Field of study in Wageningen: Food and Nutrition
Study period exchange: 08/01/2024 – 19/04/2024
Country (exchange): Norway
City (exchange): Bergen
University (exchange): University of Bergen
Faculty (exchange): Medical faculty
2. Motivation for exchange
Why did you choose to go on study exchange?
I wanted to experience living abroad to gain independence but also to see another country and travel.
What is the reason you chose for this country?
Something that was very important for me was to feel safe in the country I would go to. Norway is even safer than the Netherlands so that was the reason why Norway was on the list of countries I wanted to go to. The second big reason was that Norway is full of mountains and fjords. I had never been in Norway, but my family and I always went to the mountains during holidays and I really loved that. As Norway has beautiful landscapes, I thought it was a great idea to go there.
What is the reason you chose for this university?
I chose this university simply because I liked the courses I could follow there.
3. Accessibility to reach destination
I went by plane which was very easy seeing as Bergen has its own airport. You could also go by train and boat or just by train, but for me that would have been a bit of a hassle so I chose to go by plane.
4. University and studying
Could you provide some general information about the followed courses?
I had sufficient possibilities to select suitable courses that were taught in English:
I think almost all the courses one can follow as an exchange student are in English. If they are in Norwegian, the course description says that if there is someone that doesn’t speak Norwegian, they lecture in English.
I had sufficient possibilities to select suitable courses in my field of interest:
Yes and no. I really wished they had more in depth nutrition courses, but seeing as I was also interested in psychology I could follow psychology courses there too.
I am satisfied with the level of the courses that I followed:
Yes and no. The master courses were very nice, but the bachelor courses were a little too easy. Besides that the hours you needed to study for the courses were almost non-existent. I had so much free time I hardly knew what to do with it. This can be very nice of course, but seeing as I was following courses I could have never done at the WUR I wished the courses would go into the subjects a little deeper. It would take up more time, but that really would not have bothered me at all.
I am satisfied, in the end, with the selection of courses I followed:
With all my courses I really felt like I learned something new and that was my goal.
What is it like to study there?
I had mostly lectures. Sometimes group work and a lot of writing essays as examination. The workload was very low, but I heard that was only the case for exchange students. For one exam I had to write a type of essay, but like we would have an exam here at the wur so no internet or summary or something. Just you and the knowledge you have.
What is the culture of the university?
The lecturers are very approachable I think. They were all enthusiastic about their own courses. The engagement was there from the teachers, just not so much from the students. The university was a little different from the wur. Definitely not as green and the faculties were spread all over the cities so the student didn’t really mix between programs I think.
What does the university offer the student additionally?
The university offers a lot of things! They have so many sports facilities throughout the city, including a swimming pool. They also have food at every faculty (not much vegetarian food though). They have a lot of mental health facilities too I think, I never really used them though.
5. Housing-travelling-living
What are the possibilities for housing?
Every exchange student gets a room. This could be a room with two people, shared living room or a studio. The rent was not as high as I expected for Norway, I think I paid 450 euro’s?
What is the culture like?
The cuisine is very focused on meat! So not very good as a vegetarian. All the food is also very expensive. The Norwegians are very private, so it’s hard to make Norwegian friends. Norwegians are very proper. They also do outside stuff a lot!! Norwegians go outdoors so much! The drinking culture is also prominent, even though drinking in public is forbidden by law, Norwegians can go very hard.
Could you give some information about public transport infrastructure?
In Bergen there are a lot of buses but the most used way of transportation is the bybanen. This kind of like a tram. It’s great! The cost was about 350 euro’s as a student for 6 months of public transport in the area of Bergen.
6. Expenses
Can you give an indication of your expenses for/during your exchange?
The price levels were in general [higher; lower; equal] in comparison to in the Netherlands:
Higher! Although a lot of museums and stuff have a student discount, Norway is quite an expensive country. Especially food is very expensive. I think public transport is about the same amount seeing is it is also quite expensive in the Netherlands.
Additional remarks regarding expenses?
Do not just rely on the grant, if you want to do fun stuff start saving!
7. Free time
What are must-sees in the area?
There is so much in Norway! Just don’t go for the cities because they are not as interesting as the nature. Skiing is something many Norwegians do and it is very fun! I went skiing in Voss which was great! From there I also went with the Flam train, this is one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. I also went to Stavanger and hiked Preikestolen which was amazing. Tromso and Lofoten are both beautiful! The Geirangerfjord is also a must see! I also went to Rosendal which was so beautiful. Most of the travelling happens by plane, bus or train. I went by train to Olso which was about a 6 hour train ride with beautiful landscapes, but also a lot of tunnels.
What does not appear in a travel guide, but is definitely worth seeing/doing?
I think most of the things I did is in the travel guides 😊. But just going random places is always great!
7. Challenges & best moment abroad
What challenges did you encounter and how did you overcome them?
I think one challenge for me was to make friends, as I was alone in a studio. Because the place where I lived organised a lot of activities it was much easier to make friends than if they would not have had those activities.
What is your best memory of your time abroad?
I think the best memory I had was a trip to Lofoten with ESN. It was very beautiful and the people I went with were a lot of fun!
8. Contact Details
Would you like to ask Iris more questions about her exchange?
Send her a mail: iris.vanbrugge@wur.nl