Life as a NMBU student is more than just coursework

We meet friends Hendricus Cornelus Renier Maessen and Tilde Birgitte Dalberg for a chat in Økonomikantine, in the middle of campus Ås. The ceiling is high, there are large windows and dark wooden pillars. It's almost like we're in the dining room at Hogwarts, but at NMBU the knowledge is real. Here it is the student community that is magical.

“We have a unique environment here. It is easy to make new friends,” says Tilde, who is a member of the student association Globalis and of the Student Parliament.

“NMBU has a very down-to-earth environment. Here everyone can be themselves. You do not have to pretend to be someone other than who you are. There are so many options here that everyone can find a place where you can be yourself,” says Hendricus. He has been involved in sustainability and human rights through Changemaker and Amnesty at NMBU.

Exciting academic choices

The two of them started at NMBU just after high school. Hendricus lived in Jæren and knew what he wanted to study.

“We had a visit to my school, and they presented NMBU as an exciting choice. A lot of it had to do with sustainability and the environment, and I wanted to study that,” says Hendricus. He is currently studying Renewable Energy at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA).

“It gives me interdisciplinary expertise and many choices. We have a fixed base plan that gives everyone the basic overview, and then we can choose which direction we want to study further in. There are many exciting choices here, with extra focus on sustainability,” says Hendricus.

Hendricus boasts of a high professional level among teachers, but also close follow-up.

“The teachers are very close to the students. It is very easy to get in touch with them and get the help and follow-up you need.”

Hendricus

At home at Evenes, there was one piece of advice from family that made Tilde choose NMBU.
“I had no idea what to do and gathered information about everything I thought was interesting on the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service.”

When she showed the list to her stepmother, she was given clear advice: “You MUST choose Ås. There they have a small environment where you are close to everything. It is important for learning, studies and the surrounding environment!” Tilde ended up at the Faculty of Landscape and Society and took a bachelor's degree in International Environmental and Development Studies.

“I am passionate about both sustainability and development issues, so it was very exciting to find a study program that included both –and that saw the connections between the two,” says Tilde.

“The bachelor’s degree I am now taking has changed my whole worldview. I have gained knowledge in both breadth and depth that I could never have imagined.”

Tilde

Everyday student life is more than just coursework

Both Hendricus and Tilde have chosen to get involved in student activities during their free time. They say that students at the university are very engaged, both academically and socially.

“There are so many organizations and associations where you can meet other people – and many places where all students can get together. It is easy to meet other engaged students,” says Tilde.

“Many of the studies here focus on sustainability. When we get together for different student activities, we can discuss this from many different starting points, and this leads to very exciting discussions about it,” says Tilde.