STUDENT REPORT
Name of the University: University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Exchange semester: Spring 2012
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
1. Describe the school and its surroundings – very short
The university and its campus is huge, with 40,000 students spread out in different
dorms, private apartments and fraternities/sororities (male/female student housing). The
school is known internationally for having very good accounting and engineering
faculties, but they also have all other types of faculties. There is also a lot of recreational
activities to do on campus. They have two big gym centers, bowling alleys, golf courses,
soccer fields, basketball courts and so on. Illinois weather varies greatly throughout the
year, in winter it can easily reach 15 degrees below zero and in summer it stays around
30 degrees Celsius.
The university is located between two small cities that are grown into each other over the
years. This is the American Mid-West and the city is pretty remote as cornfields mostly
surround it. It’s a two-hour drive to Chicago and Indianapolis, and about 1,5 hours away
from Springfield (the capital of Illinois).
2. Current faculty divisions and special areas.
You can find more than 150 programs that in turn have more than 5000 courses at the
UIUC (courses.illinois.edu/). The different faculties usually have their own building, which
varies greatly in size and condition. The business-exchange students usually spend a lot
of time at “the BIF” (Business Instructional Facility) which is a brand new building with a
lot of lecture halls and advanced labs where students have access to a different financial
software (e.g. Bloomberg Markets and Capital IQ). But regardless which major the
student is studying they can choose from the whole selection of courses!
3. Number of students - graduate and undergraduate – number of exchange students
Students
Undergraduates
Postgraduates
Exchange students
42,606
31,932
10,674
8,000
4. Study structure
It’s a pretty big gap from the study structure at BI to what you will experience at the UIUC.
The workload is more evenly spread out through the semester with homework, midterms
and finals. The homework is mandatory and will count on ones grade, and the professors
tend to assign several assignments during the semester. Classes usually have one
midterm, but some has two. And the finals are usually cumulative (i.e. they cover
everything in class since the last exam/midterm/test), which eases the workload before
the finals. The lectures are also different from BI; it’s required that the students participate
by discussions and dialogs with each other and the professor. In some courses the
professor also takes attendance. All of these factors will count on ones final grade.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
 When did you receive the information package from the University?
I received the information pretty early on, so I had plenty of time to get everything
arranged. The package was very informative and contained almost everything I needed to
know.

Any difficulties?
The only difficulty I experienced was choosing my courses. There was a lot of terminology
I wasn’t familiar with, a lot of courses were reserved, abbreviations etc.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
 What problems, if any did you encounter?
I didn’t have any problems getting my visa, I made my reservation as fast as possible so
everything went smooth.

Does the visa cost anything?
There are some costs regarding the visa application, it think its around 800-1000 NOK
total.

How did you order your ticket – any problems?
I ordered my tickets round-trip with SAS, and I also paid an extra fee to get a flexible
home ticket.
Academic Calendar
 Arrival date – introductory week
I arrived December 9th and took LEX Express (bus company) to Champaign from
Chicago. We had a mandatory breakfast at the 12th, so if I were to do the semester again
I would probably arrive at the 11th. There are almost no students at campus in the
vacations, so it wasn’t too much to do in those in-between days.

First day of the semester?
Januar 17th

Last day of classes?
May 11th

Examination period?
May 4-11th

Any special events?
There were different events almost every day, but there were at least two career fairs for
business students at campus organized by student organizations. Another special event
the UIUC are infamous for is the “The Unofficial”, which is a pre-party a couple a weeks
before St. Patrick’s Day.
Reception
 How was the reception at the school?
The breakfast was very nice, and a good way to meet all the business exchange
students. “BIEN” (Business International Exchange Network – student organization)
divided the students into groups and gave the groups different buddies. They also threw a
lot of parties and events during the semester.

Was the administration and faculty well prepared for your arrival?
Absolutely, they all showed up to the breakfast and introduced themselves and gave out
contact information.

Did the school’s students participate in the reception of the exchange students?
As mentioned earlier, BIEN was organizing the introduction and they consist of more or
less only American students.
Housing
 Did you have housing at your disposal or did you have to find your own housing?
I applied for a graduate dormitory called Sherman Hall, which is located in the middle of
campus. I had to apply for the housing myself, but it was fairly easy since everything was
online through UIUC own websites. The most common at UIUC for exchange students
was to choose dormitories, but there were also some students who chose to sublet
apartments for their stay. (They usually ended up paying a little bit more for the rooms but
they also got a lot more space and came closer to American students. It tended to be a
lot of foreign students at the doorms).
For more info see http://www.housing.illinois.edu/.

What support did you receive from the school in locating housing?
Everything was listed in the package the school sent me, and they also have their own
departments who can help students make their choice.

Any special issues or good ideas for prospective students?
I would sublet an apartment from an American student who is going abroad for a
semester. But regardless what your choice is, choose something close to Green St or on
the “Champaign”-side of the city close to the Quad.
I had some friends living in undergraduate halls, and they weren’t that happy living in
small apartments with roommates. And be aware, especially if you are studying at the
UIUC for the fall semester, a lot of the dorms does not have air-conditioning.
Costs
 Describe the most important expenses such as rent, books, food, etc.
I paid approximately 15,000 NOK for the stay at Sherman Hall during the spring
semester. The books are pretty expensive, I ended up paying around 3000 NOK total for
3 books and notebooks (one of my courses didn’t have a textbook), but I was able to sell
two of the books when I left for 1000 NOK. I purchased a meal plan, which is optional if
you stay at a graduate hall or private apartment, and that cost me around 2200 NOK for 6
meals a week for the whole semester.
Besides the books, the price level in the US is a lot lower than in Norway, making the
student loan last longer.
The International Office
 Is there an international office?
Yes, it is called International Student and Scholar Services (www.isss.illinois.edu/)

Who is responsible for incoming exchange students?
Jennifer Frank (jenfrank@illinois.edu). She has office at the BIF and she is very easy to
get in touch with.

