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: Anastasia Avetisova
Exchange semester: 4th semester, spring 2010
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
1. Describe the school and its surroundings – very short
UIUC has most of its campus in Champaign. The campus is quite big, so you will spend most of
your time there. There is a “main street” called Green Street on campus, where you will find all the
fast food places, restaurants and of course bars and nightclubs. Not far away is “the quad” – a
place where students play soccer, have picnics and just relax when the weather is nice.
2. Current faculty divisions and special areas.
UIUC has everything you need, and if you want to take closer look at the classes that are offered, I
would recommend you to go to: http://courses.illinois.edu/cis/2010/fall/catalog/index.html.
3. Number of students - graduate and undergraduate – number of exchange students
There are 31,209 undergraduate students and 10,709 graduate students. For more interesting
numbers and facts, take a look at this page: http://illinois.edu/about/overview/facts/facts.html
4. Study structure
You are expected to attend classes, do your homework and be active when you’re in class. Most
teachers take attendance, so every time you’re not in class you will loose some points. And the
more points, the better grade.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
 When did you receive the information package from the University?
I received it in October 2009.

Any difficulties?
A lot of classes are already “closed” the first week because American students register a few
weeks in advance. I would actually recommend applying once you know your password and netID
(and you will be able to make one once you received information from UIUC). Some of the
international students did that, and it made it much easier for them the first week.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
 What problems, if any did you encounter?
No problems.

Does the visa cost anything?
Yes, the visa is 131 dollars (I remember I paid 800 NOK) and then there is another fee that is 180
dollars.

How did you order your ticket – any problems?
I booked tickets through http://www.kilroytravels.com. I think I paid around 6,000 NOK.
Academic Calendar
 Arrival date – introductory week
We had mandatory breakfast January 13th, and I arrived the same morning.

First day of the semester?
January 19th

Last day of classes?
One week before May 14th

Examination period?
Second week of May, one week, but there are examinations throughout the year too
Reception
 How was the reception at the school?
I did not use the reception that much.

Was the administration and faculty well prepared for your arrival?
The faculty was prepared and so were our “buddies”.

Did the school’s students participate in the reception of the exchange students?
The students that were our “buddies” were there for us. They showed us around at school and
arranged fun parties, trips etc.
Housing
 Did you have housing at your disposal or did you have to find your own housing?
I applied to Sherman Hall.

What support did you receive from the school in locating housing?
I got a paper that explained the housing at UIUC, but they only said something about
undergraduate housing. From before I knew that American students start at college earlier than
what we do in Norway, so if you live at an undergraduate hall, you must be prepared to live with
people who are 17-19 years.

Any special issues or good ideas for prospective students?
When I was an exchange student, I lived at Sherman Hall. I would really recommend staying there
since the average age is higher (21-23), and because students who did not have a room there
moved to Sherman within a couple of weeks anyway.
Costs
 Describe the most important expenses such as rent, books, food, etc.
The books are more expensive than in Norway. A lot of them were 800-1000 NOK, so it might be
a good idea to share them with somebody. The food and rent is cheaper.
The International Office
 Is there an international office?
Yes.

Who is responsible for incoming exchange students?
Jennifer Frank. You can contact her at jenfrank@uiuc.edu.

Do you receive all relevant information?
You will probably meet Jennifer Frank at the mandatory breakfast. She is very helpful.
Exchange promotion
 What kind of activity did you take part in to promote exchange to Norway at your exchange
university?
I met a lot of people, both American and transfer students as me, so of course there was a lot of
talk about Norway too. One of the Norwegian exchange students even had a presentation about
Norway.
Social Activities
 How is your relationship with other students?
I made a lot of friends. Americans are very friendly, and so are the exchange students.

How is the relationship among the exchange students?
You will make friends very fast. We were around 15 people who went on a weekend trip to
Chicago already after one week! I am still in touch with a lot of people I studied with, and we’re
even planning to gather together in October for the Octoberfest in München. I also know that I
have a place to stay pretty much in every country in Europe.

