Student Handbook 2020

STUDENTERSAMFUNDETS

Student Handbook 2020

Dear new students!

Welcome to a new and different day at Aalborg University.

Our everyday lives are already different than usual and with your beginning at AAU it is happening once more. Though you do not have to fear catching anything else than good communities, knowledge and great career opportunities.

The Student Handbook is your guide with introductions and guides to the life at the university. We have split the book in three parts: AAU, study life and the city, so you easily can find the information you are looking for. You may already know the study life and the city, but as a student at AAU there are brand new communities, opportunities and expectations that opens up.

I bid you a very warm welcome

Dianna Korshøj Chief editor, The Student Handbook 2020

Editor

Text

Proofreading

Dianna Korshøj redaktor@agenda.aau.dk

Camilo Perdomo Luengas Dianna Korshøj Frederikke Sofie Tast Katrine Dethlefsen Lucca Pedersen Martin Ingversen Phillip Sperling Stine Funder Poulsen Stine Leemann Søren Malthe

Katrine Dethlefsen Stine Funder Poulsen

Layout Mads Trudslev Christensen

Translation Godik Oversæt

Advertising sales and distribution Erhvervsgruppen salg@s-et.aau.dk

Print Rosendahls

Vera Dvorakova

The Student Handbook is created in collaboration with the editorial team at Agenda

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Life

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Aalborg

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Student

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6-7 Greetings from Rector, Per Michael Johansen 8-11 The international experience 12-15 The digital transition at AAU 16-19 PBL - Solving problems in real life 20-22 Campus in green transition 24-25 Grreetings from the student-political spokesman 26-29 Understanding the different

layers of the university 30-33 Influence your education 34-35 Useful numbers 36-37 AAU Apps

Greetings from Studentersamfundet International students’ survival guide When difference becomes the stregth Take a breath and count to five Cool communities

62-63 Greetings from the Mayor, Thomas Kastrup-Larsen 64-66 New to Aalborg

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Welcome to

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Welcome to Aalborg University Dear new student I am happy and proud to welcome you at Aalborg University. We will do our very best so that you may have a pleasant study time.

I myself studied at Aalborg University and it was some of the best years of my life. It is my hope that you too will look back at your years here as some of the best of your life.

In your hand is the Student Handbook and it can be a big help in the beginning. Be curious about it and the many other things you encounter at the university. That is, seen from where I’m sitting, a good way to quickly get comfortable at the university and to get the most out of your time here as a student.

Seen from our perspective we have a big hope that you will find your place as a student at AAU. Our learning model, which we call Problem Based Learning (PBL) will quickly make you a part of your study group. Through your study group you will get to know your fellow students, so that you can help each other make the everyday work more manageable and structured. The study group can not only support you with your studies but also be there to make you feel at home at the university and - if you have moved here - in your new city.

The everyday work in the study groups takes place in close contact with a guidance counselor that will give you professional guidance but also guide you to get the most out of the work. For AAU it is a goal to offer you and your fellow students an education of high educational quality and at the same time give you the necessary tools to work with others as a well functioning team. This happens while you are working on projects in collaboration with companies or organizations outside the university.

It is our experience that solving problems ‘real’ companies or organizations are dealing with is much more motivating and inspiring for both students as well as scientists.

With the Student Handbook you can take a shortcut to an active and rewarding study life at Aalborg University. The Student Handbook is written by students for student. In it they will share their experiences with you so you quickly can learn how the university is organized and works professionally and socially. I therefore strongly recommend that you use the Student Handbook to quickly get a good start at AAU. I wish you all the best study time at Aalborg University

Per Michael Johansen Rector

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The international

experience My name is Camilo Perdomo Luengas and I am a 10th semester master’s student of techno-anthropology. We study how to bridge different types of social and technical knowledge among social groups involved in the development, implementation or evaluation of any technology.

I studied my bachelor in sociology in a Colombian university with a strong focus on academic research. Before coming to Denmark, I have already worked on some research projects related to education and public health, but my interests and passion have always been in the social side of technological development.

For me, the task of finding a master’s that satisfies me and provides me more professional opportunities was not an easy choice. Coming for the other side of the Atlantic means my decision needed to be based on evidence that I was making the right choice. I had the luck of finding a Colombian professor at Aalborg University in Copenhagen who put me in contact with another Colombian who was studying techno-anthropology as well. This person was kind enough to answer my questions about the academic curriculum, the classes and the daily life in Denmark.

I think it was crucial in my decision process to establish direct contact with another student because it gave me honest, contextualised and deeper answers than just reading the information on the website.

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I started the master’s after the summer in 2018 and one of the first challenges for me was to be integrated into the group dynamic of people who have already been studying together for 3 years.

This was challenging for two reasons. First, the people already knew each other, so I needed to understand the inner dynamics of the group. Fortunately, my classmates are great people, they were curious about my background, my life and how I ended up at Aalborg University.

Sooner than expected I was sitting in a table playing board games and drinking beer. I am aware the social integration is a process mostly based on unique circumstances but keeping my mind open helped me to integrate a little bit more quickly to the group.

The second challenge of arriving into a well-formed group is the work dynamic and PBL. I had to take an introductory course about PBL that was not tailored for my master’s but more for engineering students who I think can benefit a lot from this methodology of work. It was a good experience, but I did not learn as much as I was expecting.

Given my education and work experience, I already have a mindset to design and work on research projects. Usually in Colombia for students of Social Sciences and Humanities the academic work is done between yourself and a professor who depending on the class gives you a research topic, or according to the theories discussed during the class gives you a problem that you need to solve by using the authors and discussions from the class.

Therefore, the education process is mostly a solo job where the students had the opportunity to shape its vision of their study program. For example, in my case once I took a course about the history of science and technology, I was interested in this topic, but other classmates were more interested in urban and rural social dynamics.

Obviously, the first contrast when I started the first semester project in techno-anthropology was the workgroup. I

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could not understand back then how you divide a research among 6 people. I was used to having full control of the literature review, the methods, the discussions and the writing process. Now I did not have a clue about what to do. My strategy was asking what they want me to do and proceed. This turns out to be a good approach because my group colleges thought I was a communicative person and open. I learned that I need to trust them. All in all, we all were on the same boat.

The second and probably the most difficult challenge for me was how the use of time. Since you work in a group you must meet them regularly. In my case was every day from 9.15 to 16.00. I think it was fine given the number of expected hours you must invest in researching but at some point, it felt restrictive. In Colombia, the people that study a master are usually young profes-

sionals, so the amount of time people spent at the University is limited to the weekends or evenings.

Since most of the work is made alone or in very small groups you have the freedom of working from home, the library or at different times. Being new in Denmark meant I was eager to spend countless hours visiting the libraries and coffees in the city to work from there. However, the compromise of working in the same place allowed us to spent time together, that usually was fun and somehow, we created a bond that remains to this day.

The last difference I find from my experience at Aalborg University and probably in Denmark as a student is their approach to the “real world�. Currently, I am working on my thesis that is related to the development of an autonomous passenger

Denmark

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ferry by an organisation called Center for Logistik og Samarbejde (CLS). I have been working in the Fjordbus project since my 8th semester project.

I made the internship with them and now I am working on a research that hopefully may contribute to the design or implementation of this technology in Aalborg in the future.

In the Colombian context when a student is conducting his or her own research, the student must stick to specific theories and methods. This creates enormous gaps between the interests of the organisations or social groups and the student limitations for research. Is common to find that a student approaches to the organisation or social group just to take a small sample of their reality, return to the University and deliver a research that may be not be within the scope of needs of the analysed social group or organisation.

