GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
Please write this report in English
Name of the University: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Name of the student: Vanja Moi Hagen
Exchange semester: 4th semester
Spring, 2009
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
1. Describe the school and its surroundings – very short
UIUC is in two twin towns called Urbana and Champaign. It is two hours south of
Chicago. Has UIUC relatively flat and “boring” surroundings, but very pretty in springtime.
The venue has all you would expect in a typical American university. The weather is
about the same as in Norway, only a little colder during winter and a little warmer and
more humid when spring arrives.
2. Current faculty divisions and special areas.
This university has a wide specter of different faculties ranging from agricultural studies to
economical studies. The UIUC is first and foremost known for its engineering faculty and
it has one of the top three engineering divisions in the world. Anyway, the economic
faculty has a good reputation and is listed as number 38 in the world by financial times for
its MBA in business program.
3. Number of students - graduate and undergraduate – number of exchange students
Enrollment in the fall of 2007 was 42,326, which included students from all 50 states and
more than 127 nations. Of these, 30,895 were undergraduates and 11,431 were graduate
students
4. Study structure
The study structure is different from BI. At UIUC you are expected to attend to all classes,
there are usually weekly quizzes, homework and assignments to keep you busy. Most
classes have midterms as well as smaller tests and than a final exam.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
 When did you receive the information package from the University?
I received information from UIUC in Spring 2008.

Any difficulties?
I received a lot of information. The only difficulties were to sort it all out and to register for
classes and find the mandatory classes, because there are so many classes to choose
from.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
 What problems, if any did you encounter?
I didn’t have any problems.

Does the visa cost anything?
The visa costs about $100, and then there are travel expenses if you don’t live in Oslo.

How did you order your ticket – any problems?
I booked my tickets through Kilroy. It was easy, with no troubles at all.
Academic Calendar
 Arrival date – introductory week
We had a mandatory breakfast for the exchange students at 15 th of January. I arrived on
the 13th to settle in and find my way around campus.

First day of the semester?
January 20th

Last day of classes?
May 7th

Examination period?
May 8th-15th

Any special events?
There were different events on a daily basis.
Reception
 How was the reception at the school?
It was great, everyone I met was polite and helpful.

Was the administration and faculty well prepared for your arrival?
Yes, they were a great help.

Did the school’s students participate in the reception of the exchange students?
Yes, the leader of the Buddy-program was there to inform us and giving us an opportunity
to sign up for a buddy.
Housing
 Did you have housing at your disposal or did you have to find your own housing?
I applied for University Housing.

What support did you receive from the school in locating housing?
I did get a lot of information about the different housing opportunities, both the University
housings and private housings.

Any special issues or good ideas for prospective students?
I would recommend future students to live at Sherman Hall, where I lived. This is located
close to the main street of Champaign and also the classes. This is the main building for
exchange students, and the average age is 21-22. In the undergraduate building the
average age is 18-19.Sherman Hall is a very social place to live with lots of people willing
to get to know you.
Costs
 Describe the most important expenses such as rent, books, food, etc.
The rent is a little cheaper than in Norway. The books are about the same price. The food
is cheaper, especially to eat out. The main expenses I would say was food and travelling.
The International Office
 Is there an international office?
Yes.

Who is responsible for incoming exchange students?
Jennifer Frank. jenfrank@uiuc.edu

Do you receive all relevant information?
Yes. And if I had any questions I could send e-mails to Jennifer Frank and she was
always helpful.
Exchange promotion
 What kind of activity did you take part in to promote exchange to Norway at your
exchange university?
I did meet some future exchange students who were going to Norway. And I was trying to
market Norway as often as I could.
Social Activities
 How is your relationship with other students?
It was very good. The Americans are friendly and polite.

How is the relationship among the exchange students?
Very good, it’s easy to get to know new people.

Is there a student organization, and if so, are the exchange students part of it?
There are so many student organizations. Also organizations for the exchange students.

Are there any special activities and gatherings for exchange students?
Yes. Through the Buddy-program we had many activities. This was a great opportunity to
meet new people

How do you like it at the school?
I loved it at school. It was a great semester.
Culture and Language
 Do you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
No. Only some of the other exchange students could be a bit hard to understand
sometimes.

How are the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
Good. For weekends it’s possible to go to Chicago and other cities close by. The spring
break is the best chance to see more of the country. The uni also organized a trip to see
the Amish part of Illinois.
I would recommend to do most of the travelling in the beginning of the semester, when
you will have more time.
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 did learn a lot about myself and how to interact with other cultures. It made me grow as
a person and made me appreciate differences.

How do you think the exchange experience influences your future career
possibilities?
First of all my English has really improved. And I’m hoping to work internationally in the
future, and I believe this will help me achieve this goal.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
 In which language are the courses taught? Any problems?
The courses are taught in English. Once I got used to it there was no problem with this.

How would you evaluate the level of study in relationship to the level at BI?
I would say its about the same.

Is the teaching primarily practical or theoretical?
Depends on the class, but maybe a little more theoretical.

Are the professors using cases, group work or lectures (or a mix)?
They use all of them. I actually had a class only based on cases.

How is the workload compared to that at BI?
I would say that the workload is more, because there is a lot of quizzes and mid-terms
later on in the semester.

How is the relationship between faculty and students?
I would say it was really good.

What is the relationship between the students in the classroom?
It was great.
Required Literature
 Is the literature in English?
Yes.

How do you estimate the level of the literature?
About the same as at BI.

Is the literature used for detailed knowledge or a broad overview?
Depends on the class.

Is exam based on the literature or on the lectures?
It’s mostly based on the lectures and the slides the professor make.
Exams
 What types of exams were you given?
Multiple-choice and written exams.

What knowledge level was required to pass the exams?
Not a lot, if you attended to classes, its relatively easy to pass.
Other
 Do students have easy access to the library and it’s resources?
Yes. There were several libraries at campus. The undergraduate library is even open all
day and night.

How is the access to the computers?
There’s a good access in all libraries and different computer labs.

How is IT used in the teaching or as a distributor of information?
We used something called Compass where you can log in with your personal ID and get
access to your grades and other important information about your different courses. It is
quite similarly to Blackboard which we use on BI.
Description of Courses
Please list all the courses you are taking in the form below:
 Name and code of the course
ACCY 201 Accounting and Accountancy I
BADM 374 Management Decision Models
BADM 378 Logistics Management
ECON 302 Inter Microeconomic Theory

Prerequisites, if any
Basic courses in Economics.

Exam form
ACCY 201 – 10 homework quizzes, 3 midterms, 3 group work, final exam.
BADM 374 - weekly homework, 1 midterm, final exam
BADM 378 – 7 case-writeups, 4 assignments, 2 midterms, 2 presentations, final exam
ECON 302 - 3 midterms, final exam

Comments: Relevance, Difficult/easy, Practical/theoretical, Enrolment problems
I found ECON 302 really hard, because it was highly theoretical and my professor didn’t
like calculators. This course is very demanding if you do not have strong skills in
mathematics.
Names and e-mails:
If you have any questions, I’m happy to help. My e-mail is: moihagenhotmail.com