). Besides, you can go on several hikes through forests.
The tourists attractions in Oslo are rather close to each other (e.g. Opera House, City Hall,
National Gallery).
Living in Norway is expensive and therefore you have to look for cheap brands and discounts.
The least expensive grocery stores are Remi 1000 and Kiwi. I would recommend going to
Gronland for your vegetables and fruits. Also, a selection of international food can be found in
this area. IKEA is of course the cheapest place to buy furniture, bed linen, and more. The one
called Furuset is the most convenient. A free shuttle bus service is available from the central
station.
One thing to keep in mind is that the age limit for going out is 20 and you are not able to enter
a club/bar without showing your ID or passport. In some clubs/bars the age limit is even
higher on Saturdays (23 or 25).
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
I received pre-arrival information from BI a few weeks in advance. Therefore, I had enough
time to prepare everything for my exchange. In addition, I was able to ask any questions by email.
Visa procedure and arrival
A resident permit is required for all European students who stay in Norway for more than
three months. The international office assists you in getting your residence permit and
consequently, the procedure to apply and eventually get your residence permit is not difficult
and it does not take much time. I did not have to pay anything for this residence permit.
BI offers an arrival service which is very well organized. A student waited for me at the central
station to give me the keys of my room and relevant (practical) information about BI, Oslo and
SiO (the Housing organization).
Orientation/Introduction activities
There were several orientation/introduction activities organized within the first two weeks of
the semester and throughout the semester. However, I expected it to be bigger and more
exciting. You cannot compare it to an introduction week at Tilburg University at all. The
orientation/introduction activities at BI are more school and community related. Nevertheless,
I met a lot of other international students during these activities and I received a lot of useful
information. Furthermore, I’ve heard that the introduction week in the Fall semester involves
more parties and the buddy groups are better organized.
Housing
Exchange students are assisted by BI with finding student accommodation in advance. They
cooperate with two student housing providers: BSN Nydalen and SiO. The dormitories are
spread out across the city. I decided to live in a student village called Kringsja (SiO) because
a lot of international students are living there, it is located next to the lake Sognsvann, a lot of
‘kitchen-parties’ (i.e. pre-parties) are organized in Kringsja, and it is relatively cheap
compared to the other student villages. It took me about 15 minutes to go to BI and 20
minutes to go to the city centre. However, you have to keep in mind that the night-bus from
the city centre to Kringsja only runs on Fridays and Saturdays. I had to share my bathroom
with one guy and my kitchen with six others. You could also choose to have your own
bathroom but then your rent would also be a bit higher. I am satisfied with the room I got and I
certainly do not regret my choice. Also, the whole procedure of getting my room went
smoothly.
Living Costs
In addition to the grant I received from Tilburg University, I received a grant from the Dutch
government (uitwonende beurs + ov-vergoeding). In addition, my parents supported me
during my exchange period and I saved money before going.
Approximate monthly budget whilst on exchange:
 Housing
€ 400
 Food
€ 200
 Transport
€ 45
 Books
€ 45*
 Miscellaneous
€*In most cases it is not necessary to buy all the prescribed books. Also, in my classes there
were a lot of articles provided through its learning (i.e. blackboard).
Academic Calendar
Arrival date:
Introductory week:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Mid-term break:
Examination period:
Any special events:
03.01.2015
05.01.2015 – 16.01.2015
05.01.2015
24.04.2015
30.03.2015 – 05.04.2015
27.04.2015 – 19.06.2015*
*Most students will be finished earlier (especially Master
students). For instance, I had to hand in my last group term
th
paper on the 12 of May.
17.05.2015 (Constitution Day)
The International Office
The International Office at BI is very well organized (e.g. open every weekday, sending a lot
of e-mails concerning deadlines, quick responses, willingness to help you to find a solution for
several kind of problems, even keeping students informed through Facebook about academic
related information as well as social events). Kine Robertson is the main contact person. She
is very enthusiastic and did a great job throughout the whole semester.
Exchange promotion
There was one small-scale event (comparable to an information market) organized by BI in
which I took part to promote exchange to Tilburg University.
Social Activities
The university organized several activities during the semester for exchange students. By
tradition, BI offers a free meal for up to 350 international and Norwegian students monthly
which is called BI-nner. The meal is prepared by volunteers. Furthermore, BI organized once
a month a ‘Sunday in the city’ in which students were able to explore Oslo for free. For
instance, in the first week you could participate in a bus sight-seeing tour to discover the
highlights of Oslo and meet new people and in another activity a tour in the National Gallery
was organized.
The student organization for international students is called InSA (i.e. International Students
Association). In my opinion they did not organize that many activities for international students
this semester which was disappointing.
I did not have a lot of contact with Norwegian students. If you do want to meet Norwegians
and be more in touch with them, I would recommend to join a club at BI or become a member
of a different association in the city.