In my experience, I have been allowed to negotiate what the organisation requires and what the semester requires by finding the theories discussions and methods that adjust to the needs of the program and the organisation. This combination bridges the academic knowledge to the organisation interests which benefits my overall educational experience by making me more flexible to understand how techno-anthropology can contribute to a project and myself as an international student.

In conclusion, my overall experience as a master’s student at Aalborg University has been great. I think I have not only learned about my career, but I have also learned about cooperation, work and trust that I think are some pillars of the Danish culture.

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University life TEXT Dianna Korshøj

Red. Lucca Pedersen

The university years are the years many are fond of and remembers with joy. They are years with friendships, flaws, smiles, busyness, experiences, and lots more. It is where you create the memories you look back upon and laugh when the hairs are turning grey. Unfortunately, this does not appear along with your acceptance letter, so the question is: What do you want to remember?

The life of the university is something quite special; You are still young and studying but responsibility and the labour market are knocking on your door already.

It is a time, where you can deepen yourself in your study, party with your study buddies and take more shifts at your job. The university can do a lot of things, but create more hours in the day is not one of them, It is an artform to achieve all the goals of the day you create and it is an artform you can only learn by one person‌ Yourself. It is a mixture of mystique and inclination that creates the extra hours in the day, and it is up to you as a student to decide what they should be spend on. ignore the inner pressure that tells you what you should be doing as a student.

Instead use the time to create the experiences that YOU want to remember when these years have turned to memory.

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Aalborg University has in collaboration with the student associations a broad selection of activities for students to expand ourselves both technically and socially - the sky’s the limit, when it comes to the experiences and what you can be a part of!

The university uses a lot of resources to make sure the students have useful facilities at their disposal, for studying, events, lectures and even parties. As students, we can book common rooms and auditoriums for study relevant events, so the possibility to make an amazing study environment is always within our grasp.

Even though many opportunities are open to us, it does not mean they just occur to us - it depends on choosing it and making an effort for it. The majority of the amazing events, that are being held, are run by volunteers, which in return of the effort they put into this, can bring documentation to show to their future employer. Even though the documentation can tempt the future employer, it is hardly what you notice when the volunteers work like bees to make the events reach the next level. You can often hear chatting, laughing and debating when the different groups are working together, because the community are much more than just working. Communities and friendships are being built along with your own competences.

In the community you meet new people, learn from each other and create the study environment you want to have or the one that lies within your interest. It is amazing to participate in the events, but the greatest of it all is when you become a part of the synergy in the communities.

Without the communities, the study environment

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- a part of you would be nothing more that nice surroundings.

That is why everybody plays a part in making Aalborg University a great place to study.

When you choose to become a part of a student association or student group, it is important to remember that even though we as students can do many things, it is not possible to achieve it all.

Despite this, we can choose to participate with a mix of inclination and passion. We have MANY opportunities to make the study environment greater for ourselves and each other or become a part of an amazing community, Wherever your interests may lie, there is a place for you: Friday bar, debate clubs, politics, coordination, media, podcasts, SoMe, economy, PR, sit in a board and much, much more.

The seeds of success have now been sowed and the only thing that gets it to grow is your own involvement. You do not need to be the world champion right from the start, not even when you are done. Most groups value the interest and they coordinate this with competence to make

you grow while working. It is the place where you can prepare yourself for the labor market by using work groups, teamwork and deadlines.

There is no one demanding that you are perfect from the beginning and you are not getting fired for making mistakes. No one is perfect and if you just keep your share of the agreement, are reliable and trustworthy, they will welcome you with open arms.

So what are you waiting for? Talk to the other students, make contact to your study’s student society (if it has one), write to one of the groups on Facebook, or join Studentersamfundet directly through the QR-Code. As a volunteer at Studentersamfundet, you have the benefit of being invited to two annual parties for the volunteers, where you can meet all the other volunteers in the other groups at the university. But be careful! Once you are in, the feeling of being part of something as great as this, will keep you in place harder than the magnetic field around the earth and it will be even harder to say goodbye to the university, when you in a few years are standing with your diploma.

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PBL: Solving prob TEXT Stine Funder Poulsen

Red. Katrine Dethlefsen

If you are new at AAU, there is a good chance that Problem Based Learning is on your schedule this semester or the next. This is a class that gives you 5 ECTS-points and the exam is often placed along your first project exam. But PBL is far more than just one class that needs to be over. Actually, this class is a very small part of what PBL really is. Problem Based Learning is in fact a part of Aalborg University’s DNA and it will be an important part of your technical profile. But what is it specifically then? And how are as a

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student meant to do in group and project work?

What is PBL?

PBL is an approach to obtain knowledge and use it to discover and/or solve problems. This means that you in many or all of your semesters are meant to write projects, likely in groups. The number of projects over the time you are studying along with the group work is optional or mandatory is determined by what you are studying.

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blems in real life Therefore, project and group work are essentials parts of the PBL approach. PBL is not directly a professionalism or knowledge. On the contrary it is experiences, that slowly becomes a part of the way you are solving problems. It will teach you to recognize problems, to find relevant methods and theories and arrange a process that helps you solve the problem. PBL can be seen as the frame of your academical work.

A good project or PBL-progress begins with wondering, a why and how: How do newspaper journalists cope with the fact that politicians lie?

How can we make this product better for the people, who are using it?

The problems depend on what you are working with. When you have found a group and a subject to work with and the first wondering, you will start to study the area of the subject. The more you know of the subject, the more precise question you can ask. When you have the main question, the work to find theory to help you solve it begins.

Now your semester courses and your supervisors will help you with suggestions to useful theories, which you have to choose to use on your problem. There is a great possibility that your main question will be changed along the way

and this is only natural. You are gaining knowledge and are now able to see the problem from other angles.

With the PBL approach you will also learn to look at the world with an analyzing view, that helps you identify problems. You will collect an arsenal of knowledge, theories and methods that your group can find solutions for your problem. Before your time is up at AAU, you have been through a lot of projects, conflicts, theories, groups and successes. You will get to deepen yourself, spar and discuss subjects with your fellow students.

You will learn how you best fulfill your place in a group and see the huge advantages there is in group work.

Absorption

By using PBL you have the opportunity to deepen yourself in subjects and choose different angles, that catches your interest or wondering.

No matter how great a student you are and how much passion you have for your field, there will always be many problems and theories you can’t understand to the fullest. Writing and working on projects lets you work with the subject and your interest and maybe it will lead to something new in your interest. Furthermore the project and group work make it possible to use theories that excites you in a practical way. You will actively use the theories and thereby understand them and the world around you even better.

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Having a sparring partner in the group

Now you might think that the absorption is good but the group work might interfere with the absorption. And while it is true that the group work can be frustrating at times, disagreement about where the project should end, Lucas are not taking his share of the workload or Louise is too dominant, but it can also be positive. The theoretical disagreements and arguments opens up for a better understanding of the theories, methods and angles the projects contains. It provides a place to further develop the ideas you have and investigate all sides of the idea. Each of you have a set of eyes and can see the problem differently and this may lead to stronger arguments and new approaches to the problem or the theory. This is the time the group work is the most fun and you and your group learns the most. At this stage it requires a lot of work, time and eagerness to give and take criticism.

Especially, to give and receive constructive criticism can take time to learn but it is crucial for efficient group work. When you are a part of a group it is important that you acknowledge your group members’ knowledge and competence, which can be used in your project. To receive criticism from people you don’t know can be very unpleasant. That is why it is important to remember that your contribution to the project is helping to move it in the right direction or lead to discussions that will lead to theoretical breakthroughs in the project and to you as academics. On the other side it is also important that you are giving your group constructive criticism even though you think they have more knowledge than you. Remember you have another

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perspective and perhaps a new set of eyes to look at what they say or write and that you also hold valuable knowledge and competences. Your contribution and opinions are important for the development of the group and the result of the project.

