Amber looked beyond her faculty and department when choosing elective courses.
Name: Amber Petersen
Study program: International Environmental Studies
Why did you choose to study abroad?
I chose to study abroad to meet people from different parts of the world and open my perspectives of academia, politics, culture and simply life as a human that thinks and lives differently than someone else.
I come from a small town in California and grew up in an America-centric way of learning and thinking. On a topic such as climate change that is a pressing global issue, it’s impossible to think on a national scale. But much of my undergraduate degree was focused on that national level thinking, so I wanted to try to challenge myself and shift my limited perspectives.
I felt that moving outside of my home country and going to a university like NMBU, with a large international student body and staff, would be a start.
Why did you choose to study in Norway?
My bachelor's degree is in Forestry and Natural Resource Management and some of my undergraduate research was on Nordic boreal forests which piqued an interest. I had also studied abroad at the University of Oslo during my second year of college, so Norway was already a place I was connected to. It felt natural to investigate programs here when I was considering graduate school, and I was really only reaching out to universities in Norway and the United States.
There was also a lot of curiosity about Norwegian policies and the country’s interpretation and implementation of “sustainability” across different institutions. And I put that in quotes because sustainability is so nuanced, but I essentially had a perception of Norway as an environmentally progressive state, and I wanted to explore those ideas more.
And I really have learned so many new ways of thinking and learning since being here. But unrelated to studies, I also love outdoor activities like skiing and hiking and there are no limits to adventure here!
Why did you choose NMBU?
I chose NMBU based on the study program I was interested in, the proximity to Oslo and the international environment of the university.
It was important that the university and study program aligned with my goals and interests, and I was really drawn to the interdisciplinary approach of my study program.
The class sizes are small and engaging and it is a beautiful campus that is spread out, so it does not feel overwhelming like some big universities can feel.
Because NMBU has such a strong presence in the fields of sustainability and natural resource management, and I already had a home base in Oslo from my time on exchange, choosing NMBU was a very easy decision and one that I am really grateful for!
What do you plan to do after your studies?
I have a variety of interests and I am also open to both the private or public sector, so I'm not intensely focused on one job title. My passion lies within the environmental sector, and I hope to have a professional role such as a sustainability or environmental consultant, or a coordinator for an NGO.
