Experience report
Name: Gerry de Groot
E-mail: g.l.f.degroot@tilburguniversity.edu
Exchange semester: Spring 2014
Academic year: 2013/2014
Host University: University of Oslo
Country: Norway
Admission, arrival, housing
I flew to Oslo on the third of January. That was the only day there would be a pick-up service from
ESN (Erasmus Student Network). After I arrived at the airport, I had to take the train to the central
station. There I met the people from ESN and they helped me with buying a card for the public
transport and explained me which metros I could take.
I can recommend you to sign in for the Buddy week, which is the introduction. You will be placed in a
group with only law exchange students. In that way, you will get to know everyone really quick. They
plan a lot of different activities during the week, where you can get to know the city, the University
and each other. It is the perfect semester start.
The University of Oslo secures every exchange student, student housing from SIO, as long as you
apply on time. You can choose in which student village you would like to live. The two most popular
student villages for exchange students are definitely Sogn and Kringsjå. They are both outside the city
centre but the public transport works well. There are busses and metros close to both student
villages. The room I had was about twelve square meters and I had to share the bathroom and
kitchen with five other exchange students.
Location of University/city
Oslo is a beautiful city. The city centre is quite small and everything is really central. You almost
bump into the University when you walk out of the metro. The parliament, the Royal Palace and the
harbour are really close to the University. I can recommend the free guided tour through the
parliament, it is a beautiful building. You can find the National Gallery behind the University. This is
worth a visit, since you can find the famous painting ‘’The Scream’’ of Edvard Munch there. It is also
really nice to relax at the harbour (Aker Brygge) or go by ferry to the different little islands in the Oslo
fjord. Also worth a visit is the neighbourhood Grunerløkka. This is a bit of an alternative
neighbourhood with a lot of young people, artists and cheap places to eat/drink or to go out. Every
Sunday night there is free live jazz/reggae music at a club called Blå.
Songsvann is the place to be when the weather is nice. It is a big lake and forest close to Kringsjå. A
lot of people go there in winter to walk or to do cross country skiing and in summer it is the perfect
place to relax, to go swimming or to have a barbecue.
Academics
I took three law courses and a Norwegian language course. The language course was an introductory
course for exchange students. So it was not that difficult and it is really nice to learn some
Norwegian. I had the following law courses: Refugee and Asylum Law, Women’s law and Human
Rights, Cultural and Narrative Criminology. I chose these courses because there are no
comparable/similar courses in Tilburg. I thought it was really interesting to choose something
different. Especially Criminology was a challenge, since it is really different from a typical law course.
The way of teaching and examination is different from Tilburg University. Lectures and seminars are
sort of combined. The lectures are in small lecture rooms and there are quite often discussions and
student presentations during the lectures. You don’t have to prepare assignments, but you have to
read a lot on your own. Most exams in Oslo consist of one big essay question which you have to
answer in four hours. This might seem difficult, but this is easier than the Dutch system in my
opinion.
Social life
You don’t have to be bored during your stay in Oslo. The Erasmus student network organizes a lot of
so called ‘special events’. This can vary from the weekly coffee hour, to a guided tour through the
opera house, to parties and to trips. ELSA (The European Law student association) also organizes a lot
of parties and activities.
I knew some Norwegians, but most of my friends were other exchange students from all over the
world. The contact with the other exchange students was really good. Everyone is new, and everyone
is keen on making new friends, so you don’t have to be afraid that you will end up alone. It feels like
one big family since you do everything together: studying, partying, eating and travelling.
I took the opportunity to travel a lot during my stay here. My first trip was to the Swedish Lapland. I
did some typical Scandinavian activities like dogsledding, hiking and an arctic swim. It was an
unforgettable experience. I went on a skiing trip, where I stayed in a big cabin of a Norwegian friend.
We went to Stockholm (Sweden) and Copenhagen (Denmark) with a self-formed travel group. I
joined the ESN trip to the Sognefjord, where we did a cruise and an amazing glacier hike. And last but
not least: we made a big roadtrip through Norway all up to the Lofoten Islands at the end of our stay.
I can recommend everyone to travel as much as possible during his/her period abroad, since it is an
unforgettable and incredible experience!
Living costs
Norway is a really expensive country, so you have to be smart. A regular beer at a bar/club is around
€10,- and you pay €14,- for a menu at MC Donalds. I can recommend you to go to Grønland for your
groceries. It is a Turkish shop with especially really cheap vegetables and fruits.
I think I spend about €1000,- a month for living expenses. Besides the Erasmus grant, I also got some
money from the government, from my parents and I had a State loan. I paid approximately €400,- for
my room and about €300,- for food. A month ticket for the public transport is around €45,-. And I
spent about €250,- for activities/parties/trips etc every month.
Culture
I didn’t have a culture shock when I arrived in Oslo, although the culture is slightly different from the
Dutch culture. The criminal rate in Norway is extremely low and you feel really safe walking through
the city, even alone in the dark as a girl. At first, the Norwegian people look quite reserved/aloof, but
they turn out to be really nice and helpful people once you get to know them better. Everyone is
willing to help you and almost everyone speaks English quite well.
Personal development
It is hard to express what I’ve learned during my exchange, but I’ve changed a lot. Going on an
exchange means being independent, growing up, accepting new challenges, get to know new people
and even more important get to know yourself. Sometimes it’s good to step out of your comfort
zone. I have learned to take care of myself and others. I’ve learned to be open-minded, to express
myself, I found my boundaries, what I like and what I don’t like. I’ve improved my English, Norwegian
and German. I’ve learned to organize and plan things. I’ve learned to let things go. Etc. Etc. It sounds
kind of vague, but you have to experience it yourself.
I’ve made some really good friends in Oslo. We studied, partied, ate and explored Norway together.
That was the best experience ever.
Tips for future students
I would definitely recommend an exchange period. For me it was the best decision I ever made. It is
the best way to develop yourself in my opinion. I would recommend the University of Oslo since it is
a really good University. They help you with everything and they make you feel at home.
Furthermore Oslo is a beautiful city and Norway is a stunning and interesting country.
If you’re planning to go on an exchange, make sure you have enough money and arrange a credit
card. I left the Netherlands without a credit card and that caused some difficulties. Keep all the
deadlines in mind and arrange all the paperwork on time.
Once you’ve decided to go to Norway: make sure you have enough warm clothes! The winters are
really cold, with sometimes minus 20 degrees. Bring scarfs, hats, gloves, tights, thermals, ski jacket
and decent shoes. You will need them.
Have fun in Norway, skål og ha det bra!