You will, through group work, learn to participate in theoretical discussions. You will be trained in constructive communication with your collaborators. Furthermore, it is important to remember that the material you are working with at the university is really complex and that everybody has a hard time understanding it at some point.

When you reach that point, you have your group members to help you understand the theories and the methods. A well functioning group can contribute to more knowledge and new approaches. A good group is therefore more than just the equivalent of the group’s knowledge, professionalism and competences.

To plan a process

Before you and your group start working, it is important that you adjust your expectations with each other. What do you want to achieve, how much work are you willing to put into the project and so on. There will most likely still be conflicts in the group, but this can remove some of them. It may sound unnecessary to adjust your expectations, but it has many advantages and furthermore it gives you a shared starting point in the group.

A project demands a lot of organizing and planning. You only have a certain amount of pages and a deadline to keep. That is why delimitation and precision of the project is a very big part of

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the work. This can be seen as a restriction, but it can also be a strength. It forces you to limit and carefully pick the theory and case. Through this, you and your group can make a better question with a higher precision in both question and answer.

Planning your time, picking your material and delegating assignments are also huge parts of the project and it can benefit you at the labor market.

Most importantly

Remember to have fun during the project. It can be hard, frustrating, and educational at times, but it can also be fun and give you friends for life, if you create a great group work. Give each other space and time to have fun and feel good along the way and remember that the fun times is just as important as the professional. It is those that keeps you going and those you will think back upon.

PBL makes you more attractive in the labor market.

Graduates from Aalborg University are more attractive in general to the labor market because we learn to cooperate with others, are capable of gathering knowledge by ourselves and methodologically, with a specific problem that needs to be solved. The fact that we learn to choose relevant theories and methods and plan a process is likewise an attribute. Therefore, we can, as graduates offer an employer an employee that is prepared for what the job may bring. This is how PBL becomes an important part of your university life and your professional profile.

PBL - ALL INCLUSIVE Do you want to learn about other students’ experiences, both good and bad? On Agenda’s page you can read experiences from other students and get a taste of the PBL work.

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The digital transition at AAU TEXT Frederikke Sofie Tast

Spring of 2020 has already made history; An epidemiologically outbreak of COVID-19 infected the global world. Countries shut down like domino pieces and harsh political actions were made, even in Europe’s most diplomatic democracies. Travel bans; curfew, work ban and locked doors at campus!

In a historical perspective, it is seen how crisis creates good terms for innovation, because when we are in a strange situation, we quickly learn what the problems are and how to solve them. That is the thought behind the Problem Based Learning approach we use at AAU. Ideas and creativity come to life because of the need to solve a problem. This is also what happened during the digital transition at the university.

A digital playground

COVID-19 has transformed the traditional, analog universities into a digital playground for education. Since prime minister Mette Frederiksen officially shut Denmark down March 11, 2020, the Danish educational institutions were forced into a digitalization. Education as well as group work, meetings, and exercises. A digitalization that has dwelled in the background for a long time.

In the last decade, the technological development has gotten it grip at the world and therefore it is not surprising to us that the university also takes steps in this direction.

‘Digital formation’ has in the last couple of years been an increasing part of the debate, especially at the youth education, where a whole new kind of digital 18

didactic is to accommodate the platforms and resources that are available online. But one thing is digital formation the other is digital education

Cold digital turkey

None of us have ever experienced a situation like the one happening in the spring 2020. It meant that there was no time or space to adjusting for the new reality. It became a cold digital turkey.

For some studies, the education aired after just a few days, which meant that the students quickly could continue the daily routines with lectures. For others, the digital transition took longer time to establish or for some it was not even possible, as many of the natural sciences are depending on experiments and laboratories.

No matter what faculty they belonged to, every student was unwillingly tested in self-discipline, study structure and self-study. There were many solutions for this problem: Live-stream lectures, PowerPoint speak, group meetings at Microsoft Teams, Skype business along with a reoccurred need of ‘help to self-help’. To remove all normality and every known routine puts the society in a kind of stress mode. In this period of time, filled with despair, chaos and untouched ground under your feet, there was established new niches for digital meeting places, socialization away from each other, exchange of

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skills and experiences, and also the community and citizenship we showed by complying and respecting the assembly ban. This can be explained from a sociological sentence: The society can always be changed, because the people create the society.

As a new student you can draw from the advantages that are brought to you because older students have been digitized guinea pigs. No one claims that your education or start will be perfect, but it is created with both practical and scientific knowledge.

Group pressure

Digitalization at AAU

Aalborg University is known for the Problem Based Learning and group work. The group work and the natural dynamic was in particular challenged during the digital transition, when the limit for compromises and digital language had to be rethought. Even a simple constructive sentence can be harsh when it is written on a screen.

Digital transition of the collaboration was not without problems. Difficult situations were unavoidable, when the group consisted of individually pressured group members in a tough position and under strange digital conditions.

Digital transition requires a different approach, patience, and tolerance in the group work. We, as the digitally natives that is the majority of this country’s universities, had the advantage of having the best digital skills and conditions to accommodate the digital transition.

For a long time, the digitalization has been on the implementing stage across AAU. It has been examined what the best way to implement the possibilities our digital approach in our learning.

COVID-19 forced the process to be speeded up so now we are much wiser.

Students are elected and these students have a participation in the decisions at AAU, so that the knowledge the study gets, is not solely based on the educators, but also the experienced reality of the student studying at home and working on projects through a screen. That is why you as a new student are standing a lot stronger than we did when the society shut down and now you can benefit from the Problem Based Learning that has been created through this experiment of reality.

The experiment of reality

Centre for Information Systems Management at Aalborg University has started a new experiment, with funding from Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond (DFF). The scientists of Aalborg University are getting a unique start to examine the digitalization at the Danish educational institutions. We are now the experiment group in our own experiment. That is why a lot of the knowledge we have gathered is based on experiences. Simple trial and error-philosophy.

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Campus In

Red. Frederikke Sofie Tast

TEXT Martin Ingversen

green Transition

We are in the middle of a paradigm change. Sustainability and the green transition has taken a leading place on the international as well as the national agenda. The general election in 2019 will be known as a climate election, where the danish voters “voted green� and now we are seeing both local and national initiatives to make everything more sustainable and eco-friendly - a responsibility we also try to lift at campus.

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AAU in front

Aalborg Universitet have already their hands deeply buried in climate adjustments and the green transition as well as many other institutions in Denmark. A movement has begun, that will accommodate the impacts that the university has made on the climate so far. Changing light bulbs, greener kitchens and other simple initiatives the small things counts in a larger scale. Furthermore many studies have transitioned to digital examination to stop the unnecessary use of paper, transport and electronics to name a few.

Vild med Vilje

AAU has implemented a new concept, called Vild med Vilje. This concept are meant to shape and create more biodiversity at campus and to show humility and love for Mother Earth. The grass can grow wild, flowers are blooming, and nature is shaping itself at close range. Wild nature is beautiful nature.

A Vild med Vilje-area recreates nature’s own biodiversity and reciprocity, as to recreate Darwin’s study in the earthworm’s mutual relations with its surroundings: Earthworms produce topsoil when they devour organic material. Topsoil makes the earth fertile, so more plants and animals can live there. In time they will become organic material and then the circuit is ended.

In late summer of 2019, common gardens with fireplaces and multiple outdoor rooms were established and these creates a green study environment with natural surroundings. It has also other positive effects like reducing stress, increases comfort and increases the general wellbeing.

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The struggle of the volunteers

There is different organizations that works with sustainable initiatives, to accommodate a greener campus. An assortment under Studentersamfundet has the sole purpose to fight for the implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in the courses. Furthermore, they are obligated to inform students and employees at campus about the SDG, sustainability and how we can start a local effort.

