Student Report
Name of the University: Insper – Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa
Exchange semester: Fall 2015
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
I received all the information from the exchange univeristy through email. The first
email I received from Insper was on the 24th of march 2015 followed by new emails
monthly containing the elective courses, the academic calendar and a formal
application to Insper. In addition, they sent a list of necessary documents in order to
formalize the application for a semester of studies at Insper. I did not encounter any
difficulties. The emails were informative and Insper was very quick to answer if I had
any questions.
Applying for a visa
I applied for a visa online, using the website of the Brazilian embassy. I had
difficulties with understanding the applying process due to unclear structure on the
webite. To make sure how to apply properly, I contacted the embassy through email
and phone. I had to fill in a form online, print it out and put both the form and my
passport together in an envelope and send it to the embassy. In addition, one need to
make a transfer to their bank account in order to pay the fee. The fee of a student visa
is approximately 500 NOK.
Travel
I travelled by plane with SwissAir to São Paulo. However, there are several airplane
companies flying to São Paulo. In order to get a cheaper price, I would recommend to
book the tickets as soon as you know you have a seat at the university (i.e. acceptance
letter). Closer to your departure date it will get more expensive. It is possible to get a
flight ticket from approximately NOK 6500 if you book early, but I ended up paying
NOK 9866 with Swiss Air. The State Educational Loan Fund (Lånekassen) will
provide you a travelling loan/scholarship of approximately 10.000 NOK (scholarship
NOK 7700 and loan NOK 3300).
Housing
Housing is not provided by the university. Nevertheless, I received an email
containing housing opportunities. In the list there were several landlords offering
housing, which previous students had stayed at during their semester. Additional
information about the accommodation like; internet, tv and laundry service, size of the
room, price of the rent etc was also provided. However, most students used Airbnb for
temporary stay during the first weeks while they were looking for something more
permanent.
Costs
Approximately expenses per month:
Rent
Books
Food
Transport
Other
NOK 3300
NOK 0
NOK 4000
NOK 2000
NOK 8 000
Culture and language
At the university they spoke both Portugese and English. All the professors of the
elective courses spoke more or less good English. Most of the students and the
administrative staff was also English speaking. In fact, speaking Spanish can help you
with interacting with Portugese speaking students due to the similarities between their
languages.
The university offers a crash course in Portugese the three first weeks after school
starts. Unfortunately, they had not space for all of the students, so make sure you
confirm your attendance right after you receive a request, if you want to enroll.
Otherwise there are a lot of cultural things to explore and visit in São Paulo. There is
no tourist office, but students, teachers and social media will give you a lot of
recommendations and tips for cultural experiences. Travelling in Brazil is easy, but be
aware that there is a traffic rush during mornings and afternoons. Especially in
holidays the traffic is horrible. Transportation options are plane, bus and renting a car.
No train. There are two main airports in São Paulo (one for international flights and
one for domestic flights) and two bus stations (one for travelling north and one for
travelling south).
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The school is located in Vila Olimpia, known as a “business area”. The school is a
learning platform for among 7.000 students, both business, economic and engineering
students. The school is modern with decent auditoriums and classrooms, group rooms,
offices for the professors, a library in two floors, two coffeshops and a cafeteria in
which all are distributed among seven floors. In addition, outside of the cafeteria there
is a small soccer field.
Course registration
For register courses, firstly you will receive descriptions of the elective courses by
email. Secondly, when register for the courses, you are sending an email saying which
courses you wish to enroll in. The deadline for register courses was on the 6th of june.
The add/drop period of courses ended 1 week after the first day of school
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
22.07.15
10.08.15
27.11.15
Mid-terms: 30.09.1506.10.15. Final exams:
02.12.15-04.12.15.
Dates are due to the
courses described
further down.
However, the deviant
is not so big.
There are a some days
now and then, but no
specific holidays
Other:
Arrival
The introduction week started off with a get-together lunch for the international
students and the buddies. Lunch and smalltalk at Insper was on the agenda, following
up with a picture session. There was also a going-back-to-school party arranged by
Insper in the first week. The lectures were mostly introduction lectures with
presentation of the students. In addition, we met the board of directors of Insper. There
were not that many events, activities or arrangements for the introduction week that I
expected. However, as there are a lot of the international students taking the same
courses, you will get to know each other really quickly and you will arrange activities
on your own initiative.
