Student Report
I was an exchange student at Nottingham Trent University during the fall term of 2012.
Nottingham is located in the East Midlands region of England, and I believe there are
about 300,000 people living there. Nottingham Trent University is one of two large
universities (the other one is the University of Nottingham), and has three campuses;
Clifton campus, Brackenhurst campus and City Campus. There are also a number of
smaller colleges located around the city. I attended Nottingham Business School, which
is one of nine departments at NTU and is part of the City campus, and the study program
I chose was the MSc in Human Resource Management.
Before I went on exchange, and travelling to Nottingham
We got some information about where we could go on exchange through the
International Relations Office at BI. They would tell us about how many credits you
would have to take to make the equivalent to BI credits, that you would get an Erasmus
Mobility Grant if you chose to study within Europe, and also arranged information
meetings a few times throughout our first year at BI. General information about the
school and courses I would attend while at NTU, however, was provided by the
International Relations Office at NTU, along with a suggestion for accommodation. They
sent me the information by e-mail. Be aware that the deadline for sending you
application for exchange to BI is February 1st, and as soon as you know whether you will
be accepted to your school of choice, you should start working on your actual
application to the school you have chosen.
Getting information from NTU took some time as application deadlines are much later
than we are used to in Norway. However, when they send you the information, they are
quite thorough, and will provide you with any information you need, from where to live
to courses you will attend and whether you should buy the books straight away and
when and where you can register as a student. You can register and enroll as a student
through their student portal, which can be quite confusing at first but if you ask for help
from the International Relations Office at NTU, they are happy to help you with any
issues you may have. They generally reply to your e-mails within two or three days, and
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asking to see them to get signatures on your Learning Agreement and Erasmus Mobility
Grant when you have arrived in Nottingham is not a problem at all.
I travelled to Manchester from Oslo Airport Gardermoen with Norwegian, as I found that
they had the cheapest tickets at the time, and that it would save time. However,
travelling to Gatwick is even cheaper, and travelling by train from Gatwick only takes
two hours, the same as from Manchester to Nottingham. If you would like to save even
more money, travelling by bus from Gatwick to Nottingham is even cheaper, but takes a
bit more time. Make sure to do enough research before you travel to find the best option
for you. Do not worry about not being able to find anything, because there are signs
everywhere pointing you in the direction of any means of transportation you choose to
use, and people are generally happy to help, should you have any questions. I arrived in
Nottingham on September 19th, five days before the start of term.
Accommodations
There are a number of opportunities with regard to accommodation in Nottingham. I
chose Urban Catering which is a privately owned company, with an established
relationship with NTU. I was recommended Urban Catering by the International
Relations Office at NTU. I lived in Albert Square, which is located in Lenton in
Nottingham. The rent is £ 2060 for four months, or 20 weeks, with an admin deposit of £
275 which they will pay you back when you have cleaned out your room and handed in
your key. I would recommend paying the rent in advance so that you will not have to
worry about that during your stay. If you do not stay the full 20 weeks, they will refund
the remainder of your rent if you have been able to find someone to live in your room
before you leave. Danny, one of the owners of Urban Catering is very helpful, and will
provide you with any information you may need before arriving by e-mail. You can also
choose to pay weekly or monthly if you would prefer that instead. We were seven people
living together, and I shared a flat with people from France, Switzerland, Germany, New
Zealand, and another Norwegian girl, and we all got along really well and have become
really good friends during our stay here. There were very few language barriers
between us, and we communicated very well, and we have had loads of fun together. The
living standard in the UK is, I believe, generally lower than in Norway, but the entire flat,
our rooms included were of a decent size, and includes a washing machine and dryer, a
dishwasher, couches and TV in the living room, and a cupboard, desk and bed in each
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room. They will provide you with pillow cases, sheets and a duvet cover when you
arrive. If you need extra pillows (like I did) you can get two for £ 7 at Primark which are
of quite good quality and really cheap.
About Nottingham
Before I came to Nottingham, I had worked as a course leader for EF in Oxford during
the summer, and had been informed that Nottingham did not rank as a city of choice to
live, or study in. I could not disagree more. Of course there are some areas of
Nottingham that are not as “nice” as others or as aesthetically pleasing. However,
regardless of where you live or where you choose to study in the world, you will always
encounter areas similar to that. Furthermore, if you choose to stay clear of areas that
might get you into trouble, chances are that you will not get into any trouble. That was
my strategy along with hardly ever walking around by myself during nighttime.