How does the international office function?
I was never really there, but it is open to students. But I guess it is always appreciated if
you make an appointment in advance.

Do you receive all relevant information?
Yes. But in the most hectic days before the deadline for changing courses the response
time for emails at the international programs office, not surprisingly, was long.
Exchange promotion
 What kind of activity did you take part in to promote exchange to Norway at your
exchange university?
There weren’t any international fairs going on while I was there, so I mainly spoke warmly
about our country far north to anyone interested.
Social Activities
 How is your relationship with other students?
Were good, I got a lot of American and international friends. Americans are known for
being very outgoing people so it was easy to meet new people, and whenever you hear
someone speaking with an accent you have an excuse to tell them that you also are an
exchange student. Since the school is so remotely placed the student environment thrives
and you get to meet so many different people.

How is the relationship among the exchange students?
Also very good, I personally got to know a lot of Italians, French, Brazilian and German
exchange student. Living at Sherman Hall gave an advantage of being the place where a
lot of exchange students tended to stay, so that was very nice.

Is there a student organization, and if so, are the exchange students part of it?
There are so many organizations at campus, I wasn’t personally part of any but I had
friends in AIESEC (which also has a branch at BI) and the Finance Club. Exchange
students apply on the same level as anybody else.

Are there any special activities and gatherings for exchange students?
BIEN hosted events throughout the year, where both American and exchange students
came. BIEN also has tight bonds with AIESEC so it was easy to meet new people.

How do you like it at the school?
I had a really great time and I would like to go out on exchange more. I would encourage
anybody who wants to experience a proper American University to go to the UIUC for a
semester!
Culture and Language
 Do you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
Everything was in English, and Norwegians tend to be pretty strong English speakers, so
the language was not a problem.

How are the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
There are some historical and art museums in Champaign, and there are several Amish
towns nearby. Champaign is not a very big city, so a lot of students travel out of town.
Champaign has its own airport, and there are several buses and trains departing daily to
Chicago. There are also several car rental branches in town, so it’s easy to get around.
In the manner of traveling by car, Champaign is located in the middle of several big cities,
and some great highways. This also makes Champaign a desirable place to keep
warehouses for big companies like Sears and Lowes.
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience
 How do you think the exchange experience will affect you from a cultural and social point
of view?
I learned a lot of cultural differences and awareness by meeting students and professors
from different countries and cultures. Socially I gained the most, by daring to talk to
strangers and make new friends.

How do you think the exchange experience influences your future career possibilities?
I think it will help me a lot as I am planning to apply for international internships and jobs
in the future. It will be a lot easier getting an internship in the US with a semester at UIUC
and a letter of recommendation from an American professor. It also shows that you dare
to take chances by traveling to a new country and that you are an adaptive person in
general.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
 In which language are the courses taught? Any problems?
All the courses, expect any foreign language courses, are taught in English. Most
Norwegians wont have any problems regarding the language, just by using Google
Translate and some online dictionaries everything can be solved.

How would you evaluate the level of study in relationship to the level at BI?
As mentioned earlier, the workload is more evenly spread over the semester, but I have
to say it is somewhat easier than in Norway.

Is the teaching primarily practical or theoretical?
It varies greatly among the courses; I had some courses with a lot of practical homework
and assignments, and other courses with just regular lectures.

Are the professors using cases, group work or lectures (or a mix)?
It’s usually a mix, but, again, it varies with the different courses.

How is the relationship between faculty and students?
The relationship is very good, and you get the feeling that everybody wants you to
succeed.

What is the relationship between the students in the classroom?
It depends on the professor and if there are a lot of practical tasks to be completed in
class.
Required Literature
 Is the literature in English?
Yes.

How do you estimate the level of the literature?
More or less the same as BI.

Is the literature used for detailed knowledge or a broad overview?
It depends on the level of the course you are attending. The lower level courses have a
more broad perspective than for example a 400 course.

Is exam based on the literature or on the lectures?
It’s a mix.
Exams
 What types of exams were you given?
Multiple-choice, short-answers and true-or-false.

What knowledge level was required to pass the exams?
There were a lot of questions taken from the lectures, homework and assignments at the
tests, so you had to be up-to-date with the course at any mid-term or final.
Other
 Do students have easy access to the library and it’s resources?
Yes, there are several libraries and some are open 24/7, there are several computer labs
and wi-fi hotspots on campus.

How is the access to the computers?
Every student is assigned a username and password to access the computers.

How is IT used in the teaching or as a distributor of information?
There a few learning platforms, like Its Learning, the professor’s uses to communicate
with the students. But some chooses not to use these and just stick to emailing.
Description of Courses
Please fill in all the courses you have taken (courses.illinois.edu/)
Course Name
BADM 380
ECON 462
FIN 232
FIN 241
Prereg.
Junior standing
Inter
Macroeconomic
Theory
Junior standing
Junior standing
Exam
Written
Written
Major at BI
X
Approved as
Elective
Elective
Written
Written
X
X
Elective
Elective