Dan Grădinariu is a third-year student at the Faculty of Letters of the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University (UAIC), specializing in English-German, according to Ziarul de Iași.

During the first semester of his third year of studies, he went through the Erasmus SEE program (through which students can go to countries that are part of the European Economic Area - Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) at the University of Bergen in Norway. His experience could be useful to many applicants.

"The paperwork was tough because there were a lot of documents that needed to be signed... If I had been faster and more punctual, I don't think there would have been as much stress. A week before submitting the documents, I still had to get them. It wasn't very clear anywhere whether I needed an English certificate or not.

On the University of Bergen's website, it said you should, but this wasn't mentioned on the forms given by our university. By the time I found out I needed it, it was too late. In order to leave, I needed a C1 level English certificate, and I already had a Cambridge certificate", the student recounts.

"A very strange situation - there is a document, Learning Agreement, that needs to be signed by you, the Erasmus coordinator here, and the one there. To go to Norway, you need a physical signature from everyone. How do you get a physical signature from the coordinator there, on the document I have here, without going there?

I got an electronic signature from there to be able to leave, then when I got there, I had to redo the document and go to the Erasmus coordinator to sign it on the initial date. I think that's the procedure, but it's a strange one", says Dan.

Dan chose three courses, totaling 45 credits; the usual number of credits accumulated by a student at UAIC is 30. He chose the subjects in such a way as to align with the curriculum in Iași.

In Bergen, German is not usually taught in the first semester but in the second semester. Dan opted for English courses to equate them with those in Iași for both semesters, intending to catch up on German in the second semester.

"I took a course on Critical Approaches to Technologies and Society - it was incredibly interesting, one of the coolest courses I've taken.

The professor was from the USA, and the course explained how technology influences the world, how digital culture emerges. I learned to write very good essays; in Norway, essays are done properly.

I also had a course on Electronic Literature, which was so cool that it made me want to write my thesis on this topic. I learned not only about electronic literature, but I also wrote poems with AI, coded a literature game. Then I took a course on Norwegian Culture and Civilization to equate it with the course I was taking at the faculty here", recalls the student.

Dan noticed that in Norway, more emphasis is placed on student autonomy. Although he accumulated 45 credits, his program included 8 hours of classes per week.

In Norway, a full-time student has 30 credits, equivalent to about 40 hours of individual study per week. This freedom to manage his time allowed Dan to learn more and more efficiently. He believes that this independent approach, although it may be discouraging for some students, has led him to achieve better results.

"I stayed in an apartment that had a large space, a kitchen and a living room, and several rooms - we stayed 2 in a room. The rent was around 300 euros with water and heating included. The scholarship was 1200 euros per month; I received 80% when I left, and 20% when I returned.

I managed my money very well; anyway, I don't drink or smoke. I went to the student cafeteria, and dinner was always 30 lei, quite expensive. The food was of good quality; I never had high standards. I was also frugal; I bought cheaper food, but even if it was the cheapest food, it was still of good quality. I didn't buy fresh vegetables and fruits; I bought them canned. Alcohol was very expensive, and cigarettes were hard to find", says the student.

"I spent the 1,200 euro scholarship per month. If I lived a purely pragmatic life and didn't buy all sorts of nonsense, maybe I wouldn't have spent it all".