I moved to London from Norway when I was 19 to get started on my Bachelor’s Degree. I had always dreamed of living in the British capital, and studying Law had been my goal for as long as I can remember. Prior to moving (and during my three year stint abroad) people kept asking me ‘But how will this affect your work situation when you come home to Norway?’ and ‘Will this degree be valid when you come home?’
Yes, people actually asked me if my degree would be ‘valid’. As if it being from the UK made it something of the imagination. Sure, people were referring to the fact that the law is different from country to country, but I still stand my ground that I learned more transferrable legal skills than just memorising specific statutes during my time at University in London, and these can be applied no matter where I decide to work.
Regardless of whether UK law can be applied to Norway or not, there are several other reasons why I believe getting my whole Bachelor’s Degree abroad benefited me, especially with regards to having moved back home to Norway to get my Master’s Degree at the University of Oslo afterwards.
IT MADE ME WORK HARDER TO GAIN FRIENDS
This also relates to the fact that all my fellow students hauled from the same universities from across Norway. Most of them had become friends during their Bachelor programs, and knew each other well from before. Being the odd one out required me to make an extra effort in making friends and getting to know people, which I can only say has improved my people skills and confidence.
(Not that it was very hard to make friends with all the fun stories I had from abroad!)
IT HELPED ME VIEW THE EDUCATION SYSTEM MORE CRITICALLY
Returning to Norway with knowledge on how the education system works in a different country, allowed me to draw comparisons between the different ways of executing things. I was able to comment on how things were done with more confidence, as I had seen it work in a different way somewhere else. Neither the Norwegian or British education system is considerably appalling or extreme, so I’m not saying I discovered anything shocking. But studying abroad for an entire degree, and getting to learn in detail how it is done in a different country, allowed me to consider the differences and state my opinions with more authority and confidence than before.
IT OPENED MY EYES REGARDING MY OWN LANGUAGE SKILLS
Getting my degree in my second language really perfected my language skills. I would say, hand on heart, that my English is as good as fluent, and this confidence is something I will take with me forever. Upon returning to Norway, and handing in papers in Norwegian during my first year of studying, I really got to consider what I am most comfortable with. I decided to write my Master’s Thesis in English rather than Norwegian, as I feel it is a language I possess a higher academic knowledge of. I have always loved writing, and feel that my writing skills have been good in both Norwegian and English throughout my years at school, but having to undertake such a large project as a Masters Thesis, I’m extremely glad that studying abroad made me realise where my academic skills are stronger.
IT MADE ME STAND OUT
Getting into a Master’s program isn’t necessarily easy. They have a lot of applicants, and only a small number get accepted. This meant, that everyone I was now surrounded with were all brilliant and clever. They all had good marks and a genuine interest in studying the field further and conducting their own research on it. Basically, we were all the cream of the crop.
During introductions, by being the one person who hadn’t come from another Norwegian University made me stand out to both the other students and the faculty. Questions were asked, eyebrows were raised, and the Professors all knew who I was. All because I was ‘Lisa who has her degree from London’.