1. ORIENTATION Spring 2015 Terje Thorsdalen Anne Martins Bjærke
International Coordinators
International Education Office

2. WELCOME TO THE UNIVERSITY OF AGDER!
Some facts about the university
University status since 2007
Campuses in Kristiansand and Grimstad
6 faculties
About students, nearly 3000 of them in Grimstad
About employees

3. How to get the most out of your stay
Get to know the Norwegian students!
Check out Bluebox
Join a sports team or a student organisation
Be open to new friendships and be open to your Norwegian neighbours
Be brave about sharing your culture
Share your experience – write a blog!
Join the ESN’s social activities!

4. How to interact with Norwegians
Never lump Norwegians together with Swedes or Danes
Norwegians insist on punctuality; 7:00 p.m. means 7:00 p.m
Sincerity is very important; never invite someone to dinner or suggest "getting together" without following with a sincere invitation
Do not drink and drive! Norway has very strict laws for intoxicated drivers, and one beer can put you over the limit
Humility tends to be highly valued; talking about one’s accomplishments and achievements tends to be looked down upon
The study environment at UiA is very informal; however, informal does not mean unprofessional!

5. Saving money Don’t spend it on water! Tap water is perfectly healthy.
Use Asian groceries and REMA 1000 supermarket
Make your own ”matpakke”
Share cooking with friends – invite Norwegians too
Share cleaning items with friends

6. Recycling Deposits on bottles Sort your garbage: Food Plastics
Cans and glass
Paper and cardboard

7. Now pay attention!

8. Registration in Norway
Exchange students:
Register with the police within 7 days of your arrival (Arendal Police Station) – take with you your letter of admission, insurance certificate and passport and your own declaration that you have sufficient funds for your stay in Norway.
Before you go to the police: Register online at:
Please make sure you get a confirmation of your
registration.

9. Insurance and European Health Card
You must have travel insurance and property insurance – this is your responsibility!
European Health Insurance Card
You should have brought this card from your home country. As this card only provides basic medical services in Norway, you should also have bought a private health insurance.

10. Student ID card
Create a student ID card by using the self-operated photo booth by the Service Centre
Pick up the card at the Service Centre after two days
The card will give you access to the university buildings outside of regular opening hours.
You can use the student ID card together with your semester card to get student discounts in various places.

11. Semester registration on StudentWeb
Check online for timetables/schedules
Log on to the StudentWeb from using your UiA username and password
Change the “tekst” to English
Then follow all the steps…

14. Check that all the courses you wish to take are listed
Check for timetable clashes!
If you wish to add courses, you must contact the faculty
If you wish to delete a course, you must do this after having confirmed your education plan

15. Here you can cancel your class and exam registration, if needed
The deadline for cancellation is two weeks before each exam
Please note: The course will not disappear from your education plan, but it will not show on your Transcript of Records

17. Choose whether or not your name and e-mail address should be available on the UiA website

18. We need you to give us the contact details of your next of kin, to be used in case of emergency

19. We will send your Transcript of Records to your home address within five weeks of your last exam
If you for any reason should need the transcript earlier, you can order it here

20. The rest of your stay
Check your UiA and Fronter regularly for messages from us
Communicate with us and your fellow students on Facebook
Erasmus Student Network (Facebook and )
Make sure you prioritise your CLASSES even though social events clash with them!

21. Questions? Housing? Ask SiA Academic? Ask your academic adviser
Registration/examinations? Ask at the Service Centre
Events, clubs, etc.? Ask ESN
Anything else? Please do not hesitate to ask. We will try our best to help!
Drop in A2 075 or A2 076 or contact
Terje Thorsdalen: or
Anne Martins Bjærke: –

22. GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY!