STUDENT REPORT
Name of the University: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU)
Name of the student: Lars Kosmo Grimelid
Exchange semester: Fall 2011
1. General information
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NMMU is the largest higher education institution in the Eastern and Southern Cape, with
some 25 000 students enrolled at six different campuses, five located in the Port
Elizabeth, and one in George. It is the only university in South Africa to be situated on a
nature reserve and the only university to offer game drives on its campus.
There are in total 25 000 students and approximately 21 000 are undergraduates and 3 500
postgraduates students. There is over 3 000 international students and 350 study abroad
and exchange students
They offer undergraduate qualifications in over 120 career fields and postgraduate
qualifications in over 320 career fields
2. Practical information
Information before we left
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We received an information package for exchange students a short while after we were
accepted by NMMU. This package included basic information on what to expect and
what to bring. It also says how to get the student Visa and important dates.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
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There were no real problems, but make sure to start applying early, paperwork in South
Africa is time consuming. The medical tests needed an X-ray to prove that you are
tuberculosis free so make sure to tell your doctor.
The visa fee at the embassy was 800 NOK.
I bought my ticket through Finn.no and the price was about 10 000,- Nok, but if you buy
your tickets early you would pay around 6500 NOK, so if you have the possibility to buy
the tickets early, don’t wait, the ticket only get more expensive.
Academic Calendar
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I arrived in Port Elizabeth the 15th of June, and the orientation week started the 20th .
Semester started 27th June and had the last day of classes mid October.
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Exam period started second week in November and had last exam day the 28th November
They have a spring break the first week of October that is a good week for traveling.
Reception
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In the orientation week we had an information meeting, guided tours on campus and a
City Tour. We also had to pick our modules and pay for accommodation.
The administration and faculty were well prepared for our arrival, and they took good care
of us.
Housing
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NMMU provides student accommodation, you can stay on campus or off campus. Off
campus you can stay in Annie’s Cove a small village that has 28 houses, each with 4
bedrooms, two kitchens, two bathrooms and a pool for common use and a pool house for
parties. You can also get other off campus accommodation in Summerstrand and
Humewood, a good place with high standards is Summerseas, placed right on the most
popular surfing beaches.
Costs
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Accommodation costs differ from about 2000 to 4000 Nok. The price level is low, food
and alcohol is cheap. A main course in a nice restaurant is about 60 Nok and taxi trip
within centrum are seldom more than 30-40 Nok.
The International Office
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The international office is located in the South Campus. Everyone that works there is
most helpful with any issues you must have during your stay.
Social Activities
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The relationship with other international students were quickly made during the
orientation week and the following weeks. Also the local students and even random local
people was easy to come in contact with, no wonder they are called “The Friendly city”.
There are many different student organizations that you can join, academic, sports, culture
a many others.
There was arranged different activities for the exchange students, like trips, sport
arrangements and cultural exchange events.
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The school is big and has a wide range of cafés and restaurants which offers good food for
a desired price. There is also a big library very appropriate for reading and information
gathering.
Culture and Language
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I did not encounter any problems with language barriers. Almost everyone can speak good
English and all information flow is in English.
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The possibilities to see more of the country are unlimited. Traveling to the major cities
like Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg can be done cheap with car, but the distances
are great, so set of enough time. I went for wine trips to Stellenbosch, game parks with the
Big 5 (elephant, lion, cheetah, rhino and buffalo), whale watching safaris and hiking
trips thru the scenic landscape. Most of the parks are affordable, especially off-season
and if you drive your own car.
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience
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The exchange program has been a lifetime opportunity to live and study in South Africa.
To get to know a completely different culture in one of the countries with the most
inequality between rich and poor is both challenging but also very interesting. An
important part of Port Elizabeth is the dark side of it, its townships. Surrounding the city
are thousands of shacks inhabited by the poorest of the poor. The shacks are made of
corrugated iron, wooden plates and just about anything to keep the wind and rain out. It is
not advisable to visit the townships without someone who knows the area, because this
can be dangerous. Apartheid is also a interesting theme and people are open to discuss
and have an open conversation around all aspects of it. The whole experience of being in
this country have made me more reflected in matters of racism, cultural differences and
our materialistic view of happiness.
3. Academic Information
The Teaching situation
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All of the courses that we have had were taught in English. The language was a bit
challenging in the beginning because of the South African accent, but as soon as you get
used to it, there was no problem.
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The level of study is not quite the same as at BI, many of the courses is based on a lot of
memorizing and not as much understanding. This is a bit old fashioned way of learning
and requires good memorizing skills.
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In two of the courses that I had, the teaching was mostly theoretical.
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In both of my classes, they were using a lot of group work, 2 or 3 mid-term tests and
regular lectures.
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The workload is very varying from module to module. From the 2 modules I had one was
time consuming and the other had a relatively small workload opposite of what the credit
values of the courses said (12 and 15 ECTS) But in general it seemed like the
international students thought the workload was a bit higher than in their home
Universities.
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We have had the opportunity to talk with the teachers after class, in their office hours or
by mail.
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The relationship between students in classroom is basically as in Norway.
Required Literature
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All of the required literature was in English.
The literature was just as good as the Norwegian literature, and much of the same theories
and formulas.
The literature is used fore detailed knowledge and the class slides was used more to get a
good overview. The exams were based mostly on the literature.
Exams
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The exams was 3 hour examinations with the weighting: 40% class mark + 60%
examination mark. If you work throughout the semester and get good marks in the tests
and group assignments you should be able to get a good examination mark.
Other
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As a student you will have access to the school library that features several reading halls,
Wi-Fi hotspot, information service and access to old exams, theses etc.
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NMMU has got some computers in the library and also a computer lab with printers.
Class slides and other information are distributed through the schools online learning
platform.
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Internet access on campus is slow and the computer lab can be full. Also of campus
Internet is slow and can be quite expensive but it’s under development and improving by
the day.
Description of Courses
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Financial Management III (BFB3212)
No Needed Prereq.
3-hour examination, 40% class mark + 60% examination mark. Class participation and 3
compulsory semester tests gives you the class mark.
Workload: easy/medium, bring your finance calculator.
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General And Strategic Management (EBM302)
No Needed Prereq.
2 Compulsory semester tests; 1 group assignment; 3-hour examination, 40% class mark +
60% examination mark.
Workload: Difficult. Memorizing all literature.
Names and e-mails:
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Lars Kosmo Grimelid – larskosmo@hotmail.com