I did have a lot of contact with international students. Everybody is very open-minded and
wants to meet new people to have fun with and make this experience an unforgettable one.
We organized a lot of activities by ourselves. The activities varied a lot from barbeques at the
lake to trips throughout Norway and other countries.
I traveled a lot during my exchange. I mostly traveled within Norway (e.g. Bergen, Alesund,
Stavanger, Tromso) by bus, train and airplane. In addition, I traveled by bus to Stockholm
(Swebus) and by boat to Copenhagen (DFDS).
Culture and Language
I did not experience a culture shock while on exchange since the Norwegian culture is
comparable to the Dutch one. If I have to point out any differences, I would say that
Norwegians are more health-focused, trustworthy and introvert. They will take their time to
finish their tasks (whether it is at school or at a tourist information bureau) while Dutch people
are more focused on working efficiently and more straightforward while interacting.
The level of English is very high in Norway and therefore I did not experience any difficulties
and I did not follow any Norwegian language course.
Personal Development
During my exchange I met a lot of people from different countries and therefore I learned a lot
about different viewpoints on political issues as well as everyday life situations. For example,
it was funny to learn and experience each other’s eating habits. This exchange taught me to
be even more open-minded and it made me realize I am more independent than I thought.
Also, I became more extrovert since it was really easy to meet new people and develop a
close relationship.
My best experience was meeting all these new people and organize activities with them such
as travelling. We saw the Northern lights and we made incredible hikes to Trolltunga and
Preikestolen to witness Norway’s beautiful nature which I will never forget. Luckily, I cannot
write about a worst experience in this report since it did not happen.
All in all, my period abroad was an amazing experience and I would not do things differently.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Academic level at a host university
The courses offered at BI are in Norwegian as well as English. All my courses were taught in
English. The list of courses available for exchange students is provided at BI’s website and
the international office also sends this list by e-mail.
In my perspective the academic level at Tilburg University is slightly higher but the level of
English might be a bit higher at BI. I think that teachers at Tilburg University are more strict
and the assignments a bit more difficult. However, that does not mean that everything was
easy and I did not learn anything.
BI provides a teaching style consisting of a mix between practical and theoretical.
What I really liked about my courses at BI was that my classes were relatively small
compared to the ones at Tilburg University and teachers tried to make them interactive. For
instance, in one class (Managing for Excellence), we had to prepare flip-overs almost every
lecture and discuss the topics on it with your fellow classmates (and the teacher).
The relationship between the students and the teaching staff is very informal. I’ve had
teachers who would introduce themselves by shaking hands with every student in class and
some of them were also up for a small talk. Also, teachers are commonly addressed by
his/her first name.
In general, I am happy with my academic achievements during my exchange.
Description of Courses
Course
GRA 2204
Judgment and Decision
Making
(MA level –
Department of
Leadership and
Organizational
Behaviour)
GRA 2246
Managing Workplace
Diversity
(MA level –
Department of
Leadership and
Organizational
Behaviour)
GRA 2261
Managing for Excellence
(MA level –
Department of
Leadership and
Organizational
Behaviour)
GRA 2425
Change Management
(MA level –
Department of
Leadership and
Organizational
Behaviour)
Prerequisites
Bachelor degree in
Business,
Marketing or eq.
qualifying for
admission to the
MSc Programme
(in my case MA
Organization
Studies)
Bachelor degree
qualifying for
admission to the
MSc Programme
(in my case MA
Organization
Studies)
Bachelor degree
qualifying for
admission to the
MSc Programme
Exam
Group term
paper,
Group
presentation
ECTS
6
Comments
Theoretical,
Every lecture has a central
theme (biases)
Group term
paper,
Group
mid-term
paper,
Participation
6
Not really academically
challenging
Group term
paper,
Individual
paper,
Participation
6
Practical,
Great teacher (Arne Carlsen)
Group term
paper,
Participation
6
(in my case MA
Organization
Studies)
GRA 2205
Organizational
Behaviour or eq.
Not the most difficult course.
However, I would still
recommend it since the
teacher made it very
interesting and he made you
apply the theory to everyday
life and work (e.g. by some
assignments you have to hand
in)
Theoretical
(in my case MA
Organization
Studies)
Tips for the future students:
GO, GO, GO! I would definitely recommend an exchange period. You will learn a lot about
yourself and get in touch with interesting people from all over the world.
My host university and Oslo are a good option because the school is very modern, the level of
English is high, the international office is very helpful, the classes are smaller and the
teaching style is more practical and interactive compared to Tilburg University. Furthermore,
Norway is a beautiful country and you will have a lot of travel opportunities with your new
friends to witness this by your own eyes.
Do not forget to bring a lot of warm clothes (layers, layers, layers), hiking shoes, a router
(optional), safe money, buy tax-free alcohol (at the airport), and last but not least time flies so
enjoy your period abroad as much as possible!
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at kristelvdlinden@hotmail.com
A picture is worth a thousand words