Groundbreaking projects

Contact them on: sdg.udvalg@studentersamfundet.aau.dk

As a new initiative, Aalborg University launched Megaprojects, where students take part of solution-oriented projects across professionalisms, years and faculties.

Through the megaprojects the SDG are made into practical problems, which is studied in the near vicinity, often in collaboration with local corporations. An example of a working process like this, can be found in last year’s megaproject with the title “Simplifying sustainable living”. Here there was study groups from Sociology and Economics and business administration, that joined the megaproject and threw themselves upon the challenge “Garbage sorting in study apartments”. This interdisciplinary collaboration has the purpose of solving the problem by sharing different skills, professionalisms, and sparring. In the end the project will be send to Aalborg Kommune, where they can benefit from the student’s creativity and innovative thinking to generate ideas and solutions for real problems.

If you want to be a part of this go to: www.megaprojekter.aau.dk

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An individual shared responsibility

The paradigms are changing and (finally) we are ending the consumerism, that since the 1920 have undermined especially the western world at the cost of the third world. The Earth’s greatest disservice.

We are standing in front of a shared responsibility to take part of the collective climate awareness we all must face. That is why sustainability and green transition is all about taking responsibility.

We have to be able to look critically on ourselves and our actions. We need the courage to think creatively and rethink traditional functions, both institutional and individually. Sustainability needs to be thought into every social, cultural, and political project, as we already see it done at Aalborg University and we are proud of that.

Initiatives and movements like these, creates a common starting point so that we at the university can lift as one and that is how we are lifting Aalborg University to a continuously greener, eco-friendlier, and more innovative place.

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We invite you to jo

If we don’t share what we see, we can’t expect At AAU it means something what the students think and experience. The educators are trying every day to make the studies better, the deans are improving the faculties and rector thinks about what the future of AAU brings. As students we can be a part of all of this - if we want to. As a student you have a unique perspective, because you know, better than any educator, what it feels like to be a student at AAU right now.

Student politics are about seeing your education as more than just a service you are receiving passively. Fundamentally it is about taking responsibility and act on it. When your educator asks you to find fitting literature, but haven’t told you what academic journals that are reliable or when your group of six are to write a project but all tables and chairs at campus are occupied - that is when you should act on student politics and address that there is a problem.

When we address the problem, we have taken the first steps towards finding a solution, but we do not solve the problem just by pointing it out. The best solutions are the ones we develop while cooperating with the university. The employees don’t know the problems as well as we do and that is why we can’t expect them to find the solution without our help.

As students we take responsibility for our education and university, when we point out a problem and help to solve it.

As a student at AAU you will discover, while working with Problem Based Learning (PBL), that problems can be understood in many different ways. Some can be simple and tangible, high

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oin student politics

t others to see it from where we are standing. prices at the canteen as an example but it can also be more complicated than that. A complicated one could be about an education preparing you good enough for solving systematic problems in the world. In the Studentersamfundet we are seeing big and small problems with the same amount of seriousness and we wish to help you solve them all, Studentersamfundet are our way as students to organize us across AAU, because problems are best solved together.

When i started on my education a lot of people asked me what i wanted to do when i entered the real world. As time has past I discovered that the world inside and outside the AAU walls are the same and you can have the same amount of influence on both. Student politics are not about ideology but about making the life of students better in terms of education, housing, study life and opportunities in the future. I hope that you will be a part of making AAU better and at some point the world better.

If you want to be introduced to the world of student politics, you are hereby invited to Student forum the first monday in every month. Find the event on Studentersamfundets Facebook page!

Jacob Blasius

Spokesman of the student politics

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

Understanding the differen TEXT Phillip Sperling

As you might have noticed, the university is HUGE. You have probably wondered how big it actually is and how it all works and who takes care of what. On the next pages, we will try to give you some insight in how your home for the next couple of years are.

First of all, the university is a big organization like really big. The last couple of years we have grown a lot. In the last 8 years AAU has grown with 93%!

RECTOR AND THE BOARD FACULTY DEPARTMENT

STUDENT BOARDS 26

THE VOLUNTEERS

AALBORG UNIVERSITY

nt layers of the university The university is like an onion; it has many layers and each layer manages different things. It can be deciding what should be taught and researched as well as deciding the path of the future for the university.

Every student board are placed under a Department, that are responsible for the settings around the education. It is these people that makes sure we have the right classrooms at our disposal, and we are being taught by skilled scientists that knows what they are talking about.

In the daily route around campus we meet the volunteers. It is those that, in collaboration with the university, Studentersamfundet and other collaborators, are responsible for presentations, parties, workshops and other things that makes the study life more living.

Every department are placed under a faculty (except two departments, that are placed both in Humanities and common science). The faculty holds the responsibility of their specific field of study.

The decision making closest to the students are the student boards. They are deciding what will be taught at each study and are thereby making sure you get the highest quality of education.

At the top of the university is the Rector and the board. Here the major decisions about the future of the university are made. This includes making the total budgets and strategies.

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTES AND FACULTIES AT AAU SAMF

The Faculty of Social Science

HUM

The Faculty of Humanities

TECH

Technical Faculty of IT and Design

ENG

The Faculty of Engineering and Science

SUND

The Faculty of Medicine

SAMF

HUM

TECH

ENG

SUND

Department of Sociology and Social Work

Department of Communication and Psychology

Department of Planning

Department of the Built Environment

Department of Health Science and Technology

Department of business and management

Department of Culture and Learning

Department of Architecture, Design, and Media Technology

Department of Energy Technology

Department of Clinical Medicine

Department of Politics and Society

Department of Electronic Systems

Department of Mathematical Sciences

Department of Law

Department of Computer Science

Department of Chemistry and Bioscience

Department of Materials and Production 28

AALBORG UNIVERSITY

Building of A

AU

43

SAMF HUM

Study Boards

18

SUND

TECH ENG

Departments

5

Faculties

Did you know?

As a student you have the opportunity to be elected to the different councils and boards that are a part of managing the four layers - or as we call it: The university’s managing organs. In each of the eligible organs there are students elected and in the study boards we are as many students as professors, so here you really have a say!

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

Influence your education! g n i e Ib m y a is?” h ” W ht th g st tau u j y

the t ’ don his?” y ” Wh like t this t i h c a te do r could bette

”I uch m y ssor!” e of r stud my p n a th TEXT Phillip Sperling

Do some of these phrases resonate with you yet? You may have been part of a student council in high school and could spend months working on something you were not allowed changing anyway. So, I understand if you are now thinking ”can I actually change something about this education? What’s the use?” I will spend the next few minutes of your life trying to convince you that influence is actually something you can get here at the university.

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

Where to get influence?

Well, you can actually get it almost anywhere! On page 2225 we have introduced you to an outline of how the university is structured, and in fact, as a student you can actually be elected into almost all of the university bodies. We can and have influenced politicians to change the law because we, as students, join in unison.

What was the various bodies?

We have 4 elective bodies at the university: Study Board, institute council, academic council (which is the faculties body) and the university board. Here, as a student, we have a voice when deciding which subjects to teach, which researchers should teach, even when hiring a principal. In order to influence all this, you must be chosen at the university election (don’t worry, it’s not as overwhelming as it sounds) in November.

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

Uni-election? Must you be a politician to participate?

No, student politics is for everyone! We are not mini politicians but students like everyone else, and everyone can be active in student politics if they have an opinion and a desire to say it aloud.

What difference are this actually making?

We can actually change quite a lot as students. It can be anything from little things on the individual field of study to big changes in national legislation. Recently students convinced the university to provide printers available for an exam, so they didn’t all have to bring them themselves - indeed, that happened! On the larger scale, students teamed up with students from other universities, and got the legal requirement extended for the master’s programs. This means that it is now possibly to take a sabbatical after your bachelor’s degree and still be sure to get accepted to your master’s program.

