Student Report
Name of the University: University of Floirda
Exchange semester: Fall 2013
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
- When and how did you receive information from the exchange university, and did you
encounter any difficulties?
We received information from UF in the beginning of March. They request several documents
when applying for their exchange program:
 Exchange Students SEVIS Questionnaire
 Certification of Financial Responsibility
 Non-Degree Registration
 Course Request Form
 Copy of most recent transcript
 Copy of Passport
 Academic Report Request Form
In addition, two items must be submitted within 30 days after the application deadline:
 Mandatory Immunization and Health History Form
 Verification of Health Insurance
These documents may take time to get ready, so we recommend that you start as early as
possible. UF is strict when it comes to the accuracy of the documents, so expect a lot of emailing back and forth. When everything is approved, you receive a welcome package from
UF with the necessary documents to apply for a visa. More information about the application
process at http://ufic.ufl.edu/SAS/HowtoApplyEx.html.
Applying for a visa (if applicable)
- How did you apply for your visa, what did it cost and did you have difficulties
We paid the Sevis Fee online and scheduled an appointment at the Embassy (the Sevis fee
needs to be paid minimum three days before your appointment). The Embassy requests
several items to be brought to your appointment, more about this on
http://norway.usembassy.gov/visas.html. The International Office at BI provides necessary
information about applying for a visa.
Travel
- How did you travel to your destination?
There is an airport in Gainesville. From the airport you can take the bus to get to all housing
complexes.
Housing
- Was housing provided by the university? If not, did you receive support from the
school?
Housing can be provided by the university but we recommend to live off campus. This way
you get more privacy and the option to cook you own meals. Hanne stayed at the Enclave
(https://enclavetcc.com/) and Ola at Lexington Crossing
(https://www.lexingtoncrossingtcc.com/) . The standard at Enclave is a bit better. Both
housings have bus connection with school and it is easy to get to campus. However, most of
the Gainesville nightlife happens at midtown and downtown and living at these two housing
complexes makes the way home long. We recommend to stay at Museum Walk
(https://www.museumwalk.com/) or the Estates (http://estatesgainesville.com/). The housing
quality is the same as Enclave and Lexington, but these two are close to the recreational
center, and more importantly, within the range of the free SNAP service
(http://www.police.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/SNAP%202012.pdf). SNAP is a free
service that drive you home from midtown or other places close to campus and is very
convenient.
Costs
- Approximately how much per month did you spend on rent, books, food,
transportation, and other personal expenses?
Rent
Books
Food
Transport
Other
3500 NOK
200 NOK
3000 NOK
0 NOK
NOK
Most courses do not require books, and books can be bought used, or just rent from
amazon.com. The bus service in Gainesville is free for all students. Food depends on
wether you eat out or make it yourself. In general it is much cheaper than Norway.
Culture and language
- Did you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
- How were the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
Not surprisingly, English is the language in Florida as all other American states, so this is
usually not a problem for Norwegian students. Gainesville has a lot of activities for students.
A great recreational center with gym, running track, volleyball courts, squash and tennis is
free for UF students. Gainesville is known for its music scene, so downtown has a lot of cool
and cute places with live music. Midtown is a typical college bar scene with a lot of activity
all week. There is an association for everything you can imagine at UF, and as you walk
trough campus, you will be run over by people telling you about all the things happening that
week. The Navigator association teams you up with a buddy from UF and arrange trips for the
international students. Gainesville is a great hub to discover Florida. With a rental car you can
drive to Miami, Key West and Orlando. It is also easy to travel across the country because of
the local airport, and the big airport in Orlando. With the UF ride board
(https://www.facebook.com/groups/154188317997936/?fref=ts) you can car pool with other
students everywhere in Florida. All you have to do is pay 10 dollars for gas. It is usually
cheaper to go to Orlando to fly out if you get a ride with the ride board.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please describe:
- The school (location, size, study structure, special academic areas etc.)
UF is one of the biggest schools in the U.S. both in terms of campus size and student body. It
is one of the best schools in the U.S. for sports, they have national championships in football,
soccer, basketball, gymnastics, swimming & track and field. The football stadium takes
90,000 spectators and is always full at home games. But Univerisity of Florida is also a very
good school for academics. It is considered a “public ivy”, with its colleges ranking high in
national rankings. It teaches all diciplines you can imagine, from agriculture to sports
management. The teaching staff is very competent and professors come from all over the
country to teach at UF. Campus is beautiful with a lot of palm trees and parks and the
fraternity and sorority houses surrounds campus.
Course registration
- When and how did you register for courses?
- When did the add/drop period end?
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
Add/drop periods:
15.08.13
19.08.13
13.12.13
07.10.13-11.10.13
09.12.13-13.12.13
02.09.13: Labor Day – No classes
14.10.13-18.10.13: Fall Break
08.11.13: Homecoming Parade – No classes
11.11.13: Veteran’s Day – No classes
27.11.13-30.11.13: Thanksgiving – No classes
Module 1: 19.08.13-23.08.13
Module 2: 07.10.13-25.10.13
The semester is divided into two modules with a week of fall break in between. You have
different courses in each module, and are free to decide how to divide the credits between the
modules. Adding courses during the add/drop period always has to be done through office 310
at Hough Hall. During the first module you are able to drop courses yourself online during the
add/drop-period, while the office has to do this for you in module 2. More information about
the academic calendar at http://warrington.ufl.edu/graduate/academics/calendar.asp.