In terms of activities and what to see around Nottingham, there is, of course the
Sherwood Forest, which is known from “Robin Hood”. You can go to Nottingham Castle
which is a museum where you can enjoy a variety of art, if that is of interest. Outside the
Nottingham Castle is a statue of Robin Hood. You can visit a number of old, historical
pubs like “Ye Olde Jerusalem Inn” to enjoy a nice English meal and a pint with your
friends. Wollaton Park is also worth paying a visit to, with Wollaton Hall located right in
the middle of the rather large park. Wollaton Hall also has a museum and a gift shop
inside, and the exterior of the Hall, rumor has it, was used in the Batman-movies as the
exterior of Wayne Manor.
If you like shopping, there are two shopping centers and a myriad of shops all around
the City Centre. However, there are also Town Centers in Beeston and Arnold, to name a
few if you ever get tired of the City Centre. Travelling to Beeston only takes about 20-25
minutes from the City Centre with the Orange Line, so getting around Nottingham is
quite easy. The bus system might seem confusing at first, as there are many different bus
companies offering transportation around the city. As I was travelling mostly to and
from the university and the city, I chose to purchase a bus pass from Nottingham City
Transport which would work on every line within the routes of that bus company. You
can purchase a bus pass during the Induction Week at NTU, and you get quite a good
discount when you are a student Your Bus and Indigo were other options, and Indigo was
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ideal if you were travelling to Broadmarsh bus station, which I did when I took the bus
to London as it goes directly to the bus station. From the bus station, there was a short
walk to the train station, so getting out of Nottingham if you wanted to travel was quite
easy. The fares varied across companies, but I never paid more than £ 2 from where I
lived in Lenton. I will go more into detail about accommodation later.
In terms of travelling, as I have already mentioned, it is easy to travel outside of
Nottingham, but prices can vary depending on the transportation you use. When I
travelled to London, I travelled by bus which very often was the cheapest alternative
with prices between £ 8 - £ 30, depending on when you booked the tickets. My advice is
to book your tickets as early as possible, if you want to save money. However, there are
travel societies arranging trips to different cities, and also independent groups of
students who do the same. So, if there are certain cities you would like to go to during
your stay, I would recommend doing some research, either in advance before you go to
Nottingham, or when you have started school and moved into your accommodation. I
travelled to London twice by National Express, trips I took by myself, and I also went on
a day trip to Oxford with my roommates, which was a trip arranged by “Sparkes Travel”
that I found out about through one of my roommates.
Food and fun is cheaper than in Norway, and I find that the price level is generally about
half of Norwegian prices in grocery stores. The best place I know to shop for food is at
Tesco’s in the Victoria Center, which is located in the City Center, but there are smaller
Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s stores located all around Nottingham, and usually close to
where you live. Clothing can be a bit more on the pricier side, but that also depends on
where you choose to shop and your own personal taste. I spent about £ 150 per month
on food, but you can choose to spend less or more depending on what your eating habits
are. Going for a night out is also much cheaper than in Norway, and eating out is also
cheaper, depending on where you choose to go. You can find a nice restaurant guide
online as well if you want to do some research.
I have enjoyed living in Nottingham, not only because I have been given the opportunity
to live and study in a completely different city with a completely different culture, but
also because there is always something to do or see depending on what your interests
are. People are, in general very nice and the phrases “please” and “thank you” are part of
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a social norm, as well as queuing. Politeness is highly appreciated, which is part of the
reason why I have become quite fond of England as a country.
Nottingham Trent University
I chose to follow the MSc in Human Resource Management program at NTU, to be able to
explore the HRM-aspect of management on a deeper level. This particular program takes
place in the Newton Building, which is the name of the Business School on the City
campus. The building itself is amazing, and not too long ago they renovated the entire
building so the facilities are fairly new and of a modern standard.
The day after I arrived, I went to pick up a Welcome Pack with useful information about
activities during “Fresher’s Week”, and also to familiarize myself with the building. You
will also have the opportunity to make new friends if you participate in some of the
activities during Fresher’s Week, such as an International Student’s Party, International
Student’s Lunches, which are activities you will find information about in the Welcome
Pack, among others. I was also able to collect my student card, as I had fully enrolled the
day before.