How do I get started?

You can always contact the Studentersamfundets’ political spokesman at politik@studentersamfundet.dk. Otherwise you can use the flowchart to find out what to do.

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-- -AALBORG UNIVERSITY

Do you have an attitude to being a student?

Yes

No

Do you want to change the teaching on your study?

No

Do you want influence withing a certain field?

Yes

Study Board Yes

Yes

No

Department council

What about the physical settings of your study?

No

Do you want influence on the big strategies?

Turn the page

No

Faculty council

Yes

University board No You just want to see if student politics is something for you?

yes

local study association

student forum 33

Useful numbers

AALBORG UNIVERSITY

Facility support (9940) 3333 To activate your student card and much more, you can contact Facility Support by phone or directly at your local Facility Support teams office.

IT Support On their website you can find useful guides, to keep you up to date with Print and Copy, Mail, WIFI, Software and much more.

Support@its.aau.dk (9940) 2020

Need to talk?

Remember to use the university chaplains.

Aalborg Universitet Fibigerstræde 15, room 2.233 9220 Aalborg Øst

Religious or not, this is the place that has more room than it sounds like. Here you can have a chat about everything, nothing is to big.

Studenterhuset Gl. Torv 10, room 221 9000 Aalborg

Studentersamfundet The place that breathes life in the time of study. Participate in events, join communities or contribute to an amazing student environment as one of the many volunteers.

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Read more at the website and follow the page on Facebook then your time of study will get a spark of life.

Phone: (9940) 9096 praesten@adm.aau.dk v/Aalborg Universitet

,(9940) 8013 8014 8019

Fibigerstræde 15 9220 Aalborg Ø info@studentersamfundet.aau.dk

AAAALLBBOORRGG UUNNI IVVEERRSSI ITTEYT

TEAM EAST

TEAM CITY

fsto@adm.aau.dk Fredrik Bajers Vej 7A, lokale A1-101 Monday to thursday 8.00-15.30 o’clock, friday 8.00-15.00 o’clock.

Selma Lagerlöfs Vej 300, room 0.1.91 8.00-9.00 o’clock and 12.00-13.00 o’clock

TEAM WEST

fstc@adm.aau.dk

fstv@adm.aau.dk

Rendsburggade 14, room 3.155 office hours: 12-13 o’clock

Fibigerstræde 4, room 35

Strandvejen 12-14, room A200 office hours: 12-13 o’clock

Monday to thursday 8.00-15.30 o’clock, friday 8.00-15.00 o’clock

Startup program Are you dreaming of becoming an entrepreneur? AAU Startup Program offers a program for students with a study related entrepreneur dream. Here you can get help and support to test ideas, economy, business development, mentor and plenty other things.

Study guidance It is always a possibility to get general guidance at the study guidance’s website.

On the website you can book a personal meeting. After the year has begun your study´s local study guidance the best place to go with more specific requests.

Agenda

Fibigerstræde 10, room 2.04 9220 Aalborg Øst studievejledning@aau.dk (9940) 9440 Åbningstider for telefonsamtaler: Mandag - fredag kl. 12.00 - 15.00 o’clock

The student magazine on AAU redaktor@agenda.aau.dk

Keep up with stories and news both from AAU and the society or get some light entertainment straight to your phone. The magazine is for and by the students. Find it at the magazine holder or online and keep you updated at the Facebook page.

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

AAU apps AAU Start provides a variety of information for you as a new student. You will get a list of things you are to do before you start, FAQ, information from your commencement of study, a program for the starting period and contact information on your Study Secretary and more.

AAU Start AAU Student is the easy way to obtain a general view of your student life. You log into the App using your AAU-mail address and through the app, you get access to your class schedule, courses, cantine menu, study techniques and much more.

AAU Student

If you have a passion for design and app development, you can join our facebook group “AAU App Panel and through this group you can have a say in the future of apps on AAU.

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

All apps from AAU can be downloaded from App Store and Google Play. You can find additional information about the apps on www.en.its.aau.dk/app

AAU-1-DAY is the guest WIFI with switching passwords. By logging in with your AAU-mail address, you gain access to this day’s password along with the next three days passwords.

AAU-1-DAY

By using AAU Building Support you can easily report flaws in buildings and inventory on AAU.

AAU Building Support

AAU Map is the guide around campus.

Type in the classroom number and get a guide straight to the classroom.

AAU Map Attention!

As a student you have free access to Office 365 and many other options. Find it all here 37

AALBORG UNIVERSITY

STUDENT LIFE

38

AALBORG UNIVERSITY

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AALBORG UNIVERSITET

Greetings from Stu Beloved new students at Aalborg University. It is me an honor to wish you a warm welcome to AAU on behalf of the entire Studentersamfundet. It will be an exciting time of your life and I hope you are looking forward to it. It is the beginning of a new chapter for you and you have a unique opportunity to find new sides of yourself that you might not even know you possess. This is something that we in Studentersamfundet would like to help you with. But how can we do that?

It is simple. Studentersamfundet is a very versatile organization but first of all it is an organization created by students for students. We have many different purposes, events, and points of interest. It is an organization that tries to create a good social life at the university by the means of big events, like parties and game nights but also with the help from different associations that are more study oriented.

Every day we work to generally improve the conditions for students, not just in Aalborg but all over Denmark too. And right now, in a time where our everyday life is changed, it is important to let the government as well as AAU know how it affects our time at the university. Luckily for you, you have started at a university that is ready for the change, ready to make everything more digital and also makes sure that this doesn’t affect your,

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

udentersamfundet mine and all of the other students’ education. Studentersamfundet is an organization that works with student politics both on a small and a larger scale, but also an organization that tries to gather the students to have a great time.

My name is Cecilie and i am the sitting chairman of Studentersamfundet. But I myself has also been where you are now. I have had a lot of feelings, that were hard to tell from one another. Emotions of excitement but also worrying about how the next 3 to 5 years will be. A friend told me about Studentersamfundet and through this I found my way to a good study life at AAU. I started in one of the Friday cafĂŠs, moved over to work more and more with student politics and bigger events and now I am chairman, where my biggest interest is to create good social unities for the students at Aalborg University. So, if you, while you are reading this, are thinking of how everything is going to be, I have some advice for you: Get involved! Talk to people, from your study, year, older students or maybe even people studying something else than you do. With new acquaintances and new friends, I promise you that you will not regret your time at Aalborg University.

So, once again I would like to, on behalf of the entire Studentersamfundet, bid you a warm welcome at Aalborg University. I sincerely hope that you will have a great start and an even better time here. We will do our part to make sure you will.

Best regards

Cecilie Pallisgaard Jensen

Chairman of Studentersamfundet

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

International stude TEXT Vera Dvorakova

Hey there, fellow international student, You did it! After the stress of your high school exams, of getting the documents you had to send, after all the money you had to spend on plane tickets and all the sleepless nights spent thinking about ending up homeless, you're finally here. In Aalborg. But your journey is far from over, because this is where the real international students struggle starts!

New school, new me!

You're now in a foreign city in a country whose unwritten rules you must navigate every single minute. Found your campus building? Cool, now good luck looking for the classroom your current lecture is in. Is it the one on the first, or the third floor? Are you sure you're in the right building? And when you enter the room, so confident that this is the one, you are unable to recognise a single classmate, not even mentioning the teacher! After class, you want to print something out. If you're lucky enough, you can find a printer. But don't you dare think that you'll get it to work the way you want to at the first try. No, it'll take you at least three more trips to the library, a meeting with the librarian and probably sacrificing your soul to Satan to be able to print that form your mom desperately needs you to provide for her tax deduction.

