Name: Bas van Ham
E-mail: B.A.H.vanHam@tilburguniversity.edu
Exchange semester: Spring 2015
Academic year: 2014 - 2015
Host University: University of Oslo
Country: Norway
TOPIC: Admission, arrival, housing
How was your arrival organized? Did someone pick you up from the airport/station? Was an orientation or introduction activity organized? How was accommodation organized? Does the university provide you with accommodation? What kind of accommodation does the university provide? Did you have to book your accommodation in advance or did you have to search for a place to live after you arrived?
Nothing in ways of transportation was really organized for my arrival really. Before I went to
Norway, I arranged for an apartment with SiO, the housing organization for students (amongst others) which wasn’t really difficult. Getting a room prior to arrival in Oslo is recommended. SiO provides for a variety of accommodation, from unfurnished to furnished rooms and from basic rooms to more luxurious and spacious rooms. When I first arrived in Norway, I had a map and some documents that showed me where I should collect the key to my apartment and how to get to my apartment. The documents were pretty self-explanatory, the tricky part however was to figure out the Norwegian public transport system. It’s not the most complicated system seeing that Oslo is not a very big city and that the Norwegians make travelling by public transport fairly easy, so after a short while I figured it out. It ’s advisable to go to Oslo at least a weekend before the introduction week starts though, because I for one got me a furnished room, but it was so basic (unmade bed, desk and a chair) that I had to go into town to get me curtains, blankets, a pillow and other stuff. So be sure you can get those items as soon as possible.
So I mentioned the introduction week. That week is something that I highly recommend in participating. It’s organized by the European Law student’s association (ELSA) and is a great way to meet other law students and getting to know the city and the students life a bit more. You do a lot of social activities such as games, walks through the city, sledding (I was there in
January) and of course alcohol related activities. The atmosphere is pretty relaxed though, if people don’t want to get involved in any drinking activities then there’s no pressure to do so. In fact, there are other activities organized for people who have an aversion towards alcohol or the activities alike.
TOPIC: Location of university/city
Please describe the city you lived in. Where is the university located in the city? What is the best place to go to eat/drink/dance/do sports/etc.? What are interesting things to see and do in your host city?
What was different than in Tilburg?
I lived in the capital of Norway, Oslo. It’s a city about as big as Rotterdam (if one includes all the small towns surrounding Oslo’s municipality) and is very rich of a lot art and culture. From history museums telling the tale of the Vikings of old to the famous expressionist painter
Edward Munch (well known for his iconic paintings ‘the Madonna’ and ‘the Scream’) to the beautiful park full of statues ‘Vigelands park’ situated in the city center. As a student, you may want to hold on to your students card if you wish to engage in cultural endeavors because the card provides for interesting discounts at the museums.
For those who wish to eat out or find a way to unwind in Oslo’s nightlife I’m sure you are aware of the extremely expensive way of life. Especially alcohol and tobacco are heavily taxed (beers going up to €9,- a piece) so be sure to look for student discounts or ask the people from Elsa or your fellow students where the best place to eat out is.
Oslo offers a lot of sports activities to enjoy but I recommend contacting SiO for that. You can get a sports pass for fitness, football, cross country, swimming, you name it they probably have it. I had a fitness card for one semester that costed me around €90,- so that’s not too expensive.

The u niversity for the law faculty is located in the center of the city, close to the royal family’s palace. A beautiful building that just breaths law for everyone to see who passes by and very easy to find.
TOPIC: Academics
Which courses did you take and why? Which courses would you recommend? What did the courses add to your program at Tilburg University? How does the university compare to Tilburg University concerning the level of the courses, use of extra material, level of English, workload, etc.? Overall, were you happy with your academic achievements during your exchange? Please describe the campus of your host university.
I followed the following courses: International investment law, Electronic commercial law and
English law of contract. I took all of these courses because they are actual, have an internationally applicable use for me and are related in some way related to my master: Business law.
