Student Report
Católica Universidade
Fall 2013
I.
Practical information
Before leaving Norway, the International Office at Católica will provide you with
all the information that you need. This includes information about courses,
housing, activities, paperwork etc. and everything are sent to you by email in
advance.
TAP, the main Portuguese airline, fly Oslo- Lisbon every day. Prices are
approximately 200-300 euros. Other airlines, such as Norwegian and SAS also
have direct flights, but normally charge a higher price than TAP. When travelling
to Portugal, there is no need for a visa.
The university does not provide housing, but they will help you find a place to
live. The International Office will provide several sites online before leaving
Norway. If you don’t have a place to stay when you first arrive to Portugal, the
smartest thing to do is to check in to a hostel. Spend the first days to look for an
apartment, through the sites suggested by the university or other sites.
The cost of living is very low in Portugal. Rent per month depends on what kind
of apartment you live in, where it is located, how many people you live with and
which standard you choose. We lived in an apartment with 3 bedrooms, 2
bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room. The apartment was located in Avenida,
right in the middle of the city center, and we were two people sharing the
apartment. We paid 500 euros each per month. It is possible to live in cheaper
apartments than this, as it is normal to share a bigger apartment with several
other Erasmus students. When living in Lisbon you are dependent on public
transport. The cost of a monthly travel pass is 35 euros per month. With this card
you can travel all around Lisbon with every type of transport (metro, bus, tram,
train etc.) As the exams are mostly based on lectures and slides, most classes
don’t require the students to buy any books. But, if you are required to do so, go
to a copy shop and ask if they have the book in their archive. Some books are
extremely expensive in Portugal, but in a copy shop you may get them for just 10
euros. Other costs (food, social activities etc.) are cheap, and the Erasmus
scholarship you receive in the beginning of the semester should cover all of these
expenses and more.
Most people in Lisbon speak English very well and language problems are minor.
Católica Universidade, the teachers and the Portuguese students are used to
working with international students. But, cultural differences are present,
especially regarding the Portuguese’s relationship to time. Don’t expect anyone
or anything to be on time. When it comes to experience the country and the
culture, the International Club at Católica arranges for several trips, dinners and
other social activities at the beginning of the semester. Don’t miss the trips to
Algarve in the south, Porto in the north or Sintra just outside of Lisbon! Other
organizations, such as ELL and ESN also arranges for this kinds of trips. These
kinds of trips are cheap and a great way to get to know other Erasmus students.
II.
About the school
The university is located just outside the city centre. Several metro stations (such
as Laranjeiras and Jardin Zoologico) are located nearby the campus. The school
itself is a 5-floor building, with multiple classrooms, study areas, cafeterias and
computer rooms. In the building next to the main building, you will find the
library, quiet areas, a bookshop and a copy centre. All courses that you can
choose as an Erasmus student is taught in English.
Registration for courses is done online. Course registrations opened in May and
results were published online in July. Normally, you will get the courses you
apply for. In some cases, courses overlap. If this happen you are required by the
university to change one of the crashing courses. The course-changing period is
normally in mid- September. If you know which courses you are dropping/adding
before the course change period, ask the teacher in the course you want to add if
you can come to classes even though you are not officially enrolled in the course
yet.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special
events/holidays:
Other:
26th of August
3rd of September
19th of December
3rd – 20th of January
No holidays
Midterm period in
late October.
Final exams between
21st – 31st of
January.
Before arriving in Portugal you are provided with a buddy, if you choose to apply
for one. The buddy is a Portuguese student from the same university, and is there
to help you with your daily life. The first week of school is introduction week.
This included welcome dinners, guided trips all over Lisbon, boat rides, bus rides
and other social activities. The price of each activity is about 5-10 euros. It’s
recommended to participate in the activities that are arranged, both for getting to
know the city, but also to get to know other students.
The International Office is located inside the main building of the university. They
are there to help you with whatever you need help with. This is the place where
you deliver learning agreements and other papers that need to be signed and sent
back to BI. Everything you need to know are sent through email, but it is also
possible to show up at the office and talk to those that work there to get
information.
In early November, Católica arranges an International Fair. This is mainly for the
Portuguese students that want to apply for exchange. The exchange students at
Católica are asked to make a stand for their own country and university. If you
are interested, you can have BI send you t-shirts, brochures and other Norwegian
effects, so you can make the best stand as possible.
The Portuguese students are friendly and open to exchange students. However,
except for when you a put together for group projects, the Portuguese students
and the exchange students tends to keep for them self’s. But as mentioned, they
are used to having international students around.
