GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
Student Report
Name of the University:
Exchange semester: Fall / Spring, 2014
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
- When and how did you receive information from the exchange university, and did you
encounter any difficulties?
All the information arrived at international office at BI. It is important that you as a student
communicate and ask question to the international office.
Applying for a visa (if applicable)
- How did you apply for your visa, what did it cost and did you have difficulties?
Visa was pretty easy when it comes to appliance. Use the website immi.gov.au and follow the
instruction provided on the website. The price was AUD 535 and surcharges may apply using
Visa and MasterCard.
Travel
- How did you travel to your destination?
Travelled by plane to Sydney, and train from Sydney all the way down to Newcastle city.
There´s a student hub available in the city 5 minutes walk from the train station.
Housing
- Was housing provided by the university? If not, did you receive support from the
school?
The university provides housing if you´d like. Personally the set-up at the university´s
accommodation was terrible, over-priced and similar to a summercamp. There´s 3 meals
included in the accommodation the university provides. Price per week was AUD 279 (price
may vary). Use the database gumtree.com.au and look for accommodations there before
applying for the university´s accommodations. You´ll find prices down AUD 110 per week
for rooms there. And also a better experience in Newcastle. Try looking for student
accommodations and gain friends in the process.
Costs
- Approximately how much per month did you spend on rent, books, food,
transportation, and other personal expenses?
Rent
Books
NOK 700 pr
week
NOK ca. 7800 pr book.
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
Food
Transport
Coffee
NOK Fast
food 60 kr,
restaurant
food 100 kr.
NOK 18 for
train ticket to
uni from
centre
NOK 20
Culture and language
- Did you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
At the university there are a high velocity of exchange students, some know the language som
don´t. Depends on who you decide to hang around with. Faculty can be hard to understand
sometimes because of strong Australian dialects. But if you know the English language well
you will understand most of it from the start.
-
How were the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
Australia is full of travelling possibilities and Newcastle is located at the central part of the
east coast where most of the population is located. Hit the waves or try local micro-breweries
and talk with everyone. Australians are friendly and open-minded and love to have a chat.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please describe:
- The school (location, size, study structure, special academic areas etc.)
Approx 30,000 students attend the Uni. The school is located 20 minute drive or 15 minutes
by train from the centre of the city. The Uni is divided in different areas of subject, and you´ll
quickly get used to where the building are located and where you´re supposed to go to attend
the different courses. Study structure is divided into lectures and tutorials, where the tutotials
mainly are Q´s & A´s.
Course registration
- When and how did you register for courses?
Registration for courses was pretty easy, the uni provide a database with a list of all the
courses available. A registration form is sent to the international office and you get a personal
mail with availability to print out and fill out yourself. Just make sure that your courses are
within the standards of the “Learning Agreement” provided by BI.
-
When did the add/drop period end?
Last chance to change subjects is the 1st of August. But you´ll be able to drop classes until the
15th of August.
Academic calendar
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
Other:
15th of July.
23rd of July.
Last possible exam is
28th of November
10th to 28th of
December
Mid-Semester break.
(2 weeks)
I would recommend to
arrive early and get
yourself settled with
accommodation.
Maybe also buy a car.
The International Office
- As an exchange student, did you receive sufficient and relevant information?
More than enough. The international offices were happy to help with any enquiries. And all
information about the school were available on the Uni´s homepage.
Social activities
- How was the relationship with native students and that among exchange students?
It´s easy to gain friends amongst the natives. Find friends in your classes or during other
social activities the uni provides.
-
Are there any special activities, student organisations, and gatherings for exchange
students?
The University provides many organisations, personally I joined the N.U.D.E.S where you
will get cheap diving equipment and diving buddies if needed. If you are interested in sports
the uni provides groups and possibilities to follow up on your sport of interest.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
- Describe the teaching style (practical, theoretical, cases/lectures, formal/informal etc.)
Most of the subject have many small assessments throughout the semester. Usually you have
a mid-semester exam (20-30%) a case (30-40%) and a final exam (30-50%) check out the
subjects in the database of the Uni to know more about your subjcts. The classes were divided
into lectures and tutorials, whereas lectures where reviews of the curriculum and tutorials
were reviews of questions and answers related to the curriculum. Most of the Professors had
PhD within their line of education and had a lot of knowledge.
-
How is the level and workload compared to that at BI?
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
Overall the subjects were easier, but brace yourself about the workload. There are a lot of
work throughout the semester, and contionously working with assessments are vital for
getting good grades.
Course materials
- Describe the course materials used (books/literature, online articles, Powerpoint, level
of course material etc).
The uni provides a database with a lot of academic journals and is a good source when
working with different cases and writing reports. There are a list of relevant literature
provided in the course database provided by the uni. Usually all lectures are based on
powerpoint slides.
Exams
- Was the exam based on the course materials or on the lectures?
Both, usually the lectures went through most of the course material in class.
-
How was the course evaluated (include all that apply)?
o Final exam (include form: written, oral, home assignment, presentation, etc.)
o Mid-term exam
o In-class quizzes throughout semester
o Small assignments and/or papers
o Presentations
o Group work
Library and technology
- Describe the facilities
There is a 24/7 library available for all students. Here you can go in the middle of the night if
wanted.
Description of courses
Please list below all the courses you took while on exchange. Your comments are useful for
BI and for future exchange students, include information on the academic level, challenges,
relevance to your studies, if the course was practical/theoretical, any enrolment issues, etc.
Course code &
name
Example:FIN123
Finance
OPSM 3000
Managing
Logistics
Operations in
Supply Chains
Master/
Bachelor
Bachelor
FIN 3140
International
Finance
Bachelor
Bachelor
Exam form
Prerequisites
Approved
as
Elective
Comments
4-hour written
exam
3 Hour written
exam, with
questions from
lectures and
tutorials
None
None
Yes as
strategic
subject in
5th semester
at BI.
This is the
only suiting
strategy
subject for
students
4 hour written
exam,
Corporate
finance
(FIN2080)
Is a
financial
course
which is
always easy
A pretty
hard
subject and
is important
that you
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
approved in
the
Learning
Agreement
FIN 2080
Corporate
Finance
Bachelor
4 hour written
exam
None
See
FIN3140
ESLA 1901
Academic
Language Skills
for International
Students
Bachelor
3 hour written
exam
Basic English
Elective
course
have a
genereal
understandi
ng of
financial
situations.
The subject
demands a
lot time and
needs to be
worked
with
thouroughl
y.
The subject
is a more
theorethical
perspective
within
finance. It
also takes
some
Australian
original
prospects
into theory.
This course
is really
easy, but
recommend
ed if you
want to
practice
your oral
and written
english
skills.
On a final note, how will you sum up the exchange experience?
- E.g. the experience from an academic, cultural and social point of
view, influences to your future career possibilities etc.
Exchange is a great experience. Highly recommended for all students. Australia is a great
country to travel around in and gives you a great insight in the “Aussie” culture. You create a
network with people from all around the world. You learn how to be adaptive to other
cultures. You learn the English language well. The English language and cultural
understandings will always come in handy with future career.