My mobility to the University of Washington in Seattle

How did you find the mobility program, and why did you want to come to UW?

"I have always been curious about studying in the US and had early contacted the program responsible for the possibilities of this. When we were introduced to Utforsk and the opportunity it gave us to go on an exchange to four wonderful and interesting places, I was certain that I wanted to apply. Studying global governance and global challenges, I wanted to expand my horizon and perspectives to gain more knowledge on these issues. I specifically chose the US and the University of Washington for its environmental politics department and the tech focus in the area, as well as learning more about American politics and governance, as these are my research focus."

What did you learn during this semester, and what expectations did you have regarding the teaching form and student life?

"I feel like going on this Utforsk exchange taught me more than I expected, both on a personal and academic level. I got the opportunity to study under leading academics on environmental politics, attend lectures on AI, organize an educational forum on AI and data centers, and gain real-world work experience from my internship in an environmental NGO. 

Coming by myself, I felt very well taken care of by the professors, fellow students, and coworkers. I got to experience American culture through sporting events like baseball, feel the school spirit watching American football, and enjoy holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving.

In my course on climate politics, we had a completely tech-free learning environment, where no phones or laptops were allowed, and the students were encouraged to engage in conversations about climate politics. I learned a lot about the structural challenges in climate politics and gained a new perspective on why American climate politics and climate politics across the world are shaped as they are."

How did you choose your courses? 

I had very limited options, as I was the first student going on this exchange program, so my course in Climate politics and my internship placement was decided and arranged for by Professor Rachel Cichowki, head of the Political Science department at UW. I did however really enjoy both of them, as I was aware of the focus before applying and knew that they would be within my interests.

Was there anything you were looking forward to besides your studies?

Going to Seattle, I was close to both the border of Canada and California. During my time there, I had the opportunity to travel a weekend to Vancouver, Canada, and a weekend to San Fransico, both places that I had on my bucket list. I also enjoyed the beautiful nature of the Pacific Northwest and living in a bigger city than what Bergen has to offer.

What was your experience with the UTFORSK process? 

"Applying was actually kind of stressful, as the agreement was signed just before the application deadline and quite shortly after the application was approved and I got the spot, the American government stopped all visa interviews to develop a social media screening. I did get a lot of help from both the faculty and staff here in Bergen and from two lovley persons from UTFORSK, whom I was so lucky to get to meet during the Bergen Exchanges in August, so going there in September did not feel so scary after all.

I would like to express my gratitude and enjoyment of participating in the utforsk program as the first outgoing student from UiB. I had a wonderful in Seattle from September to December, and learned so much that I am utilizing both in my master’s thesis and in my professional life. Getting the chance to combine an internship with an exchange allowed me to gain international experience, new perspectives, work experience, and personal growth that I see very fitting for the objective and intention of the masters in Politics and Governance of Global Challenges"