1. Cost of living
This one is key, if you want to be living for long- term in Norway or just for a few months. You would better do your research about the average expenses on food, hygiene and rent. These basic needs are very important, then you can have some extra money for books, trips and so on. Things that can help you, can be budgeting every month. Keep in mind that the first month will be the one when you spend a lot, because you will be travelling and trying to sort out what is the cheapest and best option for you.
My advice is: do not let food break your wallet. If you buy more processed and packaged foods, like pizza, frozen and pre-made stuff, you will wonder where the hell your money is going!!! Try to learn to cook, watch some YouTube videos about it and you will see how much you save.
I spent 3860 NOK on rent; the lowest I spent on food and hygiene products was about 900 NOK and then depending on your location you should expect to spend more than 400 on transportation, this is if you want to keep it very low and just have 2 trips a month, I did not buy almost any books and went to the library, I bought one for 150 NOK that was not in the library and was a mandatory reading.
2. Teachers and English
Most of the teachers, that I have had for my subjects obtain a very good level of knowledge for English in the branch they were teaching, some of them better, some of them not, but overall, they were very good in comparison with my home country. Also, they are very open to help you, with anything you might need.
Not just the teachers, but almost wherever you go, people will have English language at a good conversational level or just the basics. So, if you are not an English-speaking foreigner, you might see some improvements on your language skills in here, not to forget a lot of reading you would have to do in order to understand the lecture beforehand. Some people might like to spend some time to learn Norwegian, which also can be very helpful.
3. Have a schedule
Having a schedule of the things you have to do in the day or a check list, might be very helpful. All the assignments can clash even in the same day or week, so keep in mind that you would have to be very organized with your studying and things you have got to do.
My advice: if you can buy a blog where you can write everything you have to do or a planner, it would be perfect for tracking your things-to-do via a list. If you are bad at managing with paper, an app, calendar or notes on your phone might work for you.
4. Be ready to work on teams
One thing I wasn´t so much used to, was to work on groups. From my home country we are assigned to do things individually for the most part. Here in Norway, you will have to be able to collaborate as much as you can in order to get the things done before the deadlines. Even if you think that your English is not so good, always a try raising your hand and say your opinion explain yourself in the meetings, always allow yourself to think ahead.
5. Keep calm and study for the exams
The exams seem to be very difficult here, it is said the you have to write a lot and they can take from 3 hours to 5 hours, so bear in mind that it will not be easy.
My advice:, I would recommend to study every week and revise all the lectures as you go, but to be honest I didn’t do that. I started studying about 5 weeks before the exams. For some people procrastinating might work and for some not. So, do what you feel the best doing, some people can study in the library, but I prefer to study at home in calm. I usually wake up at 5:00 am and going go to sleep at 9:00 pm so that I have at least an 8 hour-frame of sleeping. But do what works for you! Do not cram and try to maintain a schedule of the chapters you want to study and the things you want to be strong in during the exams.
To summarize….
-Be mindful with your expenses and stick to your budget;
-Do not be afraid of communicating with your teachers and about the level of English language;
-Be organized and create a schedule;
-Be proactive during team work;
-And try to study every week and summarize what you have just learnt in order to be sharp for the exams.
Proof read by Jack Smith