Is there a student organization, and if so, are the exchange students part of it?
As far as I know there are a lot of organizations, just like at BI, but I wasn’t a member of any of
them other than BIEN (Business International Exchange Network).

Are there any special activities and gatherings for exchange students?
There are a lot of activities. Those I remember the most were Super Bowl in February, Beer
Games in April and a trip to Six Flags (an amusement park with awesome roller coasters) in May.

How do you like it at the school?
I wish I were still there, so I guess I LOVED it.
Culture and Language
 Do you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
It was a little scary being in classes in the beginning, especially since all the literature is in English.
Sometimes I found the cases we got as homework quite hard, but after a few weeks I didn’t notice
any problems. Norwegian students should not have anything to worry about.

How are the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
Chicago is only 2,5-3 hours away, 15 dollars if you take greyhound (the bus) one-way and 35
dollars for the Amtrak. The hotels in Chicago are quite cheap compared to Norway.
Spring break in March is also a good opportunity to travel. Most students go to Florida. If you
want to experience the real spring break, you should go to Panama City. My friends and I went to
Key West and Miami.
Most students travel a lot after the final exams too, so don’t book your flight back home too
early!
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 learnt a lot about different cultures, and realized that we’re much closer to each other than we
think we are. I also improved my English skills.

How do you think the exchange experience influences your future career possibilities?
I believe the exchange experience will be positive to have on my CV.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
 In which language are the courses taught? Any problems?
English.

How would you evaluate the level of study in relationship to the level at BI?
The level is the same, but they evaluate you throughout the year, which made it more difficult for
me.

Is the teaching primarily practical or theoretical?
Since I study economy, the teaching is theoretical.

Are the professors using cases, group work or lectures (or a mix)?
It depends on the class, but there are a lot of cases to read.

How is the workload compared to that at BI?
You have to do much more to actually pass the class, not just read a few days before the final
exam.

How is the relationship between faculty and students?
Good.

What is the relationship between the students in the classroom?
The Americans are helpful.
Required Literature
 Is the literature in English?
Yes.

How do you estimate the level of the literature?
Same as BI.

Is the literature used for detailed knowledge or a broad overview?
Depends on the class, but I experienced that it was more used as a broad overview. The cases
were much more important.

Is exam based on the literature or on the lectures?
Mostly on lectures and cases. I didn’t even have any literature besides the cases in one class.
Exams
 What types of exams were you given?
Multiple-choice and written exams.

What knowledge level was required to pass the exams?
Again, it depends on the class. I heard about classes where people passed if they only attended. I
also had one class that I found really, really hard.
Other
 Do students have easy access to the library and it’s resources?
Yes. The library is very close to the Business Instructional Faculty, where most economic courses
are.

How is the access to the computers?
I did not use any computers beside my laptop and those at Sherman Hall. The access were good.

How is IT used in the teaching or as a distributor of information?
Compass (that is the same as out Blackboard) is used a lot.
Description of Courses
Please list all the courses you are taking in the form below:
 Name and code of the course
FIN 232 Personal Wealth Management
BADM 449 Business Policy and Strategy
BADM 378 Logistics Management
ITAL 101 Elementary Italian

Exam form
FIN 232 – 5 homeworks (5% of the grade), 2 midterms, 1 final exam.
BADM 449 - weekly case-write-ups, 1 midterm, 2 presentations, 1 final exam
BADM 378 – weekly case-write-ups, 1 midterm, 1 presentation, 1 final exam
ITAL 101 - 8 chapter tests, daily homework, 2 oral presentations

Comments: Relevance, Difficult/easy, Practical/theoretical, Enrolment problems
I found BADM 378 really hard, a lot because of the English language. Sometimes I didn’t even
understand the case, something that made it difficult to actually do the homework. The professor
expected a lot of the students (almost everybody were majors in logistics).
Names and e-mails:
Anastasia Avetisova, e-mail: Anastasia.avetisova@gmail.com
Just send e-mail me if you have more questions, I will be happy to help.