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author
Patricia Cemus
Patricia
Cemus
faculty
Faculty of Humanities
academic year of the stay
2024/2025
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author
Patricia
faculty
Faculty of Humanities
academic year of the stay
2024/2025
University of Iceland
traineeship
study stay
short-term mobility
other
How does Patricia rate their stay?
university
city
accommodation
financial demands
about university
What made your university special? What were the facilities where you studied and the university equipment like?
Words like friendly, functional, gray come to mind.
I think just the location made the university already very unique. The campus is close to the sea, so its very windy and quite broad.
The spaces I studied in were mostly my dorm and the common areas for students, which were all very modern, clean and well equipped.
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about your "adoptive" university? What made it special? What were the premises where you studied and the university facilities like?
At Charles University there are only exams and deadlines at the end of the semester, but at the University of Iceland there were weekly deadlines in almost all my courses. That made the workload during the semester more, but also forced you to keep up and didn't put too much pressure on you, since the final exam was just a split-part of the final grade.
What I really liked as the relationship between the students and the professors: You addressed each other by your first name and in general there was more academic discours, a lot of exchange and the possibility to form a more intimate relationship.
What is student life like at university?
The ESN (Erasmus Student Network) did an amazing job. They organized a lot of events and brought the students together. There is a student pub on campus, which regularly hosts, quizzes, karaoke, watch parties and overall offers a safe haven to hang out.
During summer traveling is the best activity and Iceland just blows you away with its stunning nature. During winter its mostly dark and very cold, so movie nights, board games and exercise are great ways to keep yourself occupied.
Did you study in English or in the language of the host country? What language requirements does the university have?
I communicated in English within in the university and with all friends/acquaintances I made there.
The university requires a good level of English or Icelandic.
about the city
What was your impression of the city? How would you describe it? What is interesting to see here?
Reykjavík only has around 140.000 inhabitants, which means that the city has everything you need, but at the same time is not very big and usually pretty quiet. There are still times when it can be quite bustling and hustling, especially on special days like Culture Night.
I loved walking around the coastline, enjoying the view on the vast ocean and afterwards enjoying a hot chocolate or tea at one of many coffee shop. I really enjoyed the bagles at Le Kock, but mostly ate inside as its quite expensive. Other than that the roadtrips around the country are some of my most cherished memories. Especially the night drives and walks with the nothern lights.
about finances
In your experience, how far does the scholarship go? What percentage of your expenses did it cover? What is your opinion on prices in the country in general?
Iceland is probably the most expensive country I have ever visited.
The ERASMUS scholarship covered around 75% of the rent (which was in a student dorm), but with groceries and travel costs on top I had to rely on my own savings.
Everything is more expensive due to demand, import cost and availability, so plan your budget accordingly.
Please advise your classmates on how to save money—Where to shop? What services can be used to save money?
I barely ate outside, always shopped at discounters (Bónus or Krónan) and always rented a car together with friends for road trips.
If you have extra space in your suitcase it makes sense to bring some dry groceries (e.g.: instant ramen)
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about accommodation
What type of accommodation did you choose? Would you recommend it to others? If not, what type of accommodation do you think is best based on your experience (dormitory, private apartment, private dormitory, shared room, etc.)?
I stayed at the student dormitory, which was very convenient because it was on campus.
I had my own room+bathroom, but shared the kitchen and living space with 8 other students and really enjoyed spending time with my flatmates.
about experiences
Did you use Erasmus stay to travel around your country/Europe? What are your best travel experiences? What would you not recommend?
Traveling is the best activity to fill your free time with in Iceland. Going around the country is so much fun and makes you feel as if you're on another planet. Traveling through the country is easiest by car (don't forget to check if you need a 4 wheel drive). To save costs it makes the most sense to travel together with friends. During colder months its extremely important to check the weather forecast and the road conditions. Iceland is beautiful wherever you go, so do your research and plan accordingly. Personally I really enjoyed the Westfjords (Vestfirðir).
Language and culture: what cultural differences did you notice? How did you cope with the national language? Was it also the language of your studies? Do you feel that your language skills improved during your stay?
I think Icelandic people are very nice and usually speak great English. Its not necessarily the easiest thing to meet them outside of the study context, but I was very lucky to make some Icelandic friends and had the best time with them.
I learned some basic phrases in Icelandic while I was there, but didn't properly study the language as my courses were in English.
final rating
Why here? What makes this location special? Why would you send your friends to your country/city?
The location and the nature of the country make it an extremely unique experience.
I also think the culture and history of Iceland are very interesting and I learned so many things I didn't know before. (Can really recommend to visit a course about that: The uni offers them for Erasmus-students!)
live-saving tips
If I went again, I would definitely remember to pack...
Thermal underwear. really warm gloves, my nintendo switch, warm/rainproof shoes.
Before leaving, I would like to know that...
how much the lack of daylight can actually affect you.
What surprised me most was that...
the volcano erruption.
The hardest thing for me was...
the lack of daylight in the winter months.
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