Great Experience in Beautiful City

I chose this program on a whim but I'm so glad I did! Oslo is a great place to study, the people I met were great, and studying at the University of Oslo was a wonderful experience. It's helpful to do this program through USAC because you meet other Americans in the same boat as you and the orientation at the beginning was helpful in learning your way around the city. After the USAC orientation is buddy week for international students at the University, which is great in meeting people from all different countries. (Another reason this program is great is because there's people that come to study in Oslo from all over and you get to meet a lot of people from various countries!) I think both orientations are helpful in meeting people, though for me I was most excited about being integrated into the University (as opposed to some study programs where you only study with Americans) and I made many friends from different places.

I lived in Grünerløkka, which is a sort of hip neighborhood close to the city center. This area of Oslo is beautiful. It's a very safe city overall, the shopping is great, and I recommend learning the language because it's helpful & it's also a fun language to learn! I think Oslo is great because it's a large city, but it's not overwhelmingly large so you can explore the various parts of the city easily (definitely go to Aker Brygge!). If you want a beautiful view you should go hiking at Kolsåsstoppen!

I'm really glad I chose this program. The location is beautiful, safe, and fun; the people are nice; and the study programs are great. I took Norwegian and Norwegian Life & Society at UiO and learned a lot about Norway and about the language. I definitely recommend the experience! The only thing to look out for is that Oslo is very expensive.