Fort Lewis College
Trond A.B. Johannessen
Spring, 2010
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Fort Lewis College is located in the state of Colorado, in a small town called Durango. The
town is surrounded by mountains and campus elevation is about 2000 meters.
Fort Lewis has around 4000 students. The school is an undergraduate Liberal arts college.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
I received the information package in late October. Any problems I had were resolved with the
help from Scott Miller at the international programs office. He helped with housing and
classes.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
The visa procedure is time consuming. You have to fill out forms online and bring the forms to
the embassy. The visa costs $ 131 and you have to pay a SEVIS fee of $ 235.
Book your appointment at the embassy early, that way you will avoid having to e-mail the
embassy for an “emergency appointment.”
I ordered my ticket through a travel agency called Travelpartner. Only problem with them is
that they are hard to get a hold of.
Academic Calendar
I arrived on Friday January 8th and Saturday was an introduction day with registration for email accounts and other practical matters. First day of classes was Monday the 11th.
Last day of classes was April 23rd followed by a week of finals. When you are done with your
semester depends on what classes you take, as some of the professors do not require you to
take the final exam.
Reception
There was not a special reception at the school. I was enrolled as one of many new students.
Housing
I lived in the dorms on campus, I received information from the school. Living in the dorms
was an experience in itself. I met and got to know a lot of people fast. I lived in an adventure
house. Most people there were active skiing or snowboarding, so finding someone to ski with
was no problem.
The food is bad, but eatable.
Costs
The airline ticket and housing is expensive. Housing, food and fees were about $ 5000.
(Depends on what kind of dorm you chose to live in)
You will probably not use books in some of the classes, so be sure to talk to your professor
before buying books.
As the school is located in the mountains and there is a lot of great skiing there, buying
season passes is recommended. A single day can cost as much as $ 100. Season passes
cost $ 300 - $ 400, depending on when you buy them. You should start checking out season
passes as soon as possible, as the prices go up the closer the season gets.
The International Office
Scott Miller at the international office is really helpful. He can fix most things.
Social Activities
People at Fort Lewis and in Durango are in general really friendly. I made friends fast as I
lived in the dorms. I did not have much contact with other exchange students, but there is an
International Club which organizes movie nights and get-togethers.
People are helpful and there is no problem getting a ride to the mountains or finding someone
to ski with. It is an active school where people go skiing/snowboarding, kayaking, climbing,
mountain biking and a lot of other things. Outdoor Pursuits on campus have rental gear for
most of these activities.
Most people living in the dorms are under 21 years of age so most parties are in houses, off
campus. There are many bars in town and the people of Durango do not need an excuse to
party!
Culture and Language
Durango is an old western town and still has some of the western spirit left. With Indian
reservations nearby, the culture is influenced by the Native Americans.
Durango is located near the four corners and its closeness to Mexico is influencing the food
and the culture.
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience
I have learned a lot of this semester. I met a lot of different people and got to ski some great
mountains.
My language skills have improved and also my interpersonal skills. Being alone in a new
place forces you to approach others and you learn a lot from it. I know now that moving to a
new place with a different culture is something I can handle, which has opened my mind when
it comes to where I want to live and work in the future.
I think my exchange experience has taught me to interact with people from different
backgrounds and I believe this will be of great help in the future.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
The courses were thought in English and there were no problems. All my professors were
helpful if I had any questions.
The classes were small with approximately 20 students, so you get to know the professors
well. As we got homework, group work and had 3-4 exams instead of one big, it was a lot of
work and missing several classes before a test can have a big impact on the grade as
lectures sometimes covers themes that are not covered in the books.
Required Literature
The literature is not much different from the literature we use at BI that is in English. The
exams are mostly based on lectures and I did not really need all the books.
Exams
The exams were multiple choice and problem solving. I had 3 or 4 exams in each class during
the semester, not including the finals. (Which you sometimes do not have to take)
Other
The library is pretty old and does not have the study places we are used to at BI. There are a
lot of computers available for the students on campus. Some professors use IT in their
classes a lot, others not at all. Professors communicate changes in schedules and similar
through e-mail. General information from the school is also distributed via e-mail.
Course name:
BA301
Management &
Organizational
Behavior
Prereg.
BA353
Operations
management
BA380 Financial
Management
Econ361
Managerial
Economics
Exam
Interactive
multiple choice
quizzes,
multiple choice
exams, debates,
paper.
Homework,
in
class
activity
written exams.
Interactive
quizzes,
presentations
and final project
Homework,
in
class quizzes,
multiple choice
exams
Major at BI
Approved as
Any other experiences:
If you plan to ski, and you should, buy season passes for Purgatory and Telluride as
early as possible. Purgatory is the local ski area, just 30 minutes from school, while
Telluride is a 3 hour drive.
Outdoor Pursuits have gear rental where you can rent almost anything except skis.
Remember to get a adequate insurance coverage.
Names and e-mails:
If you have any questions or want to contact me, feel free to send me an email at
trond.a.johannessen@student.bi.no or lemmpor@gmail.com