An exchange student from USTU in Norway
A USTU student, who is a first year student of the master program, Vladimir Zakusov, got an opportunity to take part in the academic mobility program Erasmus+ Global Mobility. With the support of the international department of USTU in autumn 2017, Vladimir sent an application for participation, and at the moment he is in the city of Bodo (Norway), where he studies at the Nord University.
The International Department constantly keeps in touch with students, who are studying at other universities abroad. Vladimir shared with us his first impressions of studying in Norway:
"The first week was introductory. We got acquainted with the university, learned to use the local library and search system, got student’s cards that gave access to the campus at any time during the day, and also went to conferences that ended with lavish dinners.
The educational process at the Nord University differs significantly from ours at USTU. Here students do not make notes at lectures, but only listen and have two or even three 15-minute breaks during the lecture. However, this does not mean that you do not need to study here. Before each lecture starts, the teacher sends material to the student portal, so that students are ready for dialogue in the forthcoming lecture. During the week there are not so many classes, but students have lots of individual work instead. Teachers are very open and, if the student has questions, they are ready to answer them after the lecture. The main difference in the education system, I think, is that all the students work in groups (from 2 to 6 people). So you learn to work in a team. All lectures and written works are done in English. At first it seems complicated, but with time you get involved and start to think in English. Special attention should be paid to the fact that the learning process is fully automated, and everything is equipped with the latest technology. The library has wonderful reading areas and comfortable rooms for group work.
My curriculum includes the following subjects: state budget, financial report and the implementation of international public sector accounting standards, definition of public sector performance, theory of science and research, and in April I am going to participate in a big conference called High North Dialogue.
The Erasmus+ program involves many students from different cultures and peoples. I've already made a lot of friends here. We live as one big family, we always come up with interesting activities, such as hiking, barbecue, we organize evenings, where representatives of each country take turns cooking their meals and treating others. In addition, we take an active part in almost all the activities of the university".
There is an inter-institutional agreement between USTU and Nord University, thanks to which students of our university have an opportunity to travel to Norway for exchange training for one semester. Moreover, USTU cooperates with Nord University and in many other areas, which are of high value.
