Why Scandinavia was simply perfect for Svenja
It has only been two months since Svenja Toepsch spent her winter semester in Norway at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). The Scandinavian countries inspired Svenja long before her studies. During her stay abroad, her initial expectations were not only met, but exceeded.
As a keen hockey player, sport has always been an integral part of Svenja's life. This is why she initially opted for the Applied Sports Science and Sports Economics degree programmes, which she studied in equal proportions in her Bachelor's degree. The 25-year-old is now studying for a Master's degree in Management in order to specialise further in sports management. ‘I already know a lot about sport and now I'm getting even closer to business topics,’ says the student.
Hiking for a week to test her mental limits
Svenja found her enthusiasm for sports management not only through the content of her degree programme, but also with the help of the Career Service. Here she came into contact with numerous potential employers and completed her upb+ certificate. This certificate recognises work-related commitments alongside her regular studies, which Svenja describes as a major plus point at Paderborn University. She grew up in Hanover and found Paderborn to be ‘a pleasant city that is not as anonymous as a big city’. The manageable distance to her home town also enabled Svenja to settle in quickly in Paderborn and at the university. She spent a week of her bachelor's degree in the Sauerland region with her friends from her degree programme. The sports students spent a week hiking there to experience first-hand how sports psychology theories work in practice. ‘It was a unique experience that I will never forget. We pushed ourselves to our mental limits for a week,’ she remembers to this day.
Northern lights, hut hikes and campfires
When Svenja isn't hanging out in the university sports halls or on the hockey pitch, she enjoys learning about foreign languages and cultures. Back in her school days, she spent several school exchanges abroad, which she always found very enriching and educational. It was therefore clear to the 25-year-old early on that she would also like to spend a semester abroad as part of her degree programme. Initially, Svenja planned a stay in America, but she quickly discarded this idea. ‘The main thing that attracted me to America was the language,’ admits the management student today.
Instead of overseas, however, she ultimately decided in favour of Trondheim, a city on the Trondheim Fjord in central Norway. Svenja has always been fond of Scandinavia, ‘which may have something to do with my first name,’ she jokes. She has also often read that the happiest people in the world live there. Even before her semester abroad, she fell in love with the thought of the Northern Lights, mountains and the sea as well as cosy evenings around the campfire. Thoughts that she turned into reality and memories from October to December 2022. ‘My image of Norway was not only confirmed, but even surpassed,’ she enthuses. During her stay in Trondheim, Svenja also travelled to Oslo, Ålesund or the Lofoten Islands with friends at the weekends and went on hikes to huts without running water or electricity - ‘these are memories that will last forever.’
A new perspective on her studies
Svenja also gained a new perspective on her studies: ‘I realised that the work there is much more interdisciplinary than here in Germany,’ says the student, referring to topics such as sustainable energy. Svenja also worked a lot with her fellow students in Trondheim in the form of group work. ‘That's a big difference to my studies in Paderborn, because here I primarily work independently towards exams.’ Svenja was also involved in a group to improve the modules offered by the Norwegian university. Her task was to gather feedback from her fellow students and discuss it with lecturers: ‘This exchange with the lecturers was a really great experience, which is essentially comparable to the evaluations at UPB - only face-to-face.’
Experiencing the unknown
Looking back, Svenja would always take the step of spending a semester abroad to step out of her own comfort zone. ‘If my studies weren't almost over, I would spend another semester abroad,’ she says, emphasising her enthusiasm. In Norway, Svenja created memories for eternity and also took home one or two culinary experiences such as savoury waffles: ‘In Trondheim, a lot of waffles were eaten, but the batter didn't taste sweet, but neutral and was topped with crème fraîche, jam and brown cheese,’ the student reported on a special characteristic of the country.
Either-or questions:
Homesickness or wanderlust? Wanderlust
Holidays in Europe or on the other side of the world? Europe
Coffee or energy drink to wake you up? A coffee
Early to bed or straight from the club to the lecture theatre? Early to bed
Your ultimate tip for students?
‘Don't get stressed until you have the final confirmation from your host university!’
You want that too?
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Insights into Svenja's semester abroad in Norway