Because Norway is quite similar to the Netherlands, in a way of school etiquette, the teachers are quite easily approachable. They also like to involve their students into their classes by asking questions so come to the lessons prepared . At least that was my and my friends’ experience, which is nice in my opinion. Other than that the pattern is the same: you get your books, you have something like a syllabus that says what to prepare for for the next class and what’s optional to read, some classes make you turn in a paper that may come with a grade that’s a percentage of your final grade, you make some mock exams and discuss those in class and finally you make an exam to conclude the course. The level of English in my opinion is determined by your own level of English. Of course it’s at an academic level, but I don’t think you have to be fluent in English to follow and pass the courses, some of teachers weren’t even fluent. On the topic of workload, I took three courses, I was always prepared for my classes and
I passed them all whilst still having time to do fun stuff. Of course you have to plan ahead, but I trust that most students that are in their masters are able to do so.
TOPIC: Social life
Which social activities organized by the university or students? Did you have contact with local students?
Did you have contact with other exchange students? How did you get along with the local students and other exchange students? Did you travel to other places/countries during your exchange?
There’s a day in the buddy week (the intro week) where the freshmen and international students get to know the university’s student associations where you can engage into a ton of activities once you’ve joined one of these organizations. These vary from sports, to music, to dancing, to writing articles for the school’s paper etc.
For my social life, I have to admit that I stuck to the international students for most of my trip.
Norwegian’s tend to stick to their own and you as an international student usually hang out with the people you’ve met in the buddy week (most if not all of them are internationals).
As a final remark for this topic, something that I really recommend doing is to go out there and see Norway’s beauty. Oslo is a nice city, but it is Norway’s nature that beckoned me to go there.
I went on boat cruise toward the North cape (far north of Norway) and even got to see the
Northern light twice! The best time to see it however is during the winter, so I don’t know how lucky you are to see it during summertime.
TOPIC: Living costs
How did you finance your exchange period, apart from the grant you received from Tilburg University?
What were your living expenses abroad like compared to Tilburg? What did you spend most of your money on? What would you advice future students to spend their money on? Please outline your approximate monthly budget whilst on exchange: housing, food, textbooks, etc.
I can’t stress enough that you need to be smart when it comes to your purchases. Yes, it’s an expensive country but bargains are always found by those who look for them. I think I ’ve spend about €650 a month on rent, food and going out. Textbooks are expensive too of course, going up to a whopping €200 per book. But my books were around €40. If you’re lucky, some students post the books they no longer use on Facebook groups for a reduced price. Be sure to look out for those!

TOPIC: Culture
Did you experience culture shock while on exchange? How would you compare your host culture to your own culture? What did you learn about your own culture while on exchange? What was different about your host culture than you expected? What did you like and not like about your host culture? Do you feel you learned a lot about your host culture, and if not, what would you like to learn more? How would you describe your host countries culture? If you travelled to other cities/countries during your exchange, were they different than your host city/country, and how?
Scandinavian countries are quite similar to our country when one assesses society and social norms. Other than for example eastern European countries, both the Netherlands and Norway are feminine countries: people look after each other and are generally willing to help. My experience with Norwegians however are that they are not as social as we are. They want to help you and they are not shy to talk to, but to get into their inner circle of friends might prove to be quite hard as Norwegians tend to live in “social bubbles”. They usually don’t mix with other
“bubbles”; they are not as open as we the Dutch and especially those from the southern part of country are.
TOPIC: Personal development
What did you learn from the people you met during your exchange? Would you do things differently if you had the chance, and what would you do differently? What was your best experience, and what was your worst experience? What will you remember for ever about your exchange period? What was the most important lesson you learned about yourself during your exchange period?
This trip has been a great experience. I’ve met a lot of great people at school, but I was lucky enough to have some great housemates as well. My best experience was my trip to the North cap and my “worst” I think was arriving in Oslo alone. I had to find the housing center, my apartment and I miscalculated on the facilities in my room: no curtains, no bedsheets, no blankets. So if anything, this sure is something to hold into account when going to Oslo. It was great to something else from my regular program at UvT and I’m really glad I did this.
TOPIC: Tips for future students
Would you recommend an exchange period? Would you recommend your host university? What should prospective students bring with them/leave behind? What preparation is required for going on exchange to this destination? Was there anything you should have done in preparation that yo u didn’t do?
I recommend anyone who’s still on the float to just go on exchange. It’s great for your resumé, great for your personal development, you get to meet a lot of people and you’ll have blast while doing all of the above! UiO is a great university with a lot good teachers and a lot of people that want to help you out whenever you call upon them.
On the topic of preparation, as far as I know I didn’t need any specific actions taken (like inoculations). A credit card is highly recommended to have.