A student on the Social Work (BA) degree programme at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, who spent her semester abroad at the partner university Western Norway University of Applied Sciences in Norway, reports on her stay abroad in the summer semester 2024.
First and foremost, I wanted to gain new experiences, get to know a different culture and grow beyond myself. I was also so fascinated by Norway's nature that I really wanted to live in the country for a few months. I planned to go hiking and swimming in the fjords right from the start. I also wanted to improve my English and make international friends. I thought it was really cool that the FHP gives you the opportunity to study abroad without having to extend your study period.
I applied (a little too late) for the Erasmus+ programme in Bergen, Norway. I had to write a letter of motivation and also take the DAAD language test. Everything was just in time and I was very happy when I was accepted. At first, only I was promised financial support through Erasmus+, as there was originally only one place for Bergen. In the end, however, four of us travelled to Bergen and were all funded! How great! I didn't have to apply for a visa because as an Erasmus+ student you have a right of residence in Norway. The journey was very relaxed, I flew directly from Berlin to Bergen and even had the opportunity for a fellow student to take a suitcase and my guitar to Norway by car.
I lived in a hall of residence run by Sammen (Norwegian Student Aid Organisation). The hall of residence is called Fantoft and is the largest hall of residence, almost like a student village, in Bergen. I found the accommodation very easily, as Erasmus students in Norway are entitled to a place in a hall of residence. I just had to apply in good time and state three preferences. I then got my third preference, which in the end I am incredibly happy with, as there are a lot of international students living in Fantoft. I met most of my friends there and there are so many things on offer for students. I lived alone in a bachelor's degree flat, with my own kitchen and bathroom. That had its pros and cons. I liked having a place to retreat to, but I would certainly have felt lonely if I hadn't spent so much time with my friend in the shared flat. The large shared flats in Fantoft TRE are really recommended!
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the introductory events in person, but the online event was also very informative and I felt well prepared. I chose two courses, one in person in Bergen and one online. The face-to-face course was called "Social-cultural diversity and inequalities in social work". The exam was a term paper, for which we had about 2 months in total. We had to write around 3,500 words and there were three questions to choose from. I chose to write about critical Social Work or "Structural, anti-oppressive and cultural competence approaches". In general, the course was very theoretical and analytical in connection with international approaches to Social Work. In terms of content, I found it rather simple and a lot of it seemed familiar to me, and the workload was also easy to manage. My online course "Community Work from an International Perspective" was also really exciting. Over a period of about 3 months, we had to submit small tasks and write essays, some of which counted towards the final grade. A project plan for a Social Work project, which was a group assignment, counted the most. Our topic was migration and dealing with racism in communities. I thought it was very cool that students from all over Europe took part in this course and that we had to work really closely together. I learnt a lot from it.
My rent in the student residence cost the equivalent of around 480.00 Euro a month. I spent around 400.00 Euro on food. Sports were 140 euros for the whole semester and the public transport ticket was around 250.00 Euro per semester. Overall, food in particular is very expensive, you pay a good 1.5 or 2 times more than in Germany in the supermarket. Eating out and going out is even more expensive, I've seen 0.5 litre beers for 10.00 Euro, around 6.00 Euro is normal. What's cool is that you can hire cross-country skiing equipment from BUA for free, as well as rucksacks and other outdoor equipment. I can really recommend this in Bergen. There are 7 mountains around Bergen that are around 300 - 600 metres high, they are all beautiful and really suitable for beginners. Cross-country skiing is great in winter and swimming in the fjords all year round (yes, even in winter and with ice floes!) and saunas. There are also some bouldering gyms that are supposed to be great, but unfortunately I didn't make it there. One of Sammen's sports halls also has a swimming pool and sauna, both of which are included in the 140.00 Euro per semester. I also joined the Rebellium choir at my university, which I really enjoyed! You can join without an audition if you're interested in singing.
My semester abroad in Norway was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I learnt so much about myself, Norway and other cultures and made friends for life. My English skills have improved incredibly and so has my confidence in myself. It feels like it was a very important step towards growing up. My tips if you are studying in Bergen are to live in Fantoft TRE, get out into nature a lot and take part in all the social events that are on offer. Be open to new people who may look or think differently to what you are used to. Enjoy your time in Norway to the fullest! When you study at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, you will have a lot of free time. See the country, take the buses out and go hiking! Join student groups, be it sports, music or political. And be yourself! The people are all really great, there's someone for everyone to get on with. What's more, the assessments at the university really aren't strict, so don't stress too much and enjoy the freedom!
