"I completed my exchange studies in the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø, around 350 km above the Arctic Circle. I chose my destination based on excellent possibilities to experience the outdoors, see northern lights and experience the polar night. I was pleasantly surprised to find Tromsø to be a lively city considering its relatively small population of 75 000 people. The city puts significant effort into highlighting the unique Arctic environment as well as different peoples living side by side, the Norwegians, the Sami and the Kvens (a minority with Finnish roots living in Northern Norway).
UiT (Universitet I Tromsø) is a relatively large university with over 10 000 students and its status as the northernmost university in the world. Research is focused on the Arctic environment and cultures as well as sustainability as the Arctic regions experience the biggest impacts of climate change. Northern universities also co-operate with each other forming UArctic, the network of Arctic Universities which could be seen as common seminars and other collaborative efforts.
During my stay, I studied business studies but was especially interested to include courses related to sustainability as it was a focus research topic of UiT. Sustainable Arctic Tourism was one of the courses I was most excited about as it was something completely unique for Arctic universities with experience on the field. I found the course to be extremely interesting as it provided insight into the impacts of climate change on the region but also highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to find solutions for environmental, socio-cultural, economic and political challenges. The course provided a fresh insight even for an engineering student.
As Tromsø is a lively student city, there were plenty of events arranged. I participated, for example, in Handelshøydagen, which was a day full of interesting speeches on Northern Norway as an attractive place to work and launch a business. As there are less people in the North, it also provides opportunities to stand out from the crowd and catch investor’s attention for future business prospects. This could potentially open the pathway to an interesting career in an environment that is constantly changing and ever-so interesting. Adopting the Arctic attitude of staying tough through trials and tribulations is the key for relevance and self-growth."'
