Student Report
Name of the University: Umeå University
Exchange semester: Spring, 2015
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
I received information about Umeå University about two months before departure, however,
the information about the courses I had applied to and schedule for the semester came few
days before the first course was about to start. On the other hand, the exchange coordinator
Rebecca was very accommodating answering all my questions quickly.
Travel
Easiest way to travel to Umeå is by plane, one way ticket cost around 1000:- NOK. If
preferred you may travel by bus or train as well which is a cheaper alternative, but it will take
you around 20 hours getting there.
Housing
The university was providing housing if wanted, but I arranged my own accommodation
through family. It may be difficult to find your own housing if you do not know anyone in
Umeå, therefore it may be recommended to accept the housing that is being offered by the
university.
Costs
Rent
Books
Food
Transport
Other
3 000 NOK
300 NOK
1 000 NOK
300 NOK
2 500NOK
Culture and language
Norway and Sweden are very familiar countries when considering the language and culture,
however, Umeå was the capital city of culture in Europe in 2014 so there is plenty to see and
experience. Swedes may have some difficulties understanding Norwegian, but if you speak
slowly they will manage to understand you (or you may have to explain a word or two in
English). There are many international students attending at Umeå University so you will
most likely have to speak English when socializing after classes.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please describe:
The location of the school is a 20 min walk from centrum in Umeå, 1 min walk from the
hospital. It is easy to travel to/from the university with bicycle or bus to get around in the city;
it may be more complicated travelling with car.
When you are studying you will most likely have one course at the time for five weeks
including group assignments, seminars, individual assignments and then a final exam in the
end. In many courses the exams will be the most important part for your grade, however,
participation in seminars and assignments may have an impact on your grade as well. The
scale of the grades may vary; G-VG, 4-6 to mention the different scales my grades were
evaluated after.
There are four periods during the semester where it is common to study one course each
period (100%). You may choose courses where you study 25% over all four periods or 50%
over two periods as well. I studied 175% first period, 75% second period, 125% third period
and 25% fourth period for example, it was a heavy start of the semester but it was very
relaxing in the end.
Course registration
I registered for courses online at Umeå University’s website for students where you also had
to register for the exams. My courses that were within business and administration were
registered automatically, but I had to register the other courses couple of days before the start
of the course.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Last day of the semester:
Any special events/holidays:
Other:
16/1
19/1
1/7
7/7
-
Arrival
Most of the exchange students attended the “buddy-programme” were you meet Swedish
students (or international students attending a programme at Umeå University) and learn more
about the school and Umeå as a city.
The International Office
The employees of the international office at Umeå University are very nice and helpful,
answering all the questions that did occur. It is possible to email, call or visit them MondayFriday.
Promoting BI and Norway
Umeå University and the “buddy-programme” welcomed all exchange students to a farewell
mingle were we were sitting at tables categorized by the countries we came from, and then we
had the opportunity in the end of the mingle to meet students from Umeå University that were
interested going on exchange themselves. I was the only student representing Norway at the
mingle; therefore BI got a lot of promotion among students that were curious studying in
Norway.
Social activities
As mentioned before, the ”buddy-programme” seems like a lot of fun (did not attend it
myself) were you have the opportunity to meet other exchange students, Swedish students and
international students at the same time. They arranged parties at all kinds of student pubs
around campus, trips to learn more about the cultural aspect of Umeå and Sweden, several
sport activities such as ice hockey, skiing, football and so on. If you are an exchange student
during spring semester in Umeå you must attend at “Brännbollsyran” which is a festival held
at campus, and also the world cup in “brännboll” (sort of softball) were anyone can participate
since it is mostly about having fun! The festival continues during night time at campus were
famous singers and dj’s from both Sweden and other countries come to play and entertain all
night (to mention some of the artists and dj’s from 2015; Afrojack, cazzette, DVBBS,
maskinen, Veronica Maggio etc.)
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
The teaching style in Sweden is very alike the Norwegian style, informal and lectures every
week. Mandatory assignments and seminars may occur during the period of the course and be
evaluated when grading. Therefore it may feel like the workload and level is higher in Umeå
then at BI, but the assignments and seminars are held as a preparation for the exam.
Course materials
All courses differed according to used course materials. PowerPoint was, however, used at
every lecture and the presentations were handed out online after the lecture. You had to buy
your own books, but it was easy to find at the library or already used books in the beginning
of the semester. Some books were more useful than others, but it is recommended to own the
literature needed. You can also borrow literature at the library when studying there over the
day, but you cannot bring the book outside then.
Exams
The exams were based on course materials, lectures, seminars and assignments. Of course it
may differ depending which course you are taking, but in general you can assume that
everything that has been covered may be included at exams. Exams are the part of the grade
that is the most important factor, but the other parts of the course may have an impact on the
grade as well. You will always know in advance how many % of the grade the different parts
covers. All courses that I attended had small assignments and presentations included with the
exam when evaluating my grade. Some of the lectures are mandatory while some are optional,
but you will always be given information when you have to attend. Assignments given
through the course may be both individual and in group, therefore it may be an advantage to
socialize with your new classmates so you know someone to team up with if needed.
Library and technology
Comparing to BI, Umeå University is an older school with older buildings. The library is,
however, a nice place to study in with a lot of group rooms and computer rooms available for
the students. Every book or article that is written in Sweden has to be sent to the library, so
you can find a lot of interesting reading in there. The library has all the literature needed for
the courses, but only in a limited edition. Some of the books can be borrowed over the internet
so you can read them on your computer if you want to.
Description of courses
Course code & name
1EN062
Engelska A,
kulturstudier och
Master/
Bachelor
Bachelor
Exam form
Prerequisites
Assignments
and attendance.
Engelska B or
Engelska 6
Approved
as
Elective
Comments
akademiskt
skrivande
2FE143
Bachelor
Entreprenörskap och
affärsutveckling A
5BY008
Bachelor
Projektledning 1
2FE098
Research
methodology in
business
administration B
Bachelor
Group
assignment and
72-hour written
exam at home
Group
assignment and
4-hour exam
Group
assignment and
4-hour exam
None
Elective
None
Elective
First cycle, has
less then 60
credits in firstcycle course/s
as entry
requirements
Elective
Good
preparation
before
writing a
bachelor/
master
thesis.
My exchange experience at Umeå University has been very rewarding, and I would
recommend everyone considering going there to do so! It is difficult for me to sum up any
cultural or social point of view of how I experienced Umeå since I am born there, however, I
got the chance to experience the perspective of the “student-life” in Umeå, and I enjoyed it
very much. I have learned a lot of how the Swedish aspect of business works, and how to
work more in groups and seminars. Studying in Umeå is more active than studying at BI since
you have to be more prepared before seminars and lectures, sometimes you have to hold
presentations in front of the class, and hence you will learn from your classmates as well!