This is very much what every new student experiences. Getting lost in the city, at their own campus, catching the wrong bus and ending up on the other side of the East campus, ... And you, as an international student, will have it ten times worse.

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

ents’ survival guide Achievement unlocked: becoming an international student

During your first weeks here, you’re slowly getting jealous of your Danish classmates. They don’t need to fill out a ton of documents to stay in the country or pay for their expenses from their own pockets. Meanwhile here you are, desperately running from one office to another in a Kafkaesque never-ending circle, while still not quite sure what it is that the yellow card is for. Taxes, maybe? When you finally have some time to buy your groceries, you either cry at the store because you can’t figure out what button to press on the scales for ‘carrots’ or you can’t stop thinking what the cashiers ask you every time you pay (because it sure doesn’t sound like ‘kvittering med’!). And don’t you even dare call your doctor – you’ll save yourself an embarrassing small talk with the automated voice telling you to press #2 for English.

As soon as you thought that you might have figured it all out, the homesickness and existential dread come in. The days get shorter, the nights longer, and your savings are shrinking fast, because the prices are insane, and you can’t even get that horrible job cleaning puke from toilets. Of course, you could deliver newspapers late at night, but you really don’t want your sleep cycle to reverse even more. And as if that wasn’t enough, the horrible Danes won’t talk to you, but will instead stick to their little Danish crowd, unless they’re blackout drunk!

How do I survive this?

Are you scared yet? You needn’t be. Yes, being a foreign student in Denmark isn’t easy, but you knew that already – that’s why you chose this path, you troublemaker. So, what is it that you should do to make the first few months here a little easier? Let me tell you, one foreigner to another.

Flip the page and find out!

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

1.

2.

3.

4.

Join clubs and student associations There’s usually a student association specifically for your programme and they’ll be delighted for you to become a part of the team! If you’re interested in a certain field and would love to get some experience, visit the International House North Denmark and volunteer for an organisation or two. You’ll get plenty of friends and who knows, maybe it’ll lead you to your dream job (once you figure out what it is).

Socialize I cannot stress this enough: make use of all the welcome events your tutors prepared for you. Or simply go to one of the hundreds of events happening in the city, whether it is a party on Jomfru Ane gade, a concert at Studenterhuset or your local Friday bar hangout. Man up and talk to people and you won’t end up alone in the winter.

Learn basic Danish Although you might never pronounce it right, Danes love it when you try (so that they can make fun of you). Even a simple “jeg kan ikke snakke dansk, for helvede” can get you far in your interactions with Danes.

It may sound cheesy but stay open-minded Don’t just hang out with the people from your home country – you’ve been doing that your entire life. Get yourself some international friends who you can share and bond over your struggles with. The more friends you find, the more fun your summer travels will be, visiting each other!

And finally, have fun! There will be moments you’ll want to pack your stuff, leave the country and shiver every time you remember the phrase ‘rød grød med fløde’ for the rest of your life. But on the other hand, if you just try to enjoy the ride, fail and try again, I promise it’ll be unforgettable

44

I dag kan du blive medlem af Djøf for

0

kr.

I morgen får du adgang til de billigste studiebøger, de bedste studiekurser, og den bedste studieforsikring.

Meld dig ind i Djøf i dag.

De første 12 måneder er gratis. djoef.dk/studieliv

AALBORG UNIVERSITY

There I was. Sitting in unmatching socks from Nike and Kappa and discolored sneakers in a state that could look like they had just been through the lifetime of a marathon runner. With a bad excuse for a tote bag and a homemade bowl cut. The first day. University life has begun. Right there by the long tables at Gammeltorv. Nervous.

That is three years ago now. Allow me to introduce you to the monologue that went through my head this particular morning:

TEXT Søren Malthe

When difference become the strength

the jester and earlier times halal hippies envious.

The color equilibrist Anne Marie Helger would without a doubt be impressed. But what is it that triggered my nervousness? It was the thought of being different. It is well known that it can be beneficial to pounder at other peoples’ thoughts when your own are a mess.

“Why the hell did you decide to wear that patched up cotton heirloom of a trench coat?

They are sitting there in their nice slim fit jeans and form fitted blazer like the icing on a very aesthetic cake. Just the right proportion of upper arms and a well-arranged smile that combined it all into perfection. What were you thinking Søren Malthe?”

So I did. They look sharp, like they are ready for anything, but somewhere deep down there must be a nervousness too. The thought of standing out. As the day went on I encountered a bipolar disorder. I met the turner syndrome. Different variations of body types. I also encountered the black and white dress up as well as the more colorful dressed. The difference made the group that was heading out to hear Rector’s welcome speech and by hearing this, the study life officially began.

Sitting there in the study life’s rendezvous point with a solid mounted bowl cut on the head. With clothes that would make both

As the months passed by, and the starting nervousness were on the retreat, it also became clear that the difference was the one forming us

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AALBORG UNIVERSITET

all. The body and clothing related manifestation of my self-declared unique ego was one of the beams which my social life was built upon. By this it was shown that difference was a strength.

And back to that morning at Gammeltorv. It was with equal parts of fear and optimism i looked along the tables. Optimistic by the thought that we are here of the same re-

ason - no matter what education we come from or where in this wide world we are from. Every person at the table was created with the same interest in the education and each interest is wrapped in a different clothing, haircut, and body type. We were formed by the difference.

The difference that was so incredibly important.

And to put it a bit more on the edge: The difference will first become a strength, when you give it attention. So heed my words: Remember and focus on yourself and embrace the differences. I did it. I got my bachelor’s degree. Even with non-matching socks from Nike and Kappa.

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

TEXT Stine Leemann

Red. Katrine Dethlefsen

Welcome to the university - possibly the most confusing, terrifying, frustrating and enormous time you have encountered so far! It is going to be amazing! The school days you have had so far, have only touched the surface of what you will learn now and now the possibilities are actually right in front of you.

The university can be fantastic but will be tough at times too. The rhythm you have learned school is working in, will be changed dramatically. Personally I will say it took me very long time to understand the rhythm that suits me best and I have just started my candidate - I am still testing techniques. That is why it is important that you do not panic, if you are unsuccessful at first.

My first year was haunted by multiple ghosts. My first grade at the first semester was an E, so I was terrified of the next exam, then there was the huge amount of examination requirements and worst of all: The possibility that I might fail one of my classes. How embarrassing it would be to retake an exam, and how does it even work? There were so many questions and uncertainties - they are still there, but you learn where to get the answers you need along the way.

Try!

There is no clear guideline to show you how everything is done and why is that? That’s right!

It is YOUR responsibility that YOU are learning. A part of the study is to learn how you obtain information the best way. There are nearly endless ways to learn, so you must try different ways if you haven’t found the one that suits you.

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5

The strategy I started with, was the same as so many others and the one I have always used.

I HAVE to ... Read EVERYTHING ... be at ALL lectures ... memorize EVERYTHING I used the first couple of semesters to stress myself to the fullest: I wasn’t at that one lecture, I couldn’t remember what that concept was called or meant, I hadn’t read that text and the only solution that popped up in my mind: Read, read, READ. But when I pushed myself to the limit, it removed the ability to remember any of it anyway and then what was the point? So my advice to you is simple: Throw away the idea that has been printed in your brain, since you took your first steps at school grounds. The idea that says you are to read everything and be at everything. It is slowly occurring to me that I really do understand my field of study, when I don’t think about it all the time. If I get the chance to talk about a certain theory or a part of the study, I have a very hard time holding back and I can talk about it for days. ”But what if I can’t remember any of it and what if i fail my exam?”

I am almost certain that you are thinking this

AALBORG UNIVERSITY

now and I also have the answer for you: If you can’t remember it… Then you can’t remember it and that’s it, and if you fail you can retake the exam. There is nothing more you can do about it and stressing is not helping if you run into this. It is as simple as it gets.

