Application process
After studying for the past four years in Norway, I wanted to experience how is was like to study in a foreign country before I finish my education. As a student at the master program in Logistics, I was informed about the foreign universities with exchange agreements with Molde University College. After doing some research on the websites of the partner universities, I found that Riga Technical University offered the most interesting subjects for my academic interests. I then contacted international coordinator Anette Kristin Myrstad for additional information about the university and the application process. After deciding that I wanted to study at RTU, I had to create an online application with the necessary information, documents and preliminary course list.
Accommodation
I arrived in Riga 1 week before the start of the semester to find accommodation and attend the orientation week events. Although RTU offers accommodation for their students, I found that I wanted live more central and with higher standards. The accommodation offered by RTU is quite cheap, simple and close to campus, with shared bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens as standard in most rooms.
I stayed at a hotel for the first couple of days while I searched the private market for an apartment, and various Facebook groups (i.e. "Riga Student's Appartment Market") proved to be a great place to find accommodation. Each Erasmus exchange student at RTU was assigned a "Buddy", a Latvian student that will support you with information and take you to various social and practical events during orientation week.
Studying
I quickly realized that the school system was quite different in Latvia. In the courses I took, it was usually between 15 and 30 students in each class. Compared to Molde University College, the lecturers are interacting more with the students with discussions, presentations, in class/group assignments and practical work. Perhaps the biggest difference compared to MUC was the grading system. Showing up to lectures (which was mandatory), assignments, group work, quizzes, discussions and presentation had all an influence on the final grade together with a final and sometimes mid-term examination. I personally liked this system, as it gives you an incentive to work evenly through the whole semester and makes it easier to receive good grades, as well as lighten the stress in the examination period.
The quality of the lectures was good and I definitely learned many new and exciting topics. I especially liked the more practical approach in many of the courses compared to the more theoretical oriented courses at MUC.
I was a bit surprised to find that RTU does not really have one big centralized campus like MUC, as each faculty is scattered all over the city. The lecture rooms and buildings where not as new and well equipped as in Molde, giving limited possibilities to study at the faculty campus outside lectures. Instead, I usually went to the national library to study, which was very modern and nice.
The City
I would estimate that the cost of living in Riga is about 30-50% less than in a similar sized city in Norway like Oslo. The public transportation system in the city is very good and enables you to move around wherever you want. The airport is located just outside the city, and Riga is a good base for traveling to the other Baltic countries as well as to Europe.
Riga is well known for its well-preserved "old town" with beautiful medieval style architecture making the city a popular tourist destination. Riga truly delivers everything you would expect from a city of that magnitude, reputation and history.