The International Office
The exchange coordinator is called Bruna. She is very friendly and helpful. Before the
school started we were called in for a check-in session at Insper with her. That was the
first time I met some of the international students. Bruna was welcoming us and
showed us around at Insper. We received a box containing an annual report from
Insper, information about the facilities at Insper, information about things to do in São
Paulo, name tag, etc. Whenever we needed information we could always come to
Bruna’s office, or email her if we had any questions. In addition, weekly you receive
emails from Insper about formal events happening at Insper.
Promoting BI and Norway
I participated in an international exchange affair. However, not many students were
interested in Norway, but I provided help in the best way I could to those who were
interested.
Social activities
There are a lot of student organizations which are gathering for up to two days a week.
Otherwise, there are some parties arranged by Insper for all of the students during the
semester, approximately two times a month. For the exchange students, it was mostly
ourselves who made the initiative to do something together. From my experience it is
easier to get in touch with native students if you speak portugese or engage yourself in
students organizations.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
The teaching style was both theoretical and practical. Mostly, the lectures were
combined with cases or assignments. The lectures were mainly informal due to small
classes and the opportunity to easy interact with the professor.
The workload is heavy due to roughly mandatory hand-in materials throughout the
semester, but the level compared to BI is similar.
Course materials
Firstly, there are no mandatory books. The course materials we used were mostly
Powerpoint, made as an accumulation of online articles, books, etc. But also articles
from newspapers were well used and papers presented by the professors. For
preparation for lectures you will be asked to read papers posted on blackboard and in
class you will be discussing about these papers. Sometimes cases or assignments is
given to these papers and, depending on the course, you are obliged to hand it in and it
may be graded.
Exams
The exam was based on both the course materials and the lectures
How the courses was evaluated:
o Final exam: written
o Mid-term exam: written
o In-class quizzes throughout semester
o Small assignments and cases
o Report and presentations
o Group work
o Class attendance
o Class participation/debates
Library and technology
The library is located in two floors. In the first floor you will find books for lending, a
study room with individual desks and computers available for use. In second floor
there are mainly group rooms. During your first days at school, you are given a
username and a password for the wifi. For lending books at the library, you just have
to give your name and you’ll have a deadline of one week to hand in the book. You
even have a help desk in second floor to help you out if your laptop break down. The
technology is well developed. During the semester I did not experience any struggles
with the internet, but worth to mention is the fact that there is only one printer. It
might occur a line when printing, especially when it gets closer to midterm and the
final exam.
Description of courses
Course code & name
Exam form
Prerequisites
Decsion making and
negotiation
Master/
Bachelor
Bachelor/
Master
2 hour written
mid-term and 2
hour written
final exam
None
Approved
as
Elective
Institutions and
strategy
Bachelor/
Master
2 hour written
mid-term and 2
hour written
final exam
None
Elective
Environmental
management and CSR
Bachelor/
Master
2 hour written
mid-term and 2
hour written
final exam
None
Elective
Latin America today: a
history of
macroeconomic
imbalances from 1982
up to our days
Bachelor/
Master
2 hour written
mid-term and 2
hour written
final exam
None
Elective
Comments
Final grade
is ranged
from 1-10.
The final
grade is a
result of an
assessment
on
assignment
s, pre &
post
reports,
participatio
n and the
exams
Final grade
is ranged
from 1-10.
The final
grade is a
result of an
assessment
on
exercises,
cases, 2
presentatio
ns, and the
exams
Final grade
is ranged
from 1-10.
The final
grade is a
result of an
assessment
on
exercises, a
report, a
presentatio
n and the
exams
Final grade
is ranged
from 1-10.
The final
grade is a
result of an
assessment
on
Political economics
Bachelor/
Master
2 hour written
mid-term and 2
hour final exam
None
Elective
assignment
and the
exams
Final grade
is ranged
from 1-10.
The final
grade is a
result of an
assessment
on a report,
a
presentatio
n and the
exams
Summing up my exchange experience
My exchange experience was something out of the ordinary. The Brazilian culture is
totally different from Norwegian culture. I learned to adapt to a new culture which can
be quite challenging. I believe this has enriched my knowledge in international business
and I feel more prepared for doing business in South American business environments.
Going abroad gave me the opportunity of building international networks which is
valuable for future career possibilities. In addition, the exchange semester has given me
more personal skills and developed me as a person.