An oral examination is probably the only time (not just while at the university, but in your LIFE) that you are expected to answer straight away. Even at the written exam you can always return to the requirements and read it again (or for the first time) If you run into something that you don’t under-

stand, it is nice to know that there are many study communities! There are older students, that will guide you and give you advices. Your fellow students might experience the same frustration you are going through so you can talk with them also. You might even find the urge to “geek out” at your imagination’s full power and there is (often) food and drinks of some sort involved.

So dear you, I have put together 5 advices for the survival at the university and by giving you this I hope you are a little bit better prepared than I was:

Grades Do not hunt the straight As. It is just a letter on a piece of paper. The hunt for the high grades is an evil circle, that only harm you so remove the focus of the grades. Chase the knowledge instead.

Do you fully understand the lectures and how can you obtain the knowledge that you missed?

Remember that it is your knowledge that determines if you can do the job and not the grade! There is no guarantee that all the knowledge you get while you study is something you need to use, so remember that even though you can’t remember everything, it is okay - no one can!

Study technique The university offers lectures, examination requirements and practical classes (and older students you can ask for help), but most of it is optional and there is no registration of attendance. Find out what the best way for you is to learn what the study expects of you. It is hard so there is no shame in asking for hints from others - The study guidance is specialized to help you with the workload at your study.

A time off is essential This one is so important it should be shouted through all hallways at the university. There is nothing you HAVE to do, but as a student there is a lot of pressure on our shoulders and that is not healthy.

Therefore you HAVE to take a time off from time to time! What is the point of reading hundreds of pages if you only remember the first line of page one?

Keep the spirit up Did you make a mistake? Awesome! Now you have learned from it! Did you sleep in? Great! You got more sleep then! Do you have a bad hair day? Then it is probably the only bad thing today! So what if there is something you don’t know? That is the reason you are at the university. You missed a lecture? It can (and will) happen to everyone at some point! The university is an enormous change in your everyday life and it might seem scary, but don’t let it affect your confidence or your spirit!

Get involved in the communities of the studying life Look, this may seem like a really bad advertisement for study events, but it actually isn’t. Along with the title student, you gained access to a huge community. The communities can help relieving you from the feeling of standing on your own, which can seem overwhelming at times. They can also give you some amazing experiences and friends - What are you waiting for?

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Cool

Co m m u n i t i es

The bars

50

At the bars there is always fun and playful. You can become a part of the bartender-community, if you volunteer as a bartender in one of the bars. This is perfect for the one that likes to party and be where things happen. Find your local bar on Facebook: BasisBaren, Bajers Bar, Barbaren, MĂŚrkbar, Aalbar, DE-klubben or you can explore your study area.

AALBORG UNIVERSITY

S tudent politics

Do you want to be a part of quality proofing your education? Become a part of a community where employees and students are equal and together puts the education in the frontline.

- For more, see page 26-29

No matter your political or personal belief, you have as a student at AAU, the opportunity to influence what we as students believes in Studentersamfundet. Show up at Student forum the first monday in every month and let your voice be heard.

S tudent Organizations

S tudent forum

At the local student organisations you can enjoy companionship with your fellow students; on your semester but also the ones farther along than you. There is student organisations on several studies, institutes and faculties, just ask your tutor or contact Studentersamfundet for more information.

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

Agenda - The magazine for the students

Be a part of the creation of the news flow at the university. Your interest and skill are providing the foundation and it is only your interest and your ability to develop that sets the limits for what you can do. Translation? Articles? Jokes? Photos? Sound?

Grammar? - How will you affect the media flow?

Nearly every month your Studentersamfundet sticker will give you the chance of drinking a whole beer tap in Jomfru Ane Gade.

Meet new people or bring your study group, when Studentersamfundet invites member to an hour and a half of FREE beer.

So much more ...

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Free beer

There are so many more cool communities than this in your study time, so the only thing to do is to take the first step in finding them!

AALBORG UNIVERSITY

S tudenterhuset

The place that (almost) has it all. Here you can throw yourself in a couch and play a game with your friends, order a cheap cup of coffee with your family in the cafĂŠ, experience an amazing concert or study for your next exam in the reading hall.

As a student at AAU you can participate in both courses as wells as lectures at Folkeuniversitet for free (you have to pay for food yourself). Learn new things or be entertained all the while you are saving thousands of Kroners as a student.

BoxTown

Folkeuniversitetet

Step into a creative environment and join in on the promotion of food culture and sustainability in the everyday life with a focus on the use of local produced organic commodities. BoxTown is a learning institution and an event place, created by your ideas along with project managers, movie creators, food enthusiasts and many more.

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

Pilegaard Antikvariat O g Mønthandel

Local bookshop for the one that can get lost in books. The price is fair and you might find the one book needed for your reading list or that one book you didn’t know you needed. Start your search in the narrow corridors in the scent of old books, while you search for hidden treasure.

Do you have the urge to play games or throw an alternative pre-party? Roll the dice or shuffle the cards, because here you can play the game you like with a good drink or a snack in nice company.

Nature

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Brætspilscaféen

Even though you have moved to a big city, there are still natural beautiful spaces to be found. Walk along the boat harbor, take a picnic to Lundby Krat, take a dip in the docks or have a barbeque in Østre Anlæg. Explore the area and find your own clearances.

AALBORG UNIVERSITY

Facebook and Instagram

Mig og Aalborg, Studieliv, aaumemes, Aalborg Universitet, Studentersamfundet and Agenda - de studerendes blad på AAU, are just a few of the cool Facebook groups and sites that you as a student benefits from by following.

Jodel (app) -

Do you use Jodel? Be a part of making the channel @AAU even greater than it is, so we all can draw benefit from the anonymous community, where you can have fun, share information and smalltalk with likeminded.

LinkedIn

Channel “@AA U”

If you don’t already have an account at LinkedIn it is about time you got one. Your network creates job opportunities so connect with your fellow students and get a good start when you are applying for jobs. If you aren’t comfortable with LinkedIn, ne sure to pay attention at AAU. Before long there will be an event where you can learn what you can offer as a student from AAU.

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

S tudiz (app)

If you are in search for a good student discount, then you should download the app Studiz. Here you can search and find different types of discount both online and local. This might help you get your money to last longer.

Are you in need of a place to stay or do you need a roommate, then this is the site for you. Here is bulletins of rooms and different guides to what is worth to remember, when you are leaving a place. There are many groups on facebook similar to this one, so your new roommate is just a click away.

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Findroommat e

AAAALLBBOORRGG UUNNI IVVEERRSSI ITTEYT

The Buddy program

Being in a foreign country can be overwhelming in the beginning. The buddy program can help international students settle in by teaming them up with current AAU students. Your assigned buddy will introduce you to Danish culture, provide practical information about studying and living in Aalborg as well as being your first contact person and friend.

For more information contact: buddy@adm.aau.dk

If you want to experience Danish culture ‘Dine with a Dane’ is a great event. You will get the opportunity to visit Danes and enjoy a free dinner and company in their own homes. This has given many a unique experience of local Danish culture and lasting friendships.

Dine with a Dane

‘Dine with a Dane’ is organized by The University Chaplains. For more information see: www.chaplains.aau.dk or mail: praesten@adm.aau.dk.

International Night

International Night at ‘Studenterhuset’ is your opportunity to meet new people, learn about different cultures, and connect with people from all over the world. At ‘Studenterhuset’ they host events throughout the year, such as karaoke night. The events are hosted once a week on Wednesdays at 8PM and everyone is always welcome to join.

Stay tuned by checking out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/studenterhuset.aalborg/

International hook-ups

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

Connect Intl .