There are several organizations that are directed towards exchange students. ELL
and ESN are the two biggest one. These organizations are not only meant for
students at Católica, but every Erasmus student in Lisbon. As well as arranging
trips, they also can help you with housing, getting a Portuguese phone number
etc. They are also present in social settings, at the clubs and in the bars, where
you get discounts with your Erasmus card.
III.
Academics
The structure of the courses was different from what we were used to from BI.
Students per course rarely exceeded 30 people. Because of this, there are more
interaction between the teacher and the students. The teaching environment is
very informal compared to BI. In every course, the teacher knows your name, and
if its normal to have an informal dialogue thought-out the semester. The teaching
style varies from course to course, but it is often a mix between theoretical and
practical methods. Cases are often used, as well as group projects and
presentations. The workload is different from every course. As the total grade of
the course is not based on a single exam at the end of the semester, the workload
is evenly spread out throughout the 5 months.
Most of the courses have participation as part of the final grade. Therefor, it is
important to meet in every class. As mentioned, the exams are also based on the
lectures, and not on books, and it is hard to study for an exam if you didn’t show
up for classes. The final grade is also based on presentations, group projects,
papers and assignments. In the middle of the semester, you will have midterms in
most of your courses. The midterms usually count just as much as the exam,
when calculating your final grade. Exams are either multiple-choice or regular
questions and answers. A mix of the two is also possible. The grade scale is from
0 – 20, where 0 - 9.5 is fail and everything above 9.5 is pass. If you fail the course
or want to improve your final grade, it is possible to take a final exam. If you
chose to do this, the final exam will count 100% of the grade.
Description of courses
Course code &
name
Strategic
Management of
Innovation
Strategic Alliances
Master/
Bachelor
Bachelor
Exam form
Bachelor
Bank Management
Bachelor
2 hour written
exam
2 hour written
exam
2 hour written
exam
Prerequisite
s
Introduction
to
Management
Marketing
Approved
as
Elective
Comment
s
5 ECTS
Elective
5 ECTS
Finance
Elective
5 ECTS
Leadership in
Organizations
Bachelor
Public Policy
Bachelor
Analysis
Portuguese Language Bachelor
Cource
Multiplechoice
2 hour written
exam
2 hour written
exam
Introduction
to
Management
Microeconom
ics
None
Elective
5 ECTS
Elective
6 ECTS
Elective
4.5 ECTS
Strategic Management of Innovation is a course in the field of management.
Together with Strategic Alliances, this course covers what BI require you to take
while on exchange. (The course Business Strategy also cover BI requirements)
The course did not have a midterm. The final midterm counts 50% of the grade,
participation counts 25% and the other 25% is covered through group work and
presentations. The course is both theoretical and practical.
Strategic Alliances is also a course in the field of management. The course did
not have a midterm. The final midterm counts 50%, participation (attendance
and small presentation) counts 15% and group work (big presentation and
report) counts 35% This course is highly theoretical.
Bank Management is one of many courses that cover the finance requirements
that are given by BI. The course did have a midterm that counted 40% of the
grade. Participation count 5%, quizzes and individual work counts 15% and the
final midterm counts 40%. The first part of the course is highly theoretical, while
the second part of the course is more practical. Expect a sudden increase in level
of difficulty after the first couple of months.
Leadership is Organization is a course on the field of management. This course
is a perfect mix between theoretical and practical. The teacher of this course, an
Italian professor, was one of the best teachers we have ever had. We recommend
taking this course! There was no midterm in this course. Participation
(attendance and a group presentation) counts 10%, a term paper counts for 20%
and the final midterm (multiple-choice) counts 35%.
Public Policy Analysis is a course in the field of economics. This course is highly
theoretical. There were a lot of economics and politic students in this course. The
midterm counted for 30% participation (homework and attendance) counts for
35% and the final midterm counts 35%.
The Portuguese Language Course is not mandatory, but as a bachelor student
you get full credits for taking this course. You can choose between an intensive
course, which is a basic course lasting for a month with an exam in late October,
or you can choose the extensive course, which last over the hole semester. The
teachers are very good, and learning curve is adjusted to the students in class. No
pre- requirements are necessary, but if you already know some Portuguese it is
possible to take courses in higher levels. This course has a mid-term that counts
20% of the final grade. Participation (attendance and homework) counts 40%
and the final mid-term counts 40%. The Portuguese likes it when foreigners try to
speak Portuguese, and you learn more than you think in 5 months. So taking the
language course is highly recommended.
Católica is a good school, and we would highly recommend other to take their
exchange semester there. Lisbon is a beautiful city. The city is student friendly
and offers a different daily life than Oslo. Our time in Lisbon very amazing! We
made some great memories and a lot of great friends, from all over the world.