The start of term was on September 24, and I had been given information on where to
be, and at what time in advance. The program leader, Derek Watling greeted us and we
were given information about the first two weeks, which are called “Induction Weeks”.
The module leaders for each module gave us information about their modules during
Induction Week as well. The staff at NTU seemed prepared for my arrival, and I was
given the exact same information as everyone else. There were a few problems,
however, because I was an exchange student. My status on NOW, the learning platform
at NTU was set to “Reviewer” instead of “Student”. I had not been permitted access to
Dropbox, so when I was to submit the very first assignment, which was part of the
Induction Weeks, I had to send to Nalni Griffin, one of the staff members, for her to
submit it for me. I was, however permitted access to Dropbox after this. Also, there have
been some e-mails about surveys and other types of information I have not received
because I have not been on every mailing list. Also, we were given vouchers to the
bookshop, and because I was an exchange student I could not use that voucher.
However, I did send an e-mail to Derek Watling to make him, and the other staff
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members aware of it. I believe they are looking to improve these issues for the next
exchange student who chooses to participate in that program. I chose to buy the other
two off of Amazon.com instead of buying them in the bookshop, and saved some money.
Hence, I only spent £ 65 - £ 70 on books.
During the Induction Weeks we were introduced to the field of HRM, and also took the
opportunity to get to know each other. I was the only exchange student in my cohort
consisting of 20 people. We were also taken on a trip to Thornbridge, about an hour
outside of Nottingham for two days to participate in team-building activities, and gave
us an opportunity to get to know each other as well. In my class, there were people from
China, Vietnam, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, India and Cyprus, and they, as well as my
roommates in Albert Square, have all become really good friends of mine. There have
been some language barriers, as the level of English proficiency has varied from person
to person, but we have all been able to communicate well amongst ourselves. I felt
welcome and appreciated upon arrival, and have continued to feel welcome and
appreciated throughout the term.
On their website, Nottingham Trent University claims to be ranked one of the top 10
universities in the UK, and I can understand why. The lecturers are extremely talented,
and have so much knowledge in their areas. The workload is quite large, more than at BI,
in my opinion, but the lecturers often target your reading for each session. What you are
reading is always highly relevant to each session, and the lecturers are very motivating,
which makes you as a student motivated as well, and you want to participate in
discussions. Not only because you are expected to, but because you are also encouraged
to, both by the lecturers and by your colleagues. We were referred to as “colleagues” by
our lecturers which gave us all a sense of equality, and we were encouraged to treat each
other with respect and to contribute as much as we could during each session. Our
lecturers were also very detailed with respect to how they would grade us, and what
was expected, which gave us all a greater understanding of what was required and what
to expect during our studies. I believe this also contributed to the high level of
motivation. Each session consisted of a combination between theory and practice, and
all of the lecturers would give us tasks throughout the sessions. Sometimes, entire
session would be dedicated to different types of case studies, which, in my opinion
provides a greater learning experience than only using theory. The use of Power Point
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presentation was consistent throughout the term, and we were always given a copy of
the presentation at the beginning of each session. In general, my personal opinion is that
the teaching methods used, and the information provided at NTU is better than at BI
based on what I have experienced over the past three months.
All of my lecturers were very easy to talk to, and always answered your questions,
whether they were academically related or not. The actual teaching in each module
lasted for about nine weeks, with the final date of teaching being December 13th. Each
lecturer did a revision session as their final session, and we were given our case studies
for our exams. During teaching, we also had some practice with regard to answering
exam questions, and in one of the modules, Learning and Talent Development, we
actually sat a mock exam for one and a half hours to give us some practice, which was a
really helpful experience for all of us. The examination period is set from January 7th to
January 11th, which means I will be travelling back to Nottingham after Christmas to sit
the exams, and I will also be spending Christmas doing a lot of reading. However, since
all of our exams will be case studies, finding and applying the relevant theory will not
pose a big problem in my opinion.
I have taken three core modules, each worth 20 credits at NTU, and two extra modules
which will not give me any credit, but which are part of the first term of the MSc in HRMprogram. The first of the two extra modules is called Foundation and Development
Studies which runs over the first two weeks of the first term, and is the same as
Induction Weeks. In order to “pass” this module, we were required to write an
assignment, and also complete an online quiz provided by the library. The other extra
module is in fact one of the core modules, but since it runs over two terms, I would only
be able to attend the first half, which means I will not get credit for it, and makes it an
extra module for me. This module is called Research Methods and Professional Skills.