Connect Intl. is the student lead association for Language and International Studies, English and Sprog og Internationale Studier, Spansk. Connect Intl. aims to provide LISE/SIS students with social and academic events, thus creating an environment that will inspire students, aid in their development and be a platform for networking. For more information go to: https://www.facebook.com/connectingaaustudents/

BEST is an international organization for all engineering students at AAU. BEST strives to help students to develop themselves and to become more internationally minded by reaching a better understanding of European cultures and creating a large international and interdisciplinary network. If you want to learn more go to: https://best.aau.dk/

AIESEC

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BEST

AIESEC is a global platform for young people to develop their full potential. Their main focus is learning from practical experiences in challenging environment. By doing volunteer work you get the opportunity to experience cross-culture exchange and local as well as international networking. Join AIESEC as a member or get an internship abroad by going to: https://www.aiesec.dk/

AALBORG UNIVERSITY

International House

International House North Denmark offers a creative 2-year program for international students from UCN and AAU. They train 30 Agents a year who are aided with connecting to the region’s businesses and international labor, finding jobs and integrating.

They open for applications in September. For more information go to: www.ihnd.dk/gga

The Intercambio Program celebrates languages, cultures and bringing people together from across borders. The people at Intercambio believes that mastering languages is an important skill when living in a modern global society. Therefore, they host culturally themed events to give you the opportunity to practice language and make connections. Anyone can join free of charge, join at: https://www.facebook. com/groups/theintercambio/about/

The Intercambio program

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Welcom Welcom to Aalb to aalb

AALBORG UNIVERSITY

me me borg borg

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

I BID YOU ALL A VERY WARM WELCOME ‌to the city, this education and to some of the best years of your lives!

I am happy and also proud to bid all of you welcome to Aalborg.

I am happy because you have chosen Aalborg to be the city that makes the boundaries for your education and proud because Aalborg is a city that holds infinite opportunities.

We are working hard to make Aalborg a city with a lot of educational opportunities and the city has gone through an amazing development and there are more and more student apartments has been build - and of course are they located on some of our best addresses. The cultural life in Aalborg has also expanded and today we have a huge variety of activities and experiences all over the municipality. Nordkraft, Havnefronten, Musikkens Hus, Gigantium, Vestre Fjordpark just to name a few. But we must not forget the amazing nature that surrounds us and just waits to be experienced: The fjord, the beaches, the woods and the parks.

No matter where you go, you will notice the room for your own ideas, a lot of smiles and a good mood. People in Aalborg are friendly and open minded, and we stand together around the common development, that defines this municipality.

Citizens, the educational institutions, the private sector of the workforce and the public authorities. All are collaborating to create the positive changes, that you also can benefit from in terms of study jobs, internships, and a municipality full of life. it is a strong community you now have become a part of.

We have created the setting for your life’s adventure, and we hope that you are ready to play your part, so that your time her will become both unforgettable and full of laughter and learning.

Once again, a warm welcome to Aalborg.

Thomas Kastrup-Larsen Mayor

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AALBORG UNIVERSITY

New to AALBORG? TEXT Katrine Dethlefsen

Red. Frederikke Sofie Tast

Welcome to Aalborg; a city with a lot of sides.

Aalborg may seem huge and unfathomable, but don’t worry - you are not alone!

To engage in a new study, move to another city - maybe even a bigger one than the one you are from, can be a enormous change. How do you settle down in a new setting in a new city, where you don’t know anyone? Read along here, while we guide you to a great start at your new study in your new city. A city of studies, where new people come every year and where associations, gatherings and communities are just around the corner.

A new city is actually not so bad. Look at it as a fresh sheet of paper, where you can create your new identity away from all the childhood friends, nicknames and rumours. You have been given an amazing opportunity to seek out new interests and hobbies - use it!

I myself are still fairly new to the city. I moved to Aalborg in August, when I started studying here.

I quickly saw that the life as a student is what you make of it. I joined some social communities at the university, I started in a climbing club, I

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learned that you can paint croquis at Huset (in Hasserisgade) every Tuesday, I got a study job and then I started meeting with a wine club from school. And now I have moved into a shared house, which is something that gives me the opportunities to meet new people. The key word is taking the leap of faith!

Most studies have a vast amount of social events i the beginning of the RUS-period to help new students get new acquaintances. It can be overwhelming, because of everything that is happening in a very short time and therefore it is important to breathe and be open minded. So-

AALBORG UNIVERSITY

metimes it can be tough, but as time goes by and the university life normalizes, you will forget most of the worries you had.

Take in the city

There is a lot of facilities to use, as a newcomer to help you settle in in a city as Aalborg and one of the best advices I can give you is to take the time to learn the city. Listen to a podcast or an audio book and go out and explore Aalborg Vestby, walk from Reberbansgade to Dannebrogsgade, look at windows in Vejgaard, and take your bike through Kildeparken, Karolinelund and Østre Anlæg. Look at beautiful houses in Hasseris, run along the waterfront in Nørresundby or take a dive in Vestre Fjordpark. It is all about finding the spots around the city that gives you the possibility for relaxing and peace, places where you can be yourself. At the same time it is also a great idea to find the places in the city, where you can meet new people or get a new and exciting knowledge. Take your time to settle in and be inspired by your surroundings.

The communities at the university

At Aalborg University we are working hard on creating the foundation of a great study environment. Social well-being is important in having a great study-time. That is why the university is buzzing with different social societies of interest. You can apply to become a voluntary bartender at the study-bars Basisbaren, BajersBar, Barbaren, Mærkbar, Aalbar and DE-klubben - there is room for everyone.

On top of that there is also a lot of other communities Agenda, where I am a writer,

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SDG-assortment, that works on making campus more eco-friendly, or you can start a party committee at your year. If you are more interested in politics, you can join one of the youth political party. There is a broad selection of these, because youth political parties has relations to the major parties. Communities like these can both be educational and developing but also social and a great place to make friends, when you from the start have similar political views and through this a great way to start talking. This gives some nice deep conversations and a high-five to your CV and you will gain the opportunity to run for city council! If you think that they are a little young in youth politics, then you should look towards student politics at AAU. Here you can be a part of the decision making of many parts of AAU, from the decoration of study environments to the frames of education.

The waters of the Limfjord

Limfjorden is a big and beautiful fjord which is the heart of the city. Through time it has brought many mariner to Aalborg and as you may have noticed a couple of cruise liners or ten. Limfjorden is not only beautiful to walk along but holds many opportunities for those who got their sealegs. Join the university’s rowing club or the cajak club in Vestbyen. Are you a winter swimmer clubs Lillebjørn and Isbjørnen and you can sail around at the fjord in a GoBoat. If you are more of a scout, then find your talents and become a scout leader at FDF Aalborg Søkreds, where you will learn to sail ketch-rigged danish seine cutter, Jens Krogh.

Meaningful spare time

Aalborg is full of voluntary organisations and there is almost a fight to get a spot - there is a foundation of new friendships here. For the socially vulnerable there is warm shelters, secondhand shops and cafés that need a helping hand by volunteers. Doctors without borders, Mødrehjælpen, the youth red cross, Nordjysk Fødevareoverskud, Aalborg FRI-TID or UngEnergi. Headspace is likewise a voluntary organization, where you, on top of making friends, can help young people with their problems, big and small. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning ‘Ventilen’, which is a place to prevent loneliness for young people. It is a great place to come and be a volunteer to conversations, activities or just be there for people who need it. If you are more interested in music, you should go to either Cafe 1000fryd, Skråen or Studenterhuset and ask if they need someone behind the bar.

Aalborg is Paris of the North, a place that contributes with many different facilities and there is a lot going on if you seek it out. With these words, I found some words in the bible that fits perfectly: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

Welcome!

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AALBORG UNIVERSITET

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