Reviews of Universitetet i Bergen | Norway

Useful | 0

karen h

,
ethics and health policy, Undergraduate, Independent

Overall

I wish I had known...

bring a good gore-tex jacket and an umbrella. make sure you have some long underwear and waterproof shoes. some good gloves too. bring your skiis if you've got them. don't enter the country without your maximum allotment of alcohol. you'll be thankful for it later. also bring your own cigarettes if you smoke. it's all very expensive.

In my opinion:

Everybody loved it, you will too!

Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important

Academic reasons

3

Culture

3

Costs

4

Activities

3

Campus life

2

Party / people

2

Weather / location

3

Personal recommendation

i really loved studying in bergen. the experience was wonderful and i'd recommend it to anyone. one of the best parts was that i was not studying there as part of a program, so i didn't have to answer to anyone, but i also didn't have hand-holding guidance that i know a lot of my friends studying through american programs elsewhere had. hand-holding guidance is not what studying abroad is about. neither is sticking with americans. if you want to get the most out of your experience, you need to be independent and meet new people. studying at univ bergen lets you do this. (though there was an introductory program of 2 weeks run by the univ for foreign students that was really nice and introduced us to each other and the city. sign up for it.)

During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot

Became familiar with another culture

3

Traveled

3

Improved language skills

3

Met people from other countries

4

Became more independent

3

Partied a lot

3

Experienced a change in life

4

Advanced my studies & career

3

Final comments

if you're studying abroad to see europe, don't go to norway. going to norway only to waste your time (and money) getting to other countries is a crying shame. go to norway to see norway. it's absolutely the most beautiful country in the entire world. take the hurtigruten boat trip up the coast (if you're under 26 it costs somehting like $250). it's absolutely amazing. but you'll have to sleep on the floor so bring you're sleeping bag. but it's worth it. also, if you're deciding between oslo and bergen, no doubt - go to bergen. it's by far the best city in norway.

Useful | 0

“Great university with a few management-issues”

Sander R

Norway,
Communication and Information Sciences, 2023

Overall

The campus is separated into 7 different faculties spread around the town. Bergen is not a major city, so the student environment is great, and it's easy to get to know new people.

Most studies are pretty small, so you get to know your tutors very well, which makes it easier to ask questions and get the help you need.

My only complaint about the university is that the management can be messy at times, so information about the opportunities you have at the university can be undercommunicated. When i was at my bachelors degree, most people in my class did not know they could take a year abroad through the study, because nobody figured it was worth mentioning.

Pros

Good communication between students and tutors

Cons

At times bad management.

Useful | 1

leyamb

University of Washington, Seattle, Seattle, United States
European Studies, Undergraduate, University Agreement

Expenses

Main source of funding:

Government assistance

Other sources of funding:

Personal savings

Work opportunities:

I didn't explore any work options

Personal spending habits

Norway is just a more expensive country, but ALWAYS ask (everywhere) if they have a student discount; they're often unadvertised!

Food, Nightlife, Telephone, Overall:

was more expensive than at home.

Travel:

was the same price as at home.

Housing:

was less expensive than at home.

Accessibility of student needs

Second-hand text books

Second-hand household items

Computers / Internet

Administrative

Money from home

Personal comments

Even though everyone always heads to IKEA first, check out the local Fretex (Salvation Army) much of its stuff is in good condition, and you can get great cheap Norwegian sweaters there! Try to make your lunches and avoid buying unnecessary things, you'll just have to schlep them home at the end of your stay!

Useful | 0

anaemberley

Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Humanities, Graduate, Erasmus

Overall

I wish I had known...

Not at all,because I like adventure and try to discover by my own.

In my opinion:

I loved it but I'm not sure everybody would.

Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important

Academic reasons

1

Culture

4

Costs

2

Activities

2

Campus life

1

Party / people

1

Weather / location

4

Personal recommendation

Nothing special, I liked a lot.

During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot

Became familiar with another culture

4

Traveled

3

Improved language skills

4

Met people from other countries

3

Became more independent

3

Partied a lot

3

Experienced a change in life

4

Advanced my studies & career

3

Final comments

I think it is a good city to life but is raining all the time and you´ve got to arrive there by bus because taxi from airport is very expensive!. Maybe is better if you Know before go where are you going to stay because hostals are expensive too and you can loose in the first days a lot of money!

Useful | 0

Gaëlle B

Université de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland
Humanities, Graduate, Independent

Languages

Language of instruction: English

Local language was: Different than language of instruction

Was learning English a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my English

Was learning the local language a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my the local language

How much did you improve your English?

My level before: At ease in most situations
My level after: At ease in most situations

How much did you improve your the local language?

My level before: Basic phrases
My level after: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

Improving my skills in norwegian was one of my motivation to go to Bergen. Therefor I followed an intensiv language course during the first semester and chose some university courses in Norwegian during the second semester. I did improve my norwegian but did not have enough opportunities to speak with nativ speakers, most of my friends being exchange students as well.

Useful | 1

Maria A

Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
Biology, Undergraduate, Erasmus

Housing

Type of housing: Residence hall outside of campus

Arranged by: Home university

If returning, I would choose: Residence hall outside of campus

Why?

The residence hall where I stayed had 1000 students from very different nationalities, it was a very rewarding place to live.

Personal assessment

Cost

Facilities

Location

Cleanliness

Space

Personal comments

The university has several residence halls, most of them not on campus, which isn't concentrated in one place. Fantoft residence is ugly in the outside but the people that live in it make it completely amazing.

Universitetet i Bergen

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