Details

• Norway
• MACEMS-17
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

Be aware that most of the student dorms are not in the best conditions, as sometimes you need to share a kitchen with up to ten people. Thus, for my preparation, I also looked out for private housing. Which I actually chose for my stay in Bergen.

2. Accommodation

Regarding the student dorm, you will get all the information from NHH. Notice: Once you receive the offer, there is only a two-day acceptance period. If you don't accept the offer, you're on your own in terms of accommodation. I decided to live in private housing, which is about double the price, which, in my opinion, is worth it. Overall, Bergen is super safe, and as long as you live close to the city centre, the proximity to NHH is negligible. I lived in Kronstad, which was about 12 minutes by bus from NHH and 5-7 minutes by Bybanen from the city centre.

3. Academic life at host university

NHH is quite small compared to WU but still very modern. However, I found the teaching style extremely non-engaging. Most classes have no mandatory attendance, leading to little interaction and focus. Don't underestimate the amount of work for exams. For example, the CEMS global strategy course was far too much in my opinion – 500 pages and 8 slide decks. The teaching style was very old-fashioned, relying on rote memorisation which was frustrating.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport: Super easy to use, just use the app Skyss Billett. Here you can buy your monthly tickets which can be used for the bus or bybanen. Safety situatuion: Super safe Social activities: Really depends on the semester, but for the winter semester its extremely boring in Bergen. Nothing really to do as when it starts to rain, it won't stop. Events: Sometimes there are events from uni but not that often, as I already mentioned Bergen is super boring. Sports: Gym (sammen), Hiking (depending on the season), Fishing

6. Testimonial

Bergen and Norway are incredibly similar to Austria in nature and culture. The scenery is stunning but Bergen itself offers limited activities so prepare for a long four months. Frankly, I was looking forward to leaving Bergen because the rain is truly depressing. The CEMS Club Bergen isn't very active and it's not comparable to Vienna. Norwegian students tend to stay within their own cohort and don't attend events. Nevertheless, the bonding within the exchange student group was amazing and I met so many wonderful people around the world. This made the exchange semester much more enjoyable. Overall, it was definitely a cool experience!