“The professor’s door is always open” is a known saying at GUC. Students may approach their teacher for questions and discussions – also outside the auditorium. This was something Alessio appreciated while being part of the information security environment at GUC. He emphasizes the good and efficient service provided for the students and found it very nice having a gym and a climbing room at the university campus.

Alessio chose to come to GUC for his Erasmus exchange because he enjoys the “Scandinavian lifestyle” and he thought this was one of the best places for him to go, choosing from the list of exchange agreements provided by his home university. 5 months later he has discovered several new lifestyles in the group of other exchange students. - Meeting new people with different habits and manners helps yourself to understand, appreciate or change your own perspectives, he says. At the same time he’s a bit disappointed that it was hard to socialize with the shy Norwegian students.

Further on he explains more of what he has gained from his stay abroad. - To live by yourself, far away from your parents, help you strengthen yourself and you become more self-contained, he says and continues; - Trust me, in my home country it’s not that common to live by yourself! In Gjøvik he has stayed at the student housing with his own room, sharing kitchen and bathroom with fellow students.

An Erasmus exchange semester is not all about having fun. He has worked hard at the same time as enjoying the time with different people from all over Europe. Alessio think it’s important to find the right balance between studying and enjoyment. During his stay he has tried cross-country skiing, learned some of the Norwegian language and experienced that pizza is very a popular meal in Norway!

Alessio recommends all to do a semester abroad as part of their studies.

(Photo: Alessio Baiocco)