Arrival
- Describe the introduction week
Introduction week is filled with meetings. You meet with Hough Hall representatives and the
international office of UF to get information and to settle in. The Navigator program also have
a gathering the first week.
The International Office
- As an exchange student, did you receive sufficient and relevant information?
Information is quickly sent when you get accepted. At UF, the international office and the
international coordinator with the business school are always at your service if you have any
questions or concerns. Secondly, the UF webpages are packed with the information you need.
Promoting BI and Norway
- What kind of activities were you involved in to promote exchange to Norway at your
exchange university?
UF had a seminar where all exchange students had the opportunity to “sell” their home
university in a pitch lasting three minutes. We also often got the opportunity to talk about BI
during classes.
Social activities
- How was the relationship with native students and that among exchange students?
Relationship among exchange students is very good. You spent a lot of time with other
international business students from all over the world. American students are very interested
and friendly. It is easy to make friends, but you have to put in the effort. If you take no
proactive approach, you are likely to hang out with the international students, but the
community at UF is tight knit, so you will have the opportunity to meet all kinds of people.
-
Are there any special activities, student organisations, and gatherings for exchange
students?
The navigator program is a buddy program for exchange students that arrange trips and events
throughout the semester. We would recommend to sign up and meet your buddy. They will
help you settle in.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
- Describe the teaching style (practical, theoretical, cases/lectures, formal/informal etc.)
Teaching style is more caseoriented and practical compared to BI. Most courses have
participation requirements and it affects your grade in the course. The classes are usualy much
smaller than at BI. You can have one class with 10 other students one day, and the next day
another class with 80. Each course has lectures twice a week, and Friday is usually off. The
fall semester is split in half, so you will have two 8 week periods with different courses. The
drawback is two final weeks, but with less curriculum than BI, and the beauty of it is that you
as a graduate business student is the only students on campus that get a 1 week fall break (an
excellent opportunity to do a long trip in the US or Carribean.)
- How is the level and workload compared to that at BI?
Graduate students at Hough Hall (the graduate business school) have a morve diverse
background than master students at BI. Some have never had a business course before. This
results in big variation in levels thaught at the business school. Workload is spread out with
papers and cases to be completed each week. This results in a less stressful exam period.
There is a heavier focus on 1-4 page papers that are more similar to papers you did at high
school in Norway.
Course materials
- Describe the course materials used (books/literature, online articles, Powerpoint, level
of course material etc).
Many professors are aware of the high costs of books. Hence, many professors do not require
you to buy a book, but rely more on power points, class material and free articles. Cases used
are similar to the once used at BI (Harvard Business Cases & journal articles). Curriculum is
usually covered in the power point slides.
Exams
- Was the exam based on the course materials or on the lectures?
The exams were based on a mix of course materials and lectures. However, the lectures were
most important.
- How was the course evaluated (include all that apply)?
The courses were evaluated differently, but all had several aspects. All courses had final
exams, and most courses had midterms, quizzes, homework, class participation and projects
in addition. More information on this under description of courses.
Library and technology
- Describe the facilities
We had access to all the libraries at campus, which were great for studying. However, we
spent most time at Hough Hall, which had study rooms and reading spaces.
Description of courses
With a total of 14 courses taken, we include the most relevant here.
Course code & name
ENT6006
Entrepreneurship
ECO 6409 Game
Theory Applied to
Business Decisions
Master/
Bachelor
Master
Exam form
Prerequisites
Papers, cases
and team
presentation
None
Master
Problem sets,
class
participation and
final exam
Micro and
macro
economics
from BI makes
you qualified.
None
Elective
None
Elective
MAN 6447 Art and
Master
Science of Negotiation
Final Exam,
class
participation,
peer feedback,
videotape
analysis
REE6045 Introduction
In-class quiz
Master
Approved
as
Elective
Elective
Comments
Prof. Rossi
is very
inspiring.
The course
is very
practical
and we
recommend
it.
Very
practical
with a lot
of
negotiation
practises in
class. Great
way to
improve
you
negotiation
skills and
practise
business
English.
A great
to Real Estate
End-of-chapter
“test-problems”,
homework,
midterm, final
exam, class
participation
BUL6852
International Business
Law
FIN5437 Asset
Valuation Risk Return
Master
GEB5212
Professional Writing
way to get
insight in
the real
estate
business.
The course
deals with
legal,
practical,
financial
and
personal
aspects of
the
industry.
Prof. David
Ling is
very good.
Midterm, class
None
participation and
final exam.
Midterm, class
None
project,
homework and
final exam
Elective
Master
Homework,
None
class
participation and
final exam
Elective
GEB5215
Professional
Communication
Master
Final exam
(presentation)
None
Elective
MAN5246
Master
Quiz, class
project, class
None
Elective
Master
Elective
A great
introductor
y finance
course. I
highly
recommend
this if you
want to get
some basic
finance
skills. Dr.
Banko is
great!
A great
course to
improve
your
written
business
communica
tion.
A great
course to
improve
your
communica
tion skills.
It includes
continuous
feedback
and
analysis.
A great and
interesting
participation and
final exam
course
which was
my
favorite. I
highly
recommend
Dr.
Callahan!
On a final note, how will you sum up the exchange experience?
Our exchange semester at UF enriched our lives in several ways. It was academically different
from BI, which provided new learning opportunities and skills that we can take advantage of
in other situations. In addition, we met great people that will remain our friends for the rest of
our life. Go Gators!