Student Report
Name of the University:
Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB),
Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management
Exchange semester:
Spring 2014
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
- When and how did you receive information from the exchange university?
I received two information packages om good time before leaving Norway. They
include more or less everything you need to know. A third information package was
received upon arrival. The school also informed by email about accommodations and
French course.
-
Did you encounter any difficulties?
No, everything in the information package was pretty clear.
Applying for a visa (if applicable)
- How did you apply for your visa, what did it cost and did you have difficulties?
No need to apply for visa.
Travel
- How did you travel to your destination?
I travelled to Brussels by plane. There are two airports in Brussels: “Brussels airport”
in Zaventem and “Charleroi Bruxelles – Sud”. Rygge-Charleroi with Ryanair is
cheaper, but is about 1 hour hour from the centre of Brussels. Zaventem is about half
an hour away.
Housing
- Was housing provided by the university? If not, did you receive support from the
school?
Housing is not provided by the university. Although, the international office supported
us with information about accommodations for rent from previous exchange students.
We also got a list of different housing websites in the information package.
Costs
- Approximately how much per month did you spend on rent, books, food,
transportation, and other personal expenses?
Rent
Books
Food
Transport
3 400 NOK
0 NOK
2 000 NOK
200 NOK
I did not spend anything on books as many classes was based on lecture notes.
Culture and language
- Did you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
Teachers and most of the students speak well English. I did not have much language
problems at ULB, but faced some problems outside the school. It is a French speaking
area, so it could be an advantage to learn some basic French prior to arrival or take the
French language course before school starts.
-
How were the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
Brussels is rich with cultural activities to enjoy: cinemas, theatres, exhibitions,
libraries, etc. “ULB Culture” offers an impressive range of activities including
exhibitions, concerts, movies and theatre lessons.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please describe:
- The school (location, size, study structure, special academic areas etc.)
ULB is located at the heart of Europe and only 15 minutes away from the centre of
Brussels. The school is located near a big park and today there are over 24 000
students, with over 30% of students coming from other countries. In the middle of
campus there is a big area which is used for different festivals and special occasions.
Course registration
- When and how did you register for courses?
The deadline for course registration was 21st of February. We could attend the
different classes before finally deciding on what courses to choose.
- When did the add/drop period end?
21st of February is the final deadline for choosing courses. After that no changes can
be made.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
26/01/2014
06/02/2014
06/0/2014
13/05/2014
04/03/2014 (Carnival)
Arrival
- Describe the introduction week
The week began with an information session where we were given information pack 3
and general information about the school.
3 days later we had a welcome drink with Coordinators and Q&A session. It was a
great opportunity for me to socialize with other international students and meet the
international programme team of the school. I also attended a party held by Express.
The International Office
- As an exchange student, did you receive sufficient and relevant information?
Yes, we did receive sufficient and relevant information.
Promoting BI and Norway
- What kind of activities were you involved in to promote exchange to Norway at your
exchange university?
There were not many opportunities to promote exchange to Norway. I participated in
an event called “International Dinner” were we presented a national dish from our
country.
Social activities
- How was the relationship with native students and that among exchange students?
Our relationship with the other exchange students as well as with the Belgium students
was good and we got to know each other both at an academic level and at a social
level. We got to know the exchange students better due to all the social activities
arranged for the exchange students.
-
Are there any special activities, student organisations, and gatherings for exchange
students?
There were a lot of social activities every week arranged by the student organisation
“Express” (parties and gatherings). Express is a non-profit organisation created by
students for students. The Express team also arranged trips to nearby European cities.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
- Describe the teaching style (practical, theoretical, cases/lectures, formal/informal etc.)
The teaching style varies a lot depending on courses and professors. In theoretical
subjects, most of the time would be informal interaction between students and
professor, discussion of main real issues and current situations relative to the topic. In
more practical classes it’s a combination between theory and exercise session with
cases and problem sets. Most of the professors use PowerPoint presentations during
the class. We were 10-30 students in every class and had to participate and get to
know the professor. All professors are open to the students and always ready to help
you with problems you may have. They can be easily contacted through email or find
them in their office.
-
How is the level and workload compared to that at BI?
The workload is about the same as BI.
Course materials
- Describe the course materials used (books/literature, online articles, Powerpoint, level
of course material etc).
- In most of the courses lecture notes/ powerpoint-slides from professor are used as
course material. Other materials used include articles and books/literature.
Exams
- Was the exam based on the course materials or on the lectures?
The exam was based on what we had gone through in the lectures and exercise
sessions, except one that was based on the course material (Investment banking).
-
How was the course evaluated (include all that apply)?
o Final exam (include form: written, oral and home assignment)
o Mid-term exam
o Group work
o Class participation/debates
Library and technology
- Describe the facilities
The ULB library is a big building where you can find quiet places for working alone
as well as for working in groups. The first floor consists of a special area where you
can work in groups and have discussions and an administrative office. At every floor
you can find computers and all necessary literatures. You can find information about
all available books and location of the books online. There exists another library in the
main corpus for master and PhD students with research papers . If you need access to
this library you need to subscribe for a special permission on the ULB library site.
One big problem was that the wifi network at school was slow and unstable.
Description of courses
Course code &
name
Master/
Bachelor
MATH-S401
Dynamic
Optimalization
Master
GEST-S506
Investment
Banking
Master
GEST-S502
Derivatives
Master
GEST-S437
Risk Management
and Governance
Master
ECON-S412
Game Theory with
Applications to
Econometrics
GEST-S503
Financial
Econometrics
Master
Master/
Research
Exam form
Credits
Approved
as
Comments
- Oral exam
(50%)
- 3 hour written
exam (50%)
- Midterm exam
(50%)
- Group project
(50%)
- 2 group
projects (30%)
- 2,5 hour
written exam
(70%)
- Group project
(42%)
- 2,5 hour
written exam
(58%)
- 2 hour Written
exam (100%)
5
Elective
Advanced math course.
5
Elective
5
Elective
We had 250 slides to read
and no lectures before the
midterm. The proffeseur
was always late.
Very good professor.
5
Elective
Same professor as
Derivatives.
5
Elective
Very good professor.
Relatively easy course.
- 1,5 hour
written exam
(100%)
5
Elective
The Professor is good, but
the course is hard. Very
theoretically and
technically advanced.
Requires econometrics.