Mobility specification

Country:Norway

Institution:University of Inland Norway

City:Elverum

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2022/2023

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Economics and Administration

Study level abroad:Bachelor

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?yes

Does the university offer enough courses in English?it's alright

Are your credits converted?no

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?I was surprised that in the Snow business class we went to the places we learned about in lectures every week. These were full-day trips, where we had a lecture and discussion with the owner or manager of the ski resort in the morning, and then in the afternoon we got to check out the resort in full. We could go skiing for example, and usually we got equipment and season passes at a discount or for free.
I was also surprised that some of the assignments for the seminars were completely voluntary.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?The university has a great team that takes care of the Erasmus students. From the first day, the programme is prepared and in turn there is no chance that you won't get to know and integrate. In the first two weeks I was even tired of all the events - we roasted sausages, went to the art museum for paint&sip, a film was shown... and so much more. In the end, maybe I helped to organize some of the events myself.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?Special examination conditions (e.g., extended time, quiet rooms)
I haven’t noticed

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:22000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?For unexpected expenses, this may be for dorm equipment, as it is not guaranteed that there will be dishes needed in the dorms. I was surprised to see a one-off charge for duvets and sheets in the dorms. Then I would also count the amount for insurance. Finally, I would add maybe some winter gear - I was there from January to June, so I spent 75% of my time in the snow.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?It's surprisingly easy to save money on experiences in Lillehammer, as it is all over Norway. That's because there's BUA, a rental service for young people. BUA works on a registration basis and you can rent equipment for a week completely free of charge. Every week he can borrow something different and he can borrow as many times as he wants. It offers all the winter equipment you can think of - skis, snowboards, skates, cross-country skis and much more. In the spring, this equipment was replaced with bikes, scooters, skateboards. All the time you could rent blanket games, ping pong bats, badminton, tennis. There were also musical instruments. There was just so much that you could try something new every week and it was free.

From the shops I would single out the private labels in the Kiwi and Rema supermarkets. There is also the GoodToGo platform in Norway.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?perfectly

How does public transport work in the city?mostly fine

And what about transport outside the city?neutral

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?When arriving in Oslo, it's great that the station is right under the airport so you don't even have to go outside. Train tickets are bought on the VY app. It's the official app of Norwegian Railways and you can also buy a ticket with a student discount. The ticket is activated at the time of departure, after which a QR code appears in the app and is shown to the conductor. The actual public transport in Lillehammer is then dealt with via the Innlandstrafikk app or you can buy a coupon in the aforementioned VY app. Everything works without a ptoblem, it's intuitive.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?Ski jumping hill, Maihaugen ski resort, Hafjell ski resort, Birkebeiner biathlon stadium, Lake Mjosa. All of these venues host sporting events - the Ski Jumping / Nordic Combined World Cup on the ski jump. The biathlon / cross-country skiing stadium continues to host the Nordic Combined World Cup, the famous Birkebeineret race and many other local races.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?There are plenty of excursions in the area, for those who have never been to Oslo, it's a definite choice, 3 hours by train. Around Lillehammer it's the cross-country skiing paradise of Sjusoen, the ski resort of Kvitfjell, the ice cave of Iskjorka. Then you can get a nice train ride further north to Trondheim. Thanks to the perfect domestic air service, it's nice to get around Norway, and many ersatzers head beyond the Arctic Circle to Troms. Personally, I bought 500 Kč tickets to Bergen and combined that with a trip to Stavenger. Both towns are on the coast and it's such a different experience than inland.
There are plenty of spots to hike around Lillehammer - the most famous one overlooking the city is Balbergkampen. There's camping all around, or you can even swim in the waterfall next to the sports stadiums in June.

Share your best experience:I'm a winter sports lover so my best experiences have been unlimited skiing and cross-country skiing 15 minutes from home and also helping out and participating in the Alpine Skiing World Cups in Kvitfjell and I also went on a solo trip to Oslo for the Biathlon World Cup.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Plane
Train

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?I recommend looking up the apps needed to purchase tickets so you don't have to deal with it on the spot. Be sure to look at the connections beforehand. Transportation from the airport is not complicated at all in the same building as the station you'll be going from.

Can you pay by card?everywhere

What not to forget when packing?The thing that I bought right after I arrived is the nesmeky. There was ice everywhere for most of the winter, so it was handy to have boots armor with spikes. Otherwise I would say thermal underwear and winter gear because you can definitely use that here. Then maybe a book or your favorite board game as a tip. And for me something I didn't bring is good coffee, which I'm a sucker for, so at least for the first few days it would be nice to have my favorite coffee.

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?Best six months of my life. I've had an incredible amount of experiences and dreams come true.