What's student life like in other countries?

Three students from around the world give us a look into their lives as international students.

Norway Turkey

Siri Eggset studies North America studies at the University Işıl Defterli studies Industrial Engineering at Kadir
of Oslo in Oslo. Has University in Istanbul.

Studying: She says the number of lectures per week varies.
“I have from three to six lectures, and three seminars a
week. Each of those sections is 1 hour”. The student age
varies from 19 to 70, but most are in the 20s. Most students
work hard, especially the last month before the exams.”
Cost: Tuition for Norwegian people is very cheap, lucky
them! “The best thing about being a student in my country is
that it is nearly free. We pay a small attendance fee at the
beginning of the semester (about £140) and buy our own
books.
Studying: Işıl says: “weekly I study approximately
10-12 hours, I have around 10 hours of lectures”. The
students are all over 18. As seems to be common theme
worldwide Işıl says “students here like to do things at
the last moment, generally they work hard but it
usually comes to last hours.”
Cost: Işıl says “university is free for me because I have
a scholarship. The government gives money to
students but it’s like a loan. The students have to pay
back the money when they start working.”

Accommodation: students usually rent a student apartment
with friends.
Fun: Recreation in Norway is interesting and diverse. “In
my free time as a student I do downhill as well as cross
country skiing, mountain biking, and other sports such as
football. I also have two part-time jobs- one as a teacher and
one at a nursing home. The weekends I am not working I
like to go out in the calm areas of the city where a lot of
students hang out. I like the flexibility of the student
lifestyle.”
Accommodation: Işıl lives in Umraniye Istanbul
with her parents. Generally, students try to live close
to the university. “My home is not usual for a student
because it is far.”
Fun: In Istanbul there are so many places to have fun
day or night. “I usually spend my free time with my
friends in a house or outside. There are so many
options when it comes to nightlife in Istanbul. You
can pick clubs, just casual bars, jazz bars, karaoke
bars or just a nice restaurant. The best part is the
prices are for students in particular places.”

USA

Alexandra Ziegler studies photography at rural Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana.

Studying: Alexandra states “photography is a fairly demanding field, with other work I probably spend close to 40 hours a
week on homework, going to classes, studying, and taking pictures. I take four or five classes a week.” As in the UK, “most
students range from age 18 to graduate students in their 30s and sometimes 40s. I enjoy learning and want to get the most out
of my education.”

Cost: Studying in the USA is expensive with price differences between state (government) and private education. Students
who study in the state and they live in can get cheaper tuition fees. There is some help to the cost of fees: “many students can
get financial aid or scholarships either from the school they are attending or from government grants”.

Accommodation: Alexandra says “It is pretty normal for students to live on campus for their first two years of college, but
after that most students move off campus.”

Fun: “I really enjoy the freedom and flexibility that being a college student provides. I like hanging out with friends at Cru or
Crosslife (campus ministry) or just going out to a movie. Alexandra also volunteers at a local therapeutic horse riding centre.
Working with horses is a huge passion and being able to give up my free time to help people with disabilities has been so
uplifting!”

Adapted from: https://www.independent.co.uk/student/study-abroad/whats-

student-life-like-in-other-countries-8457769.htm