The purpose of this module is to develop our own skills in for example presentations,
interviews, time management, etc. The way would be able to track our improvement
within the different areas was through the other modules were we would practice
interview techniques, presentations, etc. There is no exam for the first half of this
module, but we are required to complete a workbook where we choose four skills to
write a reflective report on, and also another skill to write a larger reflective report
about, in addition to a personal SWOT-analysis as well as a CV. Since I will not be
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attending NTU next term, I was given the option to not complete the workbook and
reflective reports. However, I have chosen to do so anyway for my own personal
experience and gain, so I will be submitting this workbook and the reports when I return
to Nottingham in January. These workbooks and reports will not be graded, but we will
be provided with formative feedback by the module leader, David Walsh. The three core
modules I have attended, and will be graded in are Learning and Talent Development,
Human Resource Management in its Business Context, and People Resourcing and
Talent Management.
HRMN46260: Learning and Talent Development – L&TD
This was by far the most challenging module, in my opinion. This is where the workload
was the heaviest, and where the lecturers demanded the most of us. We were given a
case study to work with throughout the term, and were asked to do a consultancy
project and presentation of this case study at the end of term, which was not assessed.
However, its purpose was to prepare us of the assessed presentation and group work in
the HRIC-module, which I will get back to. In this module there was a variety of theory
and practice and very often entire sessions were dedicated to working with different
case studies, group tasks and the case study we were to give the presentation about. I
was also happy to find that much of the theory I have already learned at BI occurred
throughout this module, and I was also able to compare and apply some theories I have
learned at BI to this module, as well as the other three modules. This module will be
graded through an exam counting for 100% of the grade.
HRMN 46250: People Resourcing and Talent Management – PR&TM
This module was my least favorite module, but it was still highly interesting. We did
some group work during sessions, but none of it was assessed. In this module there was
no targeted reading, which made it quite confusing for all of us, and determining what to
read for each session quite difficult. The lecturers in this module were of varying quality,
but overall I quite enjoyed it and learned much about laws and regulations in the UK
with respect to employment. This module will also be graded based on an exam counting
for 100 % of the grade.
HRMN 46255: Human Resource Management in its Business Context - HRIC
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This module was also quite challenging, and had quite a heavy workload. The area of
focus was not necessarily only within the business, but also the surroundings of the
business. I was able to apply a lot of theory from the International Business: Context and
Development – module from BI here, which was very helpful. There was also a
combination of theory and practice in this module with in-session group work on
questions and tasks. We were also required to do a consultancy project in the form of a
presentation which counted for 30 % of our grade in this module, in addition to a
written exam which will account for the remaining 70 %. The group work was
challenging due to both cultural differences and language barriers, but I believe all of us
have come out more enriched in terms of knowledge both related to the actual module,
and also in terms of cultural understanding.
What have I gained from my stay in Nottingham and as an exchange student?
With regards to my studies, all of the modules were connected, and I believe all of us
were able to see that connection from an early stage. We have been encouraged to think
creatively and more critically, and apply what is called a “so what”-way of thinking
which means that if you make a statement or come up with a solution, can you further
develop that statement or solution? I have been given a wonderful opportunity to
further develop my academic skills, as well as my cultural understanding and language
proficiency. I have made so many new friends, and I am extremely grateful for the
opportunity I have been given. I have learned so much about other peoples’ ways of
thinking, and my colleagues have shared with me a great deal of knowledge that I will be
able to take with me. This experience has enriched me both personally and academically,
and if I had to choose again, I would choose to go to Nottingham and attend NTU. I
believe that everything I have learned will be very useful for me, both in my personal life
and also when I start working. The ability to act professionally, and also be able to share
the knowledge I have gained, thinking creatively and critically are abilities which I
believe to be highly useful, both for me and any potential employer.
With regards to living with people from so many different cultures, I feel equally
enriched. My roommates, too, have shared with me experiences and knowledge that I
will be able to take with me. I have learned so much, and I am going back to Norway with
many new experiences, and many wonderful memories.
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Should you have any questions, feel free to contact me either by phone or e-mail. Good
luck on your exchange semester, I hope your experience will be as